It certainly wasn't the way the Senators wanted to end what had been, to that point, a pretty successful homestand. After taking 5 of 6 possible points, the Senators couldn't solve James Reimer despite peppering him over the second half of the game, and some poor defensive play led to some iffy goaltending that led to a bitter loss for the home side.
Here are some random thoughts from the game:
*They started out ok, and it looked like they had an answer for Reimer, but if they showed anything, it is that they don't quite have the guns to play run and gun hockey. There were numerous mistakes made by numerous players that resulted in the Senators blowing 3 one goal leads and not having an answer in the second half. Toronto scored 3 unanswered goals after the 6 minute mark of the second period to run away with the game.
*Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone each scored for the Senators, and Kyle Turris scored his first in a dozen games, but it wasn't enough to overcome...
*Some serious defensive lapses and poor/unlucky goaltending from Robin Lehner. I had expected a big game from the big Swede, finally getting some action after sitting for 3 games. It would be tough to place the blame completely on Lehner, but a couple of questionable goals that shouldn't go in were the difference in the end.
* He didn't get much help as on certain occasions you were just left asking "what was he doing there?" with respect to plays by the likes of Erik Karlsson and Chris Phillips.
* James Reimer was the difference maker for the Leafs, making 38 stops as the Senators outshot the Leafs 41-30. It was just the third time the Senators outshot their opponents this season, and their record when that happens is now 0-1-2. They are 6-3-1 when getting outshot and 1-0-0 when shots are even.
* It was just one of those nights where nothing really went right over the last 40 minutes, despite some good efforts. Every mistake seemed to end in the back of the net, and it is tough to really break that down. Chalk it up, learn from it and move on.
* A game like this is the reason why that extra "skills competition" point they dropped on Saturday was so important. On a 4 game homestand, taking 6 instead of 5 points might not seem like a lot, but it makes a big difference. They are now heading on the road on a two game losing streak.
* Karlsson in particular struggled again, and his play on the goal that resulted in the shorthanded winner by Mike Santorelli was just further evidence of how good he is with the puck, and how he needs to focus much more without it. Take the puck or take the body, but he did neither.
*The Senators semed to be victims of bad bounces over the weekend, and not to make excuses, but I wonder how good the ice has been. I used the word "misfire" yesterday and the bad bounces just kept coming. However, both teams have to play on that ice, and it didn't seem to affect the opposition as much.
* So indeed, the Senators embark on a very important road trip that will see them play 3 games, none back to back, against beatable teams. The Canucks are up first, coming off a shootout win over the undermanned Ducks after getting embarassed by the Kings on Saturday night. The Oilers are stuck at the bottom of their division because, well, they are the Oilers. They aren't the pushovers they have been, but they are definitely beatable. The Flames have been on fire (pun intended) and might be the biggest surprise in the league so far. However, they have done most of their winning away from home and are currently 2-2-2 at home. How the club performs on the trip will go a long way to determining if they are pretenders or contenders (for a playoff spot).
* It is tough to sit here and criticize the effort but that result against that team is frustrating for the fan base as well as the team itself. Forty-one shots on goal, 17 blocked and 16 more that missed the net.
* Ottawa had a 59% Corsi rating, and over the long term that should win way more than it loses, according to those who boost the Analytics part of the game. Ottawa just seems to be backwards in that regard this season. I know it is early and small sample size, but they seem to buck that trend on most nights. But on most nights they get (and rely on) quality goaltending, and that was lacking on Sunday, Lehner's second tough start in a row.
Senators fans hope for a better result on Tuesday night in Vancouver.