Posted by Joy Russo
OTTAWA -- As the Senators skated off the ice after their 3-2 loss to the Ducks on Monday night, as they wandered around their locker room after falling 3-1 in the Cup finals, their body language said it all.
They didn't look like a team that believes they can win it all. They literally looked beaten.
And Ottawa does have a challenge ahead of them. Of the 28 teams who have led 3-1 in the Stanley Cup finals (since the best-of-seven format was put in place), 27 have won it all. The only club to overcome a 3-1 hole is the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs. They trailed 3-0 before coming back to oust the Detroit Red Wings.
Yes, kind of daunting, like a Don Cherry suit.
(A little tangent here -- but, for the record, most of the media at Monday's game huddled around random TV sets in the press box to watch Cherry's intermission spot on NBC. Shockingly, he and analyst Brett Hull were both proponents of more fighting in the game. But as much as some of the media like to criticize Cherry for his brash commentary, they still make a point to listen to him. Why? Is it the train wreck factor? Maybe. But, like Monday night, they do enjoy his views every once in a while.)
But as Barry Melrose told some of us after the game, Sens coach Bryan Murray will only be thinking about one game, Game 5 on Wednesday in Anaheim, and trying to get his team to believe in themselves again.
Ottawa only needs to look back at last season's Cup finals to see that a run is possible.
The Edmonton Oilers trailed the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 in their series heading into a Game 5 in Raleigh. In one of the best games of the finals, the Canes came back in the second period, tying the game at 3 on Eric Staal's power-play goal. Then, we went to O-VER-TIIIME.
When Steve Staios went into the box for a tripping call, most of the building believed the Hurricanes had the game, and the series, wrapped up. But Fernando Pisani scored a short-handed goal to send the Cup finals back to Edmonton.
Yes, eventually the Hurricanes went on to hoist Lord Stanley, but it didn't happen without a fight from the Oilers.
Will the Senators be able to do the same? Guess they just have to believe it's possible first.
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