The Sens 4 Game Roadtrip... Not a complete loss after all
Posted 11:49 PM ET | Comments 0
I realize that this comes a bit late given Ottawa just completed a home game versus Boston, but there are a few things to comment on regarding the success or lack thereof on this most recent road trip.
Coming off a big win 2 Saturdays ago versus the Pens, it was generally believed by Sens fans that Ottawa would need to come home from the road trip with at least 4 of a possible 8 points to consider it any kind of success. They escaped with 3, 1 point less then the minimum hoped. Still, the road trip could, for all intents and purposes be classified as mostly a failure. There was some upside in the outstanding play of Gerber, and there was downside...mostly the lousy play of the rest of the team.
The trip started off with a Stanley Cup Finals rematch versus the Ducks. Inconsistent officiating aside, this game was won and lost in the first 15 minutes. The Sens came out shaky and the Ducks grabbed a 2 goal lead. Ottawa would quickly get one back but would not put another puck past Giguere despite a solid effort by the Sens.
The difference in this game was without a doubt those first 15 minutes where the Sens played shaky. Gerber was outstanding and game his team a chance to win it. Those first 15 minutes aside the Sens played with the intensity and heart most Sens fans wanted to see.
The final result was a defeat, but there were at least a few moral victories to be had. A solid effort for the most part and outstanding play from Martin Gerber.
The next game came 2 days later versus San Jose. With their captain out of the game with back spasms this would be a good chance for this team to forge a new identity and show that they could win with Alfie in the press box. What started out as a promising game for Ottawa ended in disappointment. Taking a 1-0 lead into the third period and playing a decent game, Ottawa would basically fall apart. While 'fall apart' is perhaps too harsh, they did shrink into that defensive shell they were prone to in the early part of last season with the result almost consistently being a defeat. Almost on cue, the Sens blew leads of 1-0 and 2-1, eventually losing in OT.
Not much else to say about this game except that a game that should have resulted in 2 points resulted in only 1 from an OT loss. Another loss on the road trip and not even a moral victory to be had. Only bright spot was the once again strong play of Martin Gerber.
The third game of the road trip would come the next night versus the lowly Kings. With Alfie out of the line up and Ottawa's seeming inability to play without him the potential for trouble was there. However with an "easy" opponent like LA on the schedule this game was the perfect opportunity to get some confidence and learn to win without their captain. Instead this game would turn into quite the debacle. It seemed Ottawa couldn't put 2 tape to tape passes in a row together if their lives were on the line. In what can only be described as an uninspired and disappointing performance, the Sens fell 2-0 to the Kings. There wasn't much to this game and not much to say about it other then the Sens played awful and Los Angeles rookie goalie Erik Ersberg played an outstanding game.
That's three losses in three tries and another game where not only would a moral victory not be a enough, there wasn't even one to be had The only bright spot remained the stellar play of Martin Gerber who seemed to be regaining the strong form he showed to start the season.
The final game of the road trip came on Saturday versus the Phoenix Coyotes. Luckily for the Sens, the game was on a Saturday. Whether it's voo doo, some crazy magic formula, or just plain fluke, the Sens only seem to be able to win on Saturdays. This lucky formula would be put to the test by the fact that Alfie would once again be sitting out. Something had to give. Either the Saturday winning streak, or the losing streak when the Sens played without Alfie. Luckily for the Sens it would be the losing streak that was snapped. In a relatively strong performance (save for their effort in the second period) the Sens escaped Phoenix and a disastrous West Coast road trip with 1 win to their credit.
Heatley who played a lousy game overall managed to score the winning goal in the first 2 minutes of the 3rd on the PP. And with a rare display of killer instinct Vermette banged home an insurance goal after collecting a rebound while driving hard to the net. All in all a solid effort in the desert.
The result was a win that Sens fans so desperately craved... a real victory as opposed to a moral victory. For the first time in 4 games the Sens combined a solid offensive, defensive and goaltending effort that resulted in a victory.
All in all the road trip can't be classified as a total disaster. The Sens did lose 3 of 4 games and their captain to back spasms. But the lone bright spot was bright indeed. The strong play of Martin Gerber who gave his team a chance to win each night must have been a welcome sight for Sens fans everywhere. In what has been about a 50 game goalie controversy it seems as though one man has finally stepped up and grabbed the reins to run with it. This development couldn't have come at a better time. So while 3 points and only 1 win was a dreadful result there was a very key positive that emerged.
The strong play of Gerber continued tonight with an unbelievable effort versus the Bruins. Without a doubt Gerber's confidence has grown after his strong effort the last 4 games, and hopefully, just hopefully he will continue to build on his recent efforts. It would be a welcome sight for Sens fans heading into the playoffs.
Coming off a big win 2 Saturdays ago versus the Pens, it was generally believed by Sens fans that Ottawa would need to come home from the road trip with at least 4 of a possible 8 points to consider it any kind of success. They escaped with 3, 1 point less then the minimum hoped. Still, the road trip could, for all intents and purposes be classified as mostly a failure. There was some upside in the outstanding play of Gerber, and there was downside...mostly the lousy play of the rest of the team.
The trip started off with a Stanley Cup Finals rematch versus the Ducks. Inconsistent officiating aside, this game was won and lost in the first 15 minutes. The Sens came out shaky and the Ducks grabbed a 2 goal lead. Ottawa would quickly get one back but would not put another puck past Giguere despite a solid effort by the Sens.
The difference in this game was without a doubt those first 15 minutes where the Sens played shaky. Gerber was outstanding and game his team a chance to win it. Those first 15 minutes aside the Sens played with the intensity and heart most Sens fans wanted to see.
The final result was a defeat, but there were at least a few moral victories to be had. A solid effort for the most part and outstanding play from Martin Gerber.
The next game came 2 days later versus San Jose. With their captain out of the game with back spasms this would be a good chance for this team to forge a new identity and show that they could win with Alfie in the press box. What started out as a promising game for Ottawa ended in disappointment. Taking a 1-0 lead into the third period and playing a decent game, Ottawa would basically fall apart. While 'fall apart' is perhaps too harsh, they did shrink into that defensive shell they were prone to in the early part of last season with the result almost consistently being a defeat. Almost on cue, the Sens blew leads of 1-0 and 2-1, eventually losing in OT.
Not much else to say about this game except that a game that should have resulted in 2 points resulted in only 1 from an OT loss. Another loss on the road trip and not even a moral victory to be had. Only bright spot was the once again strong play of Martin Gerber.
The third game of the road trip would come the next night versus the lowly Kings. With Alfie out of the line up and Ottawa's seeming inability to play without him the potential for trouble was there. However with an "easy" opponent like LA on the schedule this game was the perfect opportunity to get some confidence and learn to win without their captain. Instead this game would turn into quite the debacle. It seemed Ottawa couldn't put 2 tape to tape passes in a row together if their lives were on the line. In what can only be described as an uninspired and disappointing performance, the Sens fell 2-0 to the Kings. There wasn't much to this game and not much to say about it other then the Sens played awful and Los Angeles rookie goalie Erik Ersberg played an outstanding game.
That's three losses in three tries and another game where not only would a moral victory not be a enough, there wasn't even one to be had The only bright spot remained the stellar play of Martin Gerber who seemed to be regaining the strong form he showed to start the season.
The final game of the road trip came on Saturday versus the Phoenix Coyotes. Luckily for the Sens, the game was on a Saturday. Whether it's voo doo, some crazy magic formula, or just plain fluke, the Sens only seem to be able to win on Saturdays. This lucky formula would be put to the test by the fact that Alfie would once again be sitting out. Something had to give. Either the Saturday winning streak, or the losing streak when the Sens played without Alfie. Luckily for the Sens it would be the losing streak that was snapped. In a relatively strong performance (save for their effort in the second period) the Sens escaped Phoenix and a disastrous West Coast road trip with 1 win to their credit.
Heatley who played a lousy game overall managed to score the winning goal in the first 2 minutes of the 3rd on the PP. And with a rare display of killer instinct Vermette banged home an insurance goal after collecting a rebound while driving hard to the net. All in all a solid effort in the desert.
The result was a win that Sens fans so desperately craved... a real victory as opposed to a moral victory. For the first time in 4 games the Sens combined a solid offensive, defensive and goaltending effort that resulted in a victory.
All in all the road trip can't be classified as a total disaster. The Sens did lose 3 of 4 games and their captain to back spasms. But the lone bright spot was bright indeed. The strong play of Martin Gerber who gave his team a chance to win each night must have been a welcome sight for Sens fans everywhere. In what has been about a 50 game goalie controversy it seems as though one man has finally stepped up and grabbed the reins to run with it. This development couldn't have come at a better time. So while 3 points and only 1 win was a dreadful result there was a very key positive that emerged.
The strong play of Gerber continued tonight with an unbelievable effort versus the Bruins. Without a doubt Gerber's confidence has grown after his strong effort the last 4 games, and hopefully, just hopefully he will continue to build on his recent efforts. It would be a welcome sight for Sens fans heading into the playoffs.