wjag Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Ottawa blew a two-goal lead last night and lost to the Thrashers. That makes 5 losses in a row. Earlier in the season, the Flyers played an "I hate my coach" game in Buffalo and were thumped. The result was the coach and GM were forced out/resigned. Pick the answer you like best. Ottawa has games against Penguins, Bruins and Canadiens before they play a couple with the Sabres (actually Devils have a game sandwiched in between). If their slide continues I openly speculate that a decisive Buffalo victory will spell the demise of another head coach. You read it here first. This team is destined for a shakeup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knightrider Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Ottawa blew a two-goal lead last night and lost to the Thrashers. That makes 5 losses in a row. Earlier in the season, the Flyers played an "I hate my coach" game in Buffalo and were thumped. The result was the coach and GM were forced out/resigned. Pick the answer you like best. Ottawa has games against Penguins, Bruins and Canadiens before they play a couple with the Sabres (actually Devils have a game sandwiched in between). If their slide continues I openly speculate that a decisive Buffalo victory will spell the demise of another head coach. You read it here first. This team is destined for a shakeup. I suspect he'll be gone before the Sabres get a chance to play them. A loss to the Pens or especially the Bruins may be enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 A few points on this: 1. I've been saying all along that they should've fired that loser immediately after we cashed them out last spring (yeah, baby -- thinking about that series still makes me quite happy). EVERY time they showed him on TV, he was uptight, puckered and frowning. NOT inspiring -- just setting a negative, losing tone. The polar opposite of Lindy. 2. However, Muckler is at least as deserving of getting canned as Murray is. The series of bad decisions he's made recalls one Tom Donohoe. Trusting their last, best shot at a cup to a 40-year-old Dominik, without a proven backup, was idiotic. Then, in the offseason, when it was obvious that the team needed heart and leadership, he kept the loser coach, loser captain (Alfie) and loser alternate captain (Redden, who along with Alfie just stood by and watched as Pominville eliminated them -- yeah baby), and let their 2 best players go (Chara and Redden). They should've fired Murray, let Redden go and traded Alfie so they could keep chara and havlat. Also, Gerber might turn out to be an expensive fiasco. I don't know why I'm so hung up on this -- maybe because I think the Senators should've been our arch-enemies and worthy adversaries, where every game is a thrilling battle, for a period of years -- not just one season. I'm just amazed at how badly Muckler butchered it. If Gerber doesn't turn it around, they will have morphed from an all-star team that had a few cup runs in them into a team that will struggle to make the playoffs every year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffalOhio Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 I don't know why I'm so hung up on this -- maybe because I think the Senators should've been our arch-enemies and worthy adversaries, where every game is a thrilling battle, for a period of years -- not just one season. I'm just amazed at how badly Muckler butchered it. If Gerber doesn't turn it around, they will have morphed from an all-star team that had a few cup runs in them into a team that will struggle to make the playoffs every year. Well, good deal then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetweenThePipes00 Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 I think they will make a blockbuster trade, probably involving Alfredsson, before they completely clean house in management. They need to try to turn it around fast ... if they fire Muckler and Murray then the new guys in charge need to evaluate, etc., etc., before they make a deal on the ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted November 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 With each blown lead and Toronto win, the pressure increases. A loss against the Penguins might be taken in stride, but the pressure will mount. Then a loss to Boston will throttle it up exponentially. The Canadien game won't help matters. Meanwhile, the Leafs get Boston, Montreal and Boston which they should easily handle. A loss to Buffalo will have all of Ottawa and a good chunck of Ontario screaming for their heads. So sayeth the Tarot cards. This franchise is ready for a shake-up, I can feel it, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 I'm with nfreeman on this as well - their problems extend well beyond who is standing behind the bench. The coach isn't helping things, but that team still seems soft with too many regular-season skill players and not enough gritty, post-season clutch players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 I'm with nfreeman on this as well - their problems extend well beyond who is standing behind the bench. The coach isn't helping things, but that team still seems soft with too many regular-season skill players and not enough gritty, post-season clutch players. Alfie is the poster child for "great regular season, where are my golfclubs". It's tough to win in the playoffs when your leaders don't have that fire. Gerber doesn't strike me as being a clutch goalie either. But he SHOULD be good enough to have them playoff bound (ready for their typical post-season flameout). He can't be so weak mentally that Murray's early season misinterpreted (by Gerber) comment about Hasek is STILL affecting his play. Can he? (Where's Marty H when you need a scouting report?) I wouldn't be surprised to see the team pick up its play with just some minor tweaking. Losing Chara and Pothier definitely hurt the team, but when you consider how little Hasek, Havlat, and Varada played last year and Smolinski's age and that is pretty much all that they lost and they did bring in decent players; they SHOULDN'T be as bad as they are currently playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodfella25 Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 It's probably time for them to show Alfie the door, as Dave B mentioned he is a glaring reminder of all of their playoff blunders (and there are many). The team lacks depth, and that is their main problem IMO. They'd be wise to dump Alfie on a team that has some forwards to spare. Then fire Murray, who is one of the worst coaches in the NHL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad1 Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 I heard on XM that Alfie was blaming their problems on the 7-6 loss to the Sabres in the playoffs. Murray tightened things up after that game and pulled in their free-wheeling style. They've carried that style of play into this year. It sounded a lot like the "coach won't let us play the way we want to play" type of complaint, which is never a good sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 I think that the loss to Buffalo was extremely significant, but not in that way - I think it was more of an emotional/mental blow than anything. They owned us earlier last year, and even when we beat them in the regular season, there were OT and shootout wins. When we beat them in the postseason, I think it destroyed a lot of their confidence in themselves and their system, and I think that has carried over into this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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