In the Eastern Conference, the last two playoff seasons have been tough on the top seeded teams. For the second straight year, the top three teams have fallen to defeat. Last season, the Ottawa Senators finished eighth overall and defeated the Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Devils in round one of the playoffs. This season, the Senators finished first in the Northeast division and were therefore favored to get past the Buffalo Sabres.

Instead of preparing to play in the second round of the playoffs, Senator players find themselves stunned to be able to make other plans for the month of May after they were defeated in four straight games.

Alexei Yashin by Meredith Martini

At first glance, the reasons for such a stunning defeat were not clear. Was the team not playing with enough emotion? Did they have the physical and mental toughness? Was their goaltending adequate? Was the required on-ice leadership lacking? Was Alexei Yashin playing to be traded? And did they have the scoring depth?

After an Ottawa barrage (41 shots, Sabres had 15) in Game One (L 2-1) was held off by the play of Dominik Hasek, the Sabres' confidence grew.

Game Two (L 3-2 OT) was more of a physical affair and a closely fought battle that extended into two overtime periods. For the second game in a row, Michael Peca held Yashin off the scoresheet.

The Senators simply didn't show up for Game Three. Foolish penalties cost them the game (L 3-0).

In Game 4 (L 4-3), the Senators partially redeemed themselves as they rebounded to play a great game, but they could not put enough pucks in the net to win (L 4-3).

Senators leading scorer Alexei Yashin was held pointless during the series. Yashin led all Senators with 44 goals and 94 points this season. Led by Mike Peca, Sabres' defensive specialists played tight physically in open ice against Yashin, leaving him with little skating room. Yashin did end up with 24 shots on goal during the series. With Yashin in his own almost personal war and getting little outside help, his teammates could not win enough corner battles for the Senators to have a chance.

"We will learn from this," said Yashin following the Game Four loss. The next day he made it fairly clear that he was expecting some changes for next season. Yashin is looking for a big raise, and perhaps also for some protection, as he enters the last year of a three-year deal that pays him $3.1 million.

Basically, their are four reasons for Ottawa's series loss. Firstly, Ottawa entered the playoffs in a slump. They did not score an even-strength goal their last three games and this followed through to the first three games of the playoffs. The Sens' power play had virtually disappeared and their overall play in the last few weeks of the season allowed New Jersey to catch and then overtaking them for first place in the Eastern Conference.

The slump continued into the playoffs. An increased level of intensity was not shown. Before each game of the series, Coach Martin urged his players to "have some passion" and to "show some emotion". The team seemed to be playing nervous. Had captain Yashin or someone else on the team played just one breakout type game, the series would more than likely have turned around.

Call the second reason for the series loss the "intimidation factor". The Senators have taken a lot of cheap hits this season and walked away - displaying a lot of patience and confidence as they let their power play do their talking. In Game One, the Sabres did not hit the Senators but, led by Michal Grosek, did some trash talking.

In Game Two, the Sabres went to the body - by some accounts, in the second period alone the Sabres outhit Ottawa 50-20. In the NHL, split seconds are what sometimes makes a difference. The Senators needed to force the play and take the body - something that they were, during the regular season, very good at and something that they did not do during the playoffs. Even with the two-referee system helping to ensure fair play, the team seemed almost to back away from plays in the corners. Very few teams have won both the congeniality contest and the Stanley Cup. The Senators were the least penalized team in the NHL during the regular season; they seemed to lack the capability of helping Yashin and other scorers with their battles.

The third reason may be overall team confidence. From the goalies outward, confidence in the media and inside the team has not been where it should be. Coaching decisions after the Game One loss were openly questioned more so than in the regular season and this has got to have had some impact on the team's play. The Senators have two top caliber NHL goalies. In the playoffs goaltending is critical. While neither Tugnutt nor Rhodes have backstopped their teams to a Stanley Cup, it is possible that both will do so at some point. The Senators are a solid hockey club - but not a mature one - getting past external concerns over who is playing or not and who is playing with who is critical.

The last reason is the play of the Sabres. Buffalo is a solid team that could go to the finals. They are a young team who plays with a little bit of a mean streak and a lot of confidence. In net, Dominik "The Eliminator" Hasek likes and gets a lot of work and often makes the difference. The Sabres do not take the play to the other team but rather they play a close checking defensive game and try to capitalize on their opportunities.

Although the Senators were eliminated in four games, their 1998-1999 season was still their best ever. The team improved by 20 points in the regular season. This season and last has proven that requirements for a the team that does well in the regular season are not necessarily the same requirements for teams that do well in the playoffs.

As a direct result of an early playoff exist, principal owner Rod Bryden will be writing a cheque to the tune of $6 to $7 million to cover 1998-1999 operating losses. With 12 free agents, a requirement to leave one goalie unprotected in the expansion draft, and Alexei Yashin's contract to worry about, whatever the reasons for the series loss, the team has until next playoff season to complete actions that are required to avoid a similar fate next season.

[ issues | nhl archive | home | nhl history | about us | search | comments ]