What’s next?

I’m writing this as the Ottawa Senators have just tied the game against the Buffalo Sabres.  A nice little comeback with 6 minutes to go in the third.

With another lackluster start to the game, the average fan can only shake their collective heads and try to find reasons as to why our Team simply cannot find their proverbial A-game.  For once, following a series of dreadful losses, the Coach/GM Bryan Murray has kept the players accountable for their actions instead of blaming the goalie.  Martin Gerber got his 12th straight start and once again is playing well enough to keep his Team in the game.

However many changes to the lineup were made.  The only surviving line up front is the Cash Line and all defensive pairings have changed.  The most noticeable change is the insertion of Brian Lee, who has looked very good alongside Chris Phillips all night, and the subtraction of Wade Redden due to a leg injury.

** Somehow the Sens managed a 6-3 victory **

What can be done to have the Sens play like they did in the final 10 minutes for an entire game?  Many people simply cannot remember the last time that the Sens played a full 60-minute game.  It just doesn’t make any sense.

We’ll see how they play on Thursday in the 2nd half of a home and home series with Buffalo.  One can assume that Buffalo will come out with something to prove on Thursday to try and make-up for the 2 points they just gave away.

Reason to be worried?

Marred in what seems to be a season long losing streak, the Ottawa Senators are taking the ice tonight against the Division Leader, Montreal Canadiens.  The Sens will be without Chris Kelly for at least 3 weeks and may have also lost Dean McAmmond after getting slashed against Blue Team on Saturday night.

Down 2 of their best role players, others players will have to step up in their place.  However, no player other than those on the top lines have stepped ‘it’ up when they were needed.  Can we really expect anything different tonight? I don’t think so.

We can expect a huge game from the Cash Line once again.  They have been dynamite against the Canadiens all season.  But its slim pickings for Bryan Murray after he gives Spezza’s line a tap.  Stillman has been great on the PP since joining the Sens and provided lost of energy with Fisher and Neil last game.  But Fisher once again only has 1 goal in 8 games.  Shean Donovan has proved himself as a 4th line player all season and Randy Robitaille played himself out of the lineup with his lackluster play.

With 6 games to go before the playoffs, the Senators really need to end this inconsistent play.  They’re at their best when playing a north-south game by getting the puck deep and then establishing the cycle.  Once again they need to stop this turn-over non-sense in the neutral zone and return their game to basics.

Chip and Chase

As the Sens are once again taking care of the Montreal Canadiens tonight, it’s 3-0 as I write this, all appears to be returning to form in Ottawa.

The Senators have won their past 2 games and were robbed of a victory by a young goalie the game before the streak started.  They’ve gone back to last year’s style.  Team commitment to defense, responsible play in the neutral zone and tough forecheck in the offensive zone.  They’re playing very well…

But… they’re playing well enough to get out of the Eastern Conference but this style of play does not work in the Western Conference.  As San Jose, Anaheim and to a lesser extent Los Angeles showed, the soft chip and chase does not work in the West.  For whatever reason, the game is called differently in the other Conference and the Sens forwards were constantly impeded coming into the zone during last year’s Stanley Cup Finals and the same tactics were used during their Western Road Trip.

Montreal and Ottawa are undoubtedly a top-5 team in the Eastern Conference but both combined for a 3-5 record against the Ducks, the Sharks, the Kings and the Coyotes.

If the Sens keep up their rejuvenated play, I have no doubt that they’ll be competing for the Eastern Finals once again this year.  However the Sens, and probably any other team coming out of the East, we need to adapt to the Western style in order to bring the Cup back to the East.