With the NHL season now down to one Game Seven, we looked back at how the Senators have fared in the classic one-game playoff showdowns of the past.
There's nothing quite like a Game 7, a one-game showdown to decide an NHL playoff series. But Monday night's matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers is like no Game 7 we've ever seen.
For one, this single game will decide the Stanley Cup champion. It's incredible that 32 teams powered through a 1,312-game regular season, then 16 continued battling into a two-month-long playoff. Now it's down to just one game for all the marbles.
Secondly, the Oilers will try to become the second team in the league's history to rally from an 0-3 deficit to win a Cup Final.
And finally, Canada's 31-year Stanley Cup drought is on the line. The last Canadian team to win a Cup was Montreal in 1993.
So, no matter what team you cheer for, Monday will be a special night for hockey fans. How can you not be romantic about hockey?
With Game 7 on our minds, we thought about how the Ottawa Senators have fared in playoff series that went the distance. We envisioned adding clips of big Game 7 highlights with vivid descriptions of every series.
And then it dawned on us. The Senators have never won a Game 7.
The Sens have played in 27 playoff series in their history. Six have gone to Game 7, and the Sens lost them all. Here's the grim evidence:
- 2017: Eastern Final vs. Pittsburgh. The Senators lost to the Penguins, with the seventh game decided in double overtime. The Pens would later defeat the Nashville Predators and win the Stanley Cup.
- 2012: First round vs. NY Rangers. The Senators held a 3-2 series lead but lost games six and seven by one goal.
- 2004: First round vs Toronto. The finale of the actual Battle of Ontario. The Sens gave up two shaky goals and fell behind 3-0 in the first period. They couldn't recover and lost 4-1 to Toronto. It was the final game for Ottawa goalie Patrick Lalime and head coach Jacques Martin.
- 2003: Eastern Final vs New Jersey. Game 7 was tied in Ottawa when the Senators had a calamitous defensive breakdown on a Devils rush up ice late in the third. Jeff Friesen scored to win the series for the Devils, who went on to win the Cup over the Ducks.
- 2002: Second Round vs Toronto. The Senators had a 3-2 series lead and controlled Game Six 2-0 until Ricard Persson got five and a game for a suspect hit from behind on Leaf salesman Tie Domi. Toronto rallied to win Game 6 and took care of business in Game 7, winning 3-0.
- 1997: First round vs Buffalo. It was Ottawa's debut in the NHL playoffs, and they led Game 7 2-1 in the third period. Derek Plante tied the game and won it in overtime with a slapshot that seemed to go right through Ron Tugnutt's glove.
In hindsight, this wasn't the uplifting exercise we had hoped for. Let's hope Monday night's Game 7 proves to be a lot more fun.