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

It sure isn't the same, is it?

Some might say it hasn't been the same even before last night, perhaps since guys like Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker and Gary Roberts left the Toronto Maple Leafs, but yesterday's Sens-Leafs tilt left a lot to be desired and was perhaps the worst outing I've seen against these two teams since I took up watching hockey again in 1997.

My Sens won, and maybe a win's a win and it doesn't matter how you get it, but both teams (particularly in the first period) played scared and seemed more interested in making sure they didn't make any mistakes rather than being aggressive and pressing a forecheck. It resulted in no scoring chances, few hits, and a lot of neutral zone clogging.

And you could tell the Leafs didn't feel like making more trips to the penalty box like they have in the last two games, and didn't spark any hatred with an errant elbow or a somewhat-late body check.

I am hoping that early-season jitters might be the reason for the snooze-fest last night. They have a few games to play before they face off against each other again in November, and hopefully by then they won't feel like they're walking on eggshells and they'll play with some confidence or something.

Because if this is the sort of hockey I'll have to endure, not only will it be long season for me but it'll be a short one for the Senators if you get my meaning.