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Sens Have Lost Their A-Game |
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The Ottawa Senators have lost their A-team and once again, they've lost their A-game. The Sens lost 4-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight in what was a bad game by Ottawa. The Sens were again, without their captain Daniel Alfredsson, and it showed. Not only did Jason Spezza look lost without Dany Heatley who has not yet returned from a shoulder injury, he is unable to create space on his own and refuses to use his body. Ottawa is in desperate need of a big, rough forward who can clear the way for guys like Spezza when he is forced to play without his linemates.
One guy who didn't hesitate to sacrifice his body was Mike Fisher. It what was a pretty physical game against the Leafs, Fisher, Christoph Shubert and Anton Volchenkov all contributed to Ottawa's thirty eight hits. Andrej Mezaros had a miserable game and couldn't manage to stay out of the box with six penalty minutes all coming in the second period. Chris Neil played a gritty game crashing the net and landing a nice goal in the third. The guys previously mentioned, Dean McAmmond and Randy Robitaille all played well. This was Ottawa's saving grace tonight, considering they were without their usual top line.
Chris Philips who was also out of the lineup, was missed by the Sens defensive core and they have continued to struggle over the past few games. Ray Emery saw twenty six shots by the Leafs and played well staying close to his net and watching his rebounds, until Jason Blake came in with a smooth one that got around Emery in the third.
When will this Sens team wake up and start playing like the conference leading team they are? When will these guys use their talent and skills to pull some wins together for the final stretch of the season.
Ottawa is at Montreal on Tuesday and the Canadiens are thirsty for their spot in the East. If Ottawa doesn't elevate their level of play, the almighty Canadiens will walk all over them.
Katie V.
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