I guess a point is better than nothing, but at this point in the season with the Ottawa Senators sitting where they are, a single point is not going to get it done, regardless of how they get it or who they get it against. The time for moral victories being enough has pretty much passed.

Absolutely, the Senators showed no signs of quitting and fought their way back from a 3-0 deficit which was very impressive, but the fact that they were in that 3-0 hole to begin with is a microcosm for what has gone wrong this season.

The fact that 11 shooters took to the ice in the shootout and not one could beat Jake Allen is another problem. I know that it took the 11th to beat Andrew Hammond, but it was a point that was there for the taking, that probably shouldn't have been, that the Senators desperately needed and left on the table.

So now the Senators are relying on Andrew Hammond to carry the load for at least the next little while, as Craig Anderson left the game with a leg injury (groin? knee?) and Chris Driedger being recalled from Binghamton.

It was a formula that somehow worked out last season, and Hammond looked very good in relief against the Blues, not allowing a goal against on 17 shots plus the first 10 St. Louis shooters. It was a typical "not pretty but it worked" relief performance that looked a lot like last Spring's run, as hard as it will be to even attempt to repeat that phenomenon.

We all know how hard it is to chase games, and falling behind early and often takes its toll. If the Senators could somehow find a way to play out of the gate the way they do once they realize they are behind, it would solve a lot of their problems. Maybe they should scrimmage during the pre-game warmup and treat that as the first period and get that junk out of their systems. Whatever they are doing to prepare isn't working, and that blame can be spread equally between coaching staff and the players themselves.

The Senators tripped over the cord that is running their playoff life support, but it hasn't been pulled all the way out quite yet thanks to Jean-Gabriel Pageau's fortunate pair of second period goals and the 0.1 seconds that were left on the clock when he tied it up.

So, with Pittsburgh losing in regulation to Washington the pilot light continues to glow, where a different result in that game would have almost certainly extinguished it. The numbers have been put out there many times, that it will probably take 14 wins in the 18 remaining games to get to 96 and a playoff spot. We know that the odds are certainly against that happening again, but this team has been counted out many times and have found a way to get things done. As frustrating as they can be at times, at least you can say that they don't quit. Even if it takes them too long to get started. A more even dispersal in energy might be what the doctor ordered.

Now we will see what the team has for the Lightning on Thursday, a team that was already in Ottawa last night watching the game after beating the Leafs on Monday. Clarke MacArthur is expected back for that one, but how effective will he be having missed 60 games? It will be a work in progress and although he should help don't expect him to step right in and be at full game speed right away. It will take some time, something that is not on the Senators' side, but what choice do they really have?

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