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Sporting News, The, Oct 6, 2003 by Kara Yorio

"There's no question we've got to be able to recognize when the other team's having trouble" Muckler says. "We've got to be able to maintain that pressure. You only get so many chances."

The Cup-winning Devils knew that from their playoff past. When the Senators made one mistake with 2 minutes left in Game 7, the Devils pounced.

"Jersey kept their composure," Muckler says. "We've learned some lessons. We have to be more consistent. We can work on our killer instinct."

The Senators learned experience isn't always the deciding factor in a series, but it sure helps.

6. Aftertaste

Pitlick called it "heartbreak" when asked to describe the scene in the Senators' locker room after they were eliminated by the Devils. But over time, heartbreak turns into something else.

"The biggest part of that experience was the bitterness after that Game 7 loss to New Jersey," assistant coach Perry Pearn says. "We believed we could beat New Jersey. The whole team was bitterly disappointed. That will he a very, very strong motivating factor for (this) year."

Put those six factors together, and they add up to a Stanley Cup for the Senators.

"We think we have a good nucleus, and we think we have a pretty good shot," Muckler says.

So do we.

THE LAST TIME THE SENATORS WON THE STANLEY CUP

It was April 13, 1927.... They beat the Boston Bruins, 3-1.... The Senators won the best-of-five series, which included a Game 1 scoreless tie, 2-0-2,.... Cy Denneny scored five of the Senators' seven goals, including both winners.... Game 5 was played in front of a near-capacity crowd of 8,000 people.... Senators captain Georges Boucher did not skate around the ice with the Stanley Cup, which at that time was just the bowl.... The win was recounted in a short story inside the Evening Citizen the next day.... Each of the 12 Senators received $1,200 for the win.... The Senators made a $5,000 profit on the season.... The win was in the first season of sole NHL ownership of the Stanley Cup, which came after the collapse of a western pro league.... It was seven years before the team moved to St. Louis.

E-mail staff writer Kara Yorio at kyorio@sportingnews.com.