The Ottawa Senators escaped with a 3-2 win over a very scrappy St. Louis Blues team at Scotiabank Place. The Blues are in the midst of an incredibly long road trip and were playing their 8th game in 16 nights on the road. But that didn't stop the Blues from fighting hard all night long. The Senators didn't play with enough urgency in the later part of the 3rd period when they had a four minute PP and it almost cost them as the Blues pressured Ottawa in the dying minutes with a PP of their own. Martin Gerber had to be sharp at times and stopped 24 of 26 shots.
The Sens got off to a fast start, opening the scoring just two minutes into the game but the Blues were not rattled and actually grabbed a 2-1 later in the first period. Ottawa tied it up on a nice goal by Christoph Schubert as his linemates, Shean Donovan and Dean McAmmond worked their tails off to create the space for his one-timer. Schubert had a great game tonight getting involved physically and offensively with his one goal while registering 5 shots on goal.
Ottawa was outshot 26 to 22 and outhit 24 to 16. One player who led the way physically was Mike Fisher handing out 7 hits in another hard working effort for the second line center.
Jason Spezza continued his hot streak, scoring his 31st goal but Spezza and Heatley had a combined 5 giveaways, some at crucial times. This has to STOP if this team is going to have success in the playoffs. Minimizing turnovers will be crucial in the Sens success come playoff time.
Speaking of turnovers and inconsistent play, two players who were guilty of poor play were Luke Richardson and Wade Redden. Bryan Murray has to make Richardson a healthy scratch. Teams have to be watching knowing that they can burn him wide due to his foot speed. I like what Luke brings to the team on a few levels, leadership and experience but lately there are more incidents where there is an instance in which his foot speed is exploited and usually leads to a big goal. Keith Tkachuk blew by him tonight and set up the 2nd goal, yes Chris Kelly let Jeff Woywitka go free to the net but Richardson had no chance on the play. Then there is the passionless game of Wade Redden. On WAY too many instances tonight, Redden was not moving his feet or failing to bring an honest effort level. His careless ways are hurting this team, he needs to elevate his game NOW!!
With eight divisional games to end the season, the Sens need to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs. Some consistency in their game would be a nice start as they battle teams all fighting for either playoff positioning or in some cases their playoff lives. Ottawa needs to match the desperation level that their opponents will bring on a nightly basis.
Ottawa has a tough stretch coming up with five games in eight nights. As a Sens fan, what would you deem acceptable during this five game stint? I would say at least 3 wins is what Ottawa needs to walk away with to stay in position for the divisional title.
Back on Saturday with a gameday blog for the Battle of Ontario.
Lastly, come visit us at www.sportstalkbuzz.com. You can register at the site for free and talk about a variety of sports. Thanks to all of you for registering in our NCAA March Madness tournament. We are still looking for a few bloggers in the NFL and MLB. Drop me an e-mail if you are interested in blogging.
Kevin
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