If you didn’t know better, you’d think the Senators have purposely hit the brakes on their rise in the Atlantic Division standings.
Like they were trying to avoid running into the New York Rangers in a first-round meeting or something.
Smart dodge, that.
First, let’s get one thing straight: As bad as (Guy) Boucher’s boys have been the past two weeks (2-4-3), they are not going to miss the playoffs. So there’s no drama or excitement in that “watch” no matter how it’s being dressed up and sold.
But the stumbling the Senators done since their six-game winning streak was crushed has also cost them any hope of top spot in their division, which would have bought them a Round 1 showdown with the Blueshirts.