SENShobo
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Sens, NHL Reffing & Rules Reputation Lose Last Night
by SENShobo on 11/21/08 at 08:59 AM ET
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The worst game-costing blown call of the season, the team’s new rallying point, Bass brings turkey, energy, and fists, the Richardson coaching career to come, and the Senators’ gravely misplaced defensive focus, but first…
From the Ottawa Sun, Alfie on the team’s play,
“We had our chances to win,” said Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson. “The effort is there. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We’d love to find ways to win and get two points.
“We need to score goals.We’ve got to find guys to put the puck in a consistent basis. Our record is terrible. It’s a lot of points that we can get down the road.”
The Sens’ 6-game losing streak started against the Canes, where the Toronto War Room could not give Spezza a goal. Last night, the War Room wasn’t even allowed to make the call during the latest and most glaring ice rink robbery, and maybe that is what it will take to end the misery.
They truly did put in a full game’s effort, so good that you finally could find some minor troubles with Auld’s play, namely that one regulation goal and both shootout goals found their way through the Grand Canyon that is a 6’5 man’s five hole, with another shooter just failing to slip it through. In regulation, the Sens shouldn’t have allowed Kovalev and Koivu the time and space down low to shove it in, but Auld will have to work on that coverage for shootouts, when opponents have all the time and space they need.
For more on the game, and to find out the new standard for ‘control’ of the puck that led to the worst call in a Senators game this season, you can check out my game review from last night.
From the Ottawa Sun, on the Senators’ rallying point,
From an idea that sounds like it originated with Dany Heatley and perpetuated by Antoine Vermette, the players are growing moustaches.
“It’s just for fun,” said Luke Richardson. “You can’t be thinking 24-7 about your struggles. It’s a team togetherness sort of thing.”
....
“Maybe this is something we can rally around,” said the captain.Maybe. After starting the moustache movement, Heatley started the Senators on the right foot with the game’s first goal. But Vermette’s woes continued when he was robbed by Carey Price in the second period, first on a great glove save, then by the goalie’s right pad on a clear-cut chance.
“Right now,” Vermette said after the game, “I’m not getting the bounces.”
Right now, he’s missing by a whisker.
I believe I will join in on the fun, though I think I have Vermette beat. Facial hair just does not run in either of my parents’ families, so after a quick water bottle splash to the face on the bench, I would look something like a moist peach on my upper lip. It will save me from further lip cuts though, and maybe this will be as successful as the Senators’ campaign years back when the whole team bleached their hair. Well, hopefully more so.
From that same article, on Bass’ recall and goals in Ottawa,
Cody Bass was delivering American Thanksgiving turkeys donated to the less fortunate by generous Binghamton townfolk when he was summoned to Ottawa yesterday. “It’s awesome to get another opportunity here,” Bass said after the morning skate. “Hopefully, I can do something with it.”
“I don’t think I have the responsibility to fight. I think I have the responsibility to play tough, and play my game, to be aggressive, a prick to play against ... I think that’s the way Neiler plays, too. Neiler plays tough, and if it comes at him, he’s ready for it. But I’m definitely not Chris Neil. Neiler’s probably the toughest guy in the league that can play the game. There’s lots of guys in this room I want to play like. Between (Mike) Fisher, (Chris) Kelly, Neiler. Those are guys I look up to, and with two of them hurt I just want to come in and help out.”
It was a rather short fight between Begin and Bass, but they got as many good licks in as many a long, drawn-out, staring you down at the end of my arm circle dance. Bass managed three hits and won two of his three faceoffs in 5:34 of ice time, giving the team the burst of energy it was hoping for from him, on a line with Nick Foligno and Ilya Zubov.
As much as they would be relishing the win, the Canadiens — with their two wins in seven games and five goals in four games coming into last night — must have known how the Senators were feeling.
From the Ottawa Citizen, on the lack of firepower,
Scoring goals in any situation has become an issue for teams that seemed able to score at will last season. In 2007-08, the Sens and Habs ranked 1-2 in goals in the East. Lately, they’ve both been gripping sticks. And yet, what do coaches Craig Hartsburg and Guy Carbonneau preach when they’re at a microphone? Tighter team defence. Knowing that scoring usually becomes a lost cause in this league when a team falls behind.
Posted by Paul yesterday, an ESPN review of the League’s coaching thus far finds Hartsburg among “The Suspect”, a position occupied in the same review last season by then head coach John Paddock. If only he had left some notes on the coaching techniques that clearly were not working during his tenure.
As a coach, Hartsburg has been known for his defense, and even Spezza gives him the most credit of any Ottawa coach in that area. In their last 11 games, the team has allowed only 22 goals, but scored a mere 23, too close a margin to expect anything other than their 4-4-3 record in that span.
The team may be 6th in the League with 2.47 GA/G, but League-leading Minnesota has 2.00GA/G. If the team has tied the best in the League in that category, and realizes that not only do they not have a Lidstrom, Luongo, or loaded defense, but that the goals allowed have been of the exception variety, and not because of any systemic rule, why not start trying to improve that other stat? They currently sit 28th in the League with 2.32G/G, and trying to chase down Minnesota’s overall defensive lead is made a pipe dream by their early season play.
Time for a coaching (focus) change, and NHL.com might have the in-house answer,
Richardson has played in only two of the Senators’ first 18 games but he’s found a way—three ways actually—to be useful.
....
Richardson is there in case of emergency: In case of panic, break glass, and out pops a calm, defensive defenseman. He’s also there to work with Picard, a third-round pick in 2003 who is now with his third NHL team. Picard has good offensive skills, but needs to improve his defensive work. Richardson started out as a hard-checking, risk-taking defender and became a solid defensive presence in mid-career. He learned, and so can Picard.Third, Richardson helps coach Craig Hartsburg and assistants Greg Carvel, Curtis Hunt and Eli Wilson at practice. He also assists Wilson in watching opposing teams from the press box and calling in his observations to Carvel between periods.
During broadcasts, you can often see the camera showing Murray holding his face, watching his team with what you can only imagine is much frustration at times, and beside him sits Richardson, stone face calm and focused, with a bud in his ear to stay as abreast as possible of what’s going on. Perhaps it is time to encourage him to train the Sens to reverse his path, so that they can move from being solely solid defensive presences, and into an even harder-checking, risk-taking, offensive team once again.
Well, the risk-taking maybe not so much, but one thing’s for sure, further defensive focus is a non-starter. Your past 11 games would put you tied for first in the League in goals against per game (2.00), and dead last in the League in goals per game (2.09); where do you think the improvement is most necessary, and most needed?
Filed in: NHL Rules, NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
Tags: Cody+Bass, Luke+Richardson,
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SensHobo—another first rate article from you.
IMHO the Senators are faced with a crucial decision. What type of team do they want to be?
If one considers the Sharks and Red Wings as being the top dogs, let us look at the committment each of them has to COHERENCE. Each team has every player playing a specific role within the machine and has that player focused on executing that role as an interactive component within that machine.
Now, Craig Hartsburg is no Mike Babcock nor is he a Todd McLellan, and Sens management is nowhere near as savvy as Detroit’s or San Jose’s. And therein lies the rub.
A team can only get results that are consistent with its personnel. The Senators have a collection of players that includes some not suited to play a defence-first strategy. They certainly don’t have the versatility and depth to play ‘complete’ hockey.
Claude Julien and Alain Vigneault are excellent examples of coaches who are making their assets work to maximum efficiency; Craig Hartsburg is trying, but cannot. Alex Auld is more Tim Thomas than Roberto Luongo for sure; the Sens D may not have Zdeno Chara, but their collective effort approaches Nucks-level workmanship, though again, their personnel is uneven. Upfront, it may be time to move on from Vermette, Kelly and even Spezza, and remake the team with young, aggressive, inexpensive players like Zubov and Bass (and Bell) who have no preconceptions or baggage.
I would respectfully suggest the Senators lower their salary mass, trim all deadwood, obtain a capable, mobile D-man with a power play cannon, stock up on youngsters, and get ready for the ‘09 UFA crop.
Have a great day.
Posted by davetherave from Ottawa, Canada on 11/21/08 at 10:28 AM ET