Senators lose chippy contest to Canucks
Nick Foligno’s questionable hits were the hot topic of the night, but they shouldn’t deflect from the Ottawa Senators’ bigger picture issues after an angry, ugly and spirited 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Nick Foligno’s questionable hits were the hot topic of the night, but they shouldn’t deflect from the Ottawa Senators bigger picture issues in Saturday’s angry, oftentimes nasty 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
The Senators have lost five of their past six games. If they don’t quickly clean up their defensive errors, continue to take bad penalties and don’t revive slumping power play, they’ll soon be out of the playoff race.
They fell behind 2-0 thanks to the errors and poor discipline. Alex Edler scored on a power play and a 0Ryan Kesler padded the lead on 2-on-1 break. Kesler added a second goal, also on the power play, to make it 3-0. Colin Greening gave the Senators life, scoring late in the second, but they couldn’t dig themselves out of the deep hole, despite a glorious 5-on-3 manpower edge early in the third period.
Dale Weise rounded out the scoring for the Canucks.
“I thought special teams was obviously the difference in the game,” said Senators coach Paul MacLean. “Their power play goes 2 for 4, ours goes 0-for (5), especially with the 5 on 3 opportunity to be in the game.”
The sub-plot was the fireworks stemming from Foligno’s hit to Cody Hodgson’s head late in the first period. With Hodgson falling as he played the puck along the sideboards, Foligno had both hands extended as he hit the Canucks forward. Hodgson stayed down for several seconds and when he jumped up he was wobbling on his skates. Teammates helped him to the bench and he didn’t return.
Foligno, who will no doubt hear from NHL discipline chief Brendan Shanahan with the possibility of a suspension coming, answered for the hit, more than holding his own in a fight with the Canucks’ Dale Weise. In the second period, Foligno received a minor and 10-minute misconduct for hitting Kesler as he was falling along the boards.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with either one,” said Foligno. “It’s unfortuante that Hodgson gets hurt. You never want to see that happen, but I’m just going over to finish my check and if he’s not maybe falling forward, it’s nothing, not even a big deal. And with Kesler, I felt he embellished that a little bit and I don’t think I deserved a penalty. I watched the replay and it’s over and done with. I’m more disappointed with the loss.”
The Canucks begged to differ.
“When a guy is low and vulnerable like that, you’re not supposed to drive through and hit them,” said pesky Canucks forward Alex Burrows. “But we made them pay for those penalties.”
The nastiness didn’t end there. The teams exchanged more stickwork and head shots.
Canucks coach Alain Vigneault thought the worst of the lot was a Chris Neil hit on Burrows.
“He tried to take his head off,” said Vigneault. “We’re trying to take those hits out of the game. We’ll see what happens.”
Again, while all of the above made for colourful debates on possible suspensions, the Senators situation doesn’t look good right now. They’re showing their vulnerability without veteran defencemen Filip Kuba and Sergei Gonchar in the lineup.
MacLean isn’t happy with the breakdowns, but he says it’s not all the fault of the blueliners.
“We gave up three 2-on-1′s in the first period, which isn’t’ great,” he said. “But that’s not always the defenceman’s fault. We didn’t have forwards in responsible positions to help them out (when they’re pinching inside the blueline). They have to help the defence, too.”
There are more tough tests ahead. Next up: Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Boston.
GAME FILE
WHY THEY LOST: Defensive miscues were everywhere early, leading to a 2-0 deficit and the power play didn’t deliver late. The Senators enjoyed a 5-on-3 early in the third period, but couldn’t get sustained pressure on Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo.
STUD: Ryan Kesler, Canucks. He scored twice and, as usual, was a pest to play against.
DUD: Senators power play. Does anyone remember when the unit could do no wrong at the start of the season? Now, nothing is going right with the man advantage.
MEMORIES: Paul Henderson, one of Canada’s greatest hockey heroes, dropped the puck before the game. In a sign of how the game has changed since that glorious moment in the 1972 Summit series, the captains of the two Canadian teams are both Swedish: the Senators’ Daniel Alfredsson and the Canucks’ Henrik Sedin.
The Senators are clearly an undisciplined team. The dirty play is indicative of a lack of talent. The lack of discipline reflects poorly on the coaching staff. The score did not at all represent the balance of the play as the Canucks showed how the game should be played. If the Senators continue to dress Foligno, and the team will not win many games.
Why is Chris (Bubbles) Neal on the ice at all, let alone on a regular shift. He doesn’t carry the puck, doesn’t make plays…does take stupid penalties, does run the smallest guys on the other teams, does not answer the bell for himself!!!! He just floats around the ice until he catches somebody with their head down. What is that contributing to a struggling hockey team???
The Hodgeson hit was unfortunate. Had he stayed along the boards upright then it would have just been a hit. But at the last second he turned into Foligno with his head down and unfortunate the hit was too the head. As for the Kesler hit — he hit him from the side.. he got the 10 min misconduct for yelling at the ref.
The Canucks are known to be divers to try to get penalties and it works. The league continues to let them do it.
Yes it was a chippy game. The Sens were not happy with the antics of the Canucks from the last game.. and they were not going to get pushed around anymore.
This young team cannot compete with the elite teams yet…too inexperienced and prone to mistakes. But that all comes with a re-build.
Very happy to hear from Sandy that the Sens didn’t want to “get pushed around any more”. Well their plans to play in a very unsportsmanlike manner worked well didn’t it? The 4-1 score could well have been 6-1. I suppose the Ottawa hockey fans enjoy watching the Sens’ behaviour. Nice to watch the goons lumbering around the ice. Canucks fans prefer to watch skilled fast skating players. Much more enjoyable hockey. You folks should try it one year.
Who knows the Canucks to be divers? My favorite part of the night? Craig Anderson coming up with this gem:
“We played real physical. We were taking the body and making good body checks and we were playing the game we wanted to play.”
Go ahead, Ottawa, play that way whenever you want to. Play that way every time you play the Canucks, in fact. Then you can be happy that you played the way you wanted, and we can be happy we won. You’re writing your comment with some weird set of media-induced blinders on. The Canucks are no more “divers” and “whiners” than any other team. Stop believing the lies. Your coach decided how the game was going to be played and it backfired. Too bad.
On the hit on Kesler I was watching the ref and he didn’t raise his arm for the penalty until he saw Kesler wasn’t getting up. So just lie on the ice and roll around a bit and you’ll get the call in your favour…nice! I saw at least two high sticks by Vancouver that weren’t called.
Quit whinning
You were beat by a better team.
Enough said
Am I Robert H.?
Who the hell is Robert. H.??
Answer: hawkins.bob@gmail.com… I guess my name must be Bob Hawkins.
Gee Sandy you make it sound like the Sens are angels. Foligno’s hit on Hodgson deserves a review from Brendan Shanahan due to the forearm shiver. Not to mention your team is where Chris Neil can be found. Now there’s an idiot!
I dont think the hodgson hit is suspendable but for consistency sake if Torres could get four last year for the same kind of hit on eberle then ya he will get suspended.
2ND hit Suspendable, Kesler had already fallen and was getting up ie Player in a vulnerable position, onus is on the player doing the hitting. Whether it was just a glove to the head or not, its hitting to the head so suspendable. Game was out of hand ie no comeback possible by ottawa whether they want to admit it or not.
Since Boston series last year basically pointed out the canucks wont respond to toughness everyone has been taking liberties and when you do that it dosent take embellishment to get penalties.
The Vancouver Whitecaps strike again. What a bunch of divers and crybabies.
You may also want to mention that before he mentioned the elbow on Burrows, Vigneault said that he thought the hit on Hodgson was clean.