Anderson, Sens Crumble in Second, Lose 5-2 to Vancouver
By Alex Swift
The Ottawa Senators started this game unlike so many others this season. They were actually playing like the team we thought they could be. After a Clarke MacArthur top cheese snipe, Ottawa came out of the 1st period winning 1-0. Then the second happened. Defense and goaltending are still clearly this team’s problem. People will want to blame Andy for this game, but the defense hung him out to dry. Again.
Burrows trying to give some lucky fan a kiss. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Game Recap
Clarke MacArthur is still a G. Flying down the wing in the first, he looks over at Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan, decides to shoot short side and snipes it short side over Roberto Luongo’s shoulder. 1-0 Ottawa. The team actually played pretty well in the first, carrying over momentum from the last two periods of the Washington game. Apparently this team CAN put three straight periods of hockey together, just not in the same game. And not more than three periods at a time, as was made obvious by the atrocious second period. After Kyle Turris blasted a puck off Bobby Lou’s neck (he would remain in the game, and actually take another puck off the neck later in the game), the wheel’s fell off. 15 seconds after the Kyle Turris shot, Daniel Sedin ties the game at 1. 45 seconds later, David Booth scores to make it 2-1. Less than 3 minutes later, it’s 3-1 as Jason Garrison gets set up for a beautiful one-timer that Andy had absolutely no chance on. In the span of 4 minutes, Ottawa goes from up 1-0 to down 3-1. Story of the season. Midway through the period, Dale Weise pushes past Eric Gryba, forcing the defender to get to close to Andy, and ends up kneeing him in the head. While Anderson is down, Weise puts an easy wrist shot into the open net. 4-1 Vancouver. Instead of pulling Andy here, Paul MacLean elects to keep the “#1 goalie” in the net- that is, until he takes another knee to the head, this time in the midst of a scramble. After seeing his starter on the ice, MacLean finally gives the nod to Robin Lehner. With little time remaining in the second, Mika Zibanejad manages to put a backhand by Luongo, and Ottawa goes to the dressing room down only 4-2. That was as close as they’d get though, as Mike Santorelli would put a wrist shot past Lehner, and that was all she wrote. Ottawa loses 5-2.
Senshot’s Player of the Game
Mika Zibanejad. He played hard all game, scored a dirty goal, and had some nice hits. He’s really starting to round into the power forward the team wanted when they drafted him.
Notes and Observations
Ottawa is not very good right now. The defense, even minus scapegoat Jared Cowen, was awful. Craig Anderson was awful. The offence was awful. Nothing worked last night. This team need’s a huge turnaround, and fast, or they’re gonna be out of the playoffs without a first round draft pick if they don’t.
Up Next
The game we’ve all been waiting for since July 5th, Daniel Alfredsson and the Detroit Red Wings come to town for the first time this year. Ottawa is 2-0 against Detroit so far this year, both games happening at the Joe Louis Arena.