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OTTAWA — The method didn't matter. Any path to the Stanley Cup playoffs was a good one for the struggling Ottawa Senators.
The Senators backed into one of the eight playoff spots in the NHL's Eastern Conference despite being defeated 2-1 by the Boston Bruins. The Florida Panthers, led by former Ottawa coach Jacques Martin, upended the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 to send the Senators into the postseason for an 11th year in a row.
"Jacques Martin did a heck of a job for us," Senators general manager and coach Bryan Murray said in an attempt at some humour.
Murray and his players wore expressions of relief following the game. They knew that after their impressive 8-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday that too many developments had to occur in the final three days of the regular season for the Senators not to make the playoffs.
Senators goaltender Martin Gerber and defenceman Cody Bass react after conceding a goal to the Bruins' Zdeno Chara Friday in Ottawa. The Bruins won 2-1, but both teams still qualified for the playoffs. (REUTERS/Chris Wattie)
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They played hard in their regular-season finale, but without captain Daniel Alfredsson (neck, knee) and gritty forward Mike Fisher (neck), Ottawa couldn't solve the defensive stingy Bruins, who also secured a playoff spot and held the Senators to only 18 shots on goal.
"Once we won that game [in Toronto], we knew that a lot had to happen for us not to get into the playoffs," Senators forward Jason Spezza said.
With 95 seconds remaining in the third period, an announcement was made that the Panthers' victory meant the Senators would be going to the playoffs. The Scotiabank Place capacity crowd of 20,232, which pushed the season attendance to a club-record 812,665, went bonkers.
For that fleeting moment, the concern about the Senators' slide, in which they went 28-29-8 after a 15-2 start, wasn't evident nor was the anxiety that they will likely be without Alfredsson and Fisher to begin the playoffs.
"We have what we have," said Murray, when asked about the difficulty of replacing two of his top forwards. "Somebody has to pick up their game and score for us."
Murray will use the next two days to figure out some line combinations that will provide some offence. He employed veteran Martin Lapointe alongside Spezza and Dany Heatley initially last night, but then replaced Lapointe with Randy Robitaille in the third period.
He also moved Antoine Vermette, who scored his fourth goal in two games midway through the third period after the Bruins built a 2-0 lead, back to centre.
The Senators seemed more concerned about what transpired in their thumping of the Leafs than their game against the Bruins. All day long the chatter was about the bad taste left by the outing in Toronto.
They weren't happy that Leafs forward Mark Bell blindsided Alfredsson, and Fisher also charged that his first-period injury was the result of a knee-on-knee contact with Bell. Murray continued to condemn Bell, but Alfredsson took the high road and accepted some of the blame.
"I think it's more [my fault]," Alfredsson said. "Usually I'm aware of what's going on around me and I had no idea he was coming."
There also was plenty disgust with the Air Canada Centre crowd, which continued to cheer when it was obvious that Alfredsson was hurt.
The Senators' captain denied that he suffered a concussion, but admitted that his neck was stiff and his knee was sore.
There was no timetable for the return of either player. However, the emotional Murray said it could be "weeks" before they are ready to play.
The Senators are in seventh place in the East, but can finish anywhere from sixth to eighth, depending on the outcomes in the final two days of the regular season. Possible first-round opponents include the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Carolina or the Washington Capitals.
