NEW YORK – The "Kanata Wall" is in need of some repairs.
As the Ottawa Senators left Madison Square Garden with two humbling losses, they were seeking adjustments in system, personnel and execution – or perhaps some combination of the three. It all depended on who you asked.
Guy Boucher dismissed the notion that the New York Rangers had found a way to exploit his team’s defensive approach while generating a slew of odd-man rushes in back-to-back 4-1 defeats here.
Speaking about Game 4 specifically, he seemed to suggest that the Senators fell victim to bad luck on Thursday night.
"I’m not going to start blaming our guys because pucks were going over their sticks," said Boucher. "It happens, and they capitalized on them, so good for them."
His players didn’t sound quite so sure.
Many of them zeroed in on specific aspects of the game that eluded them.
Bobby Ryan thought the Rangers had neutralized Ottawa’s penchant for pinching off the point – something the Sens like to do to force turnovers and extend time in the offensive zone. Derick Brassard talked about how many scoring chances were nullified by New York’s ability to block shots.
Marc Methot was asked why his team looked so flat while allowing New York to even this second-round series at 2-2 and answered candidly: "Honestly, I have no idea."
"We’re preparing, we’re doing everything that we have to do to get ready," said the veteran defenceman. "I mean it’s a good hockey team that we’re playing against. They came out flying again, and we just couldn’t seem to get any momentum going."
It’s hard to believe that it comes down exclusively to a gap in desperation or even skill.
The book on the Rangers all season has been that they’re a team who will punish you in transition. It helps explain how they amassed 102 points while routinely ending up on the wrong end of the possession game.
They are now two wins from the Eastern Conference final and haven’t needed Henrik Lundqvist to walk on water to do it.
"Maybe it’s a good thing for our team to just get a couple slaps in the face and kind of wake up a little bit," said Brassard.
Yes, there is plenty of reason for concern in the Senators camp as the series shifts back to Canadian Tire Centre for Game 5 on Saturday afternoon. Erik Karlsson, the heartbeat of this group, missed the third period of Thursday’s game as a precaution while No. 1 goalie Craig Anderson watched from the end of the bench.
He was pulled after allowing 12 goals on 98 shots over nine-plus periods – an ugly stat line made possible by the play in front of him.
Anderson denied Michael Grabner on a breakaway in the opening minutes of Game 4. Then he had Nick Holden in alone on him and allowed the Rangers defenceman to score with a deke to the blocker side. Then he looked up and saw Grabner and Oscar Lindberg roaring down on a 2-on-0, a play that ended with the first of Lindberg’s two goals on the night.
He managed to stop Mike Zibanejad on a partial breakaway and Rick Nash on a dangerous 2-on-1 rush, but the Rangers just kept coming in waves.
They were blocking shots high in the defensive zone and created a couple odd-man opportunities with chip passes near their own blue line. That earned them some free passes to the Senators goal.
"They’re making a lot of plays," said Brassard. "You know, if you give time to good players they’re going to find ways to pick you apart. We need a better forecheck, a better neutral-zone forecheck, better D-zone, better decisions with the puck."
It wasn’t what you’d expect to see from a team that prides itself on stout defensive play.
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Each of Ottawa’s first eight games during these playoffs was decided by one goal and now they’ve been filled in for two straight. There is obviously still room for optimism – the series is tied and the Senators hold home-ice advantage – but they need to find some answers during the quick turnaround before the next game.
They simply aren’t accustomed to having their coverage sliced open with such ease. Normally they turn the neutral zone into a bog rather than a speedway.
Methot seemed genuinely mystified by the number of high-danger chances the Senators surrendered.
"I think I said that after last game, too," he said. "I mean I thought we gave up too many odd-man rushes and it seems like it’s happening again. It’s something that we need to address and I’m sure we will."
Some seeds of doubt have been planted during this business trip to New York. The summer beckons if they can’t uproot them in a hurry.
"We’re a confident group," said Brassard. "It’s just right now they make it hard on us for the last two games. We just have to go back to our good old ways, you know, and be confident.
"We have a lot of experience in this dressing room and I know we’re going to get through this."
One way or another, the wall needs to be fortified.
