One down, Six to go - Honest

As heartbroken as Senators fans may be today, they know it's far from over. The Senators played a fairly solid game, considering. Considering what? Let's take a moment and look back at their previous 15 games.

• Pittsburgh Penguins: complained all season long that they didn't have a physical force to protect their stars


• New Jersey Devils: looked like they gave up before game 2 even ended


• Buffalo Sabres: led the league in points, but when you break down their wins vs physical teams, oh wait, they barely played any physical teams all season

So where does that leave us? With a Western Conference champion who hasn't played a physical team since the middle of March. Don't worry Sens fans, your team is brilliant at changing pace, they can play the fast game, they can play the passing game, and they can play the checking game - they just needed to see what it was like again to play someone who knew how to throw his own weight around.

Tonight the Senators are going to come out on the ice knowing what it feels like to kiss the boards, they're going to know what it takes to move the puck in that kind of game, and they're going to know what kind of pace they're going to need to keep in order to win. They know they can't hold the puck, they know they have to throw checks (and avoid getting checked) and they know, most importantly, they aren't that far out. Their goalie is strong, their strength is high, and tonight, Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, they're going to show the Ducks who the Eastern Conference Champions really are.

That's right, Game 2 goes to the Sens, 4 goals to 2.

GO STAR...errr...SENS!

--j
Odd Man Rush
Dallas Stars Podcast

ps - I know the Ducks did pretty well. I was highly impressed by their third and "fourth" line and they showed exactly why they brought Chris Pronger on board this year: they are one of the most physical teams in the league, and it is what helps them win. But please, I'm not going to praise my division champion for doing what they're good at ... not when its not my team! And no, I'm not bitter dang it.