Pre-Game Talk: Beware of Lightning in Ottawa, tonight @ 7:00pm

[GWNR]

This is why shortening the bench kills us. Playing the 4th line 8 mins a night kills our ability to push the pace. If we had a 4th line of Smith-Thompson-Pyatt playing 12 mins a night, and Chlapik on the 3rd with Pageau and White playing 15 a night, we can really push the pace all game.

Hoffman-Duchene-Ryan 16 mins
Dzingel-Brassard-Stone 17 mins
Chlapik-Pageau-White 15 mins
Smith-Thompson-Pyatt 12 mins

How those aren't the lines is just mind boggling.

 

[Viletho]

I'd like this twice if I could. Love those jerseys.

I bought one.

I'm almost wanting that to become our regular instead of going to a black jersey if we really go with the =O=.

It is very good looking with the gear on.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I don' t know if I should be happy.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Well then. Looks like Boucher got the message.....40 games in. Great.

 

[Micklebot]

It's also entirely possible that they were slightly out of gas on the back to back and eased up in the second and half of the third to try to conserve energy for a late push provided the game was still close...

I think it's just as likely that they didn't want to get caught on the long change, in the end though, if easing up means you play terribly, because lets be honest, it was not quality hockey on our part for a good stretch, then it's probably not the greatest strategy long term. You might get a break here and there, but I would't go to that well too often.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Ironically it takes even more energy to run around in your own end for minutes at a time....

And I would wager, if you're having fun (and firewagon hockey is fun), even if you are extending more energy, you don't necessarily feel it as much during the game, and you are more willing to exert that energy.

 

[Icelevel]

Duchene with more goals than turris since the trade.

High fives for everyone

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I think it's just as likely that they didn't want to get caught on the long change, in the end though, if easing up means you play terribly, because lets be honest, it was not quality hockey on our part for a good stretch, then it's probably not the greatest strategy long term. You might get a break here and there, but I would't go to that well too often.

2 games in a row with great results .. neither were masterpieces as you say.. found a way to win them.. which is different than how it has been going

 

[Back in Black]

The more I see the NHL 100 classic jerseys in action the more I love them.

2 for 2, not a bad record for these jerseys......

 

[Micklebot]

How those aren't the lines is just mind boggling.

To be fair, it's a lot of youth on the 3rd and Boucher likes a matchup third. More realistic would be swapping Smith with one of White or Chlapik, which would still be fine.

 

[Viletho]

Duchene with more goals than turris since the trade.

High fives for everyone

Not to start a debate.

But Turris has something like 2 points in his last 9 games. The production has dried up a little it seems.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I liked this one

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

2 for 2, not a bad record for these jerseys......

Back in red and silver.

 

[Korpse]

Pretty funny how this is only happening because Oduya went down. Boucher gets zero credit here.

It happened a lot last night too. Oduya got the occasion shift on DZ face-offs with Karlsosn but it was mostly Chabot with EK. Last night he played 15:31 with EK, 0:28 with Ceci and 1:58 with Harpur, meanwhile EK only played 4:01 with Oduya. Chabot has spent 45.1% of his ice time this season with Karlsson next to him, far more than any other defensemen. Now a lot of that ice time has been when the senators are trailing late but even in the first period that number sits at 33.2%, which again is the most. The trend has been moving towards them playing together regardless of the score though.

 

[BondraTime]

We aren't making the playoffs, we can get that out of the way.

We knew we weren't as bad as the past 1.5 months, we knew we were bad, but playing well below their capabilities, and not enjoying the stiffing system. The last 2 games were different (3rd of the Sharks game).

Now is the time to trim the roster of non-essential, non-core pieces for any picks we can get. Get futures for NHL pieces we do not need.

If we lose, so be it, our initial draft spot gets better, but I think we will do just as well/better with youth subbed in for Thompson/Pyatt/Burrows/Oduya/Smith.

Get 5/6 mid round picks, open up salary, and open up room for Chlapik/White/Jaros/Paul/Gagne for some experience, and insert some of them next year on cheap ELC deals.\

Boucher doesn't like this of course, but Dorion is the guy at the helm. He should make that his priority.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

We aren't making the playoffs, we can get that out of the way.

We knew we weren't as bad as the past 1.5 months. Now is the time to trim the roster of non-essential, non-core pieces for any picks we can get.

If we lose, so be it, our initial draft spot get better, but I think we will do just as well/better with youth subbed in for Thompson/Pyatt/Burrows/Oduya/Smith.

Get 5/6 mid round picks, open up salary, and open up room for Chlapik/White/Jaros/Paul/Gagne for some experience, and insert some of them next year on cheap ELC deals.

Where do I sign up?

 

[Langdon Alger]

[QUOTE="L'Aveuglette, post: 139909755, member: 4755Boucher gets zero credit here.[/QUOTE]

No kidding

 

[Cloud]

I think it's just as likely that they didn't want to get caught on the long change, in the end though, if easing up means you play terribly, because lets be honest, it was not quality hockey on our part for a good stretch, then it's probably not the greatest strategy long term. You might get a break here and there, but I would't go to that well too often.

ya it's possible, but if we're being honest, as you said...they were also playing the best team in the league tonight so it's not surprising in the least that they made the Sens look bad during certain portions of the game. Either way, kudos to the boys for gutting out a solid win against a great team on the back to back.
Perhaps the team is just finally starting to gel and find some new chemistry. I guess we'll see how things go from here but I think it's safe to say this is how most of us thought the team was capable of playing.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Last couple of games have been way more fun to watch. Let’s keep playing that way. We’re not making the playoffs, but let’s watch some entertaining hockey and hopefully f*** some teams playoff chances.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

This is literally the team I expected us to be all year.

Thank God i aint crazy lol

 

[Karl Prime]

Scoring goals is fun.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Scoring goals is fun.

Who knew?

 

[DylanSensFan]

Those jerseys are dope AF btw.

I got one for Christmas:

 

[DylanSensFan]

Problem with the game, and it's a microcosm of the team all year, and probably last too, is we didn't play 60 mins. We got outshot 20-10 in the 2nd, and didn't register a single shot till the 10 min mark of the third.

It's not that we played somewhat poorly, it's that we played really poorly at times in the game, and most nights that will cost you.

I think it was about time Anderson bailed us out. Against San Jose, it was the rest of the team bailing him out.

 

[DylanSensFan]

What a beauty that mask is.