What Went Wrong: Little Brother Complex II: Electric Boogaloo

As fun and iconic as the Stanley Cup Playoff extravaganza is, we have to remember: this is an elimination tournament. We do get to see 16 teams in this thing, but only one team will end up with the ultimate prize, meaning that 15 teams will see themselves take exits. No team wants to be the first out, but one will always have that dishonor.

And regarding this year, it doesn't get any more dishonorable than the Ottawa Senators.

When the Senators reached the playoffs last year, I was very happy for them. It was their first appearance since coming within a hair of the Cup Final in 2017, and they had been suffering badly following that Matt Duchene trade. They were ousted in Round 1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs, because of course they were, and I drank in that appearance because I honestly had doubts that we would see them in the next Sweet 16.

The doubts were warranted for most of this year, but mid-March saw the Sens fight back and move above the playoff line, where they would stay. So the Sens were back in the playoffs. Still playing on house money. Three seconds after puck drop in Round 1, Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes, Brady Tkachuk and Jordan Staal said, "Let's you and me fight." And fight they did! It was a truly amazing and epic sight to see.

It was also the only thing the Sens did right.

You may wonder, "Why is this shown in this story?" For those of use who know military time, "0:00" is shown to represent midnight. Obviously, the all zeroes are shown when there's no time remaining in a period. You know what 0:00 also represents? The amount of time in this series that the Senators had a lead. You read that right, folks. The Sens have either tied or trailed, but they went the entire series against the Hurricanes without ever having a lead. You know how pathetic that is? As bad as people talk about the Los Angeles Kings, even they had a lead in this year's playoffs.

But it gets worse.

The Senators scored a grand total of five goals in the four games played. Even worse than that: two players scored them. Drake Batherson had three of Ottawa's goals, and the other two belonged to Dylan Cozens. Tim Stutzle could not find the net, but least he had an assist. That's more than I can say for Brady Tkachuk. The stalwart leader and captain of this Senators team was completely shutout completely. No points, a -4, and the only spark he had in the series was that fight three seconds into Game One. That definitely has to hurt. Brady had to watch his big brother Matthew Tkachuk hoist the Stanley Cup twice, but this go-around sees him swept and totally shut out. In net, Linus Ullmark finished with a 2.03 GAA and a .932 SV%, but no wins, a clear result of having no support in front of him.

So it's back to the drawing board for the Ottawa Senators. Two straight postseasons, but no series wins in nine years. This team needs to figure out what needs to be done so they can make it to the next level. Do they need to add? Do they need to subtract? I know this much: something needs to be done. The Senators are just now starting to get the hang of this whole "making the playoffs" thing. Now, this offseason will be spent cooking up ways to actually advance in the playoffs, should they make it back again next year.