Tweet
Coming off a win in Colorado on November 25th, the early Sens season was at it's peak. They had just won four games in a row, were second in the division and looked like they did for the better half of the 2014-15 season. They were scoring at will, with 19 goals in the last four games and only seven allowed, including two shutouts. They had points in the last six games.
Then December hit. Expected by many to be the Sens hardest month of the season, the team has to play every second day and do all of this without backup Andrew Hammond. Coach Cameron knew what was up, and promised Karlsson and the team days off and lighter skates if the record remains good and the team plays well. The Sens have taken 3 of 7, which doesn't appear to be that bad, but frustration is setting in. After a well documented Cameron - Hoffman 'feud', in which the star was benched in the third period when the team was needing a goal, things only got worse Saturday in Montreal.
After stopping a ridiculous 24 out of 25 shots through 19 and a half minutes, Craig Anderson noticed Max Pacioretty wide open in the slot. Before clearing the puck out of the zone, Turris turned it over to Plekanec and Anderson motioned to Pacioretty with his glove. Nobody covered him, and he was left open to walk in and snipe one under the bar. Anderson let his frustration out, batting his stick against the goalpost. In the dying seconds of the period, after another defensive breakdown, Anderson stopped a slapshot purposely with his mask and immediately skated off the ice and into the dressing room without looking at anyone. It's unbelievable to think the Sens could have left the one man putting in the most work out to dry so much in the first period. The Sens allowed 27 shots on goal, the most shots allowed in one period in franchise history, and it even tied Montreal's franchise for most shots on goal in their rich history.
So..what's next for the Sens? With a 15-10-5 record, they sit 7th in the East with 35 points. 8th place sits New Jersey, with 34 points and a game in hand. 9th place sits Pittsburgh, with 33 points and a game in hand. It's a tight race, and if the teams below them win their games in hand, the Sens would be sitting out of a playoff spot. To make matters worse, the schedule only gets tougher. Next up is the Pacific Division leading LA Kings, who have seven wins and points in nine of their last 10. Two days later, they visit Washington, the 20-6-2 powerhouse team that leads the East in points percentage.
Then December hit. Expected by many to be the Sens hardest month of the season, the team has to play every second day and do all of this without backup Andrew Hammond. Coach Cameron knew what was up, and promised Karlsson and the team days off and lighter skates if the record remains good and the team plays well. The Sens have taken 3 of 7, which doesn't appear to be that bad, but frustration is setting in. After a well documented Cameron - Hoffman 'feud', in which the star was benched in the third period when the team was needing a goal, things only got worse Saturday in Montreal.
After stopping a ridiculous 24 out of 25 shots through 19 and a half minutes, Craig Anderson noticed Max Pacioretty wide open in the slot. Before clearing the puck out of the zone, Turris turned it over to Plekanec and Anderson motioned to Pacioretty with his glove. Nobody covered him, and he was left open to walk in and snipe one under the bar. Anderson let his frustration out, batting his stick against the goalpost. In the dying seconds of the period, after another defensive breakdown, Anderson stopped a slapshot purposely with his mask and immediately skated off the ice and into the dressing room without looking at anyone. It's unbelievable to think the Sens could have left the one man putting in the most work out to dry so much in the first period. The Sens allowed 27 shots on goal, the most shots allowed in one period in franchise history, and it even tied Montreal's franchise for most shots on goal in their rich history.
So..what's next for the Sens? With a 15-10-5 record, they sit 7th in the East with 35 points. 8th place sits New Jersey, with 34 points and a game in hand. 9th place sits Pittsburgh, with 33 points and a game in hand. It's a tight race, and if the teams below them win their games in hand, the Sens would be sitting out of a playoff spot. To make matters worse, the schedule only gets tougher. Next up is the Pacific Division leading LA Kings, who have seven wins and points in nine of their last 10. Two days later, they visit Washington, the 20-6-2 powerhouse team that leads the East in points percentage.
Comment