LOGIN | REGISTER | RSS FEEDS

SENShobo

Ottawa Gets Praised And Picked Apart

by SENShobo on 11/10/08 at 09:16 AM ET
Comments (0)

Senators stories looking at Spezza’s effort, Phillips’ slips in Carolina, Gerber’s perception of his place on the team, Auld’s steady reliability, and what Ottawa has and still waits to achieve so far this season.

From the Ottawa Sun and the Ottawa Citizen,

“We need them to be better,” Hartsburg told a small gathering of reporters. “I have no problem with the way Dany Heatley is working and competing. I think Jason needs to play a better game. We are a team that counts on him heavily.”
....
“I think Jason is a player that needs more consistency in his work habits and his competing. He’s got so much talent. His size and everything ... if he shows more consistency in his work and his competing, he should be a dominant player. I’ve seen it some nights, so far, and other nights not so much.

“It’s a challenge for (the Spezza line) to raise its game right now, and I think it starts with Jason.”

It’s a tough thing for the Senators of late, getting an even performance throughout the lineup. First, it was Donovan and McAmmond working great on the fourth line who contributed several key goals. Then brief flashes from the Heatley-Spezza-Vermette line, as the freshly formed Winchester-Fisher-Alfredsson line sought to find its way.

Now that Fisher’s blue collar line is carrying the team’s load, Spezza once again finds himself under the gun. Not for defensive lapses this time, but for not connecting at the other end of the ice.

Against Carolina, Spezza really did score a goal. No, the overhead camera didn’t see the puck in the net, even as it saw Leighton reach his entire glove arm across the line to sweep the puck out between his legs. Had that goal stood, it would have been a 2-0 lead for the Sens, giving them one or two extra points, and perhaps taking a bit of pressure off the line, but they still need more production.

Players take a discount to play in Detroit, but not entirely specifically to get a shot at the Cup. Many of the players, often in net facing 20ish shots a night, recognize that it’s the team that brings out the best in them, and that on their own on any other team they might not fare as well. It should not take shoving over a third of the team’s payroll on one line to win a game or get production.

Spezza has been making strides to improve his defensive game, and has even been more aggressive in shooting pucks in deep, and following up hard on the forecheck. Vermette’s longed to take on a more offensive role with the team, and six games on the top line should be the opportunity he needs to excel.

Hard work is coming, but the level of play should be raised shift after shift until it translates into success. The earliest you can think of slowing down at all is with a three goal lead, but the sound defensive and opportunistic style Hartsburg’s been preaching should mean that the top line, as well as every other line, is always ready to jump up and attack.

From the Ottawa Sun, on Phillips’ unfortunate game in Carolina,

“It was basically a bouncing, scrambling puck,” he said of the events leading to the decisive goal.

“I had it early and didn’t get it out. It bounced around a little more ... Corvs got ahold of it and made a great shot. Lots of things always happen on a shift, as I said I had a chance to get it out, at least get it to the outside and put it in the middle of the ice, then after that, it bounced around for a while and ended up in the net. When you have a chance and you go back, and you know of a mistake you made on that shift, it doesn’t matter if it’s right before the goal or a minute before, you still feel quite a bit responsible.”

Taking the penalty that lead to the game-tying goal, and failing to clear the puck on the play that led to the winner; Phillips is expected to feel his share of responsibility for the loss, though it was very much a night of misfortune. Between the Spezza ‘non’-goal and the Ruutu offside goal, the Sens had chances to shut down the Canes.

No surprise though, that the buzzing of the Canes got them the two points. After the first period, the game swung away from Ottawa with great force. The Sens had an 8-0 shot lead ten minutes into the game, but with the 30 shots Carolina finished with, and the near-constant pressure they exerted in Ottawa’s end, it was a team lack-of-effort that led to this result.

There will always be a scapegoat in every loss, whether it’s as easy to point a finger as it was in that game, or if it requires extensive digging. A real team game can be broken down as the way you control the puck so well in the offensive zone; circle by the net, draw a body, and chuck the puck deep to the next Senator and repeat as necessary. In Carolina, there was no Senator to pick up the slip Phillips made, or to clear the many bodies that so effectively screened Gerbs on both goals, and it was very much a team failure.

From the Ottawa Sun, on Gerber’s reception to his time on the bench,

“It’s no fun, that’s for sure,” Gerber said when asked about the backup role following Friday’s 2-1 loss to Carolina, a night that saw him give Alex Auld a break for the first time in eight games. “But the team has played really well, and Auldie has played well, too. Team-wise, we had a good stretch.

“Personally, I wasn’t happy with it.”
....
“I thought he was real good,” Hartsburg said after Gerber stopped 28 of 30 Carolina shots. “I think both goals they’ve got a guy standing right in his face. You certainly can’t fault him on either of the goals.”

If it wasn’t for his large salary, people might think differently of Gerber, but what is a player supposed to do when he is offered so much? Shine when you get the chance, that’s what you can do, and Gerbs did plenty to improve his stock against Carolina.

No, he didn’t win, but it was a far cry from the games where he was receiving all the blame. He allowed only two goals, instead of three or more, and both were on screens so perfectly placed, you couldn’t have choreographed them any better, not on shots with plenty of preparation time that still found their way through.

That he’s stayed calm and quiet about his role, and will likely continue to work hard and, with the help of an Ottawa performance that isn’t reminiscent of their opening games the way it was in Raleigh, he will contribute to Ottawa’s success. He will get more chances, he will continue to raise his performance, and he will be a part of a mutual-respect-filled crease.

From the Ottawa Citizen, on Auld’s steady presence,

“It’s easy to talk about people with names or reputations,” Murray said. “Khabibulin won a Stanley Cup and, you know, he has had a real good career and he is supposedly a high-end goaltender in this league.

“But Alex Auld has been a real consistent goaltender. He hasn’t always played for the best teams, and I think, when you play for a team that maybe gives up a lot of chances, it’s hard to build a reputation. ... If you don’t win a Cup because of that, then you’re kind of relegated below a certain level.”

Auld has had NHL stints in Vancouver, Florida, Phoenix and Boston, playing just one full year as a starter for the Canucks.

“Alex brings a calmness, that’s the person he is,” Murray said. “He’s a real low-key guy in many ways; he has got some real personal confidence, he’s a real good character guy and, yeah, I think that always reflects on the makeup of your hockey team.”
....
“My first inclination with Alex was just to make sure our next goaltender, whoever it might be, is a good person that will work hard, has the basic skills to play and the temperament to play. And Ottawa’s not easy because the reputation around here for goaltenders in particular has not been an easy one.”

Thus far, Alex Auld has been exactly as advertised. He’s been positive, worked hard, cheered Gerber and the team on when he’s not been the starter, and he’s been solid when given the chance. His League-leading 1.84GAA (Thomas being 2nd with 1.85) is impressive, and he rests third with his .936Sv%, behind Anderson (4.4 games played to Auld’s 8.13) and Thomas, both goaltenders benefiting from more defensive systems.

He’s even 10th among goalies who’ve played 5+ games while the Sens were shorthanded, allowing 6 goals on 62 shots for a .912Sv%. That it drops so drastically shows how integral he is to the team, compared to top-flight goalies like Backstrom, Thomas, Fleury, Miller, and Lundqvist, with Fleury holding his Sv% steady while the rest all increase theirs, sometimes drastically, while being the team’s most important penalty-killer. Auld’s numbers still aren’t too shabby (and for comparison, Gerber compares with a .931Sv%, facing half as many shots on the penalty kill thus far).

For all his numbers and successes though, it’s been his integral team-championing ways that have been the greatest asset, and whatever role he plays, he will contribute to the Sens in the same dependable way.

From the Ottawa Citizen, on Ottawa’s successes and battles still waiting to be fought,

When newly hired coach Craig Hartsburg arrived in town, he summed up his demands for the new-look Ottawa Senators in a new-agey catch phrase.

“All in! Whatever it takes!”

Unfortunately for him, the team’s totally inept play to open the season (2-5-1 in the first eight games) quickly rendered what was supposed to be an inspiring mantra into a throwaway Tony Robbins line.

The offence was OK, but even the world’s strongest GPS couldn’t locate the defence, structure or discipline, all of which Hartsburg was specifically hired to implement post-haste.

Yet a funny thing has happened since then. The players actually look like they’re buying in.

Plenty of positive signs and valid questions raised; the Sens have been improving, piece by piece. We’ve seen them dominate games, and we’ve seen every piece of this team — goalie, player, pairing, and line — contribute as desired on more than one occasion.

When they can do so harmoniously, in unison, the team has every chance to shatter the off-season expectations (or lack thereof) placed upon them by the media. While the Ottawa media will always be there to find faults, the team might be benefiting now from their underdog status, and that they are no longer being compared to the legendary Canadiens team that lost only 8 games in their season; there are plenty of other candidates in both conferences to lay the lofty expectations upon, and far greater meltdowns to bear the harsh spotlight as well.

The season is still young, and there is plenty of time for the Sens to climb higher, and to more consistently define their game and effort. Gives you a bit of hope, amid curiosity, as to what record the team will gift us come Christmas.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
 Tags: Alex+Auld, Chris+Phillips, Jason+Spezza, Martin+Gerber,

Comments

Be the first to comment.

Add a Comment

Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.

Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.

Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.

Most Recent Blog Posts

About Kukla’s Korner

Kukla’s Korner is updated around the clock with the work of our own talented bloggers, plus links to the best hockey writing around the internet.  We strive to bring you all the breaking hockey news as it happens.

The home page allows you to see the latest postings from every blog on the site. Subscribe here.  For general inquiries and more, please contact us anytime.

Get the top online sports betting bonuses available to sports betters!

Go Ad Free On KK

Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.