Ottawa Senators Tickets

Ottawa Senators 2010-11 Season Preview The Ottawa Senators were one of the pleasant surprises in the NHL last season, managing a second place finish in the division and claiming the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Unfortunately for Ottawa, they drew a tough assignment in the first round with the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. The Senators pushed the Penguins to six games, but then bowed out gracefully.

Goaltender Brian Elliott was surprisingly strong in net, something the Senators are hopeful he can continue. He should be helped by the team's only big offseason addition, defenseman Sergei Gonchar.

What certainly won't help Ottawa's chances this year was the lack of activity on the offseason free agent market, which was a result of being up against the salary cap. They lost Anton Volchenkov, Andy Sutton and Matt Cullen, all significant blows.

The Senators still have a good amount of talent, but those offseason losses were not offset by significant acquisitions. It certainly keeps them out of the Stanley Cup conversation, but they might be good enough to top Boston and land a top seed in the conference playoffs.