Post-Game Talk: Sens @ Oilers

[FireMelnyk]

We played way too fancy. Always forcing an extra pass. Just because the oilers suck doesn't mean we can do that **** and get away with it.

We didn't start hitting until the game was out of reach. It was clear that Edmonton was playing to win while we were playing not to get injured.

 

[burf]

I really want to see Mac-Turris-Ryan and Hoff-Spezza-Michalek kept together for a few games just to see what they can do. Or Hoff on Turris' wing and Ryan on Spezza's. Either that, or Zibby back on Spezza's wing.

I'm the biggest Condra fan in the world, but he's not a top 6 player. He's probably our best bottom-6 player, but he absolutely cannot be put in a scoring role.

And on a brighter note, Spezza looked great tonight. Definitely showed strong flashes of 2012 Spezza.

 

[Othello*]

Lol, bros, I feel tempted to quote the people who posted we should sign Phillips and he's better than a draft pick.

Lmao, oh my God he sucks and if we re-sign him I want Murray fired. Phillips sucks even as a 6th d. I DO NOT WANT HIM.

Spezza played what was his best game of the season. Unbelievable.

Karlsson was phenomenal. Looked a bit lost on one play defensively but PHENOMENAL.

Bros, it's so tough for me to watch Greening and Neil on our bottom 6.

Bros. I can't do it. Keep Neil but we need someone who has freakin skill. We are stunting Smith's offensive ability as a bottom 6er.

Btw, too little too late putting Ryan on the top line.

My bro asked me why is Ottawa down 3-1?

I said "You see Condra? and that guy Greening?" He said "Yea" I said "Well son, both of them were on our top 2 lines for past 2 games.

He cried. RT if u cried too.

Phillips, I will rejoice and drink my own tears the day you leave.

LOOOOOOL I agree with you 100%

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Aside from the Karlsson end-to-end and the Spezza wizardry, the only bright spots to come out of this game was:

Our beloved Drunk Uncle Potvin. That guy had some gems today and his laugh kills me.

 

[dingbatz]

11-5-4 gets in. But it's still tough.

 

[arglebargle]

Greening - Smith - Condra has been a really good 4th line for us in the past. If they could just ****ing acquire a couple of top 6 wingers and actually enter the season WITH 4 TOP 6 WINGERS instead of hoping that Condra and Greening magically turn into them we might have some success.

 

[GoSensGo6172]

Ryan was never re-signing here. An American in small Canadian city that has no budget? Not suggesting the current situation with Ryan and Mac is ok, but Ryan was gone at the end of his contract regardless.

That is so inaccurate it's ridiculous. I love how you present your opinion as fact. I'm not sure why you are so convinced Ryan was only here for one season. That's why he said about 357 times how much he loved Ottawa as a city, the fanbase, the organization, a lot of the guys on the team. You don't BS that stuff. Someone who wants a quick stay with a team says as little as possible, does his job and then makes a quick exit as soon as he can. Instead, Ryan has made it known every chance he could get that he'd be open to re-signing here.

And do you honestly believe that players make their decisions on a whim based off ONE season? No, because then a year or two later that team can make a deep playoff run, maybe win a Cup and then they feel stupid and regret their decision. Most players, especially the younger ones with many years left in their career....tend to give an organization a chance.

I could easily see Ryan signing a 2-3 year deal here if he got the right $$$ and then re-assessing things after that contract where he would still be young enough and in his prime years to go elsewhere.

You're wrong.....Ryan very well could move on in the summer....but I can guarantee he's a professional and is not thinking about that right now. He wants to break out of his slump and help this team make the playoffs.

 

[Satoru Gojo]

It's not so much his bad decisions that anger me, but it's his inability to inspire the team, make them work hard, and hold them accountable when they don't, which infuriates me.

The reason this team is outside of the playoff picture is because of our lack of consistent work ethic. Look at the last two seasons. We won games because we outworked the opponents. Sometime after losing Alfie and acquiring Ryan we began thinking we could win games off skill alone, and that is why we won't make the playoffs. This team has to get back into the underdog mindset which made us so damn frustrating to play against back in the "pesky sens" days.

Can we return to such a mindset with Spezza as our captain and MacLean as our coach? I really don't know.

Yeah forgot to mention that, way to many uninspired performances this season

 

[bigray19]

If Condra, Conacher, Michalek (most nights) and greening are on your top 6 I think you have a less chance of winning games.

 

[Still miss Vermette]

If Condra, Conacher, Michalek (most nights) and greening are on your top 6 I think you have a less chance of winning games.

Milo's fine in the top 6, its the other 3 that are all bottom 6 players

 

[StefanW]

I wonder if BM wishes he traded for Hemsky prior to the game rather than waiting.

 

[Othello*]

How the hell can Maclean put Condra on the top six. Condra guys. ****ing Condra

 

[FireMelnyk]

Melnyk threw the season away by being cheap. We should have went out to get another top 6 winger and top 4 D 40 games into the year when it was obvious to everyone that we were going to need them. Instead he allowed us to tread water for the whole year hoping to spend a few $ at the deadline and get into the 8th spot.

 

[CanadianHockey]

Graph

Essentially, 11-5-4 gives us a 50-50 chance. Last game of the season could determine our fate.

 

[bigray19]

Milo's fine in the top 6, its the other 3 that are all bottom 6 players

His numbers and play this year overall show that he should either be benched or in your bottom 6.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Milo's fine in the top 6, its the other 3 that are all bottom 6 players

He isn't though. Not this season. He seems to be trying hard but he just can't score much anymore or even make a play. I doubt he lasts much more than another season or two before he disappears entirely.

 

[Still miss Vermette]

How the hell can Maclean put Condra on the top six. Condra guys. ****ing Condra

top 6 guys...top ****ing 6

ah cant get embedding to work...we all know its condra's miss vs boston though

 

[GoSensGo6172]

That's actually quite doable. Have you seen our schedule??

Winnable games against:

Flames X2
Jets
Preds
Stars
Panthers
Hurricanes
Isles X2
Devils
Leafs (we have to beat them eventually right?)
Habs X2 (we own them lately)


Only real tough games are against:

Av's
Rangers X2
Blackhawks
Lightning X2

 

[burf]

How the hell can Maclean put Condra on the top six. Condra guys. ****ing Condra

And even if he were to put Condra in the top 6, he's putting him in the completely wrong spot. Condra's an amazing possession and defensive player. Turris and Mac already do that really well. Spezza and Michalek don't. Why not stick him with Spezza instead of Turris if you want him in the top 6?

 

[PatrickEaves]

Essentially, 11-5-4 gives us a 50-50 chance. Last game of the season could determine our fate.

Might as well write off the season then. Have you seen who we are playing the last game of the season?

 

[dingbatz]

Essentially, 11-5-4 gives us a 50-50 chance. Last game of the season could determine our fate.

Last two games are against Toronto and Pittsburgh.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

That's actually quite doable. Have you seen our schedule??

Winnable games against:

Flames X2
Jets
Preds
Stars
Panthers
Hurricanes
Isles X2
Devils
Leafs (we have to beat them eventually right?)
Habs X2 (we own them lately)


Only real tough games are against:

Av's
Rangers X2
Blackhawks
Lightning X2

We lost to the Oilers tonight.

 

[arglebargle]

Our issue is the clearly the management. The team has tried their best given the circumstances but they can only effect what's under their control. My biggest problem I have is that they don't address the weaknesses of our team. If Jared Cowen is literally costing us games, wait until game 60 to scratch him. If we're bottom 3 in defence? Add a power forward at the deadline. It's almost like it's the offseason and they aren't taking into account anything that's actually happening in the game, just building a team that looks good on paper. MacLean wants consistency in our scoring but can't leave the lines together for more than 2 games at a time. You can tell everyone in the locker room is thinking it too, just classy enough not to say it publicly although Bobby let a little jab at MacLean slip tonight. Sometimes it boggles my mind that this is the coach who won the Jack Adams last year.

I think you nailed it. The problems are just glaringly obvious but no one running the team seems to see them.

 

[Alfie#11]

You sound like you have direct access to Ryan's thoughts.

If this team is managed properly and gets back to it's winning ways next season, he could very well re-sign here. All I've heard from him is that he likes it here.

But apparently you know something I don't!

I obviously don't "know" because I don't know Bobby Ryan personally.

But I'm positive because Ryan is top power forward entering the prime of his career and about to hit UFA status. He's going to get top dollar on his next deal. Now in Ottawa he can get top dollar and eat up so much of the budget we will miss out on veteran depth. Or he can go to a higher spending team in a bigger market and get the same pay (if not more) and be on a team with more resources to spend to win a Cup.

If Ottawa wants to keep Ryan, it needs to be 1. a legit contender (like top 4 in the conference not just squeezing into the playoffs) and 2. be in the upper echelon of spending (maybe not top 5 but top 10 or so). I doubt point one is achievable short term and I doubt point two is achievable at all under Melnyk.

It's just the way it goes, it's what happens. Small market teams lose star players when the players have options.

 

[Iconoclast]

Package Maclean, Phillips and Neil for a new batch of hair products for Karlsson and flowers for Bobby Ryan's wedding.