Senators in a sorry state

OTTAWA -- Things can only improve for the Senators, which is the flip side of the ugly reality they find themselves in this morning. Two games into the Stanley Cup finals, Ottawa's first since 1927, things certainly couldn't be any worse for the distant sons of Cy Denneny.

Faced with a stronger, more disciplined, grittier, and savvier opponent in the Anaheim Ducks, the Senators tonight will have to summon the 1971 Canadiens from within to begin a reversal of what now seems a certain fate. Only the Habs, who similarly fell into a 0-2 hole to Chicago in 1971, have ever shaken off such desperation in a best-of-seven Cup finals. Of the 29 other times it has happened, the box score reads a dispiriting 0 for 29.

So, what now for the pride of Canada's capital?

"We have to do a little different in the attack," mused Senators coach Bryan Murray.

That's different, like something, because the Senators spent the first 120 minutes of this series playing the part of water off a Duck's rear end, especially in the rare moments they had the puck. Their game built on speed, skill, and transition, they were pushed around the rink in Anaheim by a brawnier, more patient Ducks squad that saw two of its top checkers -- Travis Moen and ex-Bruin Samuel Pahlsson -- pot the game-winners.

Thus far, Anaheim's best checkers, including Rob Niedermayer, Pahlsson, and Moen, have owned the series. Meanwhile, Ottawa's best playmakers, including captain Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley, and Jumbo Jason Spezza, have looked and played the part of fourth-line fodder.

"Shoot the puck, to start with," said Alfredsson, asked what the elixir might be for a club that has been down on luck, energy, and intelligence through two games. "We have to use speed a little more to our advantage. I don't think we've done that. I think we've been spread out too much as a team."

At their best, the Senators' attack with their three flashiest forwards working magic with the puck. Typically, that means Alfredsson, Spezza, and Heatley come across the blue line as a tight unit, ideally on two-on-one and three-on-two breaks.

But such odd-man rushes were rare in Anaheim, where the Ducks seamlessly blended prudent forechecking with extremely disciplined zone coverage both in the middle of the ice and in the back end. Rarely were the Ducks' defensemen, especially maestros Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, out of position by more than even half a skate length. Flustered and frustrated, the Senators then repeatedly tried long passes as a means of "stretching" the ice to gain the offense zone, only to see those home-run passes turn into busted plays and ground outs.

"And we got no forechecking as a result," said Murray, a man who has perfected the art of politely fuming.

Home ice presents Murray & Co. with a slight advantage, the ability to put out preferred matchups on the front line and defense. Such a tactic can be most valuable in the offensive zone, where Murray might be able to steer his Big Three clear of Pahlsson et al. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle will try to mitigate that advantage with quick, on-the-fly line changes, a ploy the Senators will try to defuse by doing a much better job at the faceoff dot.

"So we are hoping if there is an offensive zone faceoff, as an example," said Murray, "and we could ever win a faceoff, that we might have a little possession time before the [line] change is made."

Does the man sound a little fed up? He's entitled. His Senators are a better team than the one that skated around the Honda Center like so many Disney tourists gone astray.

For shots on net, the Ducks rolled up a 63-36 advantage in the two games. Factoring in blocked shots, the Ducks took 105 chances on net to the Senators' 62, nearly a 70 percent advantage. Ottawa had 14 giveaways to Anaheim's five in Game 2. And while the Senators could take some pride in the fact that they traded some hefty, big-boy bodychecks with the Ducks, the truth is, hitting isn't really their game. They didn't look so much intimidated by the Ducks as they did frighteningly out of character. It's a quarter horse team, too often playing like a bunch of plow horses.

"We have to play with the puck more," noted Alfredsson. "We feel we made life too easy on them the way we played."

Ultimately, if the Senators are to inch back into the series, it will be left to be the big line, and fellow forwards such as Mike Fisher and Mike Comrie to nudge them there. The Senators have some talented blue liners, but they don't have the equal of Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. Ray Emery might be as good as Jean-Sebastien Giguere in net. He might even be better. There is no way of knowing thus far because Giguere hasn't been asked to do much more than suit up each night.

"I believe we've got a better team," said Murray. "I know we're a better hockey team."

He's right. But knowing and showing are two very different things. Right now, Canada's team is lost, and neither Murray nor the RCMP can find it.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com.