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Sens worst 5 losses of the season! |
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I thought I would take a look at Ottawa's worst 5 losses of the season after doing my last blog on their top 5 wins of the season. Sadly, there were some bad ones this season, I could've had a top 10, but I kept it 5!
Nov. 1st @ Chicago 5-1 loss - If you recall all season long DJ Smith always said, you win and you're in, but this never applied to Filip Gustavsson for some reason all season long. In two instances in October alone, Gus was in goal for two wins against Dallas, yet Matt Murray was given the start, the next game out. Murray lost each time out in those situations, 2-1 and 5-1! But this game, in particular, was troublesome as even some Sens players lobbied to DJ for Gus to start. When looking back on this game, it was clear the team didn't respond and at times looked like they weren't playing hard for Murray, something had happened a lot in the early part of the year which eventually led to Murray being sent down. The rift between DJ and Murray, along with some of the players eventually blew up a few weeks later in San Jose. Ottawa looked terrific in Dallas a few nights earlier as it was clear they were playing even harder for Gus after he wasn't given the start on Oct. 21st against San Jose.
Dec. 1st at home vs. Vancouver 6-2 loss - The Sens flat out quit in this game, they went as far to say so much in the postgame presser. Even more embarrassing is that this team did it on home ice to their regular paying fans. I had a former player tell me a long time ago, that you never know when someone is coming to their first ever NHL game in person, so that alone should make you feel like you have to bring a consistent effort, game in and out. This was Ottawa's 6th straight loss at the time and if not for a big win the next night in Carolina, the season could've gone sideways in a big way.
Jan. 1st @ Toronto 6-0 loss - This was Matt Murray's first game back with Ottawa in over a month after being put on waivers. Murray battled so hard in this game but got no help from his teammates. It was the Sen's first game after a 13-day layoff. It was yet another game that Ottawa threw away for a complete lack of effort! DJ always preached to the media that his team will never get outworked as his mantra but sadly it happened far too often with this team. Crazy enough, Ottawa had another 12 days off after this game!
Jan. 18th at home vs. Buffalo 3-1 loss - This was yet again another bizarre coaching decision by DJ Smith as Murray looked terrific in two wins in Alberta, but the win and you're in mantra only applies when DJ wants to control the narrative. He started Forsberg which left everyone shaking their heads and Ottawa blew a game they had no business losing. Buffalo had played the night before at home while Ottawa sat rested, but it looked like Buffalo was the rested team. Adding insult to injury was the loss of Drake Batherson to a serious injury, due to a cheap shot by Aaron Dell.
March 14 at home vs. AZ 5-3 loss - It was bad enough that Ottawa lost to the Coyotes 10 days earlier in AZ 8-5. But with the Yotes playing their 4th game in 6 nights on the road, a tired bunch, to say the least, Ottawa lost far too many 1 on 1 battles and at times looked disinterested. This was another flat effort on home ice once again, inexcusable! Losing to the worst team at the time in the NHL, twice in less than 10 days, Ottawa failed to win against a team that had no business beating them.
I had two other losses that just missed my top 5. On March 5th @ AZ, they lost 8-5. On April 18th @ Seattle, they lost 4-2 and it was definitely a terrible effort in all aspects of the game.
Does your list of 5 worst losses compare to that of mine? Did I miss a loss that you think belonged in the top 5? I'm curious to hear your thoughts and comments on the blog.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the weather on this great June weekend!
Kevin
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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