Why can't we play like last year

[saskriders]

Last year we were one of the best defensive teams in the league, this year nobody cares about defence and it is hurting us bad.

It is obvious that getting back Spezza and Karlsson isn't enough to make us a high skill offensive team, we should just be playing the same system as last year

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[HavlatMach9]

what's the fascination about playing like last year? it's not a style that allows you to have success, we got in barely due to the shortened season.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

19 and 65 were out. That meant that the team just bought into a workmanlike effort every night. On top of that Andy had a .940ish save percentage (unsustainable over 30+ games) and a lot of the teams Senators were playing against had their best players rusty, which helped his SP%.

With 19 and 65 back they take more chances, which results in chances the other way.
Need a total buy-in from everyone to be "pesky".

 

[BigBush*]

Someone needs to be fired. I don't know much about the assistant coaches but I'd have a good look at the defense coach

 

[Alfie#11]

Last year was 99% goaltending.

We barely made it with all world goaltending from all of our goalies.

Goaltending has only been good this season, so we're bad.

 

[Caje]

Last year was 99% goaltending.

We barely made it with all world goaltending from all of our goalies.

Goaltending has only been good this season, so we're bad.

This.

 

[Senateurs]

One of the reasons is unecessary lineup changes.

Macarthur-Turris-Ryan have been our best line all year.

then Michalek-Spezza-Zibanejad starts having some chemistry and are directly responsible for the win in St-Louis and against Buffalo.

What does Maclean do? Change it up

 

[Senscore]

Last year was 99% goaltending.

We barely made it with all world goaltending from all of our goalies.

Goaltending has only been good this season, so we're bad.

This team was far better at protecting its goaltenders last year and preventing rebound shots.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Last year was 99% goaltending.

We barely made it with all world goaltending from all of our goalies.

Goaltending has only been good this season, so we're bad.

Exactly this.

Out of this world goaltending makes everything else look a whole lot better than it is.

Average to weak goaltending with random, short spurts of awesome makes the season the Senators are having right now.

 

[Benjamin]

Last year was 50% Maclean and his system and 50% hard work. It was goalie heaven.

Defensive system = suddenly the 3 best goalies in the league

Offensive system = suddenly 2 average goalies

Systems make goalies.


We lost Silfverberg, Alfredsson and added Spezza, Cowen, Ryan. The hard work went away.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Ottawa had superb goaltending last year.

The biggest factor that people ignore, is that Ottawa only had to face Eastern Conference teams. If you take out Ottawa's Western Conference record, they'd be a playoff team. Ottawa has one of the worst records in the conference against Western teams.

Over an 82 game season with the injuries Ottawa had, their inability to have a good record against Western teams, and the improbability of their goalies maintaining such an elite save percentage, they would not have been a playoff team.

 

[Rysto]

In the past three seasons we've been 29th, 22nd and 28th in shots against per game. We weren't a good defensive team last year; our goaltending was just unsustainably good for one season.

 

[Benjamin]

In the past three seasons we've been 29th, 22nd and 28th in shots against per game. We weren't a good defensive team last year; our goaltending was just unsustainably good for one season.

Last years system kept the shots to the outside and no one blocked shots. We gave up a lot of outside shots but no real quality shots.

Boom. You got 3 goalies with insane save percentages.

This year we aren't playing that system. Constant high quality chances given up and the save percentages are back to average.

 

[Xspyrit]

Because with Spezza, Karlsson and Michalek (relatively) back to health, and the acquisitions of Ryan, Conacher and MacArthur, plus the graduations of Zibanejad, Wiercioch and Ceci, the Sens want to be an offensive team?

what's the fascination about playing like last year? it's not a style that allows you to have success, we got in barely due to the shortened season.

And only playing the East

Quickly made people forget we are still a rebuilding team. 2 years ago it was unbelievable seasons by Karlsson, Anderson, Spezza and Michalek. Sens overachieved for 2 years.

Last year was 99% goaltending.

We barely made it with all world goaltending from all of our goalies.

Goaltending has only been good this season, so we're bad.

I wouldn't call it "good"... Sens are 25th in Save Percentage this season :

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/stats/teamsort/NHL/T-SVPCT/regularseason?&_3:col_1=10

I would call it below average, too many bad games/goals.

And disagree with the 99% of course. Goaltending was a huge key to success but that number is well over-exaggerated

 

[arglebargle]

The Defencemen were more solid last year as well. Gonchar had a very good season, and Cowen has sucked taking his spot this year. Wiercioch also had a good year but management has decided that they hate him for some reason.

Obviously Murray did the right thing letting Gonchar go but Cowen has been utter garbage.

 

[Philoops]

Because Da Costa sucks and we should trade Spezza

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

It wasn't all goalies. Not even close.

It was a system everyone bought into that was leading the charge.

Spezza, Michalek, Cowen out.

Alfredsson, Silfverberg, Gonchar in.

Our top 6 consisted of skilled, 200 foot players with excellent IQ and all-around ability.

The rest of the kids bought that mentality. They gave into the system and that's why role players performed well too.

Goalies were definitely better but not as big as that, imo.

However, Spezza and Michalek were also pretty good before getting injured though and also bought into the system. I just feel like right now they are the veteran leaders on the forward group and they are no where near capable of handling that role. Not to mention injuries have piled on to their ability.

 

[harvey]

Spezza and Michalek's nasty +- Team killers. i know the excuses, but still, team killers.

Spezza -24 with 30 THREE ZErO even strength points, means he has been on the ice for 54 against. Team killer

Spezza 8 even strength goals, Zack Smith and Chris Neil territory ...ooooooooo

Spezza playing injured (as i suspect) has been a huge liability to this team and should be benched or put in long term disability, or retired. anything please.

 

[Holdurbreathe]

Last year was 50% Maclean and his system and 50% hard work. It was goalie heaven.

Defensive system = suddenly the 3 best goalies in the league

Offensive system = suddenly 2 average goalies

Systems make goalies.


We lost Silfverberg, Alfredsson and added Karlsson, Spezza, Cowen, Ryan and MacArthur. The hard work went away.

Saw what you did there, made a small correction!!

 

[Holdurbreathe]

It wasn't all goalies. Not even close.

It was a system everyone bought into that was leading the charge.

Karlsson, Spezza, Michalek, Cowen out.

Alfredsson, Silfverberg, Gonchar in.

Our top 6 consisted of skilled, 200 foot players with excellent IQ and all-around ability.

The rest of the kids bought that mentality. They gave into the system and that's why role players performed well too.

Goalies were definitely better but not as big as that, imo.

However, Spezza and Michalek were also pretty good before getting injured though and also bought into the system. I just feel like right now they are the veteran leaders on the forward group and they are no where near capable of handling that role. Not to mention injuries have piled on to their ability.

Again, small correction!!

After five games when Spezza went out, who were the top six skilled forwards???

 

[Benjamin]

Saw what you did there, made a small correction!!

Nope. My post was correct.

 

[Holdurbreathe]

Nope. My post was correct.

The part about losing Silf and Alfie, yes.

The add wasn't, Karlsson and MacArthur were also added.

Fact is turnovers have been the problem this year and the goaltending just hasn't been able to save the quantity and quality of the opportunities the turnovers have created.

This team works hard and with the exception of Spezza all play 200'.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Last year was a prolonged Code Red. Every game was a fight of life and death, and audition for a bunch of kids and AHLers who saw their best chance of making an impression, and a slate of (slightly easier) Eastern Conference teams.

Hard to duplicate that kind of urgency. Kinda like asking a guy who just broke the world record in the 100 yard dash while being chased by a grizzly why he can't duplicate the feat a few weeks later at the school track.

 

[tony d]

I'm surprised the team is doing so bad this year, I figured with the team being healthy the team would actually be doing better this year.

 

[God Flower]

Last year was 50% Maclean and his system and 50% hard work. It was goalie heaven.

Defensive system = suddenly the 3 best goalies in the league

Offensive system = suddenly 2 average goalies

Systems make goalies.


We lost Silfverberg, Alfredsson and added Spezza, Cowen, Ryan. The hard work went away.

I think the team has been searching for it's identity ever since Alfredsson left. Take this for what it's worth, but I've heard on numerous occasions that the relationship between Alfie and his former team mates was like boss and coworker. And not only that, Alfie was known for being a bit of a hard ass and he ran a really tight ship. With the exception of Karlsson and Lehner, the rest of the team more or less tip toed around Alfie, not wanting piss him off. The end result was the team embraced Alfie's relentless style of play and the #peskysens were born.

Now fast forward a couple of months and the golden boy takes off to Motown, the Sens name Giggles captain, and twitter explodes with news that Bobby Ryan is coming in hot. The boys are feeling good about their round 2 appearance in the playoffs and get a little too big for their britches. The season starts and they assume their skill alone will help rack up multiple wins, but the plan backfires and the reality that they are a team in year 3 of a rebuild begins to creep in. The team needs to play balls to the wall hockey in order to compete every night, but with Giggles leading the way, it took them a while to find their "inner pesky". They are in for a dog fight the next 21 games, but hopefully they can right the ship in time and get their ticket punched to the big dance.