The Ottawa Senators didn't get off to the start they had hoped for on Saturday as they lost 4-3 in overtime to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Costly turnovers and poor goaltending was the story of this loss.
Regardless of the solid game Jason Spezza had on Saturday, his pension for thinking he is playing junior hockey at times continues to cost this team games. Sure Spezza had a goal and an assist with 5 shots on goal, oh and 5 misssed shots on goal(does anyone miss the net more?) but the fact remains that Spezza can be much better if he would only eliminate timely mistakes. Case in point, instead of making the simple play of getting the puck in deep with 30 seconds left in overtime, Spezza tries to deek through the oppositon and therefore turns the puck over at the blueline with Pittsburgh going the other way and firing home the overtime winner.
This kind of selfish play has to stop. Spezza used to get a pass on this type of thing a few years ago, but he has to learn that this type of decision is flat out ridiculous and has to end! Spezza said in the postgame press conference that he will learn from his mistake, but really, why hasn't he already at this point in his career? He has tried to do it all by himself far too many times and at some point he needs to be held accountable by the coaching staff, whether it's having him take a seat for a period or missing a few shifts to get the point across, something has to give with Spezza. It didn't help that Martin Gerber failed to bail out Spezza on yet another suspect goal in an average game for the Sens starting netminder.
Speaking of Gerber, head coach Craig Hartsburg has to go back with their annointed number one guy in goal on Sunday when the . Lets hope Gerber rebounds with a big game. The last thing this team needs is a goaltending controversy this early in the season.
Was it me or is Daniel Alfredsson playing hurt? Lets not forget, he missed Friday's practice and in today's game he didn't have that extra burst in his acceleration when he carried the puck. On too many occasions Alfredsson seemed fatigued when it came time to separate himself from the opposition in the neutral zone. This is something that Sens fans are accustomed to seeing. His three giveaways were "un-Alfie like". This was an average game for Alfredsson and you would have thought that this was his time to shine in his homeland of Sweden.
With Mike Fisher out of the line-up, Dean McAmmond drew into the game and last minute Shean Donovan dressed in place of Cody Bass. This was another bizarre move as Bass had an outstanding pre-season. Mind you Donovan was one of the better forwards and showed alot of energy and passion in his game. When he scored the first goal of the game, it seemed like his celebration was that of a playoff goal.
The checking of line Antoine Vermette, Chris Kelly and Jesse Winchester did a very solid job in shutting down Sidney Crosby. Although Vermette was quiet offensively and he needs to do far more than skate miles all night long.
The Sens powerplay struggled big time, this problem has carried over from the pre-season. GM Bryan Murray is going to have address the situation of not having a very good puck carrying defensemen to compliment the powerplay. I am not so sure that Filip Kuba is the answer on the point.
I certainly hope Brian Lee elevates his game on Sunday. He was by far and away the worst defensemen on the ice for both teams. He was muscled off the puck with ease and seemed very hesitant in his decision making when clearing the defensive zone.
Overall, the Sens played a solid game but need to capitalize on the Pens turnovers and stay out of the penalty box. A few players need to elevate their games on Sunday if the result is going to be any different than today. At least the Sens grabbed one of a possible two points, now lets see if they can come back to Ottawa with three of a possible four points on Monday.
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Lastly, NHL and NFL fans out there, I have a close friend who can get some Reebok jerseys at wholesale costs. I am not going to post every team and player that I can get but if you are interested or have a question please e-mail me or IM me here at Hockeybuzz. I will see what I can do for each of you! This is a great offer for all you hockeybuzz readers.
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Kevin
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