By Ken Hawkins (a.k.a. khawk)
The Senators may have deserved a better fate vs. VGK the other night, but they got pretty much exactly what they deserved on Sunday vs. COL. The Senators were able to mount a comeback in the 3rd period to make the score closer than it should have been, but they were badly outplayed for long stretches of this game. Now in fairness, it would be a stretch to claim that this was a game the Senators were expected to win. This was a road game against a recent Cup-winning team in the middle of a multi-game winning streak, and the betting odds reflected that. However, you can still expect a 60-minute/200-foot effort, and it just wasn’t there in this game.
COL 5 - OTT 4 (NHL Game Highlights)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w5aWK-Kq6I/
This was also yet another night where critical momentum goals decided the game. COL scored two goals within 20 seconds of the end of each of the first two periods, followed by a quick pair of goals in the third separated by just 92 seconds. It’s hard to imagine how demoralizing it must be to survive over 19 1/2 minutes of the period only to give up a goal in the last few seconds. Now do that again the following period, and then add two quick goals-against after you somehow manage to tie the game 2-2 in the 3rd period. The backbreaking nature of these goals is something the coaching staff has to start addressing with more urgency.
The Good - It’s telling when “The Good” starts with Forsberg after giving up 4GA, but it starts there because he was among the few players that played well for all 60 minutes of this game. Giroux had 2G, but unfortunately they only came after being down multiple goals with less than 4 minutes left. Tkachuk had 1G-1A and was instrumental to the 3rd period pushback, but you could hear the TV commentator say his goal was the first time he was noticeable all game. Cousins also had 1G-1A, and it was good to see him given a chance to atone for a bad 3rd period penalty vs. VGK.
The Bad - It was another rough night for the top-D pairing of Sanderson-Hamonic, and it’s not too difficult to figure out which of the two is the root cause. It was also the 2nd game in a row where a crippling third period goal was given up to a checking line forward, which really speaks to the team’s maturity and focus. Further to this, that puck flip by Batherson that led to the 4th goal for COL just can’t happen. At the very least you need to make sure the puck clears the zone, especially with 4 Avalanche players in your defensive-zone. Details!
The Ugly - It’s easy to focus on the Ullmark injury because of the high-profile nature of that situation, but after just 8 games there is a concerning number of players who are either injured or out of the lineup. Zub is a critical part of the top-4D, and his injury has already exposed some major depth issues on the blue line. Perron/Pinto were supposed to be the high-end quality of the 3rd line, and with both out they’re back to having a piecemeal 3rd line and AHL-style 4th line. These players are key parts of their team defensive structure, which is why they've given up 4+ goals in 3 of their last 4 games.
The loss drops the Senators to a 4-4-0 record on the season, which is no doubt a major concern for many fans. The reason being that it’s the 3rd straight year where after 8 games they had a 4-4-0 record, which has historically been a recipe for major disappointment. In fairness, the Senators’ schedule in the first quarter of the season was known to be difficult, and they’ve already had to face all of FLA, TBL, NJD, VGK, and COL so far. That could be an advantage later in the season, but they need to focus on the present and improve upon a pair of very disappointing games. Next up for them is STL on home ice on Tuesday, which is as close to an early-season must-win as you can get… especially with the NYR on-deck later in the week.
What are your thoughts on the Senators’ loss to the Avalanche? Please leave your comments below, and as always thanks for reading!
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