Sens vs Sabres Game 2 – A mirror reflection

It’s almost like I need to prepare myself for the possibility of getting eliminated by Ottawa. I think a lot of Buffalo fans have done the same throughout history, trying to soften the blow before the big knockout. I hate sounding cynical but the first 2 games of the series hasn’t given me much to stand on. Everyone knew the importance of game 2 but at this point game 3 will be the biggest game this entire season. The more and more I watch the Senators the more they remind of me how the Sabres played at the beginning of the season. Fast, fluid, and confident, almost a mirror reflection of the October Sabres.

One player that stands out to me is Ottawa’s Alfredsson. Last year in the playoffs he was non-existent but now he’s having a huge impact seemingly skating circles around Buffalo’s defense. Here I figured containing Jagr a much larger accomplishment but I guess it goes to show how well Alfredsson is playing right now.

One consistency I’ve been seeing from the Sabres going to back to the Islander series is their poor board play. Last night after the 1st period they seem to lose the desperation in their forecheck that they had at the start of the game. The one thing that has irritated me is the hesitation to go after puck on a dump-in. A hungry team will go in after the puck and worry about their bodies later. They look like they’re timing any body contact to coincide with the ensuing puck battle. Get to the puck first and take the hit. It doesn’t matter if you lose control of the puck because anytime you touch the puck first , you control and dictate play. The way things have gone has allowed Ottawa’s defense time to make an outlet pass because they’re not having to worry about throwing a body check. How many 3 on 2 rushes did Ottawa have last night compared to Buffalo? It looked a lot.