What the HELL is wrong with the Ottawa Senators!?

[Langdon Alger]

Is it overachieving, or is it a league with a lot of parity and a flawed playoff system? All it takes is being in a bad division to make it to the ECF, but Ottawa was a tough matchup for any team to play against.

Some good points, but we’ve seen teams go further than expected for a long time now. Anaheim, Calgary, Carolina and Edmonton all made it to the finals when no one thought they would. On the other hand, teams can dominate in the regular season and not even reach the finals or sometimes get bounced in the first round.

Either way, I don’t agree with the Bruins fan that said Ottawa was a terrible team last year.

 

[HockeyThoughts]

Some good points, but we’ve seen teams go further than expected for a long time now. Anaheim, Calgary, Carolina and Edmonton all made it to the finals when no one thought they would. On the other hand, teams can dominate in the regular season and not even reach the finals or sometimes get bounced in the first round.

Either way, I don’t agree with the Bruins fan that said Ottawa was a terrible team last year.

FYI., 2006-07 Ducks were a Cup favorite.

 

[Langdon Alger]

FYI., 2006-07 Ducks were a Cup favorite.

I meant the team in 2003 that lost, and I was also referring to the Carolina team in 2002 that lost in the finals.

 

[Lyons71]

FYI., 2006-07 Ducks were a Cup favorite.

03 ducks is probably what he means.

 

[Korpse]

They got hot at the right time last year and just rode that to an improbable distance. It was a fluke. That said, on paper they shouldn't be this bad.

How long of a hot streak are we talking about? They were top 10 in point percentage pretty much all season until mid march when they ran into some injuries.

This isn't even close to the team that was on the ice last year. Much of the roster is the same, Turris and Methot are no longer around but right now I have a hard time saying thats the problem. Effort just hasn't been there lately. They were looking pretty good right up until they returned from Sweden. The first game back against Pittsburgh they came out flying but the second period they were flat. They had some really good moments in the next game against Arizona but a late giveaway by Condon was the back breaker. The third game back against New York was a pretty disgusting effort overall and it's been pretty much down hill ever since then. This past week reaching a low I didn't think this group ever would. shutout in 3 of 4 while giving up 50+ shots in two of those games.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

This season we never went up the hill.....

This year is down... last year was UP!

 

[BB88]

Something is wrong with the dressing room. They are a borderline contender on paper.

No they really aren't.

I was amazed how far they got in the playoffs last year, I just can't see them as an elite team.
It's Karlssons team and 1 player teams don't go too far.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

Let's see how Karlsson handles a team in crisis, while he himself can not save them on the ice.

 

[egelband]

aren’t the senators kind of a one-trick pony? They are probably dying for a new coach.

 

[Korpse]

No they really aren't.

I was amazed how far they got in the playoffs last year, I just can't see them as an elite team.
It's Karlssons team and 1 player teams don't go too far.

I’m sure to outsiders it came as a huge surprise, but I can’t recall anyone who paid any attention to the team outside of Ottawa being very surprised.

 

[Langdon Alger]

aren’t the senators kind of a one-trick pony? They are probably dying for a new coach.

Ottawa has had 7 coaches since the 2005-2006 season. At a certain point, you can’t keep changing the coach. Most of the players on the team have played for three different coaches now.

 

[crazyhawk]

Karlsson is the team's engine and brain and is playing at 50% perhaps
Turris was the #1 centre and may I say the heart of the team ...
Hard to perform when your heart is gone and your brain and engine are limping.
Not to mention the system and lack of production from Hoffman, Stone and Anderson.

 

[v00d00daddy]

I haven't watched the Sens enough lately to know why they're failing but I hope it's because of their style of play.

I don't want Bouchers style to lead to success cause it's brutal to watch by neutrals and the league doesn't need neutral zone clogging and 6 keepers on the ice to be promoted.

I feel like dead hockey is becoming more popular than it should be.

Teams and fans should be aspiring to play like and support the tampas and pens and not the Wild and Sens.

 

[Jorge Garcia]

No they really aren't.

I was amazed how far they got in the playoffs last year, I just can't see them as an elite team.
It's Karlssons team and 1 player teams don't go too far.

The Senators had a solid winning record against playoff teams last year, but struggled against bad teams. They would have cruised to the division title if they'd played .500 hockey against the bottom feeders, who, fortunately, they didn't have to face in the playoffs. I was pleased, but not overly surprised that they went as far as they did. Their style was suited to frustrating talented offensive teams.
Is this a one-player team? Not really, but anyone with a player like Karlsson will develop a dependency. He WAS -- head and shoulders -- the best defenceman in the world, and the key to both their offensive and defensive games. This year, out of shape, out of sorts and still hobbled by major surgery, he's just another player -- and too often not even a good one. So, they're kind of a half-player team, going nowhere.

 

[Jorge Garcia]

I haven't watched the Sens enough lately to know why they're failing but I hope it's because of their style of play.

I don't want Bouchers style to lead to success cause it's brutal to watch by neutrals and the league doesn't need neutral zone clogging and 6 keepers on the ice to be promoted.

I feel like dead hockey is becoming more popular than it should be.

Teams and fans should be aspiring to play like and support the tampas and pens and not the Wild and Sens.

They're failing because they're NOT playing Boucher style. I think they're supposed to be, but you can't tell by watching the games.

 

[Beville]

No they really aren't.

I was amazed how far they got in the playoffs last year, I just can't see them as an elite team.
It's Karlssons team and 1 player teams don't go too far.

I’d argue you need to include Hoff/Duch/Stone...

But st the moment they’re not pulling their weight, at all.

 

[Jee]

Players are fed up with Karl$$on as their C, it's obvious. It feels like everyone has given up. Melnyk will have a decision to make, it won't be easy.

 

[Square Hammer*]

What’s wrong with them? They suck.

 

[BB88]

The Senators had a solid winning record against playoff teams last year, but struggled against bad teams. They would have cruised to the division title if they'd played .500 hockey against the bottom feeders, who, fortunately, they didn't have to face in the playoffs. I was pleased, but not overly surprised that they went as far as they did. Their style was suited to frustrating talented offensive teams.
Is this a one-player team? Not really, but anyone with a player like Karlsson will develop a dependency. He WAS -- head and shoulders -- the best defenceman in the world, and the key to both their offensive and defensive games. This year, out of shape, out of sorts and still hobbled by major surgery, he's just another player -- and too often not even a good one. So, they're kind of a half-player team, going nowhere.

I would argue that healthy team like Tampa is on a different planet to Ottawa, Atlantic was all kinds of mess last year which allowed a "surprise" to happen.
It's been the weakest division but it's getting stronger and teams like Ottawa will have a difficult time with competing, they aren't as bad as they are playing right now.

I’d argue you need to include Hoff/Duch/Stone...

But st the moment they’re not pulling their weight, at all.

Elite teams have their answers+ to those guys.

 

[joe dirte]

I don't think that's clear at all.

Both of Ottawa's goalies have been awful to this point at the same time as Karlsson being beyond awful. it's been a terrible combination and not want anyone anticipated

but....we've got certain posters such as yourself that repeat the same anti Senator stuff ad nauseum and at the moment the Sens stink so go ahead and enjoy your moment

lol.

it's very clear. they're not a very good team at all.

 

[joe dirte]

I would argue that healthy team like Tampa is on a different planet to Ottawa, Atlantic was all kinds of mess last year which allowed a "surprise" to happen.
It's been the weakest division but it's getting stronger and teams like Ottawa will have a difficult time with competing, they aren't as bad as they are playing right now.



Elite teams have their answers+ to those guys.

even last year they got by on shootout wins.

 

[leafsfan1234]

They've over performed for years... They're just starting to show their true colors.

 

[Silencio]

I picked them to miss the playoffs. I told everyone that lame argument about how far they went in the playoffs means absolutely nothing in the 2017-18 season.

But enough about the Leafs...

 

[joe dirte]

I’m sure to outsiders it came as a huge surprise, but I can’t recall anyone who paid any attention to the team outside of Ottawa being very surprised.

I'll give you that. only ottawa senators fans thought they are a team that could go deep.

compared to the top teams in the conference, they're literally weaker at just about every roster spot.

their roster is easily bottom 10 in the league. may e bottom 5.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

The last couple of years they have always been the kind of team that in my opinion played above the sum of their parts....which was impressive to watch even as a Leaf fan. But this is what happens when a team that isn't necessarily the most skilled, starts falling off on effort level. There isn't a big margin for error.