The Ottawa Senators made the Stanley Cup final worth watching on Saturday night by escaping a possible 3-0 series deficit with a 5-3 win to now trail the Anaheim Ducks 2-1.

The return home was just what the Senators’ offense needed as they scored more goals in Game 3 than they did in Games 1 and 2 combined. Ottawa is still trying to get their big three weapons in gear after Daniel Alfredsson got on the board with a controversial goal in Game 3, but Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley were both shut out again. With Spezza and Heatley still firing blanks, the Sens still got past the Ducks thanks to goals from secondary scorers like Chris Neil, Mike Fisher and Dean McAmmond. McAmmond scored what turned out to be the game-winner on Saturday night, but he’ll likely be watching from the sidelines on Monday after a shot to the head from Chris Pronger knocked him out. Ottawa did catch one break from Pronger’s latest assault, as it cost the Norris Trophy nominee a one-game suspension, meaning he’ll be watching Game 4 from the sidelines with McAmmond. It’s doubtful they’ll be sitting together, though.

Aside from Heatley and Spezza, the Senators’ biggest disappointment in Game 3 was goaltender Ray Emery. Despite losing both Game 1 and 2 Emery played much better in the losses, and let in three weak goals to Anaheim on Saturday night. Emery saved himself in the third when he stopped Todd Marchant on a shorthanded breakaway when Ottawa only had a one-goal lead. Emery’s counterpart Jean-Sebastien Giguere also took a step backward in Game 3, but really he had nowhere to go but down after pitching a shutout in Game 2.

For Anaheim to take back control of the series they’ll need to resuscitate their strong forecheck that disappeared in Game 3. One bright spot for Anaheim in Game 3 was the performance of the Ryan Getzlaf/Dustin Penner/Corey Perry line. Getzlaf and Perry each had a goal and an assist, while Penner picked up a pair of assists.

Puck drop for Game 4 is 8:00 pm ET on Monday night, with the Senators listed as -200 favorites on home ice.

Gas Crisis Grips Ottawa

Remember the last time you went back to work after an extended vacation?

If you play for the Ottawa Senators, you only have to think back to Monday night. The Sens opened their Stanley Cup final against the Anaheim Ducks with their usual efficiency, playing a strong road game before completely running out of gas in the third period. Ottawa gave up two goals in that final frame and skated away meekly with a 3-2 loss. Anaheim was a –140 favorite in Game 1; the early Game 2 forecast called for more chalk.

Anaheim’s mission on Monday night was to avoid taking undisciplined penalties. That failed miserably; Scott Niedermayer took a high-sticking minor in the opening minute of play, and Mike Fisher capitalized for Ottawa. Andy McDonald tied the score in the first, then the Sens went up 2-1 in the second on yet another power-play goal, this time by Wade Redden. Ottawa appeared to be in control.

Then the wheels fell off, exploded, and burst into flame. The Ducks came alive in the third, throwing their weight around with more zest. Anaheim outshot Ottawa 14-7 and took the lead on goals by Ryan Getzlaf and Travis Moen. It was an unquestionable tour de force; however, if the Ducks do see their odds shortened in Wednesday’s Game 2, any value they may have carried going into the Cup final will be washed away.

Analysts up north (certainly not biased toward the Senators, no sir) were quick to point out how flat the Sens were, pinning the blame on the nine days that passed since Ottawa eliminated the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern final. The Ducks had three fewer days of sitting around after putting away the Detroit Red Wings in the West. Any conditioning advantage Anaheim enjoyed in Game 1 should be gone by Wednesday.

Bet on Wednesday’s Stanley Cup Final Game 2 at Bodog Sportsbook, where they’ve got some great NHL hockey odds.

Original Six? That is so yesterday.

An expansion team is going to win the Stanley Cup – again. This year, the silverware is going to a team that was born in the ‘90s. The Ottawa Senators are the favorites at 5-6; the Anaheim Ducks are barking after eliminating the Detroit Red Wings (take that, traditionalists) on Tuesday night.

The cream has definitely risen to the top. Both teams have the stuff of champions – except the Ducks have experienced more wear and tear on the road to the finals. They lost No. 1 left-winger Chris Kunitz to a broken hand, making it very difficult for Anaheim to trot out its fourth line as often as Ottawa does. Norris Trophy winner Scott Niedermayer is rumored to be playing with a stress fracture in his right foot. And requiring six games to dust off Detroit means the Ducks will have three fewer days of rest than the Senators heading into Monday’s opener.

There isn’t any one weakness on the Senators, but some are expecting Anaheim to win this series, thanks to home-ice advantage and the team’s punishing style. Jean-Sebastien Giguere is also drawing praise for out-dueling Detroit’s Dominik Hasek. That’s a bit of a stretch. After stoning the Vancouver Canucks in the second round, Giguere had a save percentage below .900 in four of the six meetings with the Red Wings. Hasek was also hit-and-miss, with three bad games out of six, but it was Anaheim’s depth that eventually won the day.

Meanwhile, back in Ottawa, coach Bryan Murray is cooking up some plans for his old team. Murray was Anaheim’s general manager when the Ducks made it to the Cup finals in 2003. He is the architect of the team he will face on Monday. The Senators will no doubt benefit from Murray’s experience – I think they’ll get a Gruden-like jump on the Ducks and bring the Cup to Ottawa for the first time since 1927. Maybe some tradition will rub off on the Sens after all.

Get your NHL hockey betting and Stanley Cup Final odds while they’re hot.

One series has just gotten started. The other is practically over.

Such is life in the NHL playoffs. Although the West still holds the balance of power, we figured the Eastern final between the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres would be a rock ‘em, sock ‘em affair featuring the two best teams in the conference. Unfortunately for Sabres supporters, Ottawa is providing both the rock and the sock.

The Sens have taken a 3-0 series lead by thoroughly outplaying Buffalo in all three games. Only the stellar goaltending of Ryan Miller has kept the Sabres in contention. The vaunted Buffalo offense couldn’t muster a goal in Monday’s Game 3, managing just 15 shots on Ray Emery despite having the man advantage on six occasions.

Ottawa’s top line was its usual self on Monday night. Captain Daniel Alfredsson scored the lone goal; he has found the back of the net in each of the three games against the Sabres, with talented linemates Jason Spezza (one goal, five assists) and Dany Heatley (four assists) also pouring on the points.

The West is much more competitive, with the Anaheim Ducks and the Detroit Red Wings knotted up at a game apiece. Depth has played a big role for the Ducks in recent games, with unexpected contributions from the likes of Samuel Pahlsson (nine points in 12 games) and Travis Moen (seven points). They’re going to need all the depth they can get now that top-line winger Chris Kunitz has been shelved for the remainder of the season with a broken right hand.

The Ducks still have something of a size advantage over Detroit, but Jean-Sebastien Giguere is cooling off after looking unbeatable during the Vancouver series. Anaheim has yet to solve the Wings on the power play, as well. Dominik Hasek can earn Motown supporters some money by stealing at least one of the two games at the Honda Center.

OK, so the Nashville Predators won’t win the Stanley Cup. I don’t feel too silly for picking them. You could have made a case for any of the 16 teams who went into the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Well, maybe not the New York Islanders.

So who’s the best bet of the remaining eight? I like the Ottawa Senators at 6-1. The Sens showed a little bit of everything in their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, snuffing the inexperienced Pens in five games. Ray Emery’s goaltending was solid, the defenders in front of him were stout, and Ottawa scored on the power play in each contest. The path through the Eastern Conference looks easier, as well. The New Jersey Devils (7-1) are up next; after that, the Sens will face either the New York Rangers (10-1) or the Buffalo Sabres (3-1).

Much like the NBA, we have an imbalance of power. Any of the remaining four teams in the West would be a strong candidate to go all the way. But they have to survive one another first. That makes the Anaheim Ducks (4-1), the Detroit Red Wings (4-1) and the San Jose Sharks (9-2) far too chalky. The Vancouver Canucks are a much better value at 8-1 to win the first Cup in their history. They lack depth up front; however, goaltending is king, and Roberto Luongo is one of the best in the business today.

Now, let’s forget about value and all that for a second. I still think the Senators are the best team of the above-mentioned octet. I don’t see any areas of weakness on this club. Anaheim appears similar in nature, but Ottawa’s third and fourth lines look stronger. That would make one heck of a final. Or how about Red Wings goalie Dominik Hasek coming back to haunt his old team? If Todd Bertuzzi stays in one piece all the way to the finals, that would be an even bigger mountain for Ottawa to climb. These Senators can do it.

Your best pick? The Vancouver Canucks. Here’s a site that’s got all the NHL Stanley Cup odds.

Weren’t the Calgary Flames supposed to put up a fight?

The Detroit Red Wings are flat-out embarrassing Calgary at every facet of hockey. They won the first two games of their first-round playoff series with relative ease. This is a Flames team with plenty of talent, and Detroit is almost toying with them. But that hasn’t been enough (yet) to make Wings the clear favorites to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup finals.

At press time, the Wings were tied with the Anaheim Ducks at 5-1 to win the Cup. Anaheim has also made a cakewalk of its first-round series, winning the first three games over the Minnesota Wild. The Wild were considered a possible upset candidate based on the goaltending of Niklas Backstrom (.929 save percentage), but Anaheim has snuffed out Minnesota’s already questionable offense, allowing the Ducks to win each game by a single goal.

Detroit and Anaheim were leading the futures market even before their first-round playoff opponents were determined. However, the other two Western series feature strong teams that deserve their share of attention. Both Vancouver-Dallas and Nashville-San Jose have been entertaining, closely fought matchups. Pick any of those four teams to win the conference, and you run the risk of not even making it to the second round.

The Canucks have a 2-1 edge over the Stars, thanks to pair of overtime victories that could easily have gone the other way. And perhaps they should have; Dallas has generally outplayed the Canucks, who have relied on timely bursts of offense and the goaltending of Roberto Luongo.

The Predators, meanwhile, put the hammer down on San Jose this past Friday to tie their series at one game apiece. Earlier in this space, I picked Nashville to win the West and the Cup. I see no reason to change that, despite San Jose’s 3-1 victory over the Preds on Monday night which gave the Sharks a 2-1 series lead. The Predators are far from finished.