Wow Saturday. Just wow.
You could not have scripted a better Saturday night.
19,000 +++++ people.
Linden hitting all the notes. Some cute little intermission singer.
Bobble heads.
Nice weather.
A dominant first period.

Then whammo. I'm still salty. I nearly got up and left. I gave them until 10 minutes in the third and then I did. There was a french family behind me that taught me a new level of swearing in french. And all of it was accurate.

Who was to blame for that fiasco? In this order.
Korpisalo, Chabbot, Coaching staff.

Laviolette regrouped his troops, gave them new marching orders and they came out and pushed differently. in DJ Smith fashion JM and Aflie said "keep doing what you're doing it's working". Fine but you have to expect good teams to adjust.

Korpi just let in a couple of stinkers. And then shyt was right off the rails after that. But Chabbot and JBD just started making horrendous plays in their own end. Brutal. Just brutal.

Let’s all, once again lower our expectations on this club and look forward to the trade deadline/off-season.

We’re so far out of the playoff picture that losing only benefits us at this point.

I think what we’ve established, at least up until this point is that Korpisalo was a bad gamble. He should play out the year…as he’ll allow 4+ goals every game, which will help us with a better draft pick. Then he should either be bought out/buried/traded.

Let’s all, once again lower our expectations on this club and look forward to the trade deadline/off-season.

We’re so far out of the playoff picture that losing only benefits us at this point.

I think what we’ve established, at least up until this point is that Korpisalo was a bad gamble. He should play out the year…as he’ll allow 4+ goals every game, which will help us with a better draft pick. Then he should either be bought out/buried/traded.
- Trilla

We're at that point in the season though where we know losses benefit the team, but its still hard to cheer for a loss since we're barely half way through. Which could lead to fans checking out. I'm almost there myself, although I've gone to two games so far this year.

Of course, there will likely be a late season push like always. Hopefully they'll be too far gone for it to hurt their chances too much this year though.

At least fans should be wise to the fools gold at this point though.

Korpi just let in a couple of stinkers. And then shyt was right off the rails after that. But Chabbot and JBD just started making horrendous plays in their own end. Brutal. Just brutal.
- Octavarium

Korpisalo should have had the Kreider shot, but otherwise I'm not sure you can really blame the goaltending for how that game went. In fact, the game might not have even been 2-2 at that point, given some of the saves Korpisalo made early on when they absolutely crapped the bed for the first 5min of the game... the commentators even acknowledged as much. But even with the Kreider goal, the game was 2-2 at that point... not 7-2. Very little of what happened between 2-2 and 7-2 had anything to do with Korpisalo, vs. the team having no clue how to just calm things down and regroup effectively. The fact that they hung Sogaard out to dry right after he got put in is a perfect example of the team making things hard on each other, instead of helping each other out.

Maybe JM needs to identify when a time-out is needed, just to get everyone together and reinforce the key messaging. I'd also like to see JM use his brain a bit more than putting the 4th line on the ice along with the 3rd-pairing D to start the game. Big game on Saturday night against a 1st place team... I know, let's put the 5 least talented players on the ice at the same time. They wound up looking an awful lot like they did in the 1st period against the Canucks when they got shelled 5-0... uncoordinated play in the D-zone, repeated missed attempts to clear the puck, long shift lengths that lead to icing calls, passes in the feet instead of on the tape... just an accumulation of careless plays that make the game far more difficult than it needed to be.

Yeah I was at the Vancouver game too, was excited to see the team live for the first time in 5 years. They put out their worse line to start and got jumped on by Vancouver 5-0 in first period and long shifts leading to errors. You are spot on with the problem. Not only does a coach in a timeout have a plan but you question the teams leadership. Which leader is helping out Brady on the ice because he is out there trying to do something? Also, we need that stay at home D man urgently a Chris Phillips type player but what is the cost. I guess it doesn't matter the cost we need someone there.

2023: Vegas - USA born players not drafted in top 5 (Eichel, Kessel there) - NO players in the top 13 in scoring are US born. Even playoff scoring, all top 13 are Canadian outside Eichel (again top 5 pick). Only other 2 - Ivan Barbashev and William Karlsson.

2022: All top 9 scorers are NOT American born in regular season: JT Compher is #10 in regular season. Same with playoffs, 0 top scorers were American born.

2021: Only team with some solid USA born pieces (again only depth and not core pieces or top 2 line players). Top 6 scorers in regular season all Canadian or other countries. Blake Coleman and Tyler Johnson are #7 and #9. Next 3 are all Canadian. In the playoffs, top 7 scorers for Lighting were Non-American. Blake Coleman was only US player with more than 8 points in the 21 games played.

So man, the facts are there. Yes we have to adapt, adapt to what a cup contending team should do. If you want to win a cup, let's stop pretending Curtis Lazar was better than Andre Burakovsky and Shea Theodore (both won cups), or that Tyler Boucher will be a better player than Wyatt Johnston. I'm not against taking American players but don't build your core around them is my point (unless you get them in the top 5 or possibly top 7)
- AlfieisKing[/img]

No offense, but the major roster problem with this team really isn't the proportion of USA-born players. Tkachuk (top-5 pick) is a unique talent, Sanderson (top-5 pick) is an exceptional young D-man, and Pinto has just proven in the past week how important a piece he is to the team's forward structure. So you're basically just talking about Norris, and fair enough - he's under-performing pretty badly. But the majority of the team's roster aren't American-born, being Canadian hasn't made Chabot, Batherson, or Chychrun into any kind of battle-tested warriors, and the only high-end player on the team with a Stanley Cup to his name is Russian. It's not about where you're born, it's about what you bring to the table.

I kind of laugh a bit when I see comments (and not the first time) like we need a stay at home d-man like Chris Phillips. There was a time when Sens fans were trying to run him out of town as well. Not enough bite in his game .... too soft .... needs to be more physical, can't score ....yada yada yada. Many fans have myopic feelings. The past gets more and more perfect and we forget the blemishes.
I also read more issues with the fact that Martin didn't make in game changes . That isn't the answer either. Ottawa has a real issue with shutting down momentum shifts/changes. They do not know how to cope with this change. Martin needs to stay on point and have the Senators double down and play their game, tighten up defensively. Stop reverting to the past mistakes and bad habits. My only issue in this is why most coaches in the NHL refuse to use their time outs to deal with momentum shifts. In fact, most coaches do not even use their timeouts. Why? What are they saving them for? I know they are only allowed 1 timeout per game, but coaches seem reticent to use them. In the Rangers game, by Martin saving that timeout for some mystery point in the future becomes useless as the game's momentum steals the game away from them. Essentially a 3rd period use of the timeout became to little too late.

What is the real answer needed for the Senators? They need a bonafide #1 goalie. Period. A right d-man, strength down the middle in centres ... blah blah. Lack of proper goaltending kills a team.
Vancouver ... Demko, Winnipeg .... Hellybuyck, Colorado ... Georgiev, Dallas .... Oettinger, Vegas .... Hill , Edmonton .... Skinner, Tampa .... Vasilevskiy, Florida .... Bobrovsky, NYR ... Sheshterkin, Boston .... Swayman/Ullmark. The point being, that every Cup contender has a proper and reliable goalie. Ottawa needs to attain one asap if they wish to contend. Defence can wait .... and maybe the coaches can can change this team's defensive structure.

So I come back to it. Nashville is in town. Go get Askarov or Saros (probably Askarov) .... bye bye Norris. Whatever it takes, Ottawa needs to investigate. Poor goaltending just deflates what little energy this team can muster. Time to break up the clubhouse a bit.

No offense, but the major roster problem with this team really isn't the proportion of USA-born players. Tkachuk (top-5 pick) is a unique talent, Sanderson (top-5 pick) is an exceptional young D-man, and Pinto has just proven in the past week how important a piece he is to the team's forward structure. So you're basically just talking about Norris, and fair enough - he's under-performing pretty badly. But the majority of the team's roster aren't American-born, being Canadian hasn't made Chabot, Batherson, or Chychrun into any kind of battle-tested warriors, and the only high-end player on the team with a Stanley Cup to his name is Russian. It's not about where you're born, it's about what you bring to the table.
- khawk

No offense taken. I have FAMILY in the U.S, I'm not anti-american

My issue is this - when you go to the draft you are building your team's future. I give Dorion 100% credit for taking Tim Stutzle (although that wasn't really a choice at all), Brady Tkachuk over Zadina or Hayton, and Sanderson over Drysdale (I was wrong about this one it looks like). But when the Sens go up and draft so many USA born players with their top pick - it is damaging because of the players they COULD'VE taken. Those players could be big solutions for us in the rebuild - and after all it's COMPETITION. The Sens were amazing in the late 90s/early 2000s with their drafting taking guys like Hossa, Fisher, Havlat, Volchenkov, Neil, Vermette, Kelly, Salo, and others. All this great drafting and they still didn't win a cup.

It's infuriating to me as a fan what the Sens have seen with their picks. White - buyout, L.Brown - not even an NHLer, Bowers - another waste of a pick, JBD - playing better but was on waivers, Thomson - Waivers again. Then you add Boucher who looks like a bust, then you add the 7th OVERALL PICK they gave for DeBrincat. We already lost Formenton. Then Pinto for half a season. ON TOP OF ALL THIS, Dorion cost us a first. So this mismangment can't take place and makes me think, what are the cup winners doing to win.

I agree with guys like Norris, Chabot, and Chychrun - al are mid 1st rounders that had good starts to their careers but I highly doubt they are worth the contracts they make or should make. That belongs to core pieces. If Sandy, Tkachuk, and Stutzle are underpaid, these guys are overpaid, especially with their healthy issues.

Also* it's not just the fact that they were US born but the TYPE/STYLE of player they got (or thinking they were getting) - gritty two-way power forward center (Lazar, White, Bowers and Boucher). It would have been great if they took Boeser rather than White.

It makes sense why they went out and got Derek Stepan but they were 5 years late.

Also* it's not just the fact that they were US born but the TYPE/STYLE of player they got (or thinking they were getting) - gritty two-way power forward center (Lazar, White, Bowers and Boucher). It would have been great if they took Boeser rather than White.

It makes sense why they went out and got Derek Stepan but they were 5 years late.
- AlfieisKing

These arguments are getting a bit scattered. White/Bowers were never gritty, Bowers/Lazar aren't American, and Boucher isn't a centre. I would have taken Boeser over White as well... but doesn't that go against your original notion of drafting American-born players outside of the top-5? Also, it would seem pretty clear that they don't need players like Boeser or Burakovsky right now so much as at least 2 new D-men who actually know what they're doing in the D-zone. That play by Chabot on the 2nd NSH goal tonight? Come on. It's really not hard to envision a possible Norris/Chabot trade in the near future.

However, I can't say anything about the wasted draft capital that Dorion had... or the ridiculous over-accumulation of puck-moving LHD at the expense of any kind of basic defensive competency and RHD balance in the pairings. The fact that DeMelo slipped right through their fingers in the process is maybe the most overt example of blueline mismanagement. Of course, they also very nearly cost themselves one of Joseph/Pinto by overspending against the cap to add Tarasenko, so we'll have to see what Staios does to actually deal with the team's conspicuous lack of defensive competency.

Saw a stat since Martin took over, the team is worst in the league for goals against with over 4.

Looks like today isn't much different! Jekyll and Hyde nonsense again.

edit - Jekyll and Hyde in the same game??? Very interesting.

What an OT goal!!!

Love this team.

But, they are driving me crazy!

Saw a stat since Martin took over, the team is worst in the league for goals against with over 4.

Looks like today isn't much different! Jekyll and Hyde nonsense again.

edit - Jekyll and Hyde in the same game??? Very interesting.

What an OT goal!!!
- PogBoi

Love this team.

But, they are driving me crazy!
- spatso

yeah

Saw a stat since Martin took over, the team is worst in the league for goals against with over 4.

Looks like today isn't much different! Jekyll and Hyde nonsense again.

edit - Jekyll and Hyde in the same game??? Very interesting.

What an OT goal!!!
- PogBoi

In fairness, they're also 5-2-2 in their last 9 games under Martin... despite losses of 7-4 and 7-2 to COL/NYR and OT losses to WPG/BOS. There's certainly truth to the Jekyll/Hyde comment, but those are 4 of the best teams in the NHL. They're playing far better than they were under Smith, but really struggle with retaining their composure in the face of adversity. That said, they did a much better job in the NSH game of using the first period intermission to get their heads back together. It will be very interesting to see how they match up against TOR, DET, FLA, and TBL, which will be 4 of their next 7 games.

In fairness, they're also 5-2-2 in their last 9 games under Martin... despite losses of 7-4 and 7-2 to COL/NYR and OT losses to WPG/BOS. There's certainly truth to the Jekyll/Hyde comment, but those are 4 of the best teams in the NHL. They're playing far better than they were under Smith, but really struggle with retaining their composure in the face of adversity. That said, they did a much better job in the NSH game of using the first period intermission to get their heads back together. It will be very interesting to see how they match up against TOR, DET, FLA, and TBL, which will be 4 of their next 7 games.
- khawk

Sens are sitting with the 5th pick in 2024 draft based on current standings.

Should they try to add another first round pick and take one more kick at building an even deeper roster? They certainly hit a home run the last time they had 3 first round picks. I am inclined to say no.

If they do any deals at the trade deadline this year, I would rather see them consolidate their overall cap and depth management.

Maybe they make a decision to stick with what they have? For a team that has played so many bad games, it is amazing the number observers who think they are a far better team than their record shows.

Sens are setting up a strong salary cap situation for this summer. They have about $17.5m coming off the books if they do nothing (Tarasenko, Kubalik, Brannstrom. Forsberg (LTIR), Murray, Ryan and Del Zotto. Plus they pick up a one year credit on Colin White of $625k.

With the cap increase (minimum $4.0m), it means Sens will have about $21.5m to fill out their roster this coming summer.

Increases to Sanderson ($7m) and Pinto ($3m) will eat up close to half this flexibility. That still leaves around $11m. to fill out their roster. And, they should be able to add one more contract in the $6m range (perhaps Tarasenko).

If the Sens move out either Chabot or Chychrun it would position them to easily add (or take back) upwards of $10m in new contracts for next season.

My preference is the Sens do nothing at this coming deadline.

They will have far more leverage in the summer. Despite the cap increase, multiple teams will be struggling with cap challenges.

Sens are setting up a strong salary cap situation for this summer. They have about $17.5m coming off the books if they do nothing (Tarasenko, Kubalik, Brannstrom. Forsberg (LTIR), Murray, Ryan and Del Zotto. Plus they pick up a one year credit on Colin White of $625k.

With the cap increase (minimum $4.0m), it means Sens will have about $21.5m to fill out their roster this coming summer.

Increases to Sanderson ($7m) and Pinto ($3m) will eat up close to half this flexibility. That still leaves around $11m. to fill out their roster. And, they should be able to add one more contract in the $6m range (perhaps Tarasenko).

If the Sens move out either Chabot or Chychrun it would position them to easily add (or take back) upwards of $10m in new contracts for next season.

My preference is the Sens do nothing at this coming deadline.

They will have far more leverage in the summer. Despite the cap increase, multiple teams will be struggling with cap challenges.
- spatso

I'm all in for trading Tarasenko AND Giroux (if the return is BIG - which it should be, especially if Sens retain $). Then go ahead and resign Giroux in 16 months

This is shaping up to be a weak draft.
Maybe the high pick for Swayman? Or some other bonified #1 goalie?

This is shaping up to be a weak draft.
Maybe the high pick for Swayman? Or some other bonified #1 goalie?
- Octavarium

They don't need a goalie. I think we have finally been able to figure out Korpisalo.

All we need to remember is he is really good for two periods and really bad for one period. So, we need to retain a soothsayer to divine which two periods Korpisalo should play. More important, we need to know which period the Hockey Gods have determined he should be on the bench.

So, Sens should also be in the market to add a very good one period goalie.

This is shaping up to be a weak draft.
Maybe the high pick for Swayman? Or some other bonified #1 goalie?
- Octavarium

They should have offer sheeted him in the summer. Korpo eats up their goalie budget for the next 2 to 3 years.

I've soured on Mads as the goalie of the future.

Maybe they should take a run at Askarov from the Preds? Low risk, high reward? Vladar from Calgary if they don't move Markstrom this trade deadline.

Stolarz as a backup next year on the cheap?

I'm all in for trading Tarasenko AND Giroux (if the return is BIG - which it should be, especially if Sens retain $). Then go ahead and resign Giroux in 16 months
- AlfieisKing

There isn't going to be any kind of big trade return, given that one player has a full no-trade clause, while the other has a full no-movement clause. You only get big trade returns when you can play teams off each other, and that's virtually impossible in a no-trade clause scenario. You might see Tarasenko traded if he wants to take another playoff run, but it likely wouldn't be more than maybe a 2nd round pick coming back... maybe a late 1st from a team like the Rangers if the trade deadline market is especially thin, or they wind up eating a lot of $$$.

Meanwhile, we may need to get the defibrillator to get Norris going. Since Christmas, he's played 13GP and put up just 4 assists, to go along with a -4 rating. That's zero goals scored for the team's supposedly most natural goal scorer... meanwhile, opponents have scored a GA for every assist he registered, and he's taken more minor penalties than he has points. He's now 7th on the team in PTS/GP among forwards, tied for 7th in ES goals with Kubalik, and has just 3 more ES points so far this year than Bernard-Docker. That's astonishingly poor, especially given that all of the rest of the high-priced forwards are on pace for 70pts-85pts seasons.

They should have offer sheeted him in the summer. Korpo eats up their goalie budget for the next 2 to 3 years.

I've soured on Mads as the goalie of the future.

Maybe they should take a run at Askarov from the Preds? Low risk, high reward? Vladar from Calgary if they don't move Markstrom this trade deadline.

Stolarz as a backup next year on the cheap?
- GrimmdaGoalie

I really think people need to reconsider throwing the goaltenders under the bus. Look at the 3 goals NSH scored last night... the first goal was a lucky bounce off the dump-in that set up a point-blank shot, the second goal had Chabot forgetting how to turn and allowing the winger to drive the net, and the third goal was a screened deflection that dropped several feet in a split-second. Maybe Sogaard was guilty of excessive crease movement at times, but the real point is that it was a fundamentally different Senators team playing in front of Korpisalo in the 2nd/3rd periods. And the team in front of Korpisalo vs. NSH was also very different than the one playing in front of Korpisalo in the 2nd period vs. the NYR just a couple of days earlier.

The exact same thing happened with Forsberg... whoever's in net when the team breaks their focus just gets shelled one way or another. As for Vladar, he's a career .896 sv% goaltender, whose having the worst year of his career... are we really sure that's going to bring a different result? Askarov isn't going anywhere, and Stolarz isn't really capable of playing a #1B role. There really isn't a silver bullet solution, and I'm not convinced of the value of chasing rainbows when they've already had 12 different goaltenders play games for them since the departure of Craig Anderson. Right now I just hope Sogaard/Merilainen can be spared too much exposure to this season of fragile confidence and remedial defensive education.

I really think people need to reconsider throwing the goaltenders under the bus. Look at the 3 goals NSH scored last night... the first goal was a lucky bounce off the dump-in that set up a point-blank shot, the second goal had Chabot forgetting how to turn and allowing the winger to drive the net, and the third goal was a screened deflection that dropped several feet in a split-second. Maybe Sogaard was guilty of excessive crease movement at times, but the real point is that it was a fundamentally different Senators team playing in front of Korpisalo in the 2nd/3rd periods. And the team in front of Korpisalo vs. NSH was also very different than the one playing in front of Korpisalo in the 2nd period vs. the NYR just a couple of days earlier.

The exact same thing happened with Forsberg... whoever's in net when the team breaks their focus just gets shelled one way or another. As for Vladar, he's a career .896 sv% goaltender, whose having the worst year of his career... are we really sure that's going to bring a different result? Askarov isn't going anywhere, and Stolarz isn't really capable of playing a #1B role. There really isn't a silver bullet solution, and I'm not convinced of the value of chasing rainbows when they've already had 12 different goaltenders play games for them since the departure of Craig Anderson. Right now I just hope Sogaard/Merilainen can be spared too much exposure to this season of fragile confidence and remedial defensive education.
- khawk

I also want to see what a full season under a better coach with a defensive system will do for the goaltending. That, and improving the RD (no so much with the Hamonic, Brannstrom etc).

I also want to see what a full season under a better coach with a defensive system will do for the goaltending. That, and improving the RD (no so much with the Hamonic, Brannstrom etc).
- GrimmdaGoalie

100% agree. I'd also suggest that the RHD they're lacking just needs to be capable of playing 20min/GP of effective d-zone hockey. They don't need an all-star, and they don't need another D-man trying to skate the puck up the ice. Just someone who understands positioning, gap control, and how to play a 2-on-1 effectively would be a welcome change of pace. It would also be nice to see someone with a bit more snarl in their game like Kleven on the 3rd pairing... right now they have Zub/Hamonic with more hits than Chabot/Sanderson/Brannstrom/Chychrun/Bernard-Docker combined. For reference, Zub currently leads the team with 61 hits, which is tied for 48th in the NHL among D-men. Butter soft.