Ken Warren’s Game File: Senators had it all, then let it slip away
An early lead, a raucous crowd behind them and a tired-looking Rangers squad on the other side. Then they stopped skating, keeping the Rangers alive, only one shot from tying the game. After the dormant Rangers power play scored to tie the game, New York added two late second period goals to take control.
WHY THEY LOST
The Senators had it all: The return of their captain, a raucous crowd behind them and a tired-looking Rangers squad on the other side. Then they stopped skating, keeping the Rangers alive, only one shot from tying the game. After the once dormant Rangers power play did just that, New York scored two more to take control.
STUD
Brad Richards, Rangers. Quiet for most of the series, Richards came up big when his team needed him, delivering a power play goal and an assist in the pivotal second period.
DUD
The Senators power play. Yes, they scored one early, but on a night when the referees were whistle happy, the Senators didn’t do enough with their manpower advantages. Coach Paul MacLean sent his own message, keeping Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson on the bench during a third period power play.
BLAME THE REFS, BUT WHAT ABOUT ‘THE SKINNY ONE ON THE RIGHT?’
No question, the game turned when Richards scored on the Rangers 5 on 3 manpower advantage late in the second period, resulting from Nick Foligno’s goalie interference call.
Yes, the officiating is awful, but that falls into the What Else Is New? File. There were half a dozen other weak calls. It’s sort of like complaining that the ice is terrible. It never changes.
Here’s the other part of the story. After Chris Neil’s power play 7:05 into the game, the Senators played conservatively, sitting back and waiting for something to happen.
If they had followed the advice on the T-shirts they’ve all been wearing around the dressing room — the ‘skinny one’ refers to the accelerator pedal – they might have taken the will out of a Rangers team that didn’t register a shot until after the 10-minute mark.
During his post-game session, MacLean wasn’t pleased, saying the Rangers outworked his team.
RANGERS ARE OPTIMISTIC GOING HOME
The Senators have won two of the first three games at Madison Square Garden and Craig Anderson has an 8-1 career mark in the building, but the Rangers wouldn’t want to be anywhere else for Game 7
“The two best games we did play in the series were Game 1 and Game 5, Game 5 we just didn’t score,” said Richards. “In Game 2, we had a lead until there were four minutes left, so we can draw on a lot of positives. That’s why you play 82 games. We would rather be going home, in front of our fans, our environment. We’re used to it. This is when I think home ice matters, it’s going to give us a lift.”
IN PRUST THEY TRUST
To most of the crowd at Scotiabank Place, the Chris Neil-Brandon Prust first period fight was a clear victory for Neil. Richards, however, says the Rangers rallied around it.
“After what (Prust) did to give us a lift, we all kind of regrouped after the first period and we played a lot better and aggressive second period,” Richards said. “Huge turning point. Can’t say enough about what he does.”
OFF NIGHT FOR THE STARS
Spezza got the late goal and finished the night with four shots, but it was an uneven night.all around. Through the first two periods, he had only one shot on goal and passed up others time and again, adopting his old habits of holding on to the puck way too long. Spezza didn’t see much ice time early in the third period, including on the power play. Daniel Alfredsson also kept him company on the bench, showing un-captainlike behaviour by smashing water bottles on the bench because the coach didn’t put him on the ice…As good as Zenon Konopka has been in the playoffs, the fact he played 15:02, including 1:04 on the power play, is an indication that the coach wasn’t happy with some players who usually log bigger minutes…Jared Cowen and Ryan Callahan led their teams with six hits each, appropriate considering the two had a head-to-head battle all night long, along the boards and in front of Craig Anderson.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
Chris Phillips, seeing additional time on the power play, had a couple of close calls in the third period, with the Senators trailing 3-1.
He beat Lundqvist with a shot from the blueline, but couldn’t beat the post. On a later power play, Foligno one-timed a Phillips pass, but Lundqvist came sliding across to make one of his best stops of the game.
If one of those goes in, who knows? Jason Spezza’s final minute goal, with the added suspense of a video review, kept the fans in their seats until the final second, but there weren’t enough of those bounces for the Senators to finish off the series.
Am I the only one who remembers when teams had players good enough they didn’t need ‘bounces’? Just a good slapshot to slam it in?
This was a loss borne of arrogance and overconfidence.
Dressing Silfverberg who has not had a lick of NHL experience so far instead of Stone or Butler? Why? Why tinker with a winning lineup?
Why did Daniel ALfredsson throw a temper tantrum? Terrible example for the young charges and especially Silfverberg. Did our captain really expect this win on a platter? He should know better.
Neil windmilling his hand at the crowd while fighting Prust. Why? It only served to motivate the Rangers.
On and on the questions go.
All the Senators had to do was play their patient game with the same lineup they had before and they could have closed this out…but poor decisions all around have caused an unwanted game seven.
neil’s cementhead mentality will prove to be their undoing.
Man I thought they would have liked to beat the Rangers at home. Guess Not! I do realize all the games have been close, but REALLY 1 goal in the 1st period is just not going to do it, 0 goals in the second, well that has been their downfall all year, little to no effort. That 3rd period goal was a fluke at best. WTF is all the passing on the power plays, shoot the puck and not into their pads, move a bit. Got to get King Henry to move side to side. On a positive note, I liked the two players in front of him it paid off in a goal. As for Spezza, start displaying all that talent I hear the commentators speaking about, all I see is the # of times you give the puck away. 3 goals and 40 odd give a ways.
“neil’s cementhead mentality will prove to be their undoing.”
NO their lack of effort will be, at least he is trying to get the Rangers off their game
It’s too bad you guys don’t still have Heatley, maybe he could give Neil a ride home from the game.
You sens fans run around whining about the officiating while your goon squad of Carkner, Michalek, Neil, and Konopka can have free reign without getting called for things that would get most players suspended. You guys are freakin blind. It’s a joke that Carkner only got one game, and a joke that Neil didn’t get suspended for taking out Boyle, and it’s a joke that nothing has happened with the disciplinary office with
Michalek and Neil for last night’s BS. At least in the USA, our divers spend time in the Summer olympics and not the NHL playoffs. Neil is a goon and a clown. He’s going to come into NYC and make threats? I’d love to see it. He’s too much of a wimp to get in a fight with Rupp, but he’ll take on Prusty.
Whatever, Rupp should just start punching him in the face without giving him the chance to respond just like Carkner did – that way Konopka can get a third man in penalty or something.
Face it Sens fans, your team is trash! Enjoy the golf season, it starts Friday! Keep whining guys, it’s hilarious!
Wow, talk about whining, Cartoon123………..er…..Carton123 it sure sounds like your not familiar with Canadian hockey, that is how the game is played. By the way, Neil did fight Rupp and stilled lived to clean check Boyle and put a pounding on S*it disturbing Prust. Be glad to clear up any other issues you have. You should take torts for a beer, but get someone else to help you as you both have difficultly in seeing things in real time.