It's been a rapid decline for what was once - arguably - the best team in the Eastern Conference. The Senators have gone from juggernauts and Stanley Cup favorites to also rans in what seems like a blink of an eye.
What happened?
Well...their difference makers got real expensive, they bet on the wrong horse on the back-end, their up-and-comers turned out to be nominal players and they gave away 75% of their blueline for next to nothing over a short span. Then there's the goaltending.
This year, the Spezza-Heatley-Alfredsson combination that carried the team no matter what else went right or wrong...isn't. Previously elite players at ES, Heatley and Spezza are hovering around the 2 ESP/60 range (2.06 and 1.65!! respectively). Spezza has a marginal corsi rating. Heatley's is negative. Only 36 year-old Daniel Alfredsson has looked like a player 5on5 for Ottawa this year. Sean Donovan is 3rd on the team in terms of even-strength scoring efficiency. For real.
Something is definitely rotten in the Capital (aside from the politicians). The Senators just shouldn't be this bad. They are 10 points out of a play-off spot and have the fewest goals for in the league. The New York Islanders, headed by Richard Park and the doddering Doug Weight, have scored 10 more times than Ottawa.
So, yes, this is a very winnable game this evening. Not only are the Sens one of the worst teams in the league in general, their away record is a league worst 3-9-2.
On the Flames front, I don't expect any real changes to the roster. Bonus points to anyone that can come up with a plausible reason why Keenan keeps suppressing Dustin Boyd in favor of farm call-ups. My latest theory is Keenan wants a "playable" 4th line this year and is using Boyd to prop up Roy and Nystrom in the absence of Primeau.
Yeah...it sounds phony to me too. But yay positivity, right??
Prediction - Calgary 5, Sens 3. Iginla, Boyd, Phaneuf, Bourque and Langkow for the Flames. Heatley (2) and Kuba for the Sens.
