FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-The Senators probably deserved a better fate in this one. Their effort level was strong through 60 minutes and for the most part, they played a pretty text book road game against a strong Penguins team. If not for a late breakdown, the Sens had a good chance of coming away with one and maybe two points in a really tough building. Certainly some positives to build off.
-It seems strange to say this during a five game losing streak but I actually think the Senators have shown some signs of improvement during this recent stretch. They seem far more “aware” in their own end. I mean, with the exception of the 90 seconds they gave Christian Ehrhoff to wind up on the game winning goal. The biggest problem now seems to be the offence has dried up a little bit.
-Mika Zibanejad has now scored in consecutive games and has points in his last three games. One of the biggest weaknesses the Senators have is depth down the middle. Turris has struggled with the additional responsibility, Legwand is a third line centre at best and Curtis Lazar is still adjusting to the NHL game. If Ottawa is going to get back on track here, they need Zibanejad to catch fire. Playing him with talented linemates will certainly increase the chances of that happening.
-Ottawa has now lost five straight and sit six points out of a playoff spot in the East. In fact, they are currently the same amount of points out of last place in the Conference as they are from the playoffs. This season is getting away from them in a hurry. Another loss tonight and that panic button may get pushed.
-Which brings me to my final thought- a coaching change is not going to fix this. I believe the Senators are seriously considering making a switch behind the bench but it won’t fix the issues this team has. I’ll leave it at that.
