Senators' Ryan: Playoff performance taught me what I'm still capable of

Bobby Ryan took some solace in knowing he did all he could to help the Ottawa Senators win when it mattered most.

After a mediocre regular season, the winger played an instrumental role in Ottawa's run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, where the Senators lost in double overtime to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite the team's inability to achieve its ultimate goal, Ryan had a sense of peace this summer in relation to his game.

"It was nice to leave with a little more peace of mind, because it would have been a long summer if the playoffs had kind of followed the same script as the regular season for me," he said Monday, according to Don Brennan of the Ottawa Citizen. "To get back to playing well and contributing - and playing some of the bigger minutes - meant a lot to me.

"I think it taught me that I'm still capable of it, because you doubt yourself when you're going through a year like that. I'm going to try to identify with the player I was there, rather than the guy in the middle of the season."

Ryan admitted it took him a while to get used to the system employed by head coach Guy Boucher, and thankfully for the Senators, it all seemed to click at the right time. The hope this season is Ottawa's highest-paid player can keep it going and lead the team to a Stanley Cup win.

"Anything less than that is going to be a failure," Ryan said.

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