Monday LNN: The Day After
After all that build-up, last night was a bit of a letdown.
Was it all a dream? I only wish. Unfortunately the Ottawa Senators had a rough return to the play-offs last night, suffering a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the hated Toronto Maple Leafs. If you feel like reliving the horror (why?), Beata's got you covered with a recap.
This morning I'm taking comfort in the fact that whether you lose Game One 3-2 in five overtimes or 6-2, it's still just one game. The Sens have made their jobs harder, but this series is far from over. There were going to be trials and tribulations. I'm settling in for the long haul.
- Alex Adams ascribes part of last night's fiasco to the Sens' relative inexperience. I thought the Sens did indeed look a bit jittery in the early going but seemed to settle in as the game went on. The undisciplined play on the other hand, that persisted throughout.
- Over at the Athletic, Julian McKenzie and Joshua Kloke combined for five key take-aways from last night.
- Linus Ullmark didn't exactly have his best stuff last night, but Anthony Stolarz sure did. His 2 GA on 3 xG was a key differentiator.
- While the Sens could do themselves a favour with more disciplined play, it's also the case that there were some pretty soft calls. Travis Green suggests the Leafs' players were doing some selling. Spicy!
- In other series news, the Vegas Golden Knights went up on the Minnesota Wild, and the Carolina Hurricanes overwhelmed the New Jersey Devils.
- ESPN's got a fun overview of all the various goalie masks we'll see in these play-offs
- Before the post-season got started, Ryan Clark put together a mega-preview. His take on the Sens:
Ottawa gives its all in the first round, but an avalanche of rookie mistakes provew too costly to overcome. The Senators can't score when it counts and are swept from the first round.
Feels a bit uncomfortable after last night's Game 1!
- In non-NHL news, the US defeated Canada 4-3 in overtime to take home the gold in the Women's World Championships. It was a heartbreaking defeat for Canada, as they mostly carried the play and probably deserved a better fate.
