The worst that can happen for the Senators is that they return to Ottawa with the series tied 2-2, holding home-ice advantage. But that wasn't the way the Senators were talking Wednesday.
Instead, they were full of regrets and annoyances and dissatisfaction with their performance. They did not sound like a team that was still in control of the series and its destiny, which plays right into the message that Boucher has tried to deliver to his players and the media and the fan base and anyone else listening since the start of the second round: that his Senators are the underdog. Even ahead, they remain that, in his mind.
Of course, he did allow a bit of confidence to somehow sneak in.
"This team is so good on the other side that you can't even start thinking of being rivals with them if you don't have everybody on the same page," Boucher said. "It won't even be close if we're not what we were before, but you have to be fair, it's been a long time since we played a bad game. It's been a long, long time."
He's right, even though the Senators did not play their best in Game 2. They defeated the Boston Bruins in six games in the first round, losing two one-goal games. They have not struggled that much.
But now, at least in the words of the Senators and Boucher, this is a series with the Rangers. And to come out on top, the Senators need to revisit what brought them here, those blocked shots and those screened shots on Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and getting back to the defensive system that got them through the regular season and into the postseason.
The biggest thing that the Senators found themselves missing Tuesday was a sense of desperation, as Boucher emphasized. They weren't exactly desperate, so it's understandable.