Two and three goal leads not good enough?

Many have said that the Senators' struggles early on this season might be a valuable experience in preparing them for the playoffs. I can't help but wonder what these last few games are doing for team confidence.

Three games ago a one goal lead was lost to the Atlanta Thrashers. Ottawa was up two after the second period on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks and ended up losing in a shootout. Another way to blow a lead was found today with the Sens starting the third period up by three goals. What's next? Being up 6-2 against Toronto on Thursday and losing 8-6 in the dying seconds?

The good news tonight is that the Senators did get a point in today's match against their conference rivals in Pittsburgh. The bad news is that their lead over the Penguins has dwindled from two points to one.

The post-season is about a month away and the heat is being turned up. Will this latest setback firm up the reserve of those who will lead us through the Stanley Cup playoffs? What impact will it have on fans? If the people who were asking what was wrong with the Sens yesterday keep it up, the lines will be buzzing on Team 1200 starting right about now through to Thursday afternoon. Two nights from now the Senators play the hated Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Leafs pull off a victory over the Sens, take cover - the stampede to jump off the bandwagon will claim a few victims.

I don't know... it is hard to be an Ottawa Senators fan because if the Sens start buckling under pressure before it really builds up, it's hard to believe they'll have the mental strength needed to win sixteen games in April, May and June. I so desperately want to believe in them - but they haven't done well under pressure.

Here's hoping that Martin Gerber can impart some words of wisdom and calm the troops down. After all, he did watch his team win Lord Stanley's Cup last year. Whether it's on the ice, in the dressing room or at the end of the bench, the ring on his finger should make the boys think that anything is possible. All it takes is hard work.

Hard work gets teams through spurts like this one. Will the Ottawa Senators work hard enough? Time will tell, as it always does. Go Sens! Please!!!