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Sens Rewind: Ottawa Senators Game 7 History Has Been A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Few things in hockey conjure up excitement and emotion like the words, Game Seven. After six crazy nights of battling, covered in cuts, welts and bruises, two teams Lay It On The Line in a one-game showdown to decide who will continue the dream and who will crash into the ditch alongside the road to the Stanley Cup.
The Senators would have loved to have forced a Game 7 in the first round, but they bowed out in six to the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this month.
The Leafs moved on to face the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in round two, and on Sunday night, those two clubs square off in a Game 7 in Toronto. It’s the third Game 7 of these playoffs, and the winner will join the Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and Carolina Panthers in the Conference Finals, the NHL’s version of the Final Four, where the Leafs haven’t been in 23 years.
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With Game 7 on the brain, we thought we’d take a stroll down memory lane and see how the Senators have fared in playoff series that went the distance. We initially envisioned an uplifting Sens montage with inspiring music like, I don't know, maybe Triumph's 1979 hit, Lay it on the Line.
And then it dawned on us. The Senators have never won a Game 7.
The Sens have played in 28 Stanley Cup Playoff series in their history. Six have gone to Game 7, and the Sens lost them all.
Here’s the unfortunate (and slightly traumatic) rundown:
Will RFA Fabian Zetterlund Get Paid On His San Jose Numbers Or The Ones In Ottawa?Fabian Zetterlund has only been an Ottawa Senator for a couple of months, and he’s already asking the club for a raise. That wouldn’t fly in a normal workplace, but that’s how it goes in the NHL when you bring in a pending restricted free agent at the trade deadline.2017 – Eastern Final vs. Pittsburgh
The Sens pushed the Pittsburgh Penguins to double overtime in Game 7. Damn you, Chris Kunitz. The Pens went on to lift the Cup, while Ottawa went into therapy.
2012 – First Round vs. NY Rangers
As the eighth seed, Ottawa held a 3-2 series lead. And then they lost Games 6 and 7 by one goal each.
2004 – First Round vs. Toronto
The last and most bitter chapter (until recently) of the Battle of Ontario. Patrick Lalime let in two questionable goals, courtesy of Joe Nieuwendyk, and the Leafs jumped to a 3-0 first-period lead. Final score: 4-1 Leafs. Bonus heartbreak: the following season was wiped out by a lockout, giving Sens fans extra time to stew.
2003 – Eastern Final vs. New Jersey
Game 7, tied in the third, at home. And then, disaster: a defensive mixup paved the way for Jeff Friesen to score the winner. The Devils went on to hoist the Cup.
2002 – Second Round vs. Toronto
Another 3-2 series lead for Ottawa. They were up 2-0 in Game 6 until Ricard Persson received a major penalty for a hit on Tie Domi. The Leafs rallied, forced Game 7, and won it 3-0.
1997 – First Round vs. Buffalo
Ottawa’s playoff debut. They led 2-1 in the third period of Game 7. Then Derek Plante tied it up and scored the OT winner—on a shot that somehow went through Ron Tugnutt's glove and maybe his soul, too.
No, this didn’t turn out to be the feel-good nostalgia trip we were hoping for. But looking ahead, Sens fans are never opposed to a bit of misfortune for their biggest rival, so maybe Sunday’s Game 7 will bring them something a little more satisfying.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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