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Senators Slow Out Of The Gate
by SENShobo on 10/14/09 at 08:23 AM ET
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The price I pay for Thanksgiving dinners and new artificial organs, but I’m back.
The ‘dreadful’ Ottawa power play, finding chemistry, and some thoughts on early reviews, but first, from the Ottawa Sun,
Erik Karlsson admits he’s not quite himself these days.
“I’ve not really got the confidence that I need. I don’t know why.”
....
Among the personal lowlights, he had the winning goal bounce in off his left leg after losing a boards battle with Chris Kunitz seconds earlier, he had a puck stripped from him as he tried to stickhandle by Malkin at the Ottawa blue line, and he had a bird’s-eye view of a goal scored by Jordan Staal seconds after the puck had been on Karlsson’s stick behind the Ottawa net.“I thought he struggled a little bit (Monday) night,” said coach Cory Clouston. “I just think he’s got to realize what his assets and skills are and utilize them more. Instead of making the first pass, he tried to beat guys by himself. I didn’t think he used his teammates as well as he needs to, and understand at this level you can’t skate through players and through teams, you’re going to have to distribute the puck on breakouts. And he’s got to get back a little bit harder for pucks.
He was certainly trumpeted these past 16 months, but his play has been a tiny storm in your teacup thus far.
The conversation should start with what the ideal Swedish import looks like: massive and seasoned. In Tampa, Hedman has been looking like an experienced pro, logging more ice time (25:40) than any other player. That includes his new mentor Ohlund (23:49), and Karlsson (18:00, 11th in Ottawa).
Size? It matters.
Karlsson’s hands have been a marvel to watch at times, but he was not a player you expected to make the jump immediately, and with no experience in North America, this arrival was never going to be an easy landing. The time and space he had in Sweden and playing against other youngsters in the World Juniors simply doesn’t exist anymore. In Kitchener a month ago, he still seemed to be dreading those initial impacts, passing the puck quickly to avoid forecheckers and not diving into the corners when someone with half a foot and stone on him drew even with him.
Could he be successful? Yes, but not without some help. Pairing him with fellow offensive punch defenceman Campoli only leaves more holes, questions, and doubts on the back end for both of them, limiting their play. Picard, once thought to be tradeable and demotable, has the team lead at +5 and is tied for second in points (3A), perhaps reassured by the steady rearguard presence of Carkner. Phillips and Volchenkov look great paired together, but is it any wonder that Karlsson (-4) and Campoli (-3) are bringing up the rear? What use is a pair of puckmoving defencemen when you need to load the forward lines with top backcheckers to cover them? There was a team that rushed its prospects, dooming them along the way and stunting their growth, a team Ottawa fans oft mocked for that behaviour, and also the team that took, in management’s words, one of their best forwards, and returned Kadri not to the AHL, but to the OHL.
Seeing Volchenkov devastate Stalberg in Toronto, as well as Tavares and Bogosian in Ottawa, were sweet sprinkles. Fans, though, need a full round cake. Kuba won’t likely play when he hosts his former Tampa teammates, but choices will soon have to be made. Thursday night, watch for the comparison between the two Swedish blueliners, and you’ll only see all too clear the elements needed for a proper transition.
From the Ottawa Sun,
Another oh-fer night with the man advantage was punctuated by its ugliness. On their first two-minute chance, the Senators had the same number of shots on goal as the Penguins. On their third, too. On the second, at least they outshot Pittsburgh 1-0.
The third and fourth power plays were morphed together to give the Senators a 5-on-3 for 1:27. With one, then two, then one extra body on the ice from 14:44-17:17 of the third period, Ottawa had four shots on goal.
Three of them came with a two-man advantage in which Daniel Alfredsson gave away the puck twice.
....
“But that’s one area that definitely needs to be improved on.”Entering last night’s games, it was ranked dead last in the league with a dreadful (1-for-15) 6.7% efficiency rating.
The closest team to us? Nashville at 7.7%, also having just a lone power play goal, but in ‘only’ 13 chances. Only Atlanta (8) has had fewer opportunities, but with two power play goals to show for it. Seven teams have managed 3 power play goals or fewer, while Colorado (10PPG) and Calgary (41.2%) lead the League.
But there are few things that can be decided in five games. If they had had just one lucky bounce, the Senators would climb to 13.4% and 27th overall, and a second lucky bounce would have them at 20.1% and 21st, not too hard to imagine, just as it is hard to imagine Colorado averaging 1.67 PPG per game, or Colorado’s David Jones keeping apace with Ovechkin, Kopitar, and Kovalchuk at a 2 point per game clip.
Does the power play look pretty? Surely not. But one thing that is lower than a 6.7% success rate is the 6.1% of the season the team has gone through.
It goes as well for success overall; with so much roster turnover and dressing room chemistry alterations, it should not shock anyone that things aren’t peachy. It makes no sense that Ottawa has a better point percentage in their games (.600) than San Jose (.583), Washington (.500), Vancouver, Boston, and Detroit (all .400). It’s still too early for Spezza to realize just how fast Michalek is, and finally let fly those passes he’d sooner walk up to Milan, slowing him down to wait for the puck in the process. It’s still too early for Kovalev to expect his linemates to be aware of just how many opposing players he can thread the puck through to find them open and staring clear through to a half gaping net.
And it’s still too early to be a dead silent crowd.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
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Who is SENShobo?
Fully addicted to hockey, Andrew Dodds finds it safe to live in the alleys, considering his allegiance to the Ottawa Senators in the middle of Leaf County. He tries to bring you as many worthwhile Sens stories as he can find, along with his musings on the team and the NHL in general; musings indeed since he is but a humble hockey hobo.
If you have any general comments, questions, suggestions, or concerns about myself or my blog and its content, you can post them publicly here, or drop me an email.
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The Professionals
SensHobo, your reasoned analysis is a refreshing counterpoint after all the vitriol from Senators fans and Ottawa media over the Heatley Affair.
The simple truth is, Clouston doesn’t have much to work with.
There are no true ‘impact players’ up front for Ottawa now that Heatley is gone. Alfredsson’s age and injuries are catching up; Kovalev is in the downside of his career; and Spezza, with his consistent defensive lapses and indecisiveness in the offensive zone, is not a reliable game-breaker.
That leaves a compilation of personnel of varying degrees of skill, but no discernable cohesiveness.
Defensively, there is a lack of mobility and again, no elite Top 4 man. Phillips and Volchenkov are quality defensemen, but neither one dominates a game.
Pascal Leclaire’s performances have been encouraging, but fact is, he’s 2-2, with some spectacular saves and some whiffed goals to show for it.
The Senators were a .500 team last year, and show signs of being exactly that this year.
Posted by davetherave from Ottawa, Canada on 10/14/09 at 09:36 AM ET