5
OTTAWA — There was a telling moment in Bryan Murray's news conference Sunday when the Ottawa Senators' head coach and general manager was asked about the fact that both of last year's Stanley Cup finalists are on the ropes this year.
The Anaheim Ducks, who won the 2007 Stanley Cup by beating the Senators in five games, are now, like the Senators, down 2-0 in the first round of the NHL playoffs. Murray pointed out several things troubling the Ducks, who are trailing the Dallas Stars, but he could just as easily been talking about his own team.
“I think everybody learns from the guy [who] won,” he said. “I think what Dallas has done is really neutralize Anaheim's defence. I think they've really pressured them consistently and made them pay for almost every penalty.
“It is a grind. [The Ducks] have got Corey Perry out and he's a big part of what they do. Injuries, mentally and physically, catch up to you if you play a lot of games year after year. Teams have done it in the past, but I don't know that many teams have the depth to carry on when they have guys that are tired or hurt or whatever it may be.
Related Articles
“[The Ducks] may bounce back. They certainly have the ability to do so, but it seemed [Saturday] night like they just couldn't keep up the pace throughout the whole game.”
And so it goes for the Senators, who are down 2-0 in the Eastern Conference quarter-final against the Pittsburgh Penguins and desperately hoping to find some inspiration Monday on home ice in the third game.
The Stanley Cup hangover has had the Senators in its grip since January, when they began stumbling to ruin a 15-2 start to the season. There was also the Ray Emery soap opera, as the dyspeptic goaltender sulked about his diminished role. Then Martin Gerber had his own troubles in goal, followed by the scorers going south late in the season.
As the regular season ended, the coup de grâce came with injuries to Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher. They joined centre Chris Kelly on the sidelines, and the Senators, once considered as deep as anyone in the league, looked awfully thin.
Now, they have to think about playing the third game against the Penguins without centre Jason Spezza. He said on Saturday he jammed his leg in Friday's 5-3 loss, but that he expected to play Monday.
However, Spezza was not able to dress for Sunday's practice, and Murray said it will not be known until Monday whether Spezza can play. There were also hopes for a miracle comeback by Alfredsson Monday, but he was also unable to practise and is unlikely to play Monday.
As if all this was not enough, goaltender Martin Gerber went down early in Sunday's practice as almost all of his teammates rushed over to him. Gerber, the Senators' best player in this series, took a slap shot from teammate Christoph Schubert off the throat guard of his mask. Luckily for the Senators, he was able to shake it off and finish practice.
Aside from injuries, the Senators have the same problems Murray saw in the Ducks. The speed and skill of Penguins stars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby have their defence reeling. As Senators defenceman Mike Commodore noted Sunday, when you see those two guys flying at you over the blueline, it's hard not to take a penalty.
Murray would like his forwards to put similar pressure on the Penguins' defence, which is not as deep as their forward lines, but it isn't happening. The Crosby and Malkin lines are controlling the puck whenever they are on the ice, and the two other lines are playing an effective physical game.
How bad is it for the Senators' forwards? Commodore leads the team in playoff scoring with two points.
The players spent Sunday's media session talking about how the grinders such as Chris Neil, Shean Donovan and Dean McAmmond had to “step up,” but unless they can figure out a way to neutralize Malkin and Crosby, this will be a short series.
In hopes of finding some offence, Murray will stick with the line he put together in the third period of Friday's loss to the Penguins. Dany Heatley will play left wing with centre Antoine Vermette and right winger Cory Stillman. If Spezza can play, he will be back with wingers Nick Foligno and Martin Lapointe. If Spezza cannot go, his spot on the roster would be taken by 22-year-old rookie Alexander Nikulin, who was called up from the Senators' farm team on Saturday.
