OTTAWA (CP) - After the amount of playoff grief Toronto has caused them in recent years, the Ottawa Senators will get a chance to inflict some post-season damage on the Maple Leafs.

An Ottawa victory at Air Canada Centre on Saturday night could spell the end of the Leafs' playoff push and, while they won't fully cop to getting an extra kick out of eliminating their bitter rivals, the Senators do admit it would be kind of nice to provide the final nail in Toronto's post-season coffin.

"Well, it is our natural rival and we know it is our biggest rival," Senators centre Jason Spezza said after practice Friday. "It's basically a playoff game for them, it's their most important game of the year.

"It'll be big for our confidence to beat them in their rink with them playing their best hockey of the year and them fighting for a playoff spot."

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The Senators and Leafs have met in the playoffs four times (2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004) and Toronto has come out on top each time. It's a fact that's brought up every time the teams meet.

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It's not a stretch to say that fans in the nation's capital would be almost as happy with a playoff victory over Toronto as Ottawa winning the Stanley Cup.

A win Saturday, particularly if it does seal Toronto's fate, may be viewed as the next best thing to beating the Leafs in the playoffs.

"It'd be a good feeling," Senators forward Chris Neil said. "You've got to have that killer instinct to put a team out when you have them down."

Ottawa has already clinched a playoff spot for the ninth straight season, but is fighting the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, the Leafs need some help from the Hurricanes in order to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 1998. Carolina defeated Tampa Bay last night in a shootout and the same two teams meet again tonight in the second of a home and home series.

Tampa Bay are now four points ahead of Toronto but the Maple Leafs still have a game in hand on the Lightning.

"It's going to make for a great game," Senators centre Mike Fisher said. "There's a lot on the line. We want to get first place and they're fighting for their playoff lives."

The Senators are 7-0 in the season series so far and have outscored the Leafs 40-14 along the way, but Ottawa hasn't been sharp down the stretch.

It has been banged up physically and has gone just 3-4-3 in its last 10 games and 1-3-1 in its last five.

It's been a different story for the Leafs. They've gone 7-1-2 to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff picture long after they were believed to be done.

"Mats Sundin is playing the best hockey of his season, they're getting their best goaltending," Spezza said. "We want to get back on track ourselves, so we're not as much worried about them as we are us."

The Senators do expect to get an offensive boost with the return of flashy forward Martin Havlat.

Havlat, who's been out since dislocating his right shoulder Nov. 29, was awaiting final clearance from doctors on Friday but should be back after missing 58 games with the injury.

"I'm excited, for sure," he said. "Hopefully, I'm going to get two games in before the playoffs and hopefully I'll be ready for the real season."

Ottawa is also anxious to get him back in the lineup. The 24-year-old Czech had nine goals in 16 games before getting hurt and the Senators went 15-1 with him in the lineup.

"He brings speed, obviously scoring. He brings all that and right now, that's what we need," said Senators coach Bryan Murray, who will pair Havlat with centre Bryan Smolinski and left-winger Peter Schaefer and reunite Ottawa's top line of Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley.

"It's the biggest pick-up after the trade deadline, in my opinion," Spezza said. "We've missed him the whole time. We're already a pretty deep team - when you get Marty back, it's going to be great."

Ottawa also received an encouraging sign when goaltender Dominik Hasek made it through the full 45-minute workout Friday.

The adductor brevis muscle injury that Hasek suffered at the Olympics forced him to leave practice early a day earlier and it was feared the 41-year-old may have suffered a setback.

Hasek wouldn't speak with reporters Friday and Murray said the 41-year-old netminder is being "real cautious" with the injury, but it's believed he may try to play versus the Rangers on Tuesday in Ottawa's regular-season finale at New York.

st you watch this game....just read...its not hard to get excited for this one!