Now that the NHL Follies are over (aka the All-Star break) we can get back to the serious business of real hockey.



You could really tell how rusty both team were in New Jersey. It was a pretty even match the whole way except on two counts: the Sens couldn't get in cleanly into the Devils' zone, and they couldn't put the puck on the net. A lousy six shots after two periods. It sucked. The Sens needed a 5 on 3 to ensure that they got on the board. Not pretty.

For your viewing pleasure, here is a brief list of the worst offenders who missed the net against the Devils:

• Matt Carkner from the slot
• Erik Karlsson  from the slot
• Chris Phillips from the high slot
• Chris Kelly from the inside of the face-off circle
• Milan Michalek from the slot
• Chris Campoli from the face-off circle
• and probably the worst one, Zack Smith who after some tremendous work to get past the opposing D-men, missed the net with his shot.

The list does not include the shots from the point (which were numerous) that missed the net. Therein lies the bulk of the Sens' problem right now. The back office might consider getting Mike Bossy in to give the guys a lesson in shooting for the net. There was no one better than Bossy who seemed to instinctively know where the cage was no matter what he was doing.

Nevertheless, the win was undeserved by the Devils. The flukey goal that deflected off Phillips and past Robin Lehner was a real heartbreaker. Lehner deserved better as he was rock solid for the Sens. Let's get back on track against the Wings.

GO SENS GO!!