Post-Game Talk: Sens lose 2-1 to Montreal

[SENATOR]

10. Chris Tierney - As it's been the case from the first day he put a Sens jersey on, he's just... there. Mysteriously still magic on the PK though.

12. Connor Brown - Biggest disappointment so far this season. Loses every board battle. Tries defensively, but not nearly as effective as he was last year. It's well established now that he's a bottom 6 player and arguably a 4th liner on a cup contender. He somehow continues to receive among the most ice time up front, game in and game out.

And why the worst forwards on the team play along side with Tim?

 

[SENATOR]

3. Erik Gudbranson - Hated him from the day he got here. He proved his value today. Clearly a stabilizing presence for Brännström. Completed some good passes (finally!). Defended and cleared the crease well. Showed poise and patience. Directed a couple of dangerous shots on net. Yeah, pleasantly surprised!

Erik is still big and slow and not skilled enough to be in NHL, Brännström makes him look ok and covering for him. It is not acceptable.

 

[SENATOR]

White played the best game in his life tonight. A good NHL coach would see it right away and put Stuetzle and White together. I mean DJ Smith? You want to win the games or not? It is so easy. God I miss Don Cherry. He would pick on this in a second. His kids were the idiotic NHL coaches.

 

[foggyvisor]

Karlsson was fast. That is/was his major attribute: his skating. It may still be, but he seems to have lost a lot since his big post Pitts playoff loss and consequent injury. While Chabot is not as fast, he is as slick regarding his skating. Karlsson could basically create a break away, on his own, from our zone, just purely through skating fast and being elusive. Chabot is the better over all defensive player. He is less gaff prone, he is more steady and will eventually stop making the mistakes you notice. Chabot also didn't play with Alfredsson, Spezza, Playoff beast Bobby Ryan or have a Marc Methot backing him up. When we make the playoffs, I look forward to seeing Chabot blossom. The mistakes Chabot sometimes makes are generally that of a defender who feels like he need to lead this team by taking them on his back. Problem is he doesn't have a lot of players on this team who can keep up.

I am reminded of the hard pass by Stützle that any other player would have treated like a hand grenade. Yet, Chabot made a play out of it.

As of now, Chabot isn't close to Karlsson during his peak years in Ottawa. And it's not just about skating.

 

[DueDiligence]

Well, that Carolina Hurricanes game clip keeps circulating around.

Check this out on Youtube:
Erik Karlsson - Ottawa Senators #65 [ Highlights]

 

[Micklebot]

Is Haley scaring anyone?

He scares me everytime we suit him up

 

[Puikiou]

And why the worst forwards on the team play along side with Tim?

Ask DJ. Veteran leadership would be my guess.

Erik is still big and slow and not skilled enough to be in NHL, Brännström makes him look ok and covering for him. It is not acceptable.

Agreed. Still not nearly sold. But gotta give credit where credit is due. He was good today.

 

[Micklebot]

Karlsson in 2011-12 season should be required viewing

He wasn't great defensively that year. 2012-2013 he was playing an outstaning all round game till cooke, and the playoff run of 2016-2017 was brilliant.

 

[DueDiligence]

And why the worst forwards on the team play along side with Tim?

It's debatable whether or not they are the worst forwards. But both of them work hard and are defensively responsible. Oh and Brown and Tierney have 5 and 6 pts respectively at even strength. Norris has 2 and Batherson has 1. Even Watson has 5 pts at even strength.

 

[robsenz]

So we're just going to let our golden boy take shots all game and do nothing about it? Weak. On another note Batherson is one if the worse playmakers I've ever seen right now, can't make a simple pass or a basic play, he tries to make low percentage plays too much, getting annoying

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Stepan: I felt like me again tonight

Because of the number?

Hockey is for children.

 

[tardigrade81]

Well i'll take it as a moral victory in a baby steps kinda way. Seems they did get some work on the pp.

They know how to play against Montreal. Two straight over them would have been beautiful. Oh well.

 

[Carl Karlsson]

White was our best forward tonight. He was buzzing. This is excellent news. He was blazing down the middle making smart plays and making beautiful defensive backchecks that saw him draw Bergeron/O'Reilly comparisons in his draft year.

He plays like that every game and his contract is a steal. Really solid effort.

Brannstrom was our best defender. Love this guy. Zub

Zub is very composed, it's real impressive. Jumps into the play well, he is a really good calculated player.

Stutzle was creating plays out of thin air. Norris and Tkachuk have both hit a wall. They did hit a post though so there's that. Gotta get Logan Brown in there between Tkachuk and Dadonov, let Norris sit one or two.

If we lose games like this then I'll be very happy. It keeps the young guys developing and keeps us in almost every game.

Huge props to Murray, that's two solid games in a row. He was better tonight than last night, IMO. This is the fundamental Murray we saw in Pitts few years back and traded for.

Great post ! Agree with everything. White was our best foward, played a very solid 2 way game and Murray kept us in the game in the 1st.

Bran & Zub in the lineup completely changed the way our D looks. More mobile, good first pass = quicker zone exits and less time chasing.

Jïmmy Stü keeps impressing, he's physically solid for a kid his age, but we have to protect him better ! They played him so dirty and the complaining was annoying .... but nothing new there.

Always hate loosing to the scabs, but not mad with this game. Good effort !

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

White played the best game in his life tonight. A good NHL coach would see it right away and put Stuetzle and White together. I mean DJ Smith? You want to win the games or not? It is so easy. God I miss Don Cherry. He would pick on this in a second. His kids were the idiotic NHL coaches.

And then he would ramble incoherently about how Stutzle is a soft european, and explain that that's why Byfield went second overall. He would then complain about how gloves are now too short and don't protect the wrists like they did when he coached Bobby Orr on the Bruins before devoting the rest of the segment to a montage of good ol Canadian boy soldiers who lost their manhoods in unfortunate smelting incidents while he sheds a solitary manly tear. Ron Maclean closes out the segment with a bad pun while trying to hide the fact that he's having a stroke behind a toothy smile.

 

[Blacephalon]

Pathetic that no one dropped the gloves after that crosscheck to the neck

 

[SensHulk]

I actually follow the Habs a lot and like the team dont mind them, watch most of their games but ever since being a kid I could never understand this fanbase.

so biased and out of touch at times. There are good ones obviously but I was reading their board and some call Stutzle being shot by a sniper. Always fascinating to me, a clear 2 hander right on the button by Kulak and a crosscheck to the neck by Chiarot, guy dove!

not like 90% of players snap their heads back when getting hit by a stick, its a stick in the face....

Anyway, just my rant

probably the same folks complaining about Stone’s micro fracture or whatever. They have a tough time getting over stuff. Chara would be in jail if they had their way

 

[Sensmileletsgo]

Would like to see Forementon in the line up sooner then later this season.

 

[Alfie11]

As of now, Chabot isn't close to Karlsson during his peak years in Ottawa. And it's not just about skating.

I can't see Chabot ever being prime Karlsson and that's not a diss. People seem to have forgotten just how good EK65 was through the conference final run. I think Chabot will be a very good defenceman and a true minute eater but he's not elite like Karlsson was.

I also hate the "better defensively" argument. That was the same bs other teams fans used to give when trying to argue their inferior player was a better defenceman than Karlsson. Prime EK was truly dominant and ran the show, if he got walked once and awhile...meh.

 

[Crosside]

Time to put Jimmy with White and Dadonov. Paul on the checking line

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

Time to put Jimmy with White and Dadonov. Paul on the checking line

Yeah that Paul-Tierney-Brown line was working earlier.

Daddy needs to contribute....any minute now.

 

[Sensinitis]

Stepan: I felt like me again tonight

That number change really did the trick!

...

 

[BigRig4]

Crazy the difference between Coburn/JBrown and Brannstrom/Zub. Two replacement level guys for two legit NHL defencemen. We can finally get the puck out of our end and look like a totally different team.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Well that was entertaining! I imagine the guys will have to get used to games being close and winnable now, it’s an adjustment.

White has been great as had Branstrom. I suspect the plan is to bring the next kid up once things settle a bit.

By the end of the season i bet we see Formy and Logan as regulars in the line up. Just in time for the next crop to arrive next year and be brought along slowly.

We look to be in line for a top pick again this year which is exciting

So good to see Murray playing well. I was also surprised that the response to Jimmy was little. Watson tried to get at Kuluk (spelling) but I expected more. I think the guys were probably worried that it may cost them a chance to win.

These things will be ironed out once they get used to not being run out of the rink halfway through the first period.

Onwards!

 

[GCK]

I saw a few posts criticizing Zaitsev today. Terrible takes in my opinion, he covered up a lot of Chabot gaffes. Go back and watch the game objectively and you will see how many really smart plays he made.

Tkachuk and Nick Paul were both off today, but overall nice game from the Sens.

 

[Cosmix]

If we get a suspension for that hit, the Habs need to have one as well for that crosscheck to the neck. That's exceptionally dangerous. And totally unnecessary with 2 seconds left in the game.

And no response from the Senators to having their prized rookie assaulted like that. We need a big tough policeman, not Haley!