Ottawa Senators: Could the Playoff Bubble Pop?

The Ottawa Senators were favorites to return to the Stanley Cup finals this season to represent the Eastern Conference.

Some even chose them to win it all and finally bring a title back to Canada for the first time in nearly two decades.

I guess it's just another example of counting your chickens before they hatch.

I'm not going to lie—as a Leafs' fan with our team completely out of the playoff picture, the only thing I'm intrigued about until playoff time is whether the Senators make it or not.

As a hockey fan however, their plummet down the standings is truly disturbing.

How does a team that has four consecutive 100-point seasons come out so uncontested to start the year, and then just roll over when it really matters?

Some would say the goaltending—Ray Emery has not been the same goalie that he was last season when he helped bring Ottawa to the cup finals, and Martin Gerber is the definition of streaker.

If we were still at mid-season, you could blame injuries. Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Dany Heatley are just a few of the Senators to miss time with injury this season.

But it's not. So why the burnout? 

According to Jason Spezza though, it's not a lack of motivation—anyone who believes that this team isn't motivated will be accused of spouting lies.

Maybe it's the pressure of expectations.

The expectation was that Ottawa was to be the top dog in the East this season, now that the Buffalo Sabres were out of the way thanks to free agency. There was also the expectation that—of all six teams—this would be the Canadian contingent to bring the cup back to Canada.

Perhaps we got a look at what this team looked like under the limelight last year, when they rolled over against the Anaheim Ducks in five games. 

Five years ago, this was a team that didn't have enough grit to compete in playoff hockey. Are they now a team that just doesn't have the composure?

The hot start didn't help them either. Going 15-5 to start the season, the Senators certainly looked like the team to beat. Maybe it was a team getting hot at the wrong time.

Either way, October isn't helping the Senators now.

2007 was the year of the underdog: The Colorado Rockies and the New York Islanders got into their playoffs on the last possible day, and the New York Giants were so hot they were able to carry-over into 2008.

More and more, 2008 is looking like the year of the monumental collapse. The New England Patriots had a perfect season until February of 2008—and they lost in the Super Bowl.

The Senators—if they miss the playoffs or are ousted in the first round—could very well join the Pats on the list of disappointments.

For the NBA and the MLB we'll have to wait and see, but the indications are that the favorites could fall, and fall hard. 

Two points. That's what separates the Ottawa Senators from golfing and playoff hockey.

It'd be a shame if the hottest-starting team in NHL history became a mere footnote after missing the playoffs.

It'd be especially devastating if Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals—the team trailing the Senators by two points—were to make the playoffs and (God forbid) win the Cup.

But who knows? If they make it, the Senators could definitely do some damage and make everyone forgot about the last two months.

So Ottawa, it's time to choose your own fate. Win or lose, these next two games mean the world to you.

Here's hoping it doesn't cave in.