NEW YORK – "The definition of insanity," Albert Einstein once said, "is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results."
There are no signs of insanity in the Ottawa Senators camp.
In returning to Madison Square Garden, where the New York Rangers have already handed them two decisive losses in this second-round series, the Sens shook up their whole routine leading into Game 6.
An optional off-day skate rather than a full practice. No morning skate at all on Tuesday morning, save for goalie Craig Anderson and the Black Aces. They even took new locker stalls in the visiting dressing room.
"Everyone gets a different view," said forward Clarke MacArthur. "New perspective."
The changes were apparently initiated by the men who will attempt to beat the Rangers and book a spot in the Eastern Conference final.
Head coach Guy Boucher claimed no responsibility for the altered routine, making it clear that he loathes superstition. There must be a few superstitious voices among his ranks, though.
"I don’t like to be a slave to things that don’t really matter," Boucher explained. "That’s the mind making it more important than anything else. I think for me: Now is now, before is before and after is after, and the only thing that we control is now.
"We control how we think and how we feel."
They have plenty of reason to feel good despite the pair of 4-1 losses absorbed here last week. The biggest source of optimism is the response they mustered in Game 5, where Kyle Turris, Mark Stone and a handful of others delivered their best performances of the series to push New York to the brink of elimination.
It has been 10 years since a Senators team reached the conference final. Many of the players have never even played a game for the chance to get that far.
"It’s new ground for me so it’s real exciting," said Turris. "It’s what you grow up dreaming about."
In reviewing the games played here at MSG already, they’ve identified poor starts as something that needs to be remedied. The Rangers outshot them 15-5 and 11-7 in the first periods of Games 3 and 4, and held a lead at the intermission both times.
The Senators are focused on trying to introduce a little more doubt this time around.
"We’ve got to find a way to get control of the game early or get through the first 10 minutes of the game," said MacArthur. "If we just make good little passes and keep it simple and take the hits that you have to take we’ll be fine.
"It’s when we start panicking and throwing the pucks away then they’re going to come."
The challenge is as much mental as it is physical. That’s ultimately why they’re shaking things up here.
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This series has been incredibly close – Ottawa has yet to score first in a game and has held a lead for less than 14 total minutes – but the Senators possess a unique opportunity.
"Come game time, it’s all going to be up to the guys in here to decide what we want to do with the time that we have," said captain Erik Karlsson.
"Normally we’ve been good on the road," said MacArthur. "Obviously, the last two in here were God-awful and we didn’t do what we were supposed to do out there. You know, we’re due for a win; we’re due for a win on the road in here.
"It would be nice to wrap it up if we could."
They’ll have a new road routine if it happens.
