Senators Slow Out Of The Gate

The price I pay for Thanksgiving dinners and new artificial organs, but I’m back. The ‘dreadful’ Ottawa power play, finding chemistry, and some thoughts on early reviews, but first, from the Ottawa Sun, Erik Karlsson admits he’s not quite himself these days. “I’ve not really got the confidence that I need. I don’t know why.” .... Among the personal lowlights, he had the winning goal bounce in off his left leg after losing a boards battle with Chris Kunitz seconds earlier, he had a puck stripped from him as he tried to stickhandle by Malkin at the Ottawa blue line, and he had a bird’s-eye view of a goal scored by Jordan Staal seconds after the puck had been on Karlsson’s stick behind the Ottawa net. “I thought he struggled a little bit (Monday) night,” said coach Cory Clouston. “I just think he’s got to realize what his assets and skills are and utilize them more. Instead of making the first pass, he tried to beat guys by himself. I didn’t think he used his teammates as well as he needs to, and understand at this level you can’t skate through players and through teams, you’re going to have to distribute the puck on breakouts. And he’s got to get back a little bit harder for pucks. He was certainly trumpeted these past 16 months, but his play has been a tiny storm in your teacup thus far.