Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Sens still struggling

It doesn’t seem to matter which goaltender is in the nets of late, putting together a winning streak of more than two games seems like an unattainable goal for the still struggling Ottawa Senators.

Wednesday night in New Jersey the Sens found themselves on the short end of the score sheet, as the Devils claimed victory two minutes into the overtime period as Brian Gionta picked up his 14th goal of the season to secure the win.

Sens coach John Paddock decided to shake up his lines after Tuesday’s listless performance against the Sabres, which saw Buffalo defeat the Senators 5-1, he moved Daniel Alfredsson to the second line moving up Dean McAmmond to skate with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, a move that resulted in an assist for McAmmond on Luke Richardson’s second goal of the year.

But despite Richardson’s sudden zest for scoring, it wasn’t enough as the Sens went down to defeat 3-2, providing more questions for GM Bryan Murray as the trade deadline gets closer and closer.

Considering his woes in the net of late, Murray must be wondering if that is now his main priority or if it’s too far into the season now to try and find a fix with a new face in the nets.

Regardless of his thoughts for now, his team is not making his job any easier with the way they are losing games, one night by a sizeable margin the next one in a squeaker. It all makes for a hard read as to where the problems may be and how best to approach trying to solve them.

Reports out of Ottawa have him seeking another winger and a defenceman, but the cost may dictate how far he goes with that plan.

While he moves the names around on a piece of paper, the Sens will return to the practice rink trying to get their game back while they prepare for a return match with the Devils on Saturday night.

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