The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Ok, I admit, maybe I went too far when I pressed the panic button and declared the Senators weren't going to make the playoffs after their 6-3 loss to the Canadiens a few weeks ago (it even cost me a Subway sandwich, thanks a lot guys!)but everyone has their breaking point. I mean, EVERYTHING that has plagued the Sens slow start was displayed in that matchup: lousy goaltending, lousy powerplay, short-handed goals...nothing was going right. Even my friends and co-workers who usually don't pull punches when bashing the Sens were a little disappointed that I made that prediction. Hey, I figured, you gotta call a spade a spade.

Certainly, the boys read my post and declared: "We can't let SBP down!" So they make me look like a jack*ss and beat the top team in the NHL, the Buffalo Sabres, twice in the span of four days. A four-game winning streak to follow? Unheard of. Sure, they lost to Tampa on Sunday, but that game could have just as easily been theirs. It was the first time this season where, after the loss, predictions of trading players, firing mangement or not making the playoffs did not come. Instead, the couple of weeks of hockey they played prior gave confidence to the fans that the season is not a disaster. The boys are winning games and they can make it to the post-season.

So tonight, Gerber is getting the start after Emery played 7 straight games. If Gerber can't get up for playing against his former team at their home rink, what else can? If the Sens are going to go far this year, they need both goaltenders playing well; last season's Stanley Cup finalists required both their starters and backups in net. Emery is still resting his sore wrist but even without that nuisance, Gerber was due to get some game time in. Murray is making the right move by playing this out as Emery as being the #1 and Gerber second, and not being affected by the salaries they are paid.