You know, up until about the end of the game, the Senators played fantastically well. There was good pressure in the offensive zone as all four lines worked to create quality chances. There was none of this crazy-assed scramble in the defensive zone. Back-check was good. The defense took good risks at good times to jump up into the play. Elliot looked steady, and made the saves when he had to, even if he wasn't as sternly tested as his Bruin counterpart.And Alfredsson even bagged himself another short-handed goal. What's not to like?
And then the third period came to an end. I'm going to be incredibly generous and say that we were treated to a text-book perfect example of how the empty-net sixth-attacker is supposed to work. And not once, but twice. The Bruins were disciplined, patient, and made the chances come to them. Say what you want about that "second" time-out, the Bruins made the effort work.
Now I'm not sure how you go about training to defend against the sixth attacker, but these guys are smart, I'm sure they'll think of something.
The Senators let the second point get away from them on Saturday. There are going to be games like that, where an opponent who has no business being in the game comes back to win -- the Senators were in that position last weekend in Montreal. So this is part of the season.
Overall, there's a lot to like from Saturday. And if they keep doing what they are doing, then the points will continue to come.
