Methot’s hometown team just one win away from Cup final
Ottawa Senators defenceman Marc Methot can’t help himself.
As much as his focus is trained on trying to once again shut down Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 here Thursday, his mind does wander towards the dream scenario of playing at Canadian Tire Centre in the Stanley Cup final.
Long before he ever imagined becoming the ideal on-ice partner for the NHL’s best defenceman, Methot’s first hockey memories were of watching his hometown NHL team grow from being a laughable expansion franchise into one of the NHL’s elite teams at the turn of the century.
He had 20 games of NHL experience with Columbus when the Senators made their one and only appearance in the Stanley Cup final in 2007, ultimately losing to Anaheim in five games.
And now, 10 years later, with 579 regular season and 37 playoff games behind him, he can almost taste the excitement of playing for the Senators in the Stanley Cup final against Nashville. Almost. “I mean, I want to do it, it would be incredible,” said Methot, who, with the considerable help of goaltender Craig Anderson, did his part in keeping Crosby off the scoresheet in Tuesday’s 2-1 Game 6 victory. “You can’t help but think about that at times, but you always catch yourself and tell yourself that this is far from over.
“We still have to play the defending Stanley Cup champions in their barn for a Game 7.”
That’s the message Senators coach Guy Boucher is trying to impress on his squad, of course. He wants the Senators to be excited about the kind of Game 7 opportunity that rarely comes along, but to not lose themselves by thinking ahead.
“You’ve got to be level headed,” said Methot. “But you can’t help but think of playing in that final. It’s a dream come true. And even being in this position is a dream come true and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
The history of both franchises in the current situation makes for some intriguing reading.
The Senators are 0-5 all-time in Game 7’s — losing to the New York Rangers in the opening round in 2012, to Toronto in the first round in 2004, to New Jersey in the Eastern Conference final in 2003, to Toronto in round two in 2002 and to Buffalo in 1997, their first playoff series.
The Penguins, though, have some bad home playoff memories of their own. All told, they are 9-7 in Game 7’s, but only 3-7 on home ice. When losing Game 6 on the road, they are 0-7 on home ice for Game 7.
“I didn’t know that,” Methot said, when informed of the Senators history in series that go the limit. “But I don’t think the history means anything. You’ve got to live in the moment. We’ve got a completely different hockey team and a different set of circumstances. It’s one game.
“Hopefully, we win the game. No matter what, we’ve got to give all we’ve got. We’re in a great spot.”
While Senators fans and the Ottawa community in general have taken a fair share of hits during the playoff run because of unsold tickets at Canadian Tire Centre — the building had 450 seats unsold for Game 6 against the Penguins — Methot offers nothing but positives about the support the team has received.
Once Bobby Ryan tied the game on a power play late in the second period Tuesday, Methot says the crowd played a significant role in helping the Senators carry the game to the finish line.
“They were loud,” said Methot, who has two goals, two assists and a plus/minus figure of plus five in the post-season.
“It was awesome. That’s all you think about. Once you get in the building and they’re making tons of noise and supporting us, it feels great. You could even see it on their faces. When you get
Hopefully, we win the game. No matter what, we’ve got to give all we’ve got. We’re in a great spot.
that lead (on Mike Hoffman’s third period goal), and fans are going crazy, you really feed off that energy.”
He recognizes the tables will be turned Thursday while playing in “hostile territory”, but he says the Senators have come too far to leave without pushing themselves to the limit.
“I don’t want to have to play another eight exhibition games, and another 82 regular season games, and a bunch of other stuff (to get here again),” he said. “We know how hard it is just to get our foot in the door. We’ve put ourselves in such a great situation in the third round and we don’t want to waste it.”
If the Senators could somehow pull it off Thursday, the homecoming would be all that more special for Methot.