Fire still burns for Senators’ Lehner
Goaltender not content to tank season away
In theory, the predictable fall from grace should be easier to accept. Fans of the Ottawa Senators seem to think so, some of whom chanted the name of the pending first overall draft pick, “Connor McDavid!” during the club’s most recent loss, Saturday’s 4-1 defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
With the loss, the Senators fell to 14th place in the 16-team Eastern Conference, and 26th of 30 teams overall, meaning the quandary between aspiring for a longshot playoff berth versus being a lottery team for the June entry draft is long over.
Lottery draft: meet 2014-15 Ottawa Senators.
Fans and media might have fun with this, perhaps even relish the idea of Ottawa acquiring one of the elite 18-year-olds from a deep draft. For players in that dressing room, though, it’s another thing all together.
The anguish over another unnecessary loss was apparent on Saturday, when goaltender Robin Lehner threw his goal stick in disgust after the Blue Jackets’ fourth goal. Lehner had played well, battled Curtis McElhinney to a scoreless draw for 44 minutes, then was victimized by two quick goals, sat on the bench for an emptynet goal, and re-entered the net as his teammates stopped playing in the dying seconds. They gave up the fourth goal with 13 seconds on the clock. That was the last straw for the 23-year-old Lehner, thrust into the starter’s role since the All-Star break by Craig Anderson’s lingering hand injury.
Head coach Dave Cameron spoke to Lehner after the game, told him he felt he was showing up his teammates and displaying negative energy by throwing his stick. Lehner, though, was not really backing down.
“It’s unacceptable by me, but I’m a competitive guy,” Lehner said. “I’m not going to excuse myself for that, I don’t want to let in goals, I don’t want to lose and I think we gave away the third one in a row here. It stinks.”
It was also the third game in a row in which the Senators have scored one goal, leaving Lehner in a position of needing to pitch a shutout to win. Ottawa’s last victory was a 7-2 rout of Arizona on Jan. 31.
“As a professional, I’ve got to get better at it,” Lehner said, about his emotional outburst,
the “but I’m not going to apologize for it.”
Asked if he were “mad at the situation,” a salt-in-thewounds goal, Lehner said:
“No, I’m mad at the situation, I’m mad at the goal, I’m mad at me letting in that goal, I’m mad at us not following the structure. I’m not mad at a specific player, or a specific guy.
“I love all our guys, we all try our best but we’ve got to stick within the structure a little bit better.”
All those who feel the Senators are happily “tanking” the season from here out should have felt the burn from Lehner’s eyes as he spoke. Or, heard the number of times forwards Kyle Turris and Mark Stone used the words “frustrated” or “frustrating” to describe chances missed. Both players hit the goal post, among other Ottawa opportunities, while generating 35 shots at McElhinney. Checking winger Erik Condra scored the Senators’ lone goal.
The idea that the Senators are supposed to coast to their lottery fate is lost on most of the players. Maybe the hopelessness will sink in soon.
“We’re all NHL players, we’re all competitive guys. We’re not going to throw the season out — let’s go golfing — that’s not what it’s about,” Lehner says. “We have a lot of young guys that need experience. Myself included. Every game I play — I’ve just got to get better, soak it in, along with another 65% of our team. And even our best guys can get better.”
Stone had six shots on goal, and of course that doesn’t include the post he dented.
“We’re falling out of it every game right now,” Stone said. “Teams are winning, so it’s frustrating. We’re only scoring one goal a game. We’re getting chances. You can’t just be getting chances now, it’s time to start scoring. Especially me.”
Stay tuned, there will be lots of news in the weeks ahead. Veteran players will move, young players will take on added roles in a schedule that still has 31 Ottawa games remaining. The next one is in Buffalo Tuesday (insert punch line here) against the lastplace Sabres.
“Catching” the Sabres for last place and a better shot at McDavid is about as unrealistic as a playoff spot.
Symbolically, though, Ottawa is closer to this neighbourhood than to that neighbourhood of contenders in the northern reaches of the standings. Accepting that doesn’t come easily for players like Robin Lehner.
“The day you guys see me not get angry, then pray I’m gone,” Lehner says. “Because then I’ve given up.”