I guess showing up for half a game is better than not showing up at all, but the results in the win column is the same.
But when the wheels fall off, boy do they ever.
With the Senators up 3-1 at the midway point of the game, Minnesota scored 5 unanswered goals to take a 6-3 lead before Ottawa got one back far too little, far too late.
It is a double-devatstating blow to the Senators' playoff chances because the Bruins, who currently occupy the only playoff spot that Ottawa has a legitimate chance to climb into, also won last night, making the gap a full 10 points. Once you reach double digits, its all but impossible especially considering the number of teams they would also have to climb over in the process to get the third spot in the division, let alone double that amount to catch the Islanders, who have the second Wild Card spot and also a 10 point edge on the Senators.
Erik Karlsson tripled his season goal total with a pair of goals, but it was his lapse in defense that allowed Chris Stewart a free lane to the net for a tap-in that started the Wild on the road to the comeback.
Craig Anderson didn't have a chance on a couple of the goals, but he still allowed 6 goals on 40 shots, which is simply not good enough.
Although his importance is often mocked, I wonder how much the team misses Mark Borowiecki on the blue line. The plan is to have the left defenseman step up either at the blue line or in the neutral zone, and when Borowiecki is on the ice the other team has to be aware, because he is not afraid to throw his body around, and he is relatively effective at that. Opponents simply don't have that fear without him in the lineup, with Dion Phaneuf as the only factor representing any type of physical presence in the lineup.
"The system" was much more effective with a Marc Methot, Borowiecki and Phaneuf patrolling the left side, because all 3 represented a threat if they caught you with your head down. The Senators have given up 4 or more goals in 7 of the 13 games Borowiecki has missed. I am not saying that is the reason they are losing, but it could be more of a factor than many would like to admit.
Whatever it is, they need to do something to fix it, because like I said, you can't draw much from the outdoor game, and now they need to go to Tampa and play one of the best, if not THE best, teams in the league on Thursday night.