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OTTAWA _ The Senators have returned to the post-season.
They are back where they belong.
A lot left to be decided in the final week of the season.
Where they are going to finish is a big thing.
My guess is they will play the Boston Bruins in the first round.
Ottawa is going to beat Carolina tomorrow night.
I don’t think the Washington Capitals are going to win out.
So, it will likely be the Bruins.
The Senators were 1-5 against the Bruins this year.
Not sure it is the best matchup for Ottawa.
For now, the Senators just enjoying being in the playoffs.
They can worry about the first round matchup when it’s settled.
A lot players have stepped up this year.
- Captain Daniel Alfredsson has led by example.
- Centre Jason Spezza is an MVP candidate.
- Defenceman Erik Karlsson has led the offensive attack on the blueline.
- Winger Milan Michalek is having a career year.
- Goalie Craig Anderson has made the big saves.
- Veterans Chris Phillips, Filip Kuba and Sergei Gonchar have been better.
- Coach Paul MacLean deserves credit.
Bring on the payoffs. Let the ride begin. Should be fun.

There is a reason for fighting.
It happened the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers game Monday night at Madison Square Garden. If you didn’t see it, here it is:

This was incredible. It had to happen because John Tortorella and Peter DeBoer wanted it to happen. The NBC Sports Network televised this effort. Old time Hockey.
There will be fines and suspensions.
There has to be. You wonder if Peter DeBoer will be behind the New Jersey bench tonite.
He might not be. He has some explaining to do and just to show everything is politically correct, Brendan Shanahan may have to suspend DeBoer. Not saying it is right but it could happen.
But, sometimes messages have to be sent.
Ban fighting from the game? Please.

So, we’re down to the final week of hockey for the Senators.
A week left of listening to coach Cory Clouston trot out every excuse in the book for why the Senators weren’t successful as the club prepares to play its final three games of the regular season.
Clouston said recently he’ll accept some responsibility for the club’s record. That’s big of him.
The good news is the Senators can’t climb much higher than No. 26 in the East. The loss to the Maple Leafs Saturday assured that fact which means the club is going to get a good draft position.
A lot of things have gone wrong for the Senators this season, not the least of which is the club’s inability to score. For some of these players, they’re going to have a tough time finding jobs next year.
A few things still have to be cleared up by owner Eugene Melnyk in the final week of the season: What is the future of Senators GM Bryan Murray? My expectation is he will be back and Clouston will be gone.
Murray has been the most active and aggressive GM in the league since February. When I spoke to Melnyk then, he told me the club had a plan in place and decisions on Murray/Clouston would be made at the end of the year.
Murray has put a lot of what’s going to take next in place already. There is still work to be done, but if you really take a close look at next year you can already see the roster is taking shape.
It all starts with Craig Anderson in net.
A week left in the season. A lot of questions left to be answered. Locker cleanup is next Monday.

RALEIGH, N.C. _ Erik Karlsson won’t be able to make his dream come true this weekend.
He wanted to skate side-by-side with Niklas Lidstrom. It didn’t happen in the NHL Fantasy Draft. He was the last defenceman taken by Team Staal. Karlsson wasn’t disappointed.
He’s happy to be on the team. Happy to be part of the fun that goes with it. Karlsson has always idolized Lidstrom growing up.
My belief is the draft was a great idea. I actually felt bad for Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs going last, but the car he received helped soften the blow I’m sure.
The feedback from the players was positive. Next year in Ottawa, they may allow trades and flips of draft picks to make it more fun. Will it make the game better? Probably not. The draft was a winner even for a guy like Karlsson.
He’s going to be skating with some pretty good talent Sunday afternoon at the RBC Center.

WASHINGTON _ Nice morning here. Lovely outside. Took a stroll down to the White House. No sign of Barack and the family. Back at the hotel. Practice is set for 1:30 p.m.
The Senators have a lot to work on. They haven’t looked anything close to what anybody expected. Now, let’s stop here for a second and give the Maple Leafs credit. They are a better team than they were last season. Looks to me like J.S. Giguere has instilled some confidence in that group. Of course, it would have helped if the Senators had some scoring chances on him.
That is the worst part. They aren’t doing anything at either end of the ice. Coach Cory Clouston can draw what he wants on the chalkboard. He can’t hold the players hands while they do the job. You have to wonder what is going on here.
Erik Karlsson is the biggest mystery. He might want to remember he has a two-way contract. They don’t even need waivers to send him down. He keeps this up and he’ll be back riding buses in the NHL before he knows it. He’s been a riverboat gambler in the first two games and that’s just not acceptable.
Karlsson started the night with veteran Chris Phillips. By the end, Karlsson was skating with Brian Lee.
The forwards are another story. No one is sure Giguere had to make a save. It is shocking to watch these guys right now. I believe they’re a better team. They have to start showing it.
The Capitals aren’t exactly what they need at this moment. They hammered the New Jersey Devils 7-2 in Saturday’s home opener. The Senators are going to have their hands full.
They have to find solutions and they have to do it quick. The Leafs showed last year you can get behind the eight-ball pretty quick in the playoff race and it’s tough to make up ground.
Have a nice Sunday and a Happy Thanksgiving. Going to try to find a turkey sandwich tonight. My favourite spot here has closed.