Burrows created plenty of history with Vigneault

Sens forward and Rangers coach teamed up to lead Vancouver to 2011 Cup final

After the media crowd left the exuberant Ottawa Senators dressing room Sunday night, Alex Burrows appeared, talking a mile a minute.

With little prodding, the Senators winger went through most of the lineup, detailing the big and little plays, along with the storybook Clarke MacArthur ending, that helped the Senators outlast the Boston Bruins.

Every puck battle, he said, had the potential to become the defining moment in a series where four games went to overtime and all six were decided by one goal.

“We kept reminding ourselves over and over again to focus on the next shift,” said Burrows, who along with fellow tradedeadline-pickup winger Viktor Stalberg provided the type of hard minutes that helped give the Senators a depth edge over the Bruins. “It might be a blocked shot — (MacArthur) had two big blocks on one penalty kill — and we had (Bobby Ryan) jamming the net hard, (Derick Brassard) making plays, (Craig Anderson) with big saves. There was Cody (Ceci), Dion (Phaneuf ) and of course (Erik Karlsson). It was a total team effort. But we need even more against the Rangers.”

Indeed, the series that will be and the series that was are why Burrows wanted to come to Ottawa from Vancouver.

“My goal was to join a team that I felt like, looking from the outside, had a chance to go on a run and make some noise,” he said. “When I joined 26-something games ago, I believed these guys were a special group.”

Yet he, like Senators fans, might have received a little more than he bargained for in the opening round.

Karlsson skating through two hairline fractures in his left foot and elevating his game at the pivotal moments? Brassard and Ryan emerging from uninspiring regular seasons to now sit second and fourth, respectively, in the NHL playoff scoring race? MacArthur providing the finishing touch after his two-year journey through post-concussion limbo?

All of the above have provided fascinating storylines. Now here come the Rangers and another series rife with advance plot lines.

In the next few days, talk will centre on Brassard and his head-to-head battle against Mika Zibanejad, allowing us all to revisit the first big deal of Pierre Dorion’s career as Senators general manager last summer. Anderson will also be going toe to toe with future hall of famer Henrik Lundqvist in the crease. Lundqvist and Karlsson, of course, have been pivotal in the success of the Swedish Olympic and World Cup teams.

If the Senators were pushed to the limit over and over again by a Bruins team severely depleted by injuries, the Rangers are built for the grind of the post-season.

“We saw them against Montreal, just how good they are,” Burrows said. “They’re really deep. They have size and skilled forwards with speed. Their defencemen are solid with (Ryan) McDonagh and (Dan) Girardi. They just had a great series against Montreal and they have one of the best goalies in the league. We will have our hands full, but I really believe if we play the right way and play like we can, we’ll make a series out of it.”

In meeting the Rangers, there’s another plot twist for Burrows and the Senators, illustrating how small the NHL world is

I’ve known A.V. (Alain Vigneault) for a long time and he’s going to make sure those guys are prepared.

sometimes.

Burrows will be going up against Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, who helped guide him into the NHL. They were together with Manitoba in the American Hockey League in 2005-06 and Burrows played seven more seasons under Vigneault in Vancouver. That ride included the devastating loss to Boston in the 2011 Stanley Cup final.

Now, Burrows goes against Vigneault after playing his part in knocking off Boston.

To complete the loop of connections between Burrows, the Senators and the Rangers, Vigneault began his NHL coaching career as an assistant to Rick Bowness with the expansion Senators in 1992.

“They’re super well-coached,” Burrows said of Vigneault.

“I’ve known A.V. for a long time and he’s going to make sure those guys are prepared. They’ve had a few good runs under him so far,” including a loss in the Stanley Cup final in 2014 and the Eastern Conference final in 2015.

“But I know our coaching staff will do the same. Hopefully, we can find some adjustments to be able to beat them.”

Perhaps it’s good to receive a few days’ break until Round 2. We can all catch our breath before the next playoff surprise rolls around.