Having needed a day to fully comprehend the loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, let’s dissect the setback.
Beating the New Jersey Devils was a shock, no one can dispute that, the injured Sens toppling a (somewhat) playoff contender. Even with a extended list of injuries, fans of the Ottawa Senators could be excused for being confident. The Carolina Hurricanes have fallen off the face of the earth this season, having not too long ago been playoff contenders themselves.
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In all honesty, the Sens never got into the game. The first period was fast paced and the Canes came quickly out of the blocks. Jordan Staal scoring one minute and nineteen seconds into the match. A noticeable celebration in the face off Dion Phaneuf, their feud clearly continuing.
Eddie Lack stood on his head, making 34 saves and securing a rare shutout. Another unexpected event in a rather odd game. Odd in the sense that the Sens have had a few games like this. The Buffalo and St. Louis spring to mind, whenever they begin to show signs of improvement, they fall on their face.
Getting shutout by a team who is bottom of the Eastern and conceding 44 shots is not acceptable, regardless of the injuries. The faceoff percentage is understandable 36-64 in favour of Carolina, missing expert personnel.
The tweet above is the attitude to have going forward. I still stated that .500 percent out of this four-game road trip would be a success. The next two games will be tough there is no denying that. Florida have been electric in recent games, 7-3-0 in their last ten. Tampa will be the best chance to grab two points, but Florida would be a major scalp given how tight the Atlantic is.