Pre-Game Talk: Flyers in the SENS Den, Sat. 2:00 pm on TSN

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Spartachat

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Aug 2, 2016
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All were here last year when we made it to game 7.

Psychology plays a big factor. The players do not seem to be into it this year. Tampa Bay and Winnipeg didn't even make the playoffs last year and look how they are doing. People expected Boston to go into rebuild mode and look how they are doing. Meanwhile, the Sens and Oilers are in tank mode. Vegas has a medicare team on paper, but leads the NHL.

Something has to be done in the dressing room. The Sens started the season pretty strong. The losing streak killed their confidence.
 

Tundraman

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Feb 13, 2010
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What happened?

To add to whats already been said which is all true..... the Sweden trip and the outdoor game which although successful compressed the schedule for the Sens with a lot of back to back games and 3 in 4 nights. No practices and some key injuries. The Sens would have needed everything to go well and it was the opposite
 
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Langdon Alger

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Apr 19, 2006
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That's not good enough Dave ... you need to take a stab at it

Well our bad season has a lot to do with bad goaltending. Losing Methot hurt and losing MacArthur did too. Trading Turris as well. That’s a big part of the team right there. They are missed on the ice and in the room too I’ll bet.

Special teams have been awful. Boucher has made bad decisions. Too stubborn and wouldn’t play the kids for a while.

I can handle a bad year, but to be that close to the finals and now we’re trading our best player less than a year later? Yeah, I’m not sure how it got this bad.
 

Sens of Anarchy

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Well our bad season has a lot to do with bad goaltending. Losing Methot hurt and losing MacArthur did too. Trading Turris as well. That’s a big part of the team right there. They are missed on the ice and in the room too I’ll bet.

Special teams have been awful. Boucher has made bad decisions. Too stubborn and wouldn’t play the kids for a while.

I can handle a bad year, but to be that close to the finals and now we’re trading our best player less than a year later? Yeah, I’m not sure how it got this bad.

Definitely sucks .. no easy answers .... Blowing it up is a tough call.. I don't know what to say .. everyone is feeling bad it seems
 
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aragorn

Do The Right Thing
Aug 8, 2004
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Psychology plays a big factor. The players do not seem to be into it this year. Tampa Bay and Winnipeg didn't even make the playoffs last year and look how they are doing. People expected Boston to go into rebuild mode and look how they are doing. Meanwhile, the Sens and Oilers are in tank mode. Vegas has a medicare team on paper, but leads the NHL.

Something has to be done in the dressing room. The Sens started the season pretty strong. The losing streak killed their confidence.
For those who have been around for a while, how many times can you remember an Ottawa team having problems in the dressing room? It seems to come back to haunt this team every couple or few yrs. Leadership seems to always be a problem here for some unknown reason or IMO ownership may have a lot to do with that.
 

Sens of Anarchy

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For those who have been around for a while, how many times can you remember an Ottawa team having problems in the dressing room? It seems to come back to haunt this team every couple or few yrs. Leadership seems to always be a problem here for some unknown reason or IMO ownership may have a lot to do with that.
I think Methot was missed that way this year
 

Langdon Alger

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Apr 19, 2006
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For those who have been around for a while, how many times can you remember an Ottawa team having problems in the dressing room? It seems to come back to haunt this team every couple or few yrs. Leadership seems to always be a problem here for some unknown reason or IMO ownership may have a lot to do with that.

Big problem in 2008 I think. Back when Turd Ferguson (Ray Emery) was around.
 

Nac Mac Feegle

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Jun 10, 2011
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For those who have been around for a while, how many times can you remember an Ottawa team having problems in the dressing room? It seems to come back to haunt this team every couple or few yrs. Leadership seems to always be a problem here for some unknown reason or IMO ownership may have a lot to do with that.

Honestly, I think it's an easy excuse. Kinda like the hockey equivalent of "the devil made me do it" kind of defense. Every workplace has cliques, and some folks who just don't get along. Having a strong leadership group - more in management instead of among rank and file employees - is the key to getting all the horses working together. It's incredibly rare for the regular employees to be so toxic, that it creates an impossible working environment.
 

L'Aveuglette

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Jan 8, 2007
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Who knew they would lose a game with only one top-6 C in the lineup?

Also, apparently they're gonna throw out anyone with a "Melnyk Out" sign now too. So I guess no voicing of displeasure is allowed in Kanata.
 

Langdon Alger

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Apr 19, 2006
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Who knew they would lose a game with only one top-6 C in the lineup?

Also, apparently they're gonna throw out anyone with a "Melnyk Out" sign now too. So I guess no voicing of displeasure is allowed in Kanata.

That place is garbage anyway. Years ago I was told to sit down while watching warmup.
 
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Spartachat

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Aug 2, 2016
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Who knew they would lose a game with only one top-6 C in the lineup?

Also, apparently they're gonna throw out anyone with a "Melnyk Out" sign now too. So I guess no voicing of displeasure is allowed in Kanata.

If someone is thrown out for carrying out a Melnyk Out sign, film it and put it on YouTube.
 

L'Aveuglette

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IMO ...

Dorion over estimating a bubble team that overachieved the year before. No top 6 forward , No Methot replacement
Boucher for being too stubborn and not making adjustments to get the team on track; The System was not working
and Melnyk for throwing fuel to the fire with Turris and the fans

Add to that less than adequate goal tending for what ever reason

Fully agree with all your points plus adding Karlsson's injury/recovery.

Too bad that all seems to be enough to gut the team completely when really what we needed was to trim the fat, add a decent goalie and a top-6 forward, and wait for EK to fully recover this summer.
 

Sens of Anarchy

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Fully agree with all your points plus adding Karlsson's injury/recovery.

Too bad that all seems to be enough to gut the team completely when really what we needed was to trim the fat, add a decent goalie and a top-6 forward, and wait for EK to fully recover this summer.
Agree ... Ek playing at 50-60% was huge.
and I agree with a bit of a retool vs this fn circus Dorion/Melnyk is orchestrating
 

Tundraman

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Without pointing a specific finger at anyone with few exceptions it's very important to maintain a fairly strict reporting / communication hierarchy from owner to GM to coach to players up and down the chain. It's also important to remember that the captain and the assistants are still players and the letter doesn't justify breaking the lines of communication. Respect, a high degree of privacy and dignity needs to be kept at every upper level so as to not undermine the position. What that means is that when the owner corrects the GM it shouldn't reach the coach, players or the outside world and when the GM corrects the coach it shouldn't reach the players or slipped to the media either. While he should listen the head coach shouldn't abdicate his responsibilities to the player leaders either. Over the years the Sens have been guilty of not respecting this order trying to please certain ones or making them feel they have a greater role in team decisions than they should have.
 

Xspyrit

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Anderson fell off a cliff, post-surgery Karlsson (I wonder in hindsight if it would have been best if he took another month before returning), potential disconnect between players and coach. It doesn't really take much to go from getting into the playoffs by four points to having a disaster bottom five season.

I would rank it like that :

1) Karlsson post injury, really struggling defensively and in transition. Not having the same impact offensively.

2) Anderson fell off a cliff (due to age and riding an emotional high last year), Condon proving he is not that good.

3) Methot lost to expansion, Claesson and/or Oduya can't fill his shoes. Left a really big hole on the left side, no #2 D-man, exposing Phaneuf and Ceci who are #4

4) Boucher lost it, his system clearly not working anymore : team defense in shambles. Coaching staff can't adjust. Oh and Dave Sparky Allison made a good point, special teams are terrible this year.

5) Turris trade : clearly affected the locker room. Even though Duchene is technically a better hockey player, a trade like is not good to make at the start of a season

6) Most Pejorative Slured schedule ever

5) MacArthur was still on the payroll, expected to be part of the team, your #6 forward gone for good

6) Ryan who was still the best #4-5 forward keep getting injured. Ryan-Brassard-Stone was a really good line before his first injury.
 
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Do Make Say Think

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Definitely sucks .. no easy answers .... Blowing it up is a tough call.. I don't know what to say .. everyone is feeling bad it seems

As negative as a lot of us have been I think we all, deep down, knew this team underachieved this year.

There was hope we'd rebound.

Now there is only the expectation that we are going to be bad for the next 4 to 5 seasons.
 

Xspyrit

DJ Dorion
Jun 29, 2008
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I'd say its a constant theme with one player. Boro has just got to be smarter. You can't be trying to deck guys with open ice hits every shift, I don't think the system asks for the defensemen to step up when the puck is in the middle of the ice. Thats just Boro trying to do much, It's likely him trying to spark his team but knows better.

Meh, you have a player walking down his off wing uncontested and has all the time in the world to pick the goalie apart.

Guess we will have to agree to disagree, I don't think its a coincidence that both goaltenders are looking a lot worse than the previous season.

- Yeah maybe Boro is trying to do too much but he really has to learn to play conservatively sometimes and play within his limits.

- Low angle shot, no traffic, should be a save for a NHL goalie.

- Of course team defense has been really bad this season (particularly compared to last year) and the system is pretty much broken down but the goalies have been awful as well.
 

Alex1234

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Oct 14, 2014
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At least we wont have any pressure from high expectations
Let the young guys developp
They are going to make mistakes but at least they will learn how tough it is to win
Set the rebuild like TO did
A top 3 pick plus if we could get another top 5 from trading EK and start from there
Hope for #41 resurgence or go after a Dell or something in mid season
 

Korpse

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- Yeah maybe Boro is trying to do too much but he really has to learn to play conservatively sometimes and play within his limits.

- Low angle shot, no traffic, should be a save for a NHL goalie.

- Of course team defense has been really bad this season (particularly compared to last year) and the system is pretty much broken down but the goalies have been awful as well.

-I wouldn't call it a low angle shot. Coming down the off wing, with plenty of room. I know personally my eyes would light up. If it was a right shot coming down the right side I'd be on the same boat but it was a left shot coming down the right shot, there's a lot to shoot at. I don't doubt Andy would like to have it back but sometimes you get beat by a good shot. You give players time and space from the top of the circle to the face-off dot, you are asking for trouble.

-Not saying the goaltending has been good but it looks a lot worse because of the job thats being done infront of them.
 
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aragorn

Do The Right Thing
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Yeah, I’m not sure if someone complained or they just had a no standing during warmup policy.
That happened to me at the Grey Cup game during the half time show when everyone was up dancing & singing. The old couple behind us couldn't see & was in a boot cast, poor guy. :naughty:
 
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