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Monday, November 22, 1999
Wanted: Scoring
Sens hope struggling offence recharges in Atlanta
Not only did the Senators take a physical break yesterday, they also had a chance to give their heads a shake.
With four losses in their last five outings, Senators coach Jacques Martin gave the players some time to think, scheduling an off-day before heading back to the drawing board today at the Corel Centre.
Coming off a 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils Saturday afternoon at the Continental Airlines Arena -- the club's third straight loss -- the Senators will have three days to prepare for Thursday's game in Atlanta.
'BACK TO THE GAME PLAN'
"Confidence is something we're going to be talking a lot about in the next three or four days," said Ottawa assistant coach Perry Pearn yesterday.
"What we're going to talk a lot about is getting back to doing what we do best and not getting away from the game plan when things go wrong. It just seems like we get back on our heels a little bit when the other team scores.
"We have to be confident in our game plan. We've got a good game plan and it's just the little things we have to do to be successful. There's just a few things that we're not doing quite as well as we were during the regular season."
In the four losses, the Senators have scored only one goal in each game.
That's not good enough to beat anybody unless your goaltending is perfect and even Patrick Roy has his off-days with the Avalanche.
The Senators need somebody to step up offensively.
Too many forwards are passengers at the moment and they need to start putting the puck in the net.
It's good to get chances, but it's better to cash in on them.
'NOT PLAYING THAT BAD'
"I don't feel like we're playing that bad," said Pearn. "To me, it's just small things and we're still sitting in pretty good shape. This is the best we've been at the quarter-mark in franchise history and we just have to keep working to move forward."
Yes, the Senators have been troubled by injuries.
The good news is Marian Hossa will return from a concussion on Thursday against the Thrashers. Tests revealed that it was only minor.
The blue line has been troubled by the losses of Igor Kravchuk (knee) and Sami Salo (wrist). IHL callups Erich Goldmann (ankle) and Karel Rachunek (knee) are also out, which has left the club short.
Playing three games in four nights hasn't helped.
"In the past we've liked the three games in four nights and it has usually worked out well for us," said Pearn. "It's tough for us right now because we're not healthy and that can make things difficult.
"In some ways, I think the injuries have caught up with us a little bit and we have to be better in all aspects of the game."
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