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Sens Need Some Elbow Grease
by SENShobo on 12/02/08 at 08:28 AM ET
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Vermette finally shows some emotion, and the roster continues to heal, but first…
From the Ottawa Sun, on Ottawa’s anemic offense,
“I think the one thing is we have three guys up front we count on heavily to score. That’s obvious,” said Hartsburg. “They certainly get a lot of attention from whomever we play. Those three guys are our leading scorers and they’re all plus players, so in some ways they’ve had some success. Everybody wants to point fingers at guys like that. At times, we’ve challenged them to do more.
....
“I don’t think you can point the finger at a specific thing. Our focus from the beginning has been to play a good team game. At times we’ve done a really good job of that,” said Alfredsson. “We’ve been getting chances in a lot of games, but we’ve been making a lot of goaltenders look really good a lot of nights. We have to get a little dirty in front of the net.”
Point fingers? No, of course not. But at the very least, there are plenty of questions.
Consistent output has been a challenge for the big three, all having gone through extended periods without success this season, and all on pace for different levels of disappointment. Heatley is on pace for 44 or 45 goals, and while he only scored 41 goals last season after back-to-back 50 goal campaigns, that was in 71 games played; this would mark his lowest total in an Ottawa uniform. For Spezza, the 26 goals he’s on pace for do surpass his post-lockout total of 19, but the 63 points he’s projected to earn lag far behind the 90 he’s averaged in the three post-lockout seasons. As for the captain, to get below the pace he’ll have set with 23 goals at season’s end, you have to go back a decade.
Do the Sens make goalies look good? Joey MacDonald was named the third star of the month by the NHL, but owes three of his eight wins this month to Ottawa, games in which he sported .905, .950, and .967 save percentages. Between losses to Atlanta and the Brodeur-less Devils, and wins against Montreal, Vancouver, and the Rangers, it gets tricky to rate the success, but how little most people know about the Isles’ lineup is what really says it all.
Most players on the team are already headed for below average seasons. Players like Vermette, McAmmond, Kelly, and Schubert are on pace for their worst NHL-level production ever. The only players set to have career years are Picard and Kuba, but together they project to net just 10 goals themselves; it remains to be seen if the rest of the roster can help net the goals they need to get those assists.
The players need to start battling harder for the dirty goals. Look at Detroit’s Holmstrom, who’s made an art out of screening the goaltenders, occasionally netting the goals himself through deflections or swiping at the puck when it’s stopped and falls into the crease. The team has taken nearly 30 shots per game, but they always seem to be aiming for those beautiful skill goals, the type of effort that Spezza was once chided for. Get dirty. Now. There’s soap in the locker room if you need it, and hey, you’ve already got the moustaches.
From the Ottawa Sun, Vermette joins the ranks of the frustrated,
Antoine Vermette smashed his stick to pieces over the net at practice yesterday after missing the target in a 2-on-1 drill.
At least the Senators winger hit the net with something. He’s got two goals after 22 games and is on pace for just seven.
“It’s not easy,” he said of battling through this lean stretch. “We’re all human here. On that 2-on-1, I really wanted to score and I missed the net there so I wasn’t too happy. I think it was the stick. We got it straightened out. The next 2-on-1 we scored.”
Vermette, back on a line with Chris Kelly, has had some chances lately, for whatever that’s worth.
....
“It didn’t come from us, in his own mind he thought that he had to do more offensively whether it’s because of the new contract, or whatever. We need to get Antoine playing the same kind of game he’s played the last couple of years. In the last four or five games he could have easily had four or five goals. If he has a better mindset of ‘I have to be a good, honest two-way player,’ he’ll score,” said the coach.
A little emotion; Sens fans have been screaming for it. No more sulking after missed opportunities; time to come back hungrier than before. Vermette snapped his stick during practice, Heatley smashed his against the glass during a game, and when Alfie did that during practice he broke the glass. Heatley and Kelly have gotten into an argument during practice, and I seem to recall Auld giving his net a frustrated whack with a stick during a game after allowing a goal.
You want to stay calm, to an extent, and focused. But at some point, you want to see the fire again, the emotion. This team has been one of the most dreaded, averaging over three goals a game for several seasons. Now, other teams might start to feel they can think about their chess-like game, wondering what move to try next to break through the defense and Auld, but not worrying much about losing the puck or letting the Sens get shots off.
Ottawa needs to stop being an easy two points. Battle hard enough to that end, and you will find that wins come from it, the ugly wins that won’t get you on highlight reels or have scouts singing your praises. They will be the wins that slowly sell the character of the team, and of its players individually, as they all begin to work hard every night, putting in a full 60 minute effort, even when it’s not enough, even when teammates can’t do the same. Part of playing a successful team game is always working together, united in your efforts. The part that needs to be remembered now is that it also means helping to carry your slumping, your tired, and your wounded.
Wounded the Sens indeed have. McAmmond is sick with a cold, Picard has a sore wrist, Neil’s knee is still on the mend, Shannon has yet to be cleared to play after his concussion, and Donovan’s sore from a hit by Schenn. So far, Bass has been called up, but that leaves two forward slots open, and another on defense. Donovan may return, and Schubert could play defense, but that still leaves the possibility open that Zubov might return once again, having added a goal in Sunday’s AHL win against the Bulldogs, now at 9-13--22 in 18GP for Binghamton.
Leave it to Alfie to sum it up so well though.
“When you do well everything is nice and easy. We as a team now have to find a way to get better and get points. If we don’t, it’s going to be a long season for us.
Usually you find out the character of teams and individuals in tough times. It’s not through easy times because everybody just rides the wave. Now is the time to bear down for everybody and we’ll see what happens.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
Tags: Antoine+Vermette,
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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.
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