Bodog Beat

Sidney Crosby had two points in Pittsburgh's series-clinching win over Ottawa. (AP Images)

And just like that, it was all over.

Such is the denoument of Ottawa's postseason story, one that started with little promise and ended faster than any other series on the board. The Senators were unceremoniously swept out of the Stanley Cup playoffs Wednesday evening thanks to a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It was sweet redemption for Sidney Crosby and the Pens, who were bumped by the Sens out of the 2007 playoffs. Crosby exacted a measure of revenge personally this evening, registering a goal and an assist for the first playoff series win of his career.

It'll be a long summer for Ottawa, which started the season 15-2 but limped its way into the playoffs after a tumultuous campaign. Backup netminder Ray Emery was held largely responsible for getting former coach John Paddock fired; the team then suffered crippling injuries to Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly. A midseason trade with Carolina that netted them Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore backfired as neither proved to provide much of anything down the stretch.

Pittsburgh came into this contest as a -170 road favorite. The final score fell under the posted total of five goals.

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