They played with their hearts in the last two games. They looked like the Senators of the regular season in those two games.

But, as we Sens fans have come to learn, playing with all your heart in the final game(s) isn’t enough. Every game is game seven of the finals when you’re playing for the Stanley Cup. You know the winner will have played that way.

Apparently Chara was still suffering from his wrist injury from late in the season. That would explain why he seemed so out of place out there. Not sure why he would go out there if he couldn’t do things like flip the puck out of the zone. Heart is one thing, but you gotta know when you’re just hurting your team.

But the single-most devastating problem for the Sens this year in the playoffs was their inability to play the 2-on-1. I blame it on not trusting in Emery.

Listen to your goalie. When I played junior our goaltender told us (I played D) to take the man without the puck - at least take away the pass - he would take the main with the puck. Why? Because then the goalie doesn’t have to shift across to beat the pass. “The puck moves faster than anyone on the ice”, I was told many times during my hockey days.

Now some goalies prefer the defence take the puck carrier. Why? Because it forces the pass. If you force the pass there’s a chance the pass is in the air or not on the player’s stick, etc.

The sens did neither in the first three games. The defence stood between the two players and backed into Emery.

The defence showed their lack of confidence in Emery all the time and Volchenkof displayed it twice in the second last game: once colliding with Emery to try and block a wrap-around that only stopped Emery from getting around fast enough, and then sliding in behind Emery to block a shot that never got through because Emery blocked it. Then he was in the way when Emery went to back into the net. I know why he did that stuff, because I’ve been there: final game of a tournament in multiple overtime and trying to do everything you can to not get scored upon. But it just leads to disaster when you interfere with your goalie and/or show you don’t trust him by sliding in behind him.

Like many Sens fans I was a little wary about Emery for the playoffs. But, he played well. There were a few goals I’m sure he would want a second chance at, but the majority of goals were 2-on-1 situations or poor coverage in the zone.

In your zone you take a man. Don’t think breakout until you have the puck. Too many times did Ottawa leave a man open in the slot who scored. Again, in the last two games, they played well in their zone by covering everybody.

Lastly, I don’t blame Alfredsson, which I realize some do because of how the final goal was scored.

When I saw the goal I immediately blurted out “Why did the defence let the guy skate right by him?!” Then, in the replay, I saw that it was Alfie playing defence, since he takes point on the powerplay, which they had.

He played the man as best he could. He’s not a defenceman. Yes he’s in the NHL and can skate very well, but playing the man while skating backwards and cutting over to make sure the man doesn’t get around you is a learned skill that defence, even in the NHL, maybe especially in the NHL, continue to learn. I say especially in the NHL because the speed is incredible and although I played defence and know how to take the man, anyone from the NHL would probably make me look like I just put skates on for the first time.

Alfredsson played well throughout. Maybe he could have “showed” a little more heart in the first three games of the Buffalo series. I say show with quotes because I don’t doubt that he had his heart in the games, but because he’s the captain, he should have been moving his ass at every point in the games. Not during back-checking - he does that well. Not during shoot-ins (more on that after this), but all the time. Even when getting off the ice.

If you’re too tired to skate as fast as you can to the bench, you’ve been on too long. And just making it look like you are trying to move your ass to the bench means a lot when you’re the captain.

But that’s the only thing I saw wrong with Alfie. He and Fisher rock!

Fisher is that player you sometimes take for granted because he brings 110% to every shift. Every time he’s on the ice I picture the other team’s defence wincing a little.

Now, the shoot-in. Arg. Stop doing that!! If you are going to play dump-and-chase you have to be to the puck first, or close enough to force the defenceman to play the puck where your other forward is waiting. You can’t shoot it in and wait for the breakout. You’re just giving the other team the puck so they can plan an offensive. If you’re going to play dump-and-chase and you can’t get there fast enough, fire it at the goalie. It probably won’t go in, but (generally) he can’t play the puck as good as the other players and it just might go in, or cause a rebound opportunity.

Sens defencemen need to play the body. Every replay that I’ve seen where someone is walking around the D, you can see the D staring at the puck. Since I started playing defence it was ingrained into me: “Play the body”. The puck carrier can make all kinds of moves, but no one (human) can move in a different direction than his chest. If you’re in front of hist chest you are stopping him. Now, in the NHL that doesn’t mean the puck carrier is stopped completely, but if the Sens’ D took the chest at the blue line, it means the puck carrier is forced to make some brilliant move, pass, or go offside.

Phillips and Redden usually do this well, but are guilty of looking at the puck sometimes as well. And they all back in way too far. Compare the Buffalo D who stood up at the blue line and forced Ottawa to dump the puck.

… Why would Hasek go play for his country? I’ve heard it said that it’s the greatest honour you can have. However, seeing as Hasek has played for his country before and done very well, and it’s his last or second-to-last season in the NHL, and he was brought to Ottawa with the clear goal of being the netminder to bring the Stanley Cup to Ottawa, why then would you risk injury?

If Hasek wouldn’t have gotten injured would I still care? Yes. Look at Kiprusoff. He declined the invitation so he could concentrate on staying healthy for his NHL team. Calgary didn’t make it through but hardly because of Kiprusoff - he was outstanding as usual. They just met up with the devastating Anaheim team.

I like Emery and thought he did well. Hasek was brought in, really for one purpose and he failed. Hasek is great, when he’s playing.

Just some thoughts as we Sens fans weep yet another year.