Just when it looked like the roller coaster was coming to a crashing halt, the operator fired it up for yet another loop.

Mark Stone's second goal of the game in overtime brought the Canadian Tire Centre crowd to its feet, perhaps for the last time this season....but also perhaps not. The win, in a game that the team trailed for 58 minutes and 2 seconds, kept the playoff hope alive just in time, and Fan Appreciation night couldn't have been scripted much better. Of course, a regulation win and not falling behind 3-0 in the first period might have been better, but nowhere near as breathtakingly dramatic.

The Senators still need plenty of help, as they are now tied with the Bruins for the final wild card spot in terms of points but Boston now holds the game in hand as well as the ROW tiebreaker. All eyes will be on Washington tonight where the Bruins will face the Capitals with the pressure still on. The Caps have punched their ticket to the dance, but are still fighting with the Islanders for playoff position and what looks like home ice advantage in their pending first round match-up, so they still have something to play for.

The Senators' next test will be the New York Rangers, and it might be good timing because the Rangers downed the Devils to clinch the President's Trophy Tuesday night and might be inclined to rest some of their stars who have logged heavy minutes down the stretch against Ottawa on Thursday.

After 20 minutes of action on Tuesday, it looked like the Senators were done, but a fortunate bounce for a shorthanded goal off the skate of Pens defenseman Derrick Pouliot in the second period set the stage for the drama of the third. Stone got the rally started with a goal in the opening minute and just when it looked like they were going to run out of time Mike Hoffman sent it to overtime with a blast past Marc-Andre Fleury while the Senators had the goalie out.

Stone's winner came in the Senators' 5th straight game requiring extra time, during which they have won 4 times. He has vaulted himself into the conversation for rookie of the year, and has been one of the league's top scorers since the turn of the new year. He matched Daniel Alfredsson's rookie total of 61 points, and now sits one point back of Johnny Gaudreau for the league lead among rookies. He has 6 game winners, also tied for first among freshmen and leads all rookies with a +18 rating. Add to that the fact that he leads all NHLers in takeaways and that is a pretty impressive season he has put together, most of it when the chips are down, and he has arguably been Ottawa's best skater night in and night out over the last three months, Erik Karlsson included.

Also, just when it looked like Andrew Hammond's bubble had burst, he shut the door and kept his team in the game over the final 40 minutes after allowing 3 goals in the first period. Hammond's record is now 18-1-2, and that one loss came in a game where he probably shouldn't have been playing due to injury, and there wasn't another viable option so he gutted it out. Flash in the pan or not, there isn't much doubt he has been the catalyst for the remarkable run the team has been on.

Ottawa's fate is in the hands of other teams right now, but all they can do is take care of their own business. Whatever happens in the last two games on the road in New York and Philly, that was an incredible way to end the home portion of the schedule. You can only hope that they get a chance for an encore.

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