Senators vs. Ducks: Round 4, Game 2

Ducks 1, Senators 0

PRESIDENT'S 2 CENTS: It's now been beaten to death in ad nauseam fashion, but yes, Ottawa's boys have now lost two regulation games in row for the first time since Santa Claus was making the rounds. Bad thing is, it's happened in the first two games of the Cup final. And boy, did Ray Emery almost steal one for the Sens and gift-wrap it for his team, which struggled mightily again. If anything, Razor's performance proves two thing for sure: not only did he have his best game of the postseason, he also clearly proved, once and for all, that he is a bona-fide, elite, number-one backstopper that can lead a team to a championship. Plain and simple. How about that midair grab in the third? He's surely in contention for a gold glove award too. Come to think of it, the Yankees are 13 or so games behind the Red Sox, and Razor likes the Big Apple's nightlife. The Yanks should make a run at the star Ottawa netminder, who's a free agent come July ... And for the second game in a row, despite being outplayed, the Sens nearly hung on to squeak out a W. Ducks D Sean O’Donnell—in cruel irony, an Ottawa native—made the save of the series when he swatted Peter Schaefer’s otherwise guaranteed tying marker harmlessly off to the side. Moments later, Jason Spezza, Joe Corvo, and Alfie miss glorious chances. The hardest part? Eventually Ottawa wouldn’t get the bounces to go their way, and it just has to happen in the final … Another strong game into the books from giant blueliner Chris Pronger, who along with the Ducks’ shutdown line continues to make life miserable for the Sens. One subtle example was during a second-period power play rush, when Schaefer tried to scoot the puck in along the half boards, where all it took was a slight bump from Pronger to knock Pistol Pete off his trajectory. Unfortunately this example was one of many. Memo to the Sens: please get it in deep and forecheck. Pond hockey will not work in the final, even at the Pond ...

... Yet again, the Pahlsson-Niedermayer-Moen line was fantastic against the Cash(less) Line, which was a combined minus-3 and had six shots on net. The fact that Pahlsson got the game-winner was extra significant, since he had Spezza's number at the faceoff dot. The Spezz Dispenser, normally no slouch on draws, won three of 13, good for 18 percent. Pahlsson blew him out of the water, with an 83 percent showing on 10-and-2. The goal itself was significant too, as the Ducks jumped on Dany Heatley's one registered giveaway of the game (one of 21 to the Ducks' 22) and Sammy potted it ... Speaking of potting it, besides the Schaefer chance at the end, the Sens really should have potted something on their second 5-on-3 in as many games. Mike Comrie should have converted that one-timer, but Giggy would have none of it ... Speaking of Tiny Mike, his first-period cross check on Ryan Getzlaf was pretty much revenge for him taking exactly the same punishment from Getzlaf in Game 1. Not good Mike. Scoring is the best payback ...

… Great CBC camera work in the first period, catching Christoph Schubert taking the puck off the boards and, in the words of Greg Millen “placing it carefully down.” A deft touch shown by the hard-hitting German. Speaking of CBC though, as Canada’s national broadcaster, couldn’t the opening montage have shown just a little less Duck highlights? … A deft touch certainly was not evident when Mike Fisher knocked down Corey Perry in front of the Ottawa net not once, not twice, but five times before finally being sent to the sin bin. Disciplined, physical play is what made Slewfoot successful, and now more than ever it’s needed. You can do better, Mike … Wade Redden struggled again for much of the night, but did show flashes of veteran brilliance again in a first-period penalty kill, where he took two separate hits to make two clearing plays. He’s a top-10 defenceman in this league when he skates his hardest … Speaking of skating hard, the Ducks are not only big, but obviously move with a purpose. After a third-period Fisher hit, the transition to a scoring chance on the other end was impressive. Proof positive? Shots on goal were 27-11 at one point. Pretty one-sided and not indicative of the stereotype of big and slow … AC-DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long,” played during a third-period stoppage, was perhaps a subtle swipe at the Sens by the Honda Center DJ. Because of the Ducks’ fantastic D, you could change the first lyric to “Sens weren’t a fast machine.” …

… Anton Volchenkov’s hit on Corey Perry, for which he was penalized, was really not a penalty. Perry, perhaps intentionally, turned his head at the last second if maybe to draw the boarding call. If so, that was smart but really foolhardy … Bob Cole Line of the Night: “Giguere goes out from his net, you hope he’s right,” he observed during a delayed penalty call against the Sens, when the Ducks clearly had possession of the puck … Don Cherry Suit Rating: a perfect 10 out of 10, for only the second time this postseason! The flowery blazer was retro and slick, as well as very hip and seasonal, but most importantly, it was daring. Grapes pulled it off though … Last but not least: the Cash Line has got to come through at home. Last change is great, but Jason Spezza absolutely needs to win offensive-zone draws to prevent Randy Carlyle from throwing out the Pahlsson line on the fly. That being said, the power play and secondary scoring have to wake up too and pressure the Ducks into more Sens-friendly bounces. There have been several, but they need to continue for the Sens to have any chance for more California dreamin’.