They went into the weekend as the top team in the Eastern Conference and the second-best in the NHL. As the Ottawa Senators head down the stretch run, they're enjoying their success, but expecting much more.

	CHIRPIN'
	"It's nice. Strange. It's been too long." -- Boston Bruins' forward Marty McInnis, who potted his third career hat trick Thursday, ending a 35-game goal-less stretch.
	THE NUMBER
	0 The number of goals Carolina scored during a rare nine-minute power play during Thursday's game against Pittsburgh. Ville Nieminen was tagged with four minutes for instigating and five minutes for fighting in the third period.
	WHO'S HOT
	Flyers goaltender Roman Cechmanek was 6-0-2 in eight starts following a 1-0 loss to Minnesota on Feb. 10.
	WHO'S NOT
	Flyers forward Sami Kapanen hasn't scored a goal since he potted the game winner in a 2-1 win over the Rangers on Feb. 8 -- his first game with Philly -- a span of 11 games.
	ETCETERA
	Word in South Florida is that the dismissal of Panthers' assistant coaches Paul Baxter and George Kingston in favor of Duane Sutter and John Torchetti means that general manager Rick Dudley is winning the turf war with coach Mike Keenan. Rumors continue to swirl that Keenan will be back behind the New York Rangers' bench next season, where he helped win in 1994 that club's first Stanley Cup since 1940.

They have never made it out of the second round of the playoffs in their 10-year history but No. 11 could be very different. During Shaun Van Allen's first tour of duty with the Senators -- from 1996-97 through 1999-2000 -- they were a young team with a great deal of promise and a bright future. Van Allen, who came back to the Senators as a free agent in July after stops in Dallas and Montreal, said he sees a different group this time.

"I think the guys have matured a little bit more," said the 35-year-old forward. "You look at [Daniel] Alfredsson, [Marian] Hossa and [Mike] Fisher. It seems that in the two years I left, they've raised their game up to another level and they've got a lot more confidence. We're being more patient and creating more chances and I think it rubs off on everybody."

If there was a knock on Ottawa teams past, it was that they weren't tough enough, particularly in matchups against the likes of Toronto. Van Allen said he believes this club has everything it needs to go a long way -- scoring, goaltending, defense and yes, grit.

"Winning in the playoffs and losing in the playoffs is a very fine line," said Van Allen. "Last year, they were up 3-2 in Toronto in Game 6, they were leading 2-0 and all of a sudden they got a penalty [a five-minute major] and Toronto got two power-play goals and tied it up. I think we're close, we're on the verge of something here. When I used to go to training camps, you don't always think you can win the Stanley Cup. I think guys here think we can win the Stanley Cup."

Van Allen, who spent a good portion of Thursday in an Ottawa hospital because of a kidney stone, headed into the weekend with a career-high 12 goals and 19 assists (his most since 1999-2000). He said he appreciates not only his talented teammates but the opportunity to continue competing at such a high level. He landed back in Ottawa after running into coach Jacques Martin at a golf tournament in Nova Scotia.

"He said, 'I think you might be good fit here, I'm going to call [GM] John Muckler' and it kind of went from there," Van Allen said. "I'm not a flashy player. I think it takes a while for me to grow on you but he had confidence in me from Day One. To me, it was just an easy fit.

"It's a big thing when you're not an elite forward for the coach to believe in you and put you out in situations. Just by him having confidence in you, it gives you confidence. It's a pretty easy team to play with. When you're a centerman on this team, it really doesn't matter who you're going to play with. you just look down the right side and you see Hossa, Alfredsson and [Martin] Havlat. Jody Hull and I have played together. You give the puck to those guys and amazing things happen."

Another reason Van Allen was happy to be back in Ontario capital was the fit for his wife and three children.

"We have an autistic child," he said, referring to his 8-year-old son. "That was one of the things that concerned us but coming back to Ottawa we had all the same contacts and that's a big help for me, knowing our family is secure. It makes you more relaxed and I think you can take that onto the ice."

Being in the latter stage of his career, as much as he's enjoyed all of it, has made Van Allen appreciate the game, his teammates and his opportunity all the more. That has led to his scoring the most goals of his career.

"I just find like I'm maybe more patient," he said. "With guys you play with, if you give them the puck, a lot of times they take the focus from the other guys. If you go to the front of the net, that's usually where the rebounds go. I just think maybe it's being a little more patient. When [Radek] Bonk got hurt, they put me with Hossa and put me on the power play a little bit and it's just kind of started to snowball.

"When I first came there, I thought I was going to be a fourth-line guy, go out and kill penalties and try to provide some leadership in the dressing room, and if someone got hurt, fill in for that period of time. Now things are going really well. For the most part, I think we're all averaging over 12 minutes."

So where does this team shape up on all the ones he has ever played for? Van Allen said he'd prefer to wait on that assessment for now.

"To tell you the truth, I think it's too soon to say," he said. "One team I was on with Dallas, there were a lot of big names. If I put a Stanley Cup ring on my finger this year if everything goes great, I'd definitely say this was the best. But the playoffs are a whole new story, so I'll sit back and wait on that.

"I went into this year thinking, if I play this year and don't play again, I want to get as much enjoyment out of it as I can and if I play next year, that's a bonus. But I was just taking it one year at a time. Everything is going well and hopefully it continues. The game is so much fun, that's why you play.''

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