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It doesn't have to be pretty. It just has to work.

The Ottawa Senators have proven that time and again this season, gutting out wins when either their injured list or the shot count or the tough opposition suggested they had no business doing so. That special feeling, that resolve, has carried over into the Stanley Cup Playoffs and led the Senators into the second round.

The Senators defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6-1 on Thursday night to win their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series in five games, extending an unlikely story of overcoming injuries to vital players for at least one more round of spring hockey.

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Jean-Gabriel Pageau is hoping the tooth fairy can bring the Ottawa Senators closer to the second round.

The rookie center continued his ascension towards playoff-hero status, scoring a hat trick and losing a tooth in the process to lead his team to a decisive 6-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series Sunday night.

Ottawa will host Game 4 on Tuesday.

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The Ottawa Senators refused to let a rash of injuries keep them out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Senators capped their unlikely run to a playoff berth Thursday night when Sergei Gonchar's power-play goal 47 seconds into overtime gave Ottawa a 2-1 victory against the Washington Capitals and the final postseason berth in the Eastern Conference.

Gonchar blasted a slap shot from inside the right circle past Michal Neuvirth to give the Senators the victory and eliminate the Winnipeg Jets, the only team that could have caught them. The goal came with Washington's Mike Ribeiro serving a roughing penalty he took with 58 seconds left in regulation.

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