Jared Crozier: A Bit Late To Enjoy Moral Victories, Sens Needed The Two Points vs Blues

Good on Dzingel to score and make BM look good trading Prince.

All the elements are in place - Stone is going, Pageau is going, Hammy in net.

Doesn't feel like it yet, but the hockey gods are doing their best to make it happen.

I hate to admit that but I think I'm starting to like Phaneuf

Well looks like tuna's attitude sure has changed.

Prince with straight 0s across the stat sheet playing on a top line with Tavares.

From my perch up in the nosebleeds last night I can't say there was anything redeeming about the Sen's 1st period of play. Like just about every other game they've played this season they trip right out of the gate and then have to spend the next 40 mins in a full sprint just to catch up to a 0-0 game. As Jared noted, if they could only find a way to play their catch-up game from the open puck drop I think they'd be burying teams in the opening minutes. Their record when they can score first is phenomenal but playing every game by spotting opponents 2-3 goals is just foolish.

I hate to be a nae sayer but I think it's time to shut some guys down and let the young bucks in Bingo get a taste of NHL action. If the urgency just isn't there for our top lines then it's just not going to happen. Sadly Andy went down but I think he's more than earned some rest.

I can't say that I don't expect a trashing from TB on Thursday night but it would be nice to see some life in the Sens rather than their typical first period nap.

Is it just me or the team seems to play differently
when Hammond is in front of the net ?

As good as he can play at times, I think a goalie that consistently lets in a goal on the first 4 or 5 shots is a problem. Hammond did not allow many first goals in his run last year at anywhere near the pace that Anderson has this season. Not sure why, but the team seems to play better in front of him. To not allow Hammond to have a stretch of consecutive starts this season, to allow him to get into a zone, has hurt the Sens.

It will be interesting if Anderson is out for a while to see if Hammy can play up to or near the level he showed us in the final weeks last season.

Well looks like tuna's attitude sure has changed.

Prince with straight 0s across the stat sheet playing on a top line with Tavares.
- Jordo

I still don't like the trade, but gotta hand it Dzingel for coming up big for Cameron after Cameron picked him over Prince.

Remember Brian Lee's first game when we thought we had the next Wade Redden? Brian Lee is selling Insurance in Minnesota.

As good as he can play at times, I think a goalie that consistently lets in a goal on the first 4 or 5 shots is a problem. Hammond did not allow many first goals in his run last year at anywhere near the pace that Anderson has this season. Not sure why, but the team seems to play better in front of him. To not allow Hammond to have a stretch of consecutive starts this season, to allow him to get into a zone, has hurt the Sens.

It will be interesting if Anderson is out for a while to see if Hammy can play up to or near the level he showed us in the final weeks last season.
- jaz258

The NHL has been picking corners on Andy since Christmas. He doesn't have the stamina to be a starter. I bet every Sens fan last night watched him skate off the ice and went "meh, here we go again. This is probably a good thing'

I can't think of any other fan base that gets excited when their starter gets hurt.

Too talented to garner a top 5 pick so what's your options? Go out there and suck?? why? after the top 3 its a crap shoot and Buffalo and Arizona tanked last year and still didn't get McDavid. I like what they are doing, go out there and give it hell. I'm sitting watching with my three kids last night and we're all going crazy. Sure I'd love to be in the playoffs but I respect the heck out the Sens for their effort and entertainment value. GO SENS GO!!!

Macarther isnt ready could be a few more weeks as per Scanlen,only wanted him to come back to gain some confidence for him ,and shake off some rust for next season .But it looks like thats not going to happen

Totally agree, I think alot of people's opinions on him were tainted from when he was wasting away in the land of suck for so long, and the fact that they paid him so much.

For the different dimensions that he brings to the team, he is a great addition for a few years at least.

I wonder how big Lazar's foot is this morning ...... ouch

Scott Gomez!

Scott Gomez!
- Pecafan Fan

Well I guess we ARE in full tank mode.

Well I guess we ARE in full tank mode.
- Jordo

Welcome to the Club.

Is it just me or the team seems to play differently
when Hammond is in front of the net ?

- ShaneP22

Not just you, they're a completely different team with Hammond in net. That run last year may have been sparked by Hammond playing lights out, but it's not like the team was crap and he bailed them out. The entire team except for Hoffman and Ryan were going at 200% through that run.

I don't personally think they're gonna win 14 of 18 games at this point. This is fine. I'd obviously want to see the playoffs, but I don't think that the team is as poor as some people would like us to believe. I don't think they need a ton of roster help, probably a decent #5 dman and a LW to play on one of the 1st two lines, that's probably the extent of it in my opinion.

I think their problem this season has come down to habits. They aren't practicing defence the right way and that's where all the shots are coming from. Maybe that's a coaching change, or just a change in philosophy of the existing coaches. Bottom line, they need to work on their back end as a 5 man unit. This isn't just the poor play of the d-corps, the forwards need to come back to defend as a 5 man unit. They score more than enough goals. They need to get that shot count down by 10 per game. The problems with the Senators aren't going to be terribly hard to fix, as long as they acknowledge where the problems are coming from and take steps to correct them.

Maybe missing the playoffs isn't the worst thing for this group. It's gonna leave a sour taste in the mouths of a lot of players, and probably drive them even harder next year. Factor in the fact that they've got at least 2 blue chip prospects in the system, and that picking in the front half of this year's draft will add another, and the team is poised to be much, much better down the road. This will take a little patience and probably some bitterness over what could have been this year, but as long as they recognize the need to get that shot count down, then I think they'll be well positioned to be a playoff team next year.

Scott Gomez!
- Pecafan Fan

Well looks like tuna's attitude sure has changed.
Prince with straight 0s across the stat sheet playing on a top line with Tavares.
- Jordo

Can't blame the Islanders for giving Prince a look on the top line, but he didn't look like he belonged there. Given his size and skill set, I fear he's just one those unfortunate players who aren't lacking in talent, but will either produce consistently on the 2nd line or won't be playing long in the NHL. Hoffman is an example of the best case scenario... DaCosta and Petersson are examples of the more frequent outcome.

Not just you, they're a completely different team with Hammond in net. That run last year may have been sparked by Hammond playing lights out, but it's not like the team was crap and he bailed them out. The entire team except for Hoffman and Ryan were going at 200% through that run.

I don't personally think they're gonna win 14 of 18 games at this point. This is fine. I'd obviously want to see the playoffs, but I don't think that the team is as poor as some people would like us to believe. I don't think they need a ton of roster help, probably a decent #5 dman and a LW to play on one of the 1st two lines, that's probably the extent of it in my opinion.

I think their problem this season has come down to habits. They aren't practicing defence the right way and that's where all the shots are coming from. Maybe that's a coaching change, or just a change in philosophy of the existing coaches. Bottom line, they need to work on their back end as a 5 man unit. This isn't just the poor play of the d-corps, the forwards need to come back to defend as a 5 man unit. They score more than enough goals. They need to get that shot count down by 10 per game. The problems with the Senators aren't going to be terribly hard to fix, as long as they acknowledge where the problems are coming from and take steps to correct them.

Maybe missing the playoffs isn't the worst thing for this group. It's gonna leave a sour taste in the mouths of a lot of players, and probably drive them even harder next year. Factor in the fact that they've got at least 2 blue chip prospects in the system, and that picking in the front half of this year's draft will add another, and the team is poised to be much, much better down the road. This will take a little patience and probably some bitterness over what could have been this year, but as long as they recognize the need to get that shot count down, then I think they'll be well positioned to be a playoff team next year.
- the_terror

Since the Dion trade, I think the defence has been better. Not great, but ok.

I'm more frustrated with the forwards. You point it out in your post. Fans and management wanted a strong two-way team. That hasn't happened this year. The forwards have not been good defensively and our defence wasn't producing points enough (Dion has evened this out to aid Karlsson). Every forward at some point has been disappointing. There isn't enough consistency. To me that's the big thing to address in the offseason. A team needs to have an identity. This team should be taking the claim of having a 3 line attack that can play both ends well and ware other teams down. That's how they got into the playoffs last year. They have gotten away from that for whatever reason. Maybe they find it again for another run. Who knows. Watch and enjoy. Or throw your girlfriend at the TV when Chaisson screws up. Either or.

Ok so it's not just me the.

I could care less about Gomez, it's more about what his acquisition represents, with only 2 top line guys injured and no ability to pull something . . .anything up from Bingo only signals how shallow our depth chart is. We're talking only two injuries here, Ottawa tends to get ruined by the injury bug so even with some moves in the off-season I don't know how the team can stay competitive when eventualities hit.

From what I've heard we have defenseman playing forward down in Bingo because we've scraped the bottom of the barrel. We're having to dip into other clubs farm teams just to put enough bodies on the ice.

Hard to be optimistic when a guy like Gomez comes to town.

Scott Gomez!
- Pecafan Fan

- MaxTLimit

With all the new faces with the BSens, why didn't they just call someone up?

Or are they convinced that Gomez is a better option in a push for the playoffs??

Ok so it's not just me the.

I could care less about Gomez, it's more about what his acquisition represents, with only 2 top line guys injured and no ability to pull something . . .anything up from Bingo only signals how shallow our depth chart is. We're talking only two injuries here, Ottawa tends to get ruined by the injury bug so even with some moves in the off-season I don't know how the team can stay competitive when eventualities hit.

From what I've heard we have defenseman playing forward down in Bingo because we've scraped the bottom of the barrel. We're having to dip into other clubs farm teams just to put enough bodies on the ice.

Hard to be optimistic when a guy like Gomez comes to town.
- Sens.sational

I don't think Gomez will have any success here, but I do like that he is a playmaker. The team has lacked a centre who can distribute the puck since Spezza left. I just don't think Gomez can do much of it anymore. Not a huge risk move. It works, it works. If it doesn't he's gone come April.

Sounds like Macarthur will be out a couple more weeks.