Posted on Thu, Feb. 28, 2008

NHL Insider

Fast out of the blocks, Ottawa has slowed at the turn

By TRACEY MYERS

tlmyers@star-telegram.com

Ottawa Senators fans are probably spending a lot of time thinking of their team’s start this season. The Senators looked invincible, streaking through the preseason undefeated and then losing just one game in October.

Times were great for the Sens. Everybody was happy and it looked like they were going to be the Detroit Red Wings of the Eastern Conference.

But a funny thing happened on the way to an easy No. 1 seed. The Senators started sputtering in January. It continued in February. It reached a head this week with a 5-0 loss to Toronto — wasn’t there another team shaken by a 5-0 loss in November? — and a 4-0 defeat to Boston.

The Sens felt they needed a change. So they made one on Wednesday, as coach John Paddock was fired and general manager Bryan Murray took over the reins.

Now if you look at the standings, you might wonder if there was reason for all the fuss. The Senators are the No. 2 seed in the East, just two points behind No. 1 New Jersey entering Thursday night. Doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

Keep in mind, however, how well this team started. They were 15-2 through the early days of November, looking like a team that could just put it on cruise control by January. They had plenty of scoring with offensive machines like Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley. Their goaltending was stabilizing and winning, as Martin Gerber took over for a shaky Ray Emery.

It was all great. And if the Senators would’ve tapered off a tad, they should’ve been head and shoulders above the rest in the Eastern Conference.

Instead, they’re struggling. Their scorers have been hurt at various times this season. Emery’s off-ice behavior and deeds once again took over the headlines. Paddock, nevertheless, apparently still saw Emery as the team’s starting goaltender, but Emery’s 12-11-4 record is hardly the stuff of a No. 1 netminder.

And the Senators’ hold on the No. 2 seed, and the Northeast Division lead, is tenuous. Montreal, the No. 5 seed, entered Thursday just one point behind the Senators. Montreal has won five of their last seven; it wouldn’t take much for them to take over the Northeast Division and a top seed.

So the time to act is now. This is where the Senators benefit from a paltry east: Nobody is too far ahead of anyone. Heck, there’s only one team with 80 points (New Jersey), as everyone else is languishing in the 70s and 60s. Those sound more like central Texas temperatures, rather than point totals this late in the NHL season.

The Senators are looking to rebound fast. They had that magic touch once before, and it can be attained again. Can they recapture that October feeling? Only time — and there’s not much left of it — will tell

Moving up

Brad Richards. When a guy said he feels “let out of a cage,” you know he’s happy to be out of a situation. The forward was on a Tampa Bay Lightning team that was struggling in the standings and in the midst of a sale. Now Richards is with the Stars, the winning, stable Stars, and he’s thrilled to get the chance at the postseason once again.

Moving down

Detroit Red Wings. What’s happening in the Motor City? The victories have dried up, as the Wings have won just one of their last 10 games (1-7-2). Goaltenders Chris Osgood and Jimmy Howard have been shaky. Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski are out. So is Chris Chelios. They’ll get defenseman Niklas Kronwall back tonight, but the Wings’ loss has been the surging Stars’ gain.