Pen’s sweep Sen’s

For a season that started out with such promise, it abruptly ended for Ottawa last night. The Senator’s started the 2007 season the way they finished off the previous season where they made it into the Stanley Cup final. Coming up to the Christmas break Ottawa was cruising along in first place in the Eastern Conference with no other team even close to them. Then something strange happened after we rung in the new year of 2008. Ottawa began to look ordinary and along with the circus act of Ray Emery, the Senator’s began a freefall in the standings, which try as they might, they just could not correct.

Over the course of the second half of the season even The Toronto Maple leafs had a better won/loss record. Ottawa looked anything but a playoff caliber team. I thought, and I am sure I was not alone, that once the season was over and the playoffs began. Ottawa would draw on the experience and adversity they went though the year before in making it to the cup final. Well I was completely wrong and they just could not right the ship.

Injuries did not help them either as they were without Mike Fisher (in my opinion there best two way player and shut down guy) for the whole series. Daniel Alfredsson made an appearance in games 3&4 to try and give his team an emotional boost, but it just did not happen. Alfredsson played with a torn MCL ligament and just did not have any lateral movement or breakout speed. Spezza was also nursing a sore knee as well and did not look his usual self. Danny Heatley was all but invisible in the whole series. The telling story was that Marion Hossa managed more shots on goal in the final game than Heatley did in the whole series.

So Ottawa is gone and one Canadian team bites the dust. If I were a betting man I would wager that the Senators with look a lot different once September rolls around. Heatley’s and Jason Spezza’s big contracts kick in next year so they will have to prove they are worth the investment.

Sincerely Walt Webb