Suddenly Ottawa's best forward, Ryan starting anew this postseason

Suddenly, Bobby Ryan's contract is an afterthought.

A one-time good bet to become a future Vegas Golden Knight, the $7-million man has been invaluable this postseason, netting five goals, including three game-winners to continue the Ottawa Senators' march toward the Stanley Cup.

It's a stark contrast from the regular season, where Ryan's playoff production is nearly half the 13 goals he scored through his first 62 games.

The Senators forward has pieced together a postseason performance that has helped push Ottawa to win not only its first playoff series since 2013, but the team is now just three victories shy of a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

Among others, the Senators have Ryan to thank.

After tallying two game-winners through the opening round against the Boston Bruins, Ryan was once again the hero Saturday, as the New Jersey native sealed the victory in OT of Game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It marked Ryan's 11th point of the postseason, second to only the always impressive Erik Karlsson for the team lead in scoring.

Signed through the next four seasons, Ryan was the lightning rod in Ottawa for much of this campaign. As the Senators' highest paid forward, those dollars came with expectations, with Ryan charged with carrying much of the offense for the goal-starved Senators. He never delivered.

Ryan wrapped the regular season with a measly 25 points, a career low for the nine-year pro who made his full-time debut in Anaheim in 2008.

Ryan's 25-point season totaled just inside the Senators' top 10 scorers, behind the likes of Zack Smith, sophomore Ryan Dzingel, and defenseman Dion Phaneuf.

Through it all, the Senators recorded just 212 goals, the lone playoff team to finish in the bottom 10 in scoring and the only squad to qualify with a negative goal differential.

But now? Times are different. With his winner against the Penguins, Ryan became the first Senator to score multiple OT-winners in a single postseason, a feat never accomplished by franchise standouts like Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, or even Alexei Yashin.

For Ryan, it has been the sort of spring that has lifted not only his own game, but the hope of Senators fans alike.