69 replies to this topic

[devilsrule33]

I'm not saying they haven't been bad. They have. And I'm not saying that they're a lock to turn it around. I am saying that I've seen enough teams get off to what seem like insurmountably bad starts turn things around...the 2005-06 Devils ring any bells? I've also seen it go the other way too...teams that look unbeatable during the first two months of the season hit the skids later on. That's why I don't get too high or too low anymore early in the NHL season.

I'm curious to see what happens on Friday. If the Senators don't at least come out playing hard after losing to Atlanta, then I don't what it will take to get them going. But until I see them well out of the standings late in the season I can't count them out just yet.

Well the "big 3" will all be on different lines. Hartsburg is really trying to change Spezza's game and make him a lot tougher. What he is doing to get this message across is putting him on a line with Neil and Ruutu. I guess if they are going to get some chances, it probably won't be pretty.

[spyro]

OK the Sens have had the likes of Spezza, Heatley, Alfredsson, Havlat, Hossa, Yashin, and Fisher just to name a few. There problem has and always will be goaltending. Gerber, Auld, Lalime, and Ron Tugnutt

[NJDevs4978]

I'm not saying they haven't been bad. They have. And I'm not saying that they're a lock to turn it around. I am saying that I've seen enough teams get off to what seem like insurmountably bad starts turn things around...the 2005-06 Devils ring any bells? I've also seen it go the other way too...teams that look unbeatable during the first two months of the season hit the skids later on. That's why I don't get too high or too low anymore early in the NHL season.

I'm curious to see what happens on Friday. If the Senators don't at least come out playing hard after losing to Atlanta, then I don't what it will take to get them going. But until I see them well out of the standings late in the season I can't count them out just yet.

Yeah - and those Devils did have two big changes in midseason...namely Patrik Elias and Lou Lamoriello. Ottawa doesn't have an Elias walking through the door to play at an MVP pace and Bryan Murray already tried to be Lou last year without any success. Plus it's not just about this year, it's also the last 50-60 games of last year combined with this year. We all thought last year it was mental with them but it's looking more and more as if this is who they are now.

Edited by Hasan4978, 18 December 2008 - 11:52 PM.

[spyro]

Yeah - and those Devils did have two big changes in midseason...namely Patrik Elias and Lou Lamoriello. Ottawa doesn't have an Elias walking through the door to play at an MVP pace and Bryan Murray already tried to be Lou last year without any success. Plus it's not just about this year, it's also the last 50-60 games of last year combined with this year. We all thought last year it was mental with them but it's looking more and more as if this is who they are now.

True this calander year the Sens have been terrible

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Yeah - and those Devils did have two big changes in midseason...namely Patrik Elias and Lou Lamoriello. Ottawa doesn't have an Elias walking through the door to play at an MVP pace and Bryan Murray already tried to be Lou last year without any success. Plus it's not just about this year, it's also the last 50-60 games of last year combined with this year. We all thought last year it was mental with them but it's looking more and more as if this is who they are now.

None of that is lost on me. And I agree, it's no longer a limited sample...they're up to roughly a full season (even more than that) of subpar play. But I have this weird feeling that we haven't heard the last of them. I actually don't have a great feeling about tonight's game, although I think the Devils going to beat the Flyers on Sunday and Boston on Tuesday.

[Troy from NJ]

Marshall to Friesen...SCORE!

Never recovered.

[CaptainLangs]

They are one of the few teams in the league that I can truly say that I respect.  For a team that built themselves the ground up the right way, it sucks to see them struggling so badly.  But I do agree that their lack of secondary scoring and offensive from the blueline is what's taking its toll on them.  Ottawa does have the talent to give the team secondary scoring (Fisher, Vermette, Kelly), but for some odd reason they just can't seem to get the ball rolling (Kind of like Carolina after '06).  IMO it was right on their part to let Redden and Meszaros walk since both of them wanted waaaaaaay more than what they actually were worth.  However, they're going to need to start scouting or shopping around for puck-moving D-men if they want to get their PP going again.

With the way that organization is ran, I wouldn't be surprised if they will probably take a year or two off to rebuild and actually become a contender once again.  They'll need to do it pretty soon since Alfredsson's tenure with the team could be drawing to a close in four years.

Edited by CaptainLangs, 19 December 2008 - 01:47 PM.

[Devils731]

None of that is lost on me. And I agree, it's no longer a limited sample...they're up to roughly a full season (even more than that) of subpar play. But I have this weird feeling that we haven't heard the last of them. I actually don't have a great feeling about tonight's game, although I think the Devils going to beat the Flyers on Sunday and Boston on Tuesday.

They gave a stat in an OTT game recently where it was some large sample size, like the last 60-70 games or something where OTT is averaging less than a point per contest. I wouldn't have guessed that would happen.

[devilsrule33]

They gave a stat in an OTT game recently where it was some large sample size, like the last 60-70 games or something where OTT is averaging less than a point per contest. I wouldn't have guessed that would happen.

First paragraph of my post...91 points in 96 games. How is that for sample size.

You know this thread is the ultimate jinx for the Devils...

[Devils731]

First paragraph of my post...91 points in 96 games. How is that for sample size.

You know this thread is the ultimate jinx for the Devils...

Oops, my bad.

I said I'm surprised their record is that poor. None of the jinx is on me.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

They gave a stat in an OTT game recently where it was some large sample size, like the last 60-70 games or something where OTT is averaging less than a point per contest. I wouldn't have guessed that would happen.

I just checked out their schedule.

They started out 15-2-0 last year, suffered thorough a stretch where they went 1-5-3, but then recovered by going 13-3-1 over the next 17 games, giving them a record of 29-10-4 on January 12. Since then it's really gone downhill: a 25-34-9 record over their last 68 games, and that doesn't even include the four-game sweep they suffered at the hands of the Penguins. It really turned fast for that group.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

First paragraph of my post...91 points in 96 games. How is that for sample size.

You know this thread is the ultimate jinx for the Devils...

That sample size is a little too big.

Check out their schedule and you'll see that it all really started with a 3-1 loss to the Islanders on January 13.

[devilsrule33]

How about this motivation tactic by Craig Hartsburg.

And again I am paraphrasing, but this is very close to what he said..."If Jason Spezza can't get it done tonight in Jersey with Neil and Ruutu, then we have nothing left to do but sit him out."

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

How about this motivation tactic by Craig Hartsburg.

And again I am paraphrasing, but this is very close to what he said..."If Jason Spezza can't get it done tonight in Jersey with Neil and Ruutu, then we have nothing left to do but sit him out."

Man, they're really down on Spezza in Ottawa. It's not like I watch a lot of Senators games, but the couple of them that I've seen it seems like Spezza's getting a lot of criticism from a variety of sources.

Talent or no talent, it sounds like his coach has had enough.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Ouch. These guys really do stink. What a mess.

[Don]

Well, it was a desperate measure to split up the top line and the whole team looked discombobulated with the line switch-ups.

As much as I hate his absolute guts, Mike Brophy is right about what ails the Senators - it's the defense. As hard as it is to believe, their defense is far more offensively inept than our own!!!

On nights our D can get pucks to the net, we get 5 goals (Buffalo, Ottawa). When our D is getting their shots blocked or shooting wide, we get 2 (Toronto). Ottawa's D have not been able to skate the puck through the neutral zone and not been able to get pucks on net on a consistent basis. Without getting a player like Paul Martin, no matter what the Senators do with their forwards is going to help their situation.

[NJDevs4978]

Well they have Kuba (who was never anything special in Minny and Tampa) and he's got a lot of points this year but other than that their D doesn't chip in at all.

I was literally chuckling when Alfredsson tried to bank the puck in off Clemmensen's helmet, shows you just how desperate they are for goals.

Hartsburg can do whatever and bench whoever he wants, it isn't going to change the fact they aren't that talented anymore. They didn't look particularly desperate either, which I guess tells you they aren't listening to the coach but they've had three coaches in the last year, it goes beyond that.

Edited by Hasan4978, 19 December 2008 - 09:55 PM.

[Don]

Well they have Kuba (who was never anything special in Minny and Tampa) and he's got a lot of points this year but other than that their D doesn't chip in at all.

Well, Brophy pointed out that Kuba scored 11 of his points in the first 8 games when he had a horseshoe up his butt. In the last 22 games he has 9 points which is more in line with his historical numbers.

[Devils Pride 26]

I wonder if we could pry Fisher off of them...

Probably not.

[halfsharkalligatorhalfman]

The Sens looked good for about 40 seconds. But as soon as they fell behind they gave up. They have absolutely no heart.