from Ian Mendes of TSN,

The great thing about this run is it melted away the cynical side of Senators fans. That feeling of impending doom was slowly lifted during the remarkable run. And sure, maybe it took until the final buzzer sounded in Philadelphia, but that's okay. It's gone now. Dread has been replaced by confidence for Sens fans.

The amazing thing about this current Sens team is they could get down 3-0 in this series against Montreal and instead of feeling like a sweep was inevitable, a lot of Sens fans would be thinking, "I like our odds. I think we've got this."

There is something different about this team. It's not the team built for the Cup like they were in the early 2000. Instead, it feels like a team that might be destined to win the Cup. You can't explain Andrew Hammond's success. But the nice thing is you don't have to logically explain the Hamburglar phenomenon; you just have to enjoy it.

And for once, it feels like it's okay to dream about the Stanley Cup in Ottawa without having your dreams crushed. Because no matter how this season ends - this team has captured the collective heart of the fan base.

The only guarantee for the Sens postseason is that this will last somewhere between four and 28 games -- and that Sens fans will look back fondly on this season no matter how it turns out.

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