Well, the Olympic break is finally over, which gave us all a chance to feel great about being Canadian. But it's none too soon for Senators who performed dismally last night having forgotten in two weeks all the lessons learned throughtout the season so far.



It was with a bowed head and steam coming out of his ears that coach Cory Clouston headed for the locker room after the game. The game, especially the second period, was rife with giveaways and defensive errors. Matt Carkner especially got caught flat-footed a few times. Carkner, a physical player, has to understand that it's not ALL physical. Then there was Chris Kelly who forgot the "shoot the puck" lesson in the dying minutes of the second, and tried to reach a totally out-of position  Jarkko Ruutu instead of putting the puck on the net.

Unfairly, Brian Elliott paid for the errors in front of him. It can be argued that he let in some weak goals, but it can also be argued that he was screened, bumped and had zero help in front of him. And while Pascal Leclaire did prevent another goal from going in, I am still unimpressed by his sprawl style which makes me cringe everytime I see it: it only allows him the first save, and leaves him hoping for a miracle if there's a second shot.

All in all, I'm glad this game is behind us and not in front of us; the rust had to be shaken loose. But now the Sens need to put a win together, a second loss after such a long break could have psychological repercussions that the team doesn't want to dwell upon at this late stage of the season.