This team is terrible without Karlsson

[John Holmes*]

Did you really need to look at those graphs to figure that out?

Perhaps this pie chart is clearer.

 

[Scrub*]

The fans are terrible without Karlsson as well.

Should just rename the team the Karlsson Senators.

 

[NyQuil]

Well, at least the moron Blues, Preds and Leaf fans who were doubting that Karlsson and Spezza were legitimate Hart trophy candidates have shut up.

 

[SenzZen]

The league is terrible without Karlsson.

 

[Micklebot]

Are we ever out of any games? So far on the road we are effectively 1W2L. I'd say so far it's a success.

We've only lost 3 games this season by more than one goal and won 5 by more than one. We've been in 14 one goal games and won half of them. The team is keeping things interesting at least.

 

[Micklebot]

Perhaps this pie chart is clearer.

did you mean to post an eye chart?

 

[SpezDispenser]

Who would have thought we'd be worse off without the reigning Norris winner and point leading D-man?

 

[DylanSensFan]

This was always going to be the challenge.

I still think young players learn more trying to win.

this seems like the perfect opportunity for players like Zibanejad and Silfv, as well as anyone else who needs to learn to create offense in the NHL. Not relying on Karlsson will make them even better more creative players if they can handle it.

 

[MiscBrah]

Personally I think the team is just coming back down to reality. Yes we won a number of games since Erik got injured but they were mostly home games. This road trip has taken the wind out of our sails and shown our inadequacies.

I didn't think they'd play as well as they did considering the injuries but the tide is turning. Right now we have some good players, some mediocre players and some that should be back down in Bingo.

I will support this team unconditionally, but I don't see them making the playoffs unless we get back some of our key players.

We aren't getting blown out. All the decisions are extremely close. It just comes down to a couple bounces. We won a bunch of 1 goal games and then we lost a couple. This is the way the season is going to go. Fortunately, we put ourselves in a GREAT position to enter the post-season.

Out of the non-playoff teams there is only 1 that is really out of place, NYR. Everyone else is expected to be there. I don't expect much to change from the standing right now until the end of the season. Ottawa, New Jersey, Philly, Toronto, and New York will battle it out for the 5-8 spots. Our chances are decent. It's great for Ottawa because the other 3 teams are all in the same division. This makes it unlikely that all 3 will make it because of the number of 4 point games between them.

 

[HavlatMach9]

Let's start worrying when we begin playing against backup goalies. Nothing is more insulting.

 

[Bazel5]

Karlsson was averaging 4.5 shots per game while peaking between 8-11 shots per in the last few games before his injuries.

To say we lost a step without him would be an understatement but I really liked the way this team has responded.

 

[internetdotcom]

Really? You don't think it has sunk it? Everyone knows we are clinging to a playoff spot. It's a miracle that a team losing 3 cornerstone players is still winning games. I would challenge any 3 teams in the league to lose the top centre, top defenseman, and top goalie and still win games. Imagine Chicago without Keith, Toews and Crawford...I think the streak would have ended a LONG time ago.

Its actually even worse than that, people keep forgetting about Cowen, who was supposed to be (and may still be) Karlsson's long-term D partner, and we have been without him the entire season as well. So the Chicago comparison is more like them losing Crawford, Keith, Toews, and Seabrook. If that happened, and they were all missing all or most of the season, Chicago is probably a fringe playoff team, not the powerhouse they are now. Not to mention that they have a lot more talent surrounding these guys than we do at the moment.

 

[Xspyrit]

Totally agree with the OP

I mean, the team is only 5-2-2 against mainly playoffs teams since Karlsson is out.

And those losers have been outscored 17-17 in that span. They really suck

How terrible are we and how bad the future is when you can't overcome injuries to average players like Spezza, Karlsson, Michalek, Cowen and Anderson? I mean every NHL team shouldn't miss a beat offensively/defensively because of marginal injuries... They shouldn't be used as an excuse

No Murray should just have acquired Erik Karlsson version 2. I mean, first he exists, and secondly, who cares if we have to give up our 1st round picks for the next 5 years?

I know this team is only 7th in points percentage in the whole NHL but those losers have litterally lost games where they got destroyed 2-1 in OT or in shootouts! That is totally unacceptable. Really. We are the Ottawa Senators for Christ's sake, the most storied franchise ever, in the whole universe. We are a pretty big market and are spending a lot of money on those damn players, who float and don't give their 100%

I swear, they are turrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrible

I actually think that Karlsson being gone (temporarily) is a good thing for the team. It prevents the Sens from being one-dimensional and relying on Karlsson to provide all the offense. The team is learning to play a more complete game, sure they look bad out there but they are just kids. The team was not exactly tearing it up with Karlsson, Spezza et al in the line up anyways. I really think that next year this team will be playing more complete games and it won't be Karlsson or Spezza or even Anderson carrying the team into the playoffs. Just my two cents.

THIS!

3-1-1 start with a 16-9 goal differential really suck! That's a 49-16-16 season, for only 114 points with 3.2 goals scored and 1.8 goals against per game.

I dunno, Melnyk has to do something! Fire Murray

====================================
Am I doing it right seriously? I think you'd have to live a relatively easy life if you feel the need to whine about a young and inexperienced rebuilding team missing several key players doing relatively well under the circumstances. I think many people could really use a reality check and get down to earth a bit.

This team puts me to sleep and there is noone I tune in to watch play and not a single player's stats that I care about except the goalies maybe.

I don't know, I enjoy following Turris, Michalek (when healthy), Silfverberg, Zibanejad, Wiercioch, Da Costa, Stone (soon), Bishop, Lehner, Methot, and even veterans/defensive players.

I wish they could score more but I can live with it. My expectations adjust with reality. A rebuilding team missing Karlsson, Spezza, Cowen, Michalek, etc just can't overcome it that easily. It's likely impossible unless you have 3 first overall picks in a row, and even then... ask the oilers... they score 1 goal per 5 games more than us.

Cool? I don't know if there's anyone who suggested otherwise. Hell, pretty much every one of us thought we'd be a lottery team be now.

This. Even people who hate "tanking" like I do, was getting more information on who we could draft at around 3-8. Right away after Karlsson got injured

When we start seeing guys like MacKinnon scoring in the NHL, a lot of Sens fans will be griping about "what might have been".

That's a guarantee.

Sadly yes. The last thing I'd like to see is them stop fighting for their lives. That's a loser attitude and we don't want our team to be losers. If they can still hang with those good heatlhy teams and even beat them, they might be better than what people give them credit for

We've only lost 3 games this season by more than one goal and won 5 by more than one. We've been in 14 one goal games and won half of them. The team is keeping things interesting at least.

What are you trying to achieve with facts?

 

[Berserker*]

Most teams are pretty bad without their elite players.

The Penguins would probably suck if Crosby, Malkin and Letang were injured.

The BlackHawks would probably suck if Kane, Toews, Hossa and Keith were injured.

The Red Wings would suck if Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Kronwall were injured.

Need I go on?

 

[Minister of Offence]

no way

 

[The King of Town]

The only surprise here, is that this realisation has come as a surprise to some.

 

[Egil]

If the goalies weren't playing the way they were I think the fanbase would be hopping mad right about now.

Really? We could be winless since Karlsson went down and the fanbase would not be hopping mad. Fanbases should be hoping mad when the team is making no effort to win, not when a team loses there best players to injuries and then becomes less good. The fanbase would be much madder if we made some insane trade to try to replace either Spezza or Karlsson then trying to ride this out.

 

[NyQuil]

I 'aint even mad?

 

[Flamingo]

The only surprise here, is that this realisation has come as a surprise to some.

I think I see what you're getting at, but I'd like to see a histogram of surprised and unsurprised people.

 

[HavlatMach9]

The fanbase would be much madder if we made some insane trade to try to replace either Spezza or Karlsson then trying to ride this out.

I wonder what the fanbase would do if we traded Karlsson.

 

[Dr.Sens(e)]

As long as we continue to get goaltending at a 0.95% save percentage clip, we should hover around .500 or slightly better and will be in the playoff mix. If we get average to just slightly above average goaltending, we'll be out of the playoff picture. Regardless of the winning streak before this stretch, we've been outchanced in each of the last 8 or 9 games.

While I love our goaltending, I don't expect us to finish the season with the highest ever Save % in league history, which is to say, we're likely on the outside looking in, despite the strong start, when all is said and done.

Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Back in Black]

The loss of Spezza has more of an effect on the team than losing Karlsson.
They are both huge losses but I think the loss of Spezza gets overlooked by EK.

Exactly. Points wise, we are worse off without Spezza than Karlsson!

But again the Team has amazed me, how they've stayed in the games, without any blowouts!

 

[costermonger]

I wonder what the fanbase would do if we traded Karlsson.

Go with him.

 

[Dr.Sens(e)]

Exactly. Points wise, we are worse off without Spezza than Karlsson!

But again the Team has amazed me, how they've stayed in the games, without any blowouts!

Scoring chances-wise, our team is a world apart with Karlsson on the ice, versus not. Spezza's loss is felt a great deal too, but not like without Karlsson.

 

[Indrew]

Just imagine if you added a little Karlsson to every aspect of your life. Think how happy you would be.

Now imagine Spezza giggling at you while you pee.

Karlsson and it's not even close.