from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

The Senators are now two wins away from the Stanley Cup final and looking more like a team of destiny with each roaring moment.

For a team that has been knocked at every turn and written off before this series even began, there shouldn’t be a shadow of a doubt now that Ottawa is a team capable of carrying Lord Stanley home.

“You hear it a little bit. Nowadays, it’s impossible to be oblivious to what’s being said and what’s going on,” Mike Hoffman said. “It’s just our system. If people don’t respect it, that’s their own opinion. If we played a run-and-gun game that maybe people would rather watch, then we probably wouldn’t be here.”

Determined to take a more aggressive approach in Game 3, Ottawa victimized the Pittsburgh’s battered defence corps from puck drop, chasing Marc-Andre Fleury with four goals in the first 13 minutes en route to a 5-1 thrashing at Canadian Tire Centre.

The Senators are 10-1 all-time when leading a best-of-seven series by a 2-1 margin, including each of their first two round wins in these Stanley Cup playoffs.

“We were just alive,” Boucher said. “Our fans love the way we play and they love the enthusiasm our players are displaying.”

In the rout, the Senators not only earned a 2-1 series edge, but created a crease conundrum for the Penguins.

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