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Monday, December 6, 1999
Ailing Sens feeling pinch
Coach has no excuses as Ottawa tries to break slump
Perhaps it was more than just coincidence that Senators coach Jacques Martin sounded a little tired yesterday afternoon.
After all his team is 3-7-1 in its last 11 games, its No. 1 goaltender is sidelined with a knee injury and another defenceman fell to injury Saturday night.
Such circumstances are enough to drain anyone's energy.
After finally getting Igor Kravchuk back into the lineup, the Senators lost the services of Patrick Traverse midway through the second period of the team's 3-1 loss to the Dallas Stars Saturday night.
Traverse is listed day-to-day with a bruised right knee and remains questionable for Wednesday's game against the Buffalo Sabres.
"It's still too early to tell," said Martin. "The knee is still swollen."
Martin is hopeful Janne Laukkanen, who has missed three games due to a shoulder injury, will be ready to return.
The coach will wait before calling anyone up from Grand Rapids. Should the need arise, it's likely John Gruden would get the nod. Gruden was called up last week and played in games against Chicago and New Jersey.
Daniel Alfredsson could return on Saturday against the New York Islanders. Alfredsson is scheduled to meet with team doctors today.
The team has been plagued by injuries all season long, but Martin refuses to use the situation as an excuse.
"Injuries are just part of the season, part of the schedule," said Martin. "It gives opportunity to others, they just have to do the job."
Despite losing to the Stars, Martin believes his team performed well.
"We established the forecheck and created some good chances," he said. "(Manny) Fernandez made some real key saves and that was probably the difference. I thought our players came out hard and established the tempo. We just didn't get the reward."
Keeping the game plan simple is important.
"Certain players feel the need to do more," said Martin. "Quite often what's best is what's simple.
"When you try to do too much is when you cause turnovers."
Turnovers were the death of the Senators against New Jersey, and proved costly yet again against the Stars.
The Senators' power play has also struggled as of late, scoring just five goals in 35 chances in the team's last 11 games, but thankfully the penalty-killing unit has been nearly perfect, allowing just three goals in 35 opportunities.
"Every night is a battle," said Martin. "You've just got to take one game at a time. Every night is a challenge and sometimes you need some breaks."
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