The All-Star break is upon us and only one Senator is heading to the follies: Erik Karlsson. Well deserved if you ask me. Tied for the most point on the team with "that other Swede" Daniel Alfredsson, and one of the few D-men in the league to lead his team.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team gets a little break to ponder the rest of the season and what may occur once Bryan Murray is done working the phones. They should be concentrating on honing their skills as a team. No matter how many moves Murray makes at the trade deadline, the bulk of the roster will remain unchanged.

The OT period against the Sabres was a microcosm of what's wrong with the Senators, and what they should be working on. The last line change is the main thing that led to the puck being in the back of the net. Chris Kelly was visibly waving for someone from the bench to take his place, but there was no one ready, which allowed a lone Sabre in on goal against Brian Elliott.

The second is clearing attempts. The entire cycle that the Sabres spent in the Sens zone that led to the winning goal is due to Karlsson not ensuring that the puck did indeed clear the zone. I don't know how many times the Sens have been guilty of that oversight this season, and they've paid the price all too often. It's better to ice the puck then to fail to clear. Icing allows you to reset the play, allows for a short break, and may lead to puck posession. A failed clearing attempt leaves the Sens tired but still skating, out of position, and reacting.

The third aspect didn't occur in O.T., but was prevalent earlier in the game... and the game before that... and the one before that: shots that miss the opposing net. Mike Fisher had a chance to nail the coffin shut on the Sabres with 6 seconds remaining in the game, but shot wide. He's not the only one. Chris Phillips had a dandy of a chance, and missed as well. I've lost count of the number of posts that we've hit. That's just players trying to be cute and aiming for top corners. Shooting on the goalie may lead to a goal, a good rebound... at least it's a chance. A missed shot is a wasted opportunity.Let's get the kinks out.

GO SENS GO!!

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