It was almost inevitable that the Ottawa Senators would suffer a letdown a night after expending a lot of energy coming back on home ice to the New York Islanders.
The Rangers made sure that happened with 2 first period power play goals and the Senators didn't have an answer as they dropped a 4-1 decision at MSG.
It was the 3rd game in 4 nights for the Senators and Craig Anderson, not an excuse but certainly a factor. Playing from behind takes a lot of energy and they have had to do that with regularity so far this season.
There were some good things that came as a result of the loss. First, we know that Kyle Turris must not have any bones or ligaments in his lower leg, because the way it was twisted on Saturday night it looked bad, if not season-threatening. And there he was in the lineup on Sunday, looking none the worse for the wear.
Second, the Senators certainly didn't give up. Although Henrik Lundqvist is no Jaroslav Halak and a comeback wasn't in the cards despite a number of quality chances.
Third, there was the "us against the world" mentality that the Senators are starting to exhibit. They are standing up for each other, and there was no better example than Erik Karlsson going to confront Tanner Glass after what he thought was a questionable hit on Marc Methot. Karlsson didn't do enough to take a penalty, but he made his feelings known and came to the defense of his partner. On the same play, Dave Cameron came to the defense of his team and although he took a bench penalty that resulted in the 2-0 goal for the Rangers, that one might have been worth it in an effort to show he has the back of his players. Doing it all the time and whining to the officials is not something that should be done on a regular basis, but sometimes blowing your top can rally a team for that game and future games as well.
Craig Anderson, despite the workload was great and there wasn't anything he could do on the goals against him. The first one was a screened shot from Ryan McDonagh, followed by a deflection on the second goal by Derick Brassard, both power play markers. The third one to beat him was a rocket off the post and in, a well placed shot from Brassard on the rush. Still, you have to hope that Andrew Hammond is soon ready to give him at least a bit of a break, because the workload is bound to catch up to Anderson if it goes on much longer.
While the Sens didn't give up, they were thwarted when they attempted sustained pressed in the third period and managed just 3 shots on goal. The Senators had more shot attempts than the Rangers in the game, but New York's defensive shield blocked as many shots as the Senators put on Lundqvist (24).
It was a tough loss, but not unexpected and not the end of the world by any means. It was a night where the thoughts were there but the execution wasn't. The Senators made their fair share of errors as well, and fatigue was a factor at times. There were also times where the Senators best line was the 4th line of Prince, Dziurzynski and Neil, who had the energy because they weren't used as much against the Islanders on Saturday. That line accounted for the goal, with Marc Methot's point shot getting through assisted by Prince and Dziurzynksi with Neil causing havoc in front of Lundqvist.
There was also the interesting strategy of playing Zack Smith on the second line with Mark Stone and Mika Zibanejad. It had its moments but on the whole wasn't overly effective.
The team now travels to Florida where they will finish off their 4 game road trip with 3 divisional games. The next two games are against teams chasing them in the Standings (Florida on Tuesday and Tampa on Thursday) followed by a visit to the Bell Centre to face the Habs.