A 60 minute game

Sometimes I believe I am a collector of cliches. The new cliche that the Ottawa Senators are tossing around is about the sixty minute game. Obviously they are lacking the full definition and as a result were downed by provincial rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

TO's Goals

Moore's equalizer was poor on the defence, but also on Gerber. The defence were lazy on the puck and Gerber was lazy on his goal. Fundamental goaltending teaches a player to always be alert to where the puck is and expect a shot on net regardless of who is carrying it. I'll get back to this. However, the puck getting to Moore behind the defence in tight on the net is just inexcusable.

Ponikarovsky's goal came from Kubina's exit from the penalty box and the Senators defence completely unaware of the time on the clock. Schubert skated back to Kubina to attempt to strip the puck, but with lazy back checking from his parter on the line led to an easy pass to Ponikarovsky and Gerber was beaten by a text book 2 on 1 by the Leafs. Schubert, neither taking the puck nor the man, also did not get his stick into the passing lane to help prevent the scoring chance.

Blake's goal was off of a rebound that he carried behind the net and beat Gerber on the stick side without Gerber moving much at all. Not only did he lose sight of the puck, but he appeared to assume his player had it and did not cover the side. This is where I get back to the fundamental goaltending ... Watch highlights from any of the starting goalies in the National Hockey League. You will see them covering the angles even when the opposing team is changing and their guy is carrying the puck uncontested. Why? Funny things happen in the NHL, but moreover it is good practise for that one time you'll need it. Gerber needed it there and late in the third period it lead to a 3-1 win over the Sens.

No Offence, but passion either

I am starting to believe that whenever the Sens show a little bit of annoyance on the ice that they are penalized by the coach too. Sens and Leafs games always have the potential to boil over, but when the Sens are skidding out of control the last thing they need to do is take stupid penalties and get torched for it on the bench. A couple of times coach Hartsburg was reaming them over for different issues, but I believe that this game could have been cathartic had the coach let them get their frustrations out.

Looking ahead: New Jersey

Today the Sens play the Devils in Newark. The Devils, without Brodeur still, are not about to sit back and let the Sens build momentum off of them. This will be the toughest game of the season for the Ottawa Senators because of the lack of consistency shown from the Oilers to the Leafs game. If they want to be successful tonight they must get back to the basics and play with passion. Moreover, coaching should be left to the simplest of tasks on the play book and let the players work out their frustrations. If they want to scrap then let them scrap. Let the players be accountable for their actions and show to their fans and to their teammates that they give a damn. Will it happen? We'll see.