The Ottawa Senators had more than a chance to secure a pivotal win last night, they didn’t. Quickly finding out you cannot continually turn the puck over in the playoffs.
Frustration isn’t a strong enough word when describing the Ottawa Senators last night, it was almost the ideal performance. Frustrating the opposition by not allowing shots on Anderson, they frustrated themselves too by not scoring either. The System has worked when the Sens get a couple of guys as a buffer to rely on. In their last ten games they haven’t been able to do that.
Turnovers were the biggest annoyance for the Ottawa Senators last night. Head Coach Guy Boucher didn’t hide his feelings talking to the Ottawa Citizen.
"“There was just giveaway after giveaway after giveaway. One guy gets it, gives it back them, we defend well against it, we give it back to them, we give it back to them. When you give it back, three times or four times to your opponent, it’s the Stanley Cup playoffs, it’ll hurt you.”"
You could see the disappointment and anger on Boucher’s face, they’re a better drilled team than that littered with experience. There were times last night were players looked like rabbits in the headlights, flustered and making irrational decisions. When you’re a team that isn’t blessed with offensive flair you have to stick to your instructions, play simple hockey. Especially from your own zone.
Making it all the more difficult to swallow was the fact that the Ottawa Senators didn’t allow the Boston Bruins a single shot during the second period. The first time they’ve stopped a team from a shot in a period of playoff hockey in franchise history. It totalled more than 25 minutes without Anderson being tested and he conceded on the first attempt in the third. The ripple effect of that was something the Sens would never recover from. To then concede so late in the game dents everyone’s confidence.
Next: Bruins Sneak Away With Game 1
Final Thoughts
We’ve been saying it all season, if they don’t get early goals in, the Ottawa Senators leave themselves open in every single game. This was proven with a shot-less second period which the Sens could not convert into more than a single goal.