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

It was a shame a brilliant performance by Ray Emery went to waste tonight.

But, the better team won the opening game of the Stanley Cup finals, and after Ottawa rebounded from a sub-par first period with a strong outing in the second with a 2-1 lead, Anaheim took over. I mean, that third period wasn't really close. They were outshot 14-7 in the final frame and that was the difference. It was puzzling to see so much play in Ottawa's end, for Ottawa's past three rounds they have dictated play and were usually on the offensive. But tonight they were on the heels and Anaheim made them pay.

There are still some positives they can take from this game. Their powerplay is still clicking, going for 2 for 7 tonight. Despite being outshot 32-20, they kept the game close. But they will have to adjust their play to compete. They will have to try to match Anaheim's physicality as much as possible. Murray seems to lean on Redden and Meszaros more than the other tandems, but I think he needs to give Volchenkov and Phillips more ice time as they are the more physical of the pairings. And they have to keep things simple: I saw too many turnovers with their attempts to go for the fancy plays instead of dumping and chasing like they should.

The visiting team's goal when they are on the road for the first two games is to split the first two games and come home with home ice advantage. This is the first time Ottawa has lost the first game in these playoffs but they have shown they can bounce back from these setbacks. In their 16th game, this is only their fourth loss. I am hoping Sens fans aren't proclaiming the sky is falling tomorrow. This will be a long series and Ottawa should be fine to rebound and take game 2.