Ottawa needs scoring from more people if it is to win series vs. Devils
It is so obvious even the stone-turners in the media have started to notice.
Nary a member of Ottawa?s second or third lines has checked into this second-round series against the New Jersey Devils with a goal. One hundred, forty one minutes, fifty five seconds - and nada.
?We?d like a couple of guys to step up,? Senators coach Bryan Murray said wryly after Monday?s morning skate, when asked about the need for secondary scoring. ?I?ll mention that to them before the game.?
In Game 1, top shooters Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley beat Martin Brodeur, as did fourth-line centre Dean McAmmond (on a penalty kill) and defencemen Joe Corvo and Wade Redden.
In Game 2, the lamp lighters were Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson.
The second line of Peter Schaefer, Mike Fisher and Mike Comrie produced nine shots on goal in Saturday?s Game 2, with Fisher owning six of them. Unit No. 3, featuring Antoine Vermette, Chris Kelly and Chris Neil, accounted for seven shots in the series opener.
None of them have yet solved Brodeur.
?There?s no question,? said Murray. ?To win a long series you need a variety of people to score for you.?
There?s no question, either, that with the Devils looking to carry momentum from an overtime victory into tonight?s Game 3, the time for the Senators' second and third line to produce more than just good effort, or physical play, or defensive responsibility, is now.
QUICK HITS: Brodeur surprisingly surrendered five in Game 1. Ray Emery allowed at least two he should have had in Game 2. The score in the battle of the two goalies? ?I think their performance to this point has been somewhat comparable,? Murray said Monday morning ... Dany Heatley barbecued salmon for his dinner Sunday. His track record when eating the fish the night before a game? ?I?ll look it up and get back to you,? the Senators sniper said, shaking his head slightly in disbelief of the question ... Brodeur said after the morning skate he will stick with the same pads he wore in Game 2, at least for now. ?No choice,? said the New Jersey star, who pulled a switcheroo after Game 1. ?I didn?t bring anything else? ... Jamie Langenbrunner, whose four overtime playoff game winners ranks him second among all active NHLers on the list, remembers that his first wasn?t quite as sensational as his latest. ?Wasn?t very pretty,? the Devils winger said in the visitor?s dressing room at Scotiabank Place. ?I bounced one in (against Chris Osgood) from the red line, and then we ended up losing the series? ... Neither team is expected to make a lineup change for Game 3.
It is so obvious even the stone-turners in the media have started to notice.
Nary a member of Ottawa?s second or third lines has checked into this second-round series against the New Jersey Devils with a goal. One hundred, forty one minutes, fifty five seconds - and nada.
?We?d like a couple of guys to step up,? Senators coach Bryan Murray said wryly after Monday?s morning skate, when asked about the need for secondary scoring. ?I?ll mention that to them before the game.?
In Game 1, top shooters Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley beat Martin Brodeur, as did fourth-line centre Dean McAmmond (on a penalty kill) and defencemen Joe Corvo and Wade Redden.
In Game 2, the lamp lighters were Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson.
The second line of Peter Schaefer, Mike Fisher and Mike Comrie produced nine shots on goal in Saturday?s Game 2, with Fisher owning six of them. Unit No. 3, featuring Antoine Vermette, Chris Kelly and Chris Neil, accounted for seven shots in the series opener.
None of them have yet solved Brodeur.
?There?s no question,? said Murray. ?To win a long series you need a variety of people to score for you.?
There?s no question, either, that with the Devils looking to carry momentum from an overtime victory into tonight?s Game 3, the time for the Senators' second and third line to produce more than just good effort, or physical play, or defensive responsibility, is now.
QUICK HITS: Brodeur surprisingly surrendered five in Game 1. Ray Emery allowed at least two he should have had in Game 2. The score in the battle of the two goalies? ?I think their performance to this point has been somewhat comparable,? Murray said Monday morning ... Dany Heatley barbecued salmon for his dinner Sunday. His track record when eating the fish the night before a game? ?I?ll look it up and get back to you,? the Senators sniper said, shaking his head slightly in disbelief of the question ... Brodeur said after the morning skate he will stick with the same pads he wore in Game 2, at least for now. ?No choice,? said the New Jersey star, who pulled a switcheroo after Game 1. ?I didn?t bring anything else? ... Jamie Langenbrunner, whose four overtime playoff game winners ranks him second among all active NHLers on the list, remembers that his first wasn?t quite as sensational as his latest. ?Wasn?t very pretty,? the Devils winger said in the visitor?s dressing room at Scotiabank Place. ?I bounced one in (against Chris Osgood) from the red line, and then we ended up losing the series? ... Neither team is expected to make a lineup change for Game 3.
