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Sens' goalie woes rear their ugly head

ROY MacGREGOR

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 11:56 PM EDT 24/03/08

Montreal is atop the Eastern Conference and the former holder of that spot, Ottawa, is back in free fall ...Read the full article

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  1. Mariposa Belle from Leacockland, Canada writes: Roy - you do have to pick who starts in goal and hope the goalie comes up big.

    Although far from NHL caliber, I was in the same situation many years ago as a goalie. Two good but not spectacular goalies, each with different strengths, and a coach that couldn't decide which one of us to run.

    The result was the team played tentatively in front of both of us and had no confidence that one of us would steal the game and bail them out on a bad night.

    That said, and to return to the Senators, I think the goaltending controversy/problem has had an effect on the devence, which is one of the most timid in the league. It may be too late, but my thought is that Razor took them to the finals last year and should be designated to the same this year.

    Although this is a franchise which shoots the goalie for not winning in the post season.
  2. James C from Shenzhen, China writes: ottawa's not looking good. i'm a diehard sens fan but they have sucked since the mid point of the season. the good news is they can beat any of the teams in the east.... and after their performance lately they should be happy to just get into the playoffs. then its a new season as they say...
  3. The Conservative Centrist from Canada writes: They should bring up that young buck from the minors as #1, Gerber as back up, and send Emery down to the minors. They'd still have to pay him, but they only have to pay the young fellow $850K, and a stint in the minors would either smarten Emery up, or basically finish his carreer. The Sens are stuck with Gerber's and Emery's salaries no matter what they do, so might as well give the young fellow the chance...he won a couple of games for them at the start of the season, and neither Gerber or Emery are doing anything much now. Couldn't hurt. If the stint in the minors acted as an attitude adjustment on Emery, they could then maybe trade him, but no one would take him right now.
  4. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: The conservative centrist may have the best idea.... certainly worth a try.

    Pat Billings finally gets his/her way and is still whining.... sad.
  5. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Pat Billings from CDN, Canada:

    BINGO!!

    Keeping a straight face while reading/watching some of these cheerleaders with the blue and white facepaint was getting difficult...
  6. Raymond Lepage from Ottawa, Canada writes: For over the past two months, I've been suggesting exactly what Conservative Centrist is saying now:send Emery down to the AHL and bring up one of the two goalies there and make him play against Buffalo TONIGHT. Worst-case scenario: the Sens keep on losing... same difference. Best-case scenario: the team starts playing better defensively because players finally understand that they can't trust their minor-league goalie. They should have realized that four months ago, whether it was Emery or Gerber between the pipes. Does anyone think that Glass or Elliott could do worse? Murray should give it a try. What more does he have to lose that he hasn't already? Miss the playoffs? Well, that's a distinct possibility now...
  7. George E. Porgie from Canada writes: Sens remain a team with loads of potential when everyone is on the same page. However, looks like they are singing from different songbooks at times.

    Long standing problems with team defence remain. Although they played much better in the third period last night, seems to me that Montreal eased off and allowed the Sens to recoup some lost pride.

    If Ottawa can stay in the playoff hunt, they appear to be a team that will find an early exit.
  8. Irish 222 from Ottawa, Canada writes: It won't matter who is in the net if the Senators don't find their defensive game again. Its been nothing short of brutal. And the giveaways and blind passes are atrocious...
    Why can't the coaching staff just say..'Umm, Jason, we have an idea, could you please not pass the puck without looking..cause we noticed that most of the time you give it to the opposition...and can you please not attempt to pass the puck through the slot occupied with 4 opposition players...cause we also noticed that most of the time it is picked off by the other team ..Oh and maybe you could shoot the puck in when you carry it up to the blueline because you seem to lose it a lot when you try to skate through 5 players...Can you giver it a try....Please!!! '
    Maybe if they get Spezza to stop it the rest of the team might follow.
    Even if they do make the playoffs I don't expect this team to make it past the first round.
  9. Lunch Bucket Joe from Canada writes: They don't have a goaltending problem they have a managerial problem. You know the guy that signed Ray Emery?? He's the coach now and I bet all this choking is bringing back some familiar past experiences.
  10. J.C. Petite from Toronto, Canada writes: Gerbers rebound control is horrendous. Combine that with a defense that can't clear the net or at least get to the rebounds - you have yourself a recipe for disaster. Montreal was way to fast for the Sens defense last night.
  11. Len Sens from anywhere but TO, Canada writes: I agree with Irish 222, the Sens biggest problem is defence not goaltending. They have adequate but not great goaltenders who play worse when they don't get good defensive support. Gerber and Emery are not Bobby Lou or Kipper, goalies who can cover up for poor defence, and that's the way it is and the way it will be.

    So, Ottawa needs to improve their defensive play: watch the giveaways in the defensive and neutral zones, cover your man like a dirty shirt, watch the guy coming in late, if Commodore is going to be joining the offensive play all the time then pair him with someone who can cover better, etc., etc. These are the basics, there is no magic quick fix, they need to do the basic things right.
  12. j wilson from vancouver, Canada writes: Lunch Bucket Joe, you are indeed correct.

    The East is getting tougher, and the regular season Sweetheart Sens are being left behind.

    The West will win the Cup again, but it won't be easy this time, and with all the young scoring talent in the East, it might be for the last time in a while.

    The Sens need a GM who understands the value of hardnosed players - just like the GMs whove replaced Murray in past on other teams. (Although, to be fair, it was Muckler who traded Chara and kept Redden. Dont know what Murray's input was in that fiasco, but it sure looks like his work.)

    Oh, and a goaltender wouldnt hurt.
  13. sam themacman from Waterloo, Canada writes: The West has had the strongest conference for four seasons. But they have only produced ONE Stanley Cup winner, and that was last year. Please spare me that if it was one conference, it would end up with the Western teams being in the semis and the final. Nothing more comical than this kind of prognostication. The East is fast becoming a more abrasive and brutal conference. The top four or five teams can whalop anybody. Sure the has great teams, but don't discount the East. Look at the standings in the West and they are as glutted as the East. My personal preference was the set up for the playoffs that existed in the hey day of the Habs and Islanders in the 70's. You had the two top teams in each conference get a buy from playing in the first round, the elimination round, where it was the best two out of three games. This usually got rid of the riff raff teams that squeaked in for those last two playoff spots. Then in the next round, you would insert top team again, and play top to bottom, best out of five. In the next round the same thing, best out of seven, and then the final, would be best out of seven again. I personally hate the playoff format used today. I also dislike the shoot out system during the regular season. Hockey is a team game, not a skills competition, and a game should NEVER be decided by a skill competition. I also don't like rewards for losing a game in overtime or shootout. You lose you snooze! No points for the loser. If you have to give points to the loser, then give three points for a win in regulation, and two points for the winner in over time. Get rid of the shoot out, and increase overtime to ten minutes. It it stays a tie, then it is a tie. Too bad, so sad. Let the teams try and win in regulation for the three points. This would eliminate teams that are on the fringe year after year like the Laughs! Who every heard of excitement to see who makes it to eighth place?
  14. sam themacman from Waterloo, Canada writes: The West has had the strongest conference for four seasons. But they have only produced ONE Stanley Cup winner, and that was last year. Please spare me that if it was one conference, it would end up with the Western teams being in the semis and the final. Nothing more comical than this kind of prognostication. The East is fast becoming a more abrasive and brutal conference. The top four or five teams can whalop anybody. Sure the has great teams, but don't discount the East. Look at the standings in the West and they are as glutted as the East. My personal preference was the set up for the playoffs that existed in the hey day of the Habs and Islanders in the 70's. You had the two top teams in each conference get a buy from playing in the first round, the elimination round, where it was the best two out of three games. This usually got rid of the riff raff teams that squeaked in for those last two playoff spots. Then in the next round, you would insert top team again, and play top to bottom, best out of five. In the next round the same thing, best out of seven, and then the final, would be best out of seven again. I personally hate the playoff format used today. I also dislike the shoot out system during the regular season. Hockey is a team game, not a skills competition, and a game should NEVER be decided by a skill competition. I also don't like rewards for losing a game in overtime or shootout. You lose you snooze! No points for the loser. If you have to give points to the loser, then give three points for a win in regulation, and two points for the winner in over time. Get rid of the shoot out, and increase overtime to ten minutes. It it stays a tie, then it is a tie. Too bad, so sad. Let the teams try and win in regulation for the three points. This would eliminate teams that are on the fringe year after year like the Laughs! Who every heard of excitement to see who makes it to eighth place?
  15. Johnny Red from Canada writes: Ray Emery is to the Ottawa Senators what Vince Carter was to the Toronto Raptors.
  16. Howard Young from Canada writes: As a Sens fan, I refuse to hang this on the head of the goalies. It's a team game and for a team to function properly each member has to do what their roles require of them. Are the Sens goalies fantastic, no, but they are not the primary reason for what has been ailing this team. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Prior to lastnight's game Gerber has played fairly well since he took over where Emery left-off after the Philly loss. He had a shut-out against Montreal and came very close to back-to-back shut-outs if not for the late goal in the Boston game. One bad game by Gerber when he had no help and its thumbsdown to Gerber again. I know Sens fans are scarred from a history of goalie trauma, but come on. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If the defence and the forwards were playing with more consistency, the most recent losses to Toronto, Carolina, San Jose and LA would not have occurred, in particular, the Toronto and San Jose games (had the lead for both games in the 3rd period).----------------------------------------------------------- With the exception of Volchenkov, the D has not been noteworthy. By the way Murray, please don't pair Commodore and Richardson, especially when playing against a fast skating team like Montreal. I have no basis for this, but I wouldn't mind seeing Commodore swap places with Meszaros and see how those 2nd and 3rd line pairs work out.
  17. Larfing Outloud from Virgin Islands (British) writes: Just think, Raycroft for Spezza.

    Too late now....
  18. Lunch Bucket Joe from Canada writes: Larfing I'd keep a seive over an overpaid, overhyped, choking prima dona anyday.
  19. Raymond Lepage from Ottawa, Canada writes: Howard Young is right about the goalie situation with the Sens. My earlier post today was just pure frustration against a team that's gone completely ridiculous over the past four months. I agree we shouldn't be using the goalies as scapegoats. It's really the whole team defence that's gone AWOL. There is one glimmer of hope, though: maybe Redden's injury is serious. Then again, probably not: he probably had a little "bobo" that made it too hard for him to skate back in front of the net after he glided into the boards, and at least TRY to work through some pain for a few seconds. But... wait a minute... it's $6.5 million-Redden we're talking about here, not Volchenkov.
  20. The Archer from Canada writes: Howard Young...couldn't agree more about Richardson and Commodore being paired together...far too slow and if they are going to be together at least one of them has to battle a bit harder behind the net and on the boards. Here's hoping that last night's third period will continue on for tonight's game.
  21. lost ontarian from Canada writes: To most posters here...I am checking the archives. Yup goaltender conversation in March, in February, in January, in December! this is a very old and puzzling topic. Murray has to put his hand up and offer one and all a big "Mea Culpa" on this one. Paddock admitted it and now he should too! Management has put together an impressive roster but a dysfunctional team and that is the hardest part to solve. On paper great but cumulatively awful at times and no Messier, Roberts, Sundin or even a bobby Clark to step up to the plate. the team is playing awful in front of their goalies not only because they don't have faith but also because they don't believe! A bunch of rookies on the Leafs believe they can amke the playoff and as futile as that goal may seem their belief is making them play above their level. Murray said it himself after his first game behind the bench. One opposition goal and every shoulder on the bench dropped four inches! Gutless bunch! Shane really. i was looking forward to a heckuva run before but now fins myself following the Habs closely. Gutsy effort from a far weaker roster!
  22. The Seeker from Toronto, Canada writes: As a die hard Leaf fan, I'll offer my humble opinion - Gerber hasn't been playing terrible, it has been his defence (like some posters above had alluded to).

    The once great Ottawa defence has become terrible. Fix that and you'll right the ship - but, do you have enough time to do it?

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