Devils shut down Sens
The Ottawa Senators probably lost their best chance to move up in the standings when they lost 1-0 to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
The victory gave the sixth-place Devils 89 points and a five-point lead over the seventh-place Senators in the Eastern Conference.
It was also Ottawa’s fourth loss (two by shootout) in its last five games, perhaps even more worrisome for a team trying to peak for the playoffs.
“I think every game you lose is disappointing,” captain Daniel Alfredsson said. “I don’t know if I feel more for some than others, especially at this time of year.
“But I thought we did step up our play from the last few games. We skated a lot better (Tuesday) against a tight-checking team.
“I thought maybe we could have had a few more calls with us, but that’s the way it goes.”
The Senators will try to break the slump on Friday in Montreal against the Canadiens, followed by a Saturday night game at Scotiabank Place against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Coach Paul MacLean couldn’t fault his players for a lot, but said they have to work harder to get quality scoring chances.
“The defensive focus of the game is getting a little bit harder,” he said. “It’s a little bit harder to get (to the net) and you’ve got to work a little bit harder, so I think our determination and work ethic doesn’t have to get a whole lot better, but it has to get a little bit better.”
The Senators closed the game with a couple of power-play chances, including a 25-second two-man advantage, but couldn’t generate anything. In these minutes, said MacLean, they obviously missed the presence of Jason Spezza, who was out with the flu.
Ilya Kovalchuk, with his 31st goal of the season and the 400th of his career, scored for the Devils on a second-period power play after Zenon Konopka was sent off for kneeing Zach Parise.
Ben Bishop, making his seventh straight start in place of the injured Craig Anderson, wasn’t bad in stopping 33 of 34 shots.
But he was bested by New Jersey backup Johan Hedberg, who faced 34 shots.
It was the third time the Senators have been blanked this season.
The Senators were unlucky to get out of the first period tied 0-0.
They outshot the Devils, who were playing their third game in four nights, 15-9, and had an excellent chance when Erik Condra was hauled down on a breakaway by Anton Volchenkov and was awarded a penalty shot.
Condra tried to go five-hole, but Hedberg didn’t give him an opening.
“For 60 minutes we battled hard and kept to the game plan,” Erik Karlsson said. “But we couldn’t put the puck in the net and their goalie saved them a couple of times.
“We just have to keep shooting the puck and hopefully in a day or two it will go in.”
Spezza’s absence was noticeable, for example, in carrying the puck up ice and controlling it in the offensive zone. Even though he has not been scoring, I could see what his absence meant tonight. I think we need a big turnover with more rookies next year, even if we go backwards. Rather than go with a hybird team and one or two additions, I think it would be better if a whole new group came along at the same pace with the younger guys we have now, and were ready together, in say 3 or 4 years, to mount a real challenge. Move out Winchester, Butler,sorry to say Foligno, buy out Gonchar’s last year. Not sure how I feel about Condra.
I don’t think Daugavins or O’Brien have really proved themselves yet, either. Not sure they are are part of a Cup conteneder.
Note to you: The Sens are NOT Cup contenders this season nor for for the next couple of years.. For even getting into a race for the playoffs is a great step for the first year of the re-build. It has been a successful season whether they make it in or not.
One thing that disappointed me about the game last night was the lack of physicality from the Sens. Given the tough game the Devils had against the Rangers… the Sens should have come out hitting any player in white they could find. That would have taking the toll on the Devils later in the game.
But it was a close game. They held the Devils 5 on 5 and the O’Brien line with Greening & Condra held Parise & Kovalchuk in check until that PP goal. I thought Bishop had a great game as well.
Stepping stones..
They need 3 or 4 wins in the next 8 games and hope that Buffalo hits a losing streak. Right now the threat of knocking the Sens out is the Buffalo Sabres.
Losing 1-0 on home ice to a road weary Devils’ team using their back up goalie is inexcusable. With no offence and the league’s most pathetic excuse for a power play, the Senators don’t deserve to be in the play-offs. After teasing the fans all season, they are now playing like the bottom feeders hockey pundits predicted they would be. It’s time for Sens fans to drastically lower their expectations of their team because it does not have the skill, desire or leadership to contend for a play-off position.
This is still a young team with a lot of NHL inexperience in it’s lineup… including a goaltender who has played in less than 25 NHL games.
They were missing their #1 centre and still missing their #1 goaltender. Yes their PP has sucked lately… but this team is still learning.. These will bumps in the road in a long NHL season.
This team is not a Cup contender and at this point cannot compete with the elite and experienced teams.
When the season started all us TRUE Sens fans were content that this would be a re-building year and development of the young players in the lineup and expectation of a playoff spot wasn’t even a thought.
They had success over the season more than any one predicted.. So now that they struggle down the stretch — you are down on them.
A lot of the fans are now trashing on their team… without thinking what we expected from them in the first place. As far as not having the skill, desire or leadership to contend for a playoff position… I suggest you bandwagon jumping Sens fan go cheer for someone like Pitts or the Rangers — teams that are guaranteed a playoff spot and are Cup contenders.
It is clear you cannot support a re-building team.
Ok, Go Pens Go, I expect a sweep of the Sens in the 1st round.
Sens out in the first round… Four straight…
Leaf Nation is not even going to get a chance to go out four straight in the first round…..again!
Leaf Nation is trying to comfort their disappointment that the team they cheer for will again be on the outside of a playoff spot.
It appears they will be the only NHL team since the lockout (in 2004/05) to not make the playoffs. That is something to cheer and brag about… right Leaf Nation?
So too make yourself feel better you post trash on the Sens…
Well.. if the Sens play the Bruins or the Penguins in the 1st round.. then your statement is true… If they play other teams… Sens may win a few. The Sens are not a Cup contender. They are a young team working hard and learning as they go.
But you see.. the Leafs were expected to make the playoffs.. All the experts said so. Those experts also said the Sens will be 15th in the standings. How did that work out?
So for the Sens to even be in a playoff spot with about 3 weeks left in the season… is a big accomplishment in the first year of their re-build. In the end.. whether they stay in or not — the season has been satisfactory in developing their players and the coaches have done a great job. Lots of potential good young players coming into the lineup in the next several years… the future looks brighter.
The Sens don’t have to trade away picks for a quick fix in a desperate attempt to make the playoffs.. like Burke did… hurting the growth of the team through the draft.
It’s nice to see leaf fans weighing in with playoff predictions (leaf nation)…..although I didn’t think they could even spell playoffs any more…..and No Sens Icons…drop by scotia bank for a game…sit in the 100 level for a good look at a quality rebuilding team….Alffy might throw you a piece of a broken stick…..or not…
WOW a couple of losses andall the boo birds are out. What a bunch of fickle fans.
Spezza-less Sens have big problems. MacLean shuffled the lines and, honestly, the second line acted more like a fourth line. Foligno, Butler and Neil are not second line material. It should have been Michalek, Turris and Greening: Alfredsson, Klinkhammer and O’Brien. While Ottawa has cleaned up the goal and defense they are weak up front with lots of under-achievers, such as Foligno, Smith, Butler, and Condra, way too many. If they want to win in the playoffs, these players are going to have to get their focus and act together. As for last night’s officials, stupid penalties like the one on Konopka that resulted in the goal, were justified and needless. But others like the trapazoid penalty on Bishop and the little shoulder (boarding?) penalty on Smith were just bad calls. Overall MacLean needs to stop shuffling his lines, both on defense and up front, in a “hail Mary” approach to filling gaps. Let’s see if this works doesn’t cut it. That should be done in practice. The Spezza, Michalek, Greening, Karlson and Gonchar power play was awesome. Have a plan and backup MacLean.
I did not see the Sens drive enough to the net. The Devils put up a defensive wall and sometimes you have to knock them down like bowling pins and cause havoc. You can only knock down the defence when you have the puck; and then you can have a trailer to take a shot.
Also, I did not see enough speed. Of course, it was the Devils and they have re-perfected obstruction and clogging up the ice. There could have been more dump-ins, which sucks for hockey, and is not the Sens’ best game, but there was a lot of turnovers at the Devils’ blueline, which was worse. At least get it in and make their defence work.
The Zack Smith penalty in the third was bogus. By then, the Devils were falling over themselves trying to fake penalties and made no offensive plays.
I’m a HUGE sens fan, but even I can see that the sens are losing momentum and are in serious jeopordy of entering the playoffs with low confidence or even of getting knocked out by a surging Buffalo. After seeing them struggle against Montreal, Toronto and New Jearsey, they are in a worrisome Phunk.
It seems to me that they are now playing not to lose rather than playing to win. They have certainly improved their defensive responsibilities, but at the expense of offensive creativity. Their PP is static and robotic, and their offensive attack predictable. Earlier in the year, the Sens energy, speed and determination was exciting to see, now that seems to be lacking.
There might be two very good reason for this. The Bingo squad is struggling with the long NHL season, especially after a long and hard fought Calder Cup. A third of the team is running on fumes and some of them have stalled already. And second, the sens have not gained complete confidence in their new goaltender yet, and are playing a defensive first type of game to insulate Bishop. Perhaps with Anderson in net, they were less concerned about making mistakes, and more confident to make risky plays knowing that Andy can make those key saves.
If the sens want a successful post-season, Anderson will be the key, and the Bingo squad need to find their energy and legs again. They will NOT get swept, but they wont go deep. I agree with RJ, we may take a step backwards next year to bring in even more young players. It’s in 2 to 4 years that we might have a very good team.
well, no rush to get Anderson back, Bishop has given us plenty of chances to be in the game. Both Bishop and lehner have played good hockey and one of them deserves to be the backup during the playoff. SENS need to pick up offensive and quick. You look at Pittsburgh who can score almost 5 goals per game, need ways to break the trap and find those open spaces. The more you wrist shop from the blue line and on the side, the goalie will easily block it, screen the goalie and work on those rebounds. Alfie made a pass yesterday in front of the net but I tell you if he had backhanded that puck there was room to score. I wish we had a healthy Peter Regin in the lineup, Butler was my favorite to start the year and he dissapointed me. Now you need to beat the Habs cause it aint going to be easy against Pitts. and Winnipeg. Go SENS Go, We Believe.
As many have said this is a new team and a new year and many thought that the team wouldn’t go far. This team has drive and determination and I’m confident they’ll make it into the playoffs. My conern with the game from last night (5 rows from the ice) was the lack of penalties the ref’s were not calling agains the devils. OMG absolutely attrocious. Delay of game was ridiculous as Bishop was sending the puck to his defenceman yet we get a 2 min penalty? Goaltender intereference not called against the devils when Bishop is bowled over and held inside his net and cannot get up. Slashing and broken sticks abound at numerous sens players and yet no penalties against the devils? A straight on check from Zenon Konopka to Zach Parise and another sens penalties. Yes the boys seemed to lack some luster last night but when the ref’s are not calling the necessary calls it’s hard to stay positive and play hard.
Hopefully with Spezza and Anderson back in the next game the points will continue to keep the drive to the playoffs alive.
GO SENS GO
I was alarmed to hear coach Paul MacLean, in the pre-game show on the Team, say that he thought the Sens played reasonably well against the Leafs on Saturday night. Huh? Was he watching the same game as everyone else? That was probably the worst performance I have seen the Sens put on all year. Not that the Leafs played much better, but at least they scored enough goals to win. If the coach is that satisfied with his team, then we in Ottawa have a problem going forward.