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Sunday, October 3, 1999
A Flying start
Even without Yashin, Senators able to dominate Philly
But it is not bottomless. Not on a team with the depth and commitment and determination the Senators showed in their 3-0 domination of the Philadelphia Flyers last night in Ottawa's regular-season lidlifter at the First Union Centre.
Without Yashin, the Senators need more from their men in the middle and last night they got it as Radek Bonk played a great two-way game in the face of Flyers captain Eric Lindros, scoring what turned out to be the winning goal on a first-period breakaway.
The other position of uncertainy, the Senators' goaltending, was answered in solid fashion by Patrick Lalime, playing his first NHL game since April of 1997 while replacing the injured Ron Tugnutt. Though he wasn't severely tested, he was solid in turning back all 17 Flyers shots.
Not having Yashin in their lineup does not change the fact the Senators just might be the fastest team in the NHL and when they play like they did last night, any team in the league would wither in the face of their relentless attack.
"That's the key for our team," said Senators coach Jacques Martin. "We want to be a pressure team and use our speed to force the play, especially against a team like the Flyers. You spend too much time in your own zone, you're going to have problems because of their size and skill players."
Yashin's absence robs the Senators of their most potent offensive weapon. But it is not a hole big enough to swallow their hopes of once again being one of the league's elite teams. They proved that last night.
DEEP, DISCIPLINED
"When a team has a star out, they will rally for a while," said Flyers coach Roger Neilson. "Maybe we're not catching them at a good time, but I think they will miss him after a while."
The proof the Senators remain the best-coached and one of the deepest teams in the league became evident as the first period progressed. As Martin rolled over his four lines, the Flyers seemed to lose ground with every wave of red sweaters that came over the boards.
"We got behind the eight-ball and stayed there," said Lindros, who took a dumb penalty at the end of the first period that led to Sami Salo's power-play goal to make it 2-0. Vaclav Prospal completed the scoring with another power-play goal.
"There's basic things we have to do and they're going to have a certain system. Ours is making hits and making passes. There was not a lot of time to make plays tonight."
If there was one cloud on Ottawa's horizon, it was Salo suffering a rib injury near the end of the second period. Martin said he will be re-evaluated today.
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