Losing Streak Hits Seven in Vancouver

SensChirp January 29, 2021 0
Losing Streak Hits Seven in Vancouver

FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS

-Baby steps, right? 7-1 loss. 5-1 loss. 4-1 loss. At this rate, the Ottawa Senators will be back this pesky losing streak snapped by some time next week. Everyone knew there were going to be some long nights this season but a seven-game losing streak right off the hop probably wasn’t how things were envisioned in the 112-page Master Plan. It’s hard to see it when you’re in the depths of a never-ending spiral of losses and nobody wants to hear it but the Ottawa Senators really haven’t been that bad. In fact, they are regularly outplaying and outshooting their opponents. It’s just so hard to win when you’re always chasing the game and when every mistake ends up in the back of your net. If they could just find four NHL defenceman and locate two NHL goalies they’d be in business.

-Running out of ways to describe what’s happening with Matt Murray right now. He actually started the year okay (and that’s probably a little generous) but things have completely unraveled for him in the last few starts. He probably arrived in Ottawa with some question marks about his own game but it’s safe to say this is a guy with absolutely no confidence right now. There was an interesting shot before the game of Erik Gudbranson talking with Matt Murray in the tunnel that seemed to indicate as much. They need him to work through it though because the simple fact is he’s flat-out costing them hockey games right now. It’s not just goaltending but that’s a big part of it. And Marcus Hogberg really hasn’t looked much better. Hate to suggest it this early in the season but maybe Joey Daccord gets a look here at some point if they can open up a roster spot?

-We need to have a talk about whatever it is the Senators are doing on the penalty kill. There are a few different issues with their game right now but this is happening so often that it almost looking intentional. The defenceman, in the case of the first period goal it was Josh Brown, is drifting so high (partly to cover the guy on the wall and partly to cover the guy in the high slot) that he’s actually covering nobody. And in the process, it’s leaving the low guy wide open. The Jets exposed Ottawa’s wonky structure a couple times and the Canucks did it too. In general, I find the Senators are way too passive on the PK but the amount of space they are giving to the guy down low is borderline ridiculous.

-If you’re looking for positives in a game like this, look no further than the performance of Tim Stützle. That was probably his best game of the season. Stützle dazzled the hockey world with his first goal in the NHL but it’s been a bit of a struggle since then. During the first two losses to Vancouver it felt like every time he stepped on the ice, the puck was ending up in the back of his team’s net. That can weigh on a young hockey player. But last night, he seemed to have a ton of jump and a lot of confidence with the puck on his stick. Still think he’s going to need to get bigger and stronger but his speed and skill was on full display in this one. And the thing that jumped out is his willingness to go to the dirty areas, in front of the net and in the corners, even though he’s not the biggest guy. Hope one goes in for him soon though because it would be nice to see him smile again.

-DJ Smith did some significant line juggling during last night’s game and eventually, seemed to land on some new combinations that he liked. Will be interesting to see if he goes back to them in the next game. Connor Brown ended up with Tkachuk in Norris which left Tim Stützle on a line with Chris Tierney and Drake Batherson. Might be worth trying Colin White as the centre on that line at some point. The thing is, the forwards aren’t really the issue right now. They’re creating some decent zone time and chances on a fairly consistent basis. Unfortunately goaltending and defence are drowning out a lot of the good stuff the forward group is doing.

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