I’m not sure what’s more remarkable; the Ottawa Senators sustaining their longest losing streak in over a decade, or the Toronto Maple Leafs winning three games in a row (with Wade Belak contributing his first goal in four years).
Thankfully, Toronto is so wrapped up in its team’s sudden success, they don’t seem to be noticing Ottawa’s demise.
After a blazing 15-2 start to the season, the only thing that’s keeping them above water, the Sens are crumbling. Seven losses in a row, two in a shootout, have them looking over their shoulders in the Northeast Division. They still lead the conference and are better then they were last year at this point (under .500 and out of the playoff picture) but it’s still a remarkable collapse from a team that appeared ready to ease its way into June.
Ottawa fans have the dubious reputation of being fair-weather fans…they’re behind their team when all is well, but once they hit a rough patch they turn on them instantly. I am not one of those fans…I’m still a hundred percent confident in them. Despite this, here are my top seven reasons why the Senators are in a funk.
1. Cup finals hangover
Historically, teams that play in the Stanley Cup finals have a rough time the following year. Cup champs Anaheim currently sit in 11th in the West, while teams such as Edmonton and Carolina didn’t make the playoffs the year after their Cup runs. While the Senators had a hot start, their short summer may be taking its toll.
2. Goaltending
For some reason, the Senators as a franchise seem to experience goaltending instability. Martin Gerber is suddenly playing like he did last year, when he relegated himself to the backup job. Sean Burke on TSN pointed out that when Gerber was taken out in a Nov. 24 game against Philadelphia, with the score tied 3-3, his confidence may have been rattled. He certainly hasn’t been the same since. Meanwhile, Ray Emery seems too busy driving carelessly and playing baseball to regain his form from last year’s playoffs. Unless the goaltending situation is fixed quickly, the Sens will find themselves in freefall in the East.
3. Lack of secondary scoring
Jason Spezza has 11 points during the seven-game losing streak, and Dany Heatley has nine. What’s missing is any kind of contribution from the second, third and fourth lines. Antoine Vermette and Chris Neil each have only two points, while Mike Fisher has been non-existent (a rarity for him). It appears the team is having trouble adjusting to the loss of two of its top six forwards in the offseason (Mike Comrie and Peter Schaefer). The Sens’ forwards need to smarten up, and perhaps need some veteran leadership to provide depth (I hear Mark Recchi is available).
4. Injuries
Every team faces injuries in the NHL, and they are no excuse for poor play. The Senators were lucky last season on the injury front, so it appears that the absence of a couple of key players is throwing everyone else off. Patrick Eaves was having a solid year, and Anton Volchenkov is the glue that holds the defence together, and blocks more shots than the two goalies combined. Both are now out for a month, so the likes of Sean Donovan, Luke Richardson and Christoph Schubert will have to wake up and start playing like they belong in the NHL.
5. Coaching change
This is borderline frivolity, but John Paddock has a different coaching style than his predecessor Bryan Murray. He is much quieter and lets the players have freer reign. Again, no excuses, but this may be an issue.
6. Defensive woes
Wayne Scanlanof the Ottawa Citizen once said “Joe Corvo plays defence like there’s a fire in the kitchen.” Corvo has been the team’s best defender in the past few games…such is the state of the back end. Wade Redden was having a solid year but appears to be regressing to his form from last year, if last night’s wonderful turnover was any indication. When he plays well, the Senators are a much better team. I still can’t quite figure out why Luke Richardson is still in the NHL. His play is not helping my puzzlement.
7. Overconfidence
Lastly, the Senators were at one point being compared to the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens, arguably the best team of all time. It must have been a slow news week, because such comparisons were unfounded and unfair. However, such talk can go to players’ heads, and the Senators may have been tricked into thinking they were a much better team then they actually are. With the parity in the league today, no team is guaranteed a win. One would hope that the team has realized that throughout the past seven games.
The good news for Ottawa fans is that all of the above problems are short-term and easily rectifiable. With a couple of hard-fought wins, the Sens should be able to get back on a roll and take their rightful spot far above their Northeast Division opponents.
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