GAME DAY: Ottawa Senators @ Montreal Canadiens - 3:00pm ET - Feb. 21st, 2009

asq2 wrote:Liked some things that I saw today.

We sure were playing trying the deflection a lot today. A couple better bounces and the result could have been different.

Ah well, on to the next.

What kind of bounces?

The Senators have now lost three straight, two successive games in regulation where they let the opponent get an insurmountable lead and have allowed five goals.

They remain 13 points out of the final playoff spot, even after their five-win road trip. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh and Carolina now are eleven and twelve points ahead respectively.

Looks like The Clouston Effect has worn off.

Dash wrote:Am I interpreting this wrong or are you guys upset with Heatley?

He got two garbage goals that do not correlate to the level of effort put out.

Edit: replace "correlate to" with "reflect".

900 points!!!

davetherave wrote:

asq2 wrote:Liked some things that I saw today.

We sure were playing trying the deflection a lot today. A couple better bounces and the result could have been different.

Ah well, on to the next.

What kind of bounces?

The Senators have now lost three straight, two successive games in regulation where they let the opponent get an insurmountable lead and have allowed five goals.

They remain 13 points out of the final playoff spot, even after their five-win road trip. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh and Carolina now are eleven and twelve points ahead respectively.

Looks like The Clouston Effect has worn off.

I counted several scoring chances/bare misses off deflections for guys like Spezza, Campoli, Comrie and others.

One or more of those going in could have drastically changed the game.

Also, did anyone notice Markov beating on Ruutu behind the play before the 5th Montreal goal?

That should have been a penalty, thus negating it.

Ultimately, we lost, but there were some things I definitely liked from this game.

Too bad he couldn't celebrate with a win, but congrats none-the-less.

Now, did SBP have anything special to commemorate Smith's milestone?

^I can't recall.

By the way, to all those insinuating that the Sens didn't show up today, we had 47 shots.

We didn't play all that poorly.

ASQ, when you let the opponent get four goals before you score one on your way to a 'four-point' loss, that is not the kind of 'desperate hockey' needed to make up a double digit point gap between your team's current position and a playoff spot.

As a Sens fan, do you find "not playing all that poorly" acceptable?

I would be surprised if Coach Clouston finds it acceptable.

Is that counting Heatley's miss on the open net (or did Halak deflect it?)

Actually that shot count is a bit misleading. The Habs were out to a 4-0 lead. Then 5-2. We got lots of PP going our way and ran up the shot count. But it was never really close in the game. Many of those shots were probably not quality scoring chances.

Then again, I did say that Halak's been hot and Kovalev had a lot to prove. I hate it when I'm right in these circumstances.

davetherave wrote:ASQ, when you let the opponent get four goals before you score one on your way to a 'four-point' loss, that is not the kind of 'desperate hockey' needed to make up a double digit point gap between your team's current position and a playoff spot.

As a Sens fan, do you find "not playing all that poorly" acceptable?

I would be surprised if Coach Clouston finds it acceptable.

No, the poor starts are disappointing.

But it's not like they never showed up.

I want to comment on the bolded part from what DTR wrote:
I'm thinking its a mental thing - like a group subconcious issue. They are in a deep hole in the standings and have to fight their way back. Its possible that they are just trying to prove to themselves that they're capable of coming back and they keep putting themselves into similar holes in individual games to figure out if its even worth the effort to go for the playoffs. Their collective confidence is shattered and they need a reason to believe.
Obviously I could be wrong, but these patterns don't develop for no reason.

asq2 wrote:

davetherave wrote:

asq2 wrote:Liked some things that I saw today.

We sure were playing trying the deflection a lot today. A couple better bounces and the result could have been different.

Ah well, on to the next.

What kind of bounces?

The Senators have now lost three straight, two successive games in regulation where they let the opponent get an insurmountable lead and have allowed five goals.

They remain 13 points out of the final playoff spot, even after their five-win road trip. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh and Carolina now are eleven and twelve points ahead respectively.

Looks like The Clouston Effect has worn off.

I counted several scoring chances/bare misses off deflections for guys like Spezza, Campoli, Comrie and others.

One or more of those going in could have drastically changed the game.

Also, did anyone notice Markov beating on Ruutu behind the play before the 5th Montreal goal?

That should have been a penalty, thus negating it.

Ultimately, we lost, but there were some things I definitely liked from this game.

Ruutu was holding onto him and he was trying to get away....they made the right call.

asq2 wrote:

davetherave wrote:ASQ, when you let the opponent get four goals before you score one on your way to a 'four-point' loss, that is not the kind of 'desperate hockey' needed to make up a double digit point gap between your team's current position and a playoff spot.

As a Sens fan, do you find "not playing all that poorly" acceptable?

I would be surprised if Coach Clouston finds it acceptable.

No, the poor starts are disappointing.

But it's not like they never showed up.

ASQ, my point is simply that the Senators need to play their best hockey every single game from here to the end of the season...if they want to have any hope of making the playoffs.

'Showing up' doesn't cut it.

If this is their best hockey, then it's over.

I expect this game was a big disappointment for all of the extremely loyal Senators fans.

^haha, yeah, I guess I should have figured that.

Seemed like Markov was throwing some punches at him though. The play should have been called.

davetherave wrote:

asq2 wrote:

davetherave wrote:ASQ, when you let the opponent get four goals before you score one on your way to a 'four-point' loss, that is not the kind of 'desperate hockey' needed to make up a double digit point gap between your team's current position and a playoff spot.

As a Sens fan, do you find "not playing all that poorly" acceptable?

I would be surprised if Coach Clouston finds it acceptable.

No, the poor starts are disappointing.

But it's not like they never showed up.

ASQ, my point is simply that the Senators need to play their best hockey every single game from here to the end of the season...if they want to have any hope of making the playoffs.

'Showing up' doesn't cut it.

If this is their best hockey, then it's over.

I expect this game was a big disappointment for all of the extremely loyal Senators fans.

I don't think anybody should have seriously expected us to contend for the playoffs.

The team just isn't good enough.

It is over, and it has been over for a long time IMO.

ASQ, I am truly sorry to hear you say that...

Especially when Alfredsson comes to play, fractured jaw notwithstanding. Alfie never gives less than his best, no matter what's broken, battered and bruised. That was a brave performance of his today.

They also missed Chris Neil IMHO.

But as you say, on to the next game.

davetherave wrote:ASQ, I am truly sorry to hear you say that...

Especially when Alfredsson comes to play, fractured jaw notwithstanding. Alfie never gives less than his best, no matter what's broken, battered and bruised. That was a brave performance of his today.

They also missed Chris Neil IMHO.

But as you say, on to the next game.

Alfredsson's return certainly was inspiring, but I've accepted the fact that this team has simply dug itself too deep a hole.

In addition, the Canadiens were on their game today, and when they are on their game they are better than the Sens.

davetherave wrote:ASQ, I am truly sorry to hear you say that...

Especially when Alfredsson comes to play, fractured jaw notwithstanding. Alfie never gives less than his best, no matter what's broken, battered and bruised. That was a brave performance of his today.

They also missed Chris Neil IMHO.

But as you say, on to the next game.

Alfie playing bruised and battered is admirable. The problem is that this team just doesn't have enough Alfie's to be a true contender.

To paraphrase Neely: There are so many players on this team that I want to see gone...

And as asq said: Its over. Too bad...they just don't have what it takes...