The Carolina Hurricanes and the Senators are pretty evenly matched teams. So how come the Senators fell apart in front of them?

Besides the once again so-so officiating - note to the refs: please decide amongst yourself how severely you will call the game beforehand so the players know what to expect - the Canes gave the Senators a lesson in their own style of play.

The Senators have been trying to perfect the dump-and-chase style of play for a while and weren't successfull because they didn't win the fights for the puck behind the net. Basically, a dump-in equated to a turn-over. Not so with the Canes who showed the Sens how to use speed and grit to gain control of the puck and make the Senators pay.

Ditto on the defensive. The Senators have been trying to find a way to deny the blue line to teams who like to carry the puck in. The Senators were trying their best to carry in last night, but were constantly denied by an aggressive defense, and the Canes squeezed the juice our of every turn-over.

The Senators could have survived with a less embarassing loss - but a loss nonetheless - if it hadnt been for the two weak goals allowed by Brian Elliott, and the awful turn-over allowed by Filip Kuba. Add to that a Sergei Gonchar who stayed on the ice too long, making himself unable to stop a charging Patrick Dwyer.

The Senators weren't all bad. They had moments where they really played well. In the end it's a game of inches, and you have to hit the twine to win games, something the Senators still struggle with.

GO SENS GO!!