Oops! They did it again!

This one's going to be short and sweet. It's been what, now, 4 out of the last 5 games where the Sens have blown third period leads? What's in the water or Gatorade they're serving in that dastardly second intermission?

The Ottawa Senators were like rocks in recent years when playing the third period. If they had the lead once the second period ended, you could put it in the win column, writing it in permanent marker if you so chose. Nowadays, you need buckets of whiteout if you try that trick.

Here's hoping this is yet another example of adversity the Sens will overcome on their road to the Stanley Cup playoffs. We've been criticized for charging towards a President's Cup, only to fizzle days or a couple of weeks later. We've been criticized for exerting so much energy in the weeks leading up to the end of the season in order to eke out a few more points to pad the totals, only to waste that energy on meaningless games.

Now we're mired in a curious slump that cannot be explained. The early season slow start is but a memory at this point. That memory has almost been erased by the fact that the Ottawa Senators were the best team in the NHL from Christmas through to the All Star break. A few wins in a row will quiet the fleeting fans who jump on and off of the bandwagon with alarming frequency.

Perhaps this year we'll take advantage of the post trade deadline unlimited roster size and sit some of our stars in the final games. Baseball teams do it all the time. Shawn McEachern and Wade Redden would have been spared from injuries in years past had we done so.

Here's hoping that if the Sens have a lead of any size this week, that they hold on to it. If not, who knows what will happen. It's virtually impossible to not make the playoffs right now and while I suppose we could fire the coach and/or GM, short of that, nothing can be done. Players can't be traded.

Relax, everyone, we're going to be OK.

I hope.