‘This is the game that matters’
The Ottawa Senators don’t have any time to feel sorry for themselves.
The Senators went back to work Monday, the worst playoff loss in franchise history behind them, and their Stanley Cup dream on the verge of being crushed. Now or never. Do-or-die. Yes, any cliche applies to the challenge the Senators are facing.
Coming off a 7-0 loss to Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday to fall behind 3-2 in the Eastern Conference final, the Senators held a rare 25-minute practice at the Canadian Tire Centre — what could be their final one this season if they can’t force a Game 7 — as they try to stave off elimination in a must-win Game 6 Tuesday night.
Captain Erik Karlsson along with defenceman Cody Ceci and centre Derick Brassard — who all left the loss early for precautionary reasons — weren’t on the ice but all are expected to suit up while the possibility exists defenceman Mark Borowiecki could play for the first time since Game 2 against the Boston Bruins in Round 1.
Before they skated, Ottawa coach Guy Boucher and his staff went over the tape of the ugly loss. The advice he gave was simple: This is no time to sulk or feel sorry for yourselves because the only option now is get back to playing the kind of hockey that has moved them to within two wins of a trip to the final.
“Today’s a new day and we wanted to make sure we knew what we need to focus on and reload mentally, physically, emotionally and move on,” Boucher said Monday. “We can’t be sitting in our mud puddle, we’ve got to get up and go.
“That’s been what we’ve done all year and through the playoffs so (Tuesday) we’re coming in fresh and ready to go.”
The Senators believe they’ve faced this adversity before when they lost two straight to the New York Rangers in Round 2 to allow them to tie up the semi-final at 2-2 and before Ottawa closed it out with a 4-2 series victory. Sure, but that wasn’t nearly as dire as the situation the club is facing because Ottawa’s season was never on the line.
Yes, the Rangers were talented, but the Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup champions and despite Boucher’s argument to the contrary, Pittsburgh has gotten better in the two straight wins they’ve posted while the Senators have come apart at the seams which means they need to find their game or the season is curtains.
“I don’t see a trend,” said Boucher. “I see one bad game.”
OK, but it’s hard to argue with the fact the Penguins have made adjustments and they shredded the Senators to pieces defensively Sunday plus goaltender Matt Murray has allowed only two goals in the nearly nine periods he’s played since taking over for MarcAndre Fleury in Game 4.
The Senators would prefer to look forward and not back at their shockingly bad effort in a game that meant so much.
“We talked about it right after the last game: A loss is a loss,” said forward Zack Smith. “It doesn’t change the fact that the guys are embarrassed the way it ended but you’ve got to erase that right away.
“We kind of thought we had that put behind us and then we come out here to do media and then you guys remind us of exactly everything that happened and how bad and how terrible we were but we’ve been putting it behind us since the end of the game. It doesn’t do us any good to dwell on it.
“It’s something for you guys to write stories about but in our minds and in the room we’ve put that behind us and we’re focused on tomorrow.”
Boucher said the Senators have to start by playing the right way and he’s hoping the way they lost Sunday will serve as a wakeup call.
“If we stay away from our strengths, there’s no chance. We have to put our strengths on the ice,” said Boucher. “We went in last game trying to run and gun it with the best offensive team in the league, and that’s the result we got.
“That’s the result we’re going to get if we run and gun it. We’re aware of that. We got slapped, and hard enough. So the reality sets back in, and we know how we have to play to give ourselves a chance.”
The challenge now is to keep the season alive.
“We’ve got to stay in the moment. I know it’s hard when you’re so close to going to a Cup final,” said winger Viktor Stalberg. “That’s all we can do. We have to find a way to win tomorrow. That’s all we can control.
“This is the game that matters. We can’t look further than that. (Tuesday) night is what matters. We’ve got to come and give all we’ve got. We’ve to stick with our systems, play our systems better than we did the last five periods. We know we can frustrate them and we’ve played with them in this series.
“We’re still confident in our ability. It’s do-or-die and everybody is going to come to put everything on the line tomorrow night.”
The Senators need a win or tomorrow will never come for this team.