Canes must be wary of Sens' plight

OTTAWA — It's hard to say if it's a good time or bad time for the Hurricanes to be playing the Ottawa Senators.

Look at the Sens' recent results, and it appears to be a good time. Look at the standings, and it appears to be a good time. The Senators, after a 1-6-1 road trip, returned home Saturday and were shut out 2-0 by the New York Rangers at Scotiabank Place.

But here's what the Canes encountered Sunday upon flying into Ottawa — a banner front-page headline in the Ottawa Citizen: "Oh Sens No." Below it are photos of several players and quotes such as "We had a really slow start" and "We're just not putting the puck in the net" and "Sometimes, it's a lack of effort."

Below the photos: "Are fans tiring of excuses?" Two inside pages are devoted to answering that question and the sports pages had more stories ("Nowhere left to turn") devoted to the Sens' woes.

What the Canes have to fear, of course, is that the Sens will draw the proverbial line in the sand (snow?) for Tuesday's game. Seeing that Carolina has lost its last two and was hammered 5-1 Saturday by the Boston Bruins, the Sens surely believe it would be a good time to pull the fans back on their side a little with a solid victory.

Canes coach Paul Maurice was somber Saturday after the battering by the Bruins. It was the kind of beating that can leave a team with bruised bodies and bruised psyches. And it came after a 4-2 loss at Florida against an average Panthers team.

"Coming off the effort in Florida, I'd have to say we're pretty disappointed about the way we played," Maurice said. "We got beat 5-1. This is the first game we've had like this. Our goaltender wasn't great, our defense wasn't great and our forwards. We were bad all-around."

Asked if it was worrisome rather than disappointing, Maurice said, "Not yet."

Nodding his head toward the locker room, he added, "We've got enough leadership in there. I'm not concerned with that."

The Canes did not practice Sunday in Ottawa, but odds are the one Monday will be rather intense. It is not known if defenseman Tim Gleason, out with an injured ankle, will be able to practice or play.

The Sens have called up goaltender Brian Elliott from the AHL and gave him the start Saturday. That made Martin Gerber a healthy -- and expensive -- scratch.