I think our defense is looking tired the last few games.

[dennilfloss]

They are also making more mental mistakes. Having to play the current style because of all the injuries for so long is starting to take its toll. Our lack of offense also makes any mistake resulting in a goal so much more of a steep step to climb.

Click to read more...

 

[HockeySens]

Im sorry but besides methot our D is not good enough, phillips is a 3rd pairing guy, gonchar is offensive dman and never noted for his defensive play, wiercoch is in his first year in the nhl and clearly his defensive play has to be improved and I believe he will. As for gryba and benoit, I think you know the answer to that. To put it simply our Defensive corps without karlsson and cowen is not going to win us a lot of games

 

[Flamingo]

Methot had looked more lacksidasical in his own end lately. Gonchar has looked better at protecting the slot than anyone.

I think the team has over-performed. Other teams are more prepared for our simple move-the-puck-quick breakouts and are forcing turnovers.

Let's see if they harden their pesky Sens attitude and determination on this road trip. And Maclean should keep them off the hotel waterside on game days.

 

[BigZKingK]

Im sorry but besides methot our D is not good enough, phillips is a 3rd pairing guy, gonchar is offensive dman and never noted for his defensive play, wiercoch is in his first year in the nhl and clearly his defensive play has to be improved and I believe he will. As for gryba and benoit, I think you know the answer to that.

The way you're talking you make it look like we are missing two top 4 D

Love the kids but ya we need help

 

[HockeySens]

without karlsson and cowen we do

Also our problem is not goalscoring, we will get that once michalek and hopefully spezza comes back, having those two changes our forward line up so much

First we have a real top line and hopefully greening finds his mojo with spezza and michalek
Second, turris and alfie will drop to second line a role in which they fit at this point of their careers
The most important one is having lats-zibby-silf in the third line, call me crazy but thats the most skilled third line in the nhl
Our fourth line would be condra-smith-neil or u can put kassian/regin/job or maybe hoffman

If anderson comes back and plays close to the level he was at before his injury, a healthy line up minus karlsson should be good enough to go to at least in second round. Add a camalleri type of player and a servicable #4 dman and we can go to eastern conference. Call me delusional but Im just very excited

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Definitely packing these days. We need some offensive defense... as well as solid defense. Methot was weak tonight.

 

[gatosauce12345]

Giving Wiercioch 10 minutes isnt going to help keep the other guys fresh.

 

[mcnorth]

Our margins are razor thin. Not as bad as it seems when we lose, not as good as it seems when we win. We've given up a lot of shots all season, some think it is the system, and tonight we gave up even more. Lost a lot of battles along the boards but we were playing the Bruins. It was not the turnover fest it was on Saturday, so I think the team actually looked better tonight.

 

[aragorn]

Our margins are razor thin. Not as bad as it seems when we lose, not as good as it seems when we win. We've given up a lot of shots all season, some think it is the system, and tonight we gave up even more. Lost a lot of battles along the boards but we were playing the Bruins. It was not the turnover fest it was on Saturday, so I think the team actually looked better tonight.

And yet our goals against have gone from one of the worse in the league to one of the best in the league. Of course, our goals for have done the same as well from one of the highest scoring teams to one of the lowest scoring teams in the NHL. If we can ever put the two together we should be challenging for a cup. Did we come close to the most shots on net in Sens history tonight?

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Definitely packing these days. We need some offensive defense... as well as solid defense. Methot was weak tonight.

Methot was decent actually. Not his best game but he certainly wasn't "weak".

 

[Iamok]

It's hardly fair to use the Bruins as a gauge. They always have a tendency of working us.

The TML game, the whole team played like ****, so I'm not too worried about that one.

 

[SensFactor]

It comes down to the quality of opposition.. Gryba and Benoit are frankly ahl dmen eating big minutes.. I've seen enuff of Gryba to know he has a tremendous shot and ok defensive instincts.. But he is very poor defensively overall.. Mainly because the speed of the game really isn't suiting him.. Especially against fast teams like Boston and toronto.. Gonchar had never been a strong defensive dman... Plus I hate to say it since he's still a great leader.. But phillips is a shell of his former self.. As much as we are begging Murray for offense we need a veteran dman back there

 

[costermonger]

And yet our goals against have gone from one of the worse in the league to one of the best in the league. Of course, our goals for have done the same as well from one of the highest scoring teams to one of the lowest scoring teams in the NHL. If we can ever put the two together we should be challenging for a cup. Did we come close to the most shots on net in Sens history tonight?

Somebody'd have to break it down in detail but a quick glance at the numbers indicates that a 0.5 goal per game increase (seems reasonable as a net gain if Karlsson & Spezza returned) with the current standard of defensive play would put us at or very near the top of the NHL in goal differential.

This makes me happy about the future, and pissed off about all the injuries in the present. Again.

 

[Xspyrit]

The Maple Leafs and the Bruins are basically our 2 nemesis. If you base yourself on 2 back-to-back games against those teams, of course you'll be disappointed

If there's something we need, it's more health. It has been the case all season. You couldn't hope for a better season under the circumstances (young inexperienced rebuilding team missing 60% of its best players). I can't put myself in a position where I criticize them, what they have done is just awesome.

Sucks that Karlsson and Anderson won't win the Norris and Vezina because of injuries

 

[Slack]

If there's something we need, it's more health. It has been the case all season. You couldn't hope for a better season under the circumstances (young inexperienced rebuilding team missing 60% of its best players). I can't put myself in a position where I criticize them, what they have done is just awesome.

Exactly right. As much as I hate giving up our 18th regulation loss in the last 28 games against Boston, it was a pretty good effort tonight for what we have.

My concern is that since the Toronto game we've seemed to be playing like we're contenders instead of just staying humble and playing like the "pesky" underdogs that we have been all season. I hope I'm wrong about that, but especially in the Saturday game it seemed like we wanted to "take the fight" to the opposition instead of playing simple and smart hockey, and winning on work ethic first and foremost.

 

[Caeldan]

I'd say they looked tired since we pretty much only played 4 guys tonight.

 

[source]

The Maple Leafs and the Bruins are basically our 2 nemesis. If you base yourself on 2 back-to-back games against those teams, of course you'll be disappointed

If there's something we need, it's more health. It has been the case all season. You couldn't hope for a better season under the circumstances (young inexperienced rebuilding team missing 60% of its best players). I can't put myself in a position where I criticize them, what they have done is just awesome.

Sucks that Karlsson and Anderson won't win the Norris and Vezina because of injuries

Health, and we are a couple key pieces short of a contender in any case. Making the playoffs this season is an excellent accomplishment, no matter how it happens.

 

[Xspyrit]

Health, and we are a couple key pieces short of a contender in any case. Making the playoffs this season is an excellent accomplishment, no matter how it happens.

Not saying the Sens would be a heavy contender like the Pens, Bruins or Hawks but add Spezza, Karlsson, Cowen, Michalek and Anderson to that team for fun :

Latendresse-Spezza-Michalek
Silfverberg-Turris-Alfredsson
Smith-Zibanejad-Neil
Greening-O'Brien-Condra
Regin/Kassian

Methot-Karlsson
Cowen-Gonchar
Phillips-Wiercioch
Benoit/Lundin

Anderson
Bishop


Or find a way to keep Silf and Zib together, but look at that top-9 and defense (+goaltending). Solid top to bottom

You'd be adding THREE (3) 60-80 pts guys and replacing Gryba by Cowen

I believe that team could be dangerous

 

[NyQuil]

We just played the two teams that seem to have our number back to back.

 

[Indrew]

The looming trade deadline doesn't help things. Especially a team like the Senators with so many bubble players. Nobody wants to be sent down or in the pressbox. Friday will be better.

 

[God Says No]

i think the d is coming back down to earth. the kids were playing over their heads and were being bailed out by our superb goaltending.

 

[tony d]

Unfortunately looks as if the team is coming down to earth. We'll probably still make the playoffs but it'll be as a 7 or 8 seed and not 5 or 6 as we've been all season.

 

[sens613]

i think the d is coming back down to earth. the kids were playing over their heads and were being bailed out by our superb goaltending.

This , there was a reason gryba and wier were not expected to be in the NHL this season let alone log major minutes. But them getting this experience is good for the future just not great for a playoff run.