One Fan's Perspective

Since the Anaheim Ducks star Defenseman Chris Pronger was suspended for game four of the Stanley Cup Finals, one would think that the Ottawa Senators would take advantage of the situation and pick up where they left off on Saturday night. For awhile there, especially during the first period, it looked like that would happen.

Daniel Alfredsson scored on a late power play goal in the first period thanks to a creative call that sent Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf to the penalty box.

Then the unthinkable happened.

The Senators came out flat for the second period and the Ducks, as expected, came out for war.

Ducks forward Andy McDonald scored two at the half-way point of the second period, with former Coyotes defenseman Sean O’Donnell providing an assist on McDonald’s second goal.

Then, for some reason, Alfredsson loses his mind and seems to fire the puck straight at Scott Niedermayer.

Not only was this a classless thing to do, but a stupid one. Why shake the hornets nest? Why provoke a raging giant? Why run the risk of throwing the game and the series away on a thoughtless, selfish play?

Danny Heatley scores in the third, but to no avail, and the Ducks seal the game with a deflection by Dustin Penner from a cross ice pass by former Winnipeg Jet Teemu Selanne. The Senators defenseman elected not to defend against the pass and Selanne and Penner easily converted on their 2-on-1.

So what is worse in the hockey world, a wayward elbow that knocks out his opposition, or a player that rockets the puck towards his opponent? Alfredsson should be held just as accountable for his actions as Pronger was for his.

Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Hockey, NHL, Ottawa Senators, Stanley Cup Playoffs by pbcoyotes
No Comments »

As expected, the Ottawa Senators came out to fight and make the Anaheim Ducks earn the right to raise the Cup. They found a way to win.

The go ahead goal of the night was initiated by former Phoenix Coyotes player Oleg Saprykin. Through a strong Senators forecheck led by Saprykin, Dean McAmmond scored the Senators fourth goal, where Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger tipped the puck past his goaltender J.S. Giguere.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOuIu_k5dgY]

One thing is certain; there is a series and nothing is decided until one team wins four games.

Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Chris Pronger, Dean McAmmond, Hockey, NHL, Oleg Saprykin, Ottawa Senators, Stanley Cup Playoffs by pbcoyotes
No Comments »

One mistake can cost you the game and it’s a lesson the Senators are learning all too quickly as they are now down 2-0 to the Anaheim Ducks.

The distance between winning and losing is a very fine line. If the Senators scored on their 5-on-3 opportunity on Monday night, and on their next 5-on-3 opportunity last night, I posit that the complexion of the series would be much different.

Instead, the Senators come up short, the Ducks line of Samuel Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer, and Travis Moen are just better than the checking line from the Senators squad as well as the Senators top line.

We should be talking about Teemu Selanne scoring prowess or Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, and/or Daniel Alfredsson. However, we are not and the overused cliché applies again to the Senators, where the best players need to be the best players.

What the Ducks get is support from their supporting cast and that’s the key to winning a series.

Pahlsson nutmegs Joe Corvo with a shot where Corvo’s back is to the attacking player. Don’t ask me how that happens, but it does and it’s an incredible shot by Pahlsson.

And now the Sens are in the same position as the Buffalo Sabres last week: trying to find a way to win against huge odds.

Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Hockey, NHL, Ottawa Senators, Stanley Cup Playoffs by pbcoyotes
No Comments »