The Ottawa Charge dropped a 6-2 decision to the New York Sirens, and the story was all too familiar. Defensive struggles, a struggling power play, and a penalty kill that continued to hurt them.
Consistency. It's a word used around this team a lot lately, by fans, players, and coaches alike. Sunday's game was another example of this, as the Ottawa Charge found themselves once again unable to string together consecutive victories, dropping a 6-2 decision to the New York Sirens in front of a record crowd at the Prudential Center.
This game was less about New York beating Ottawa and more about the Charge beating themselves, as defensive issues that have plagued this team throughout the season once again crept into their game, and special team struggles remain a storyline.
The Charge were giving New York way too much time and space to operate. The Sirens were setting up, getting creative, running plays that Ottawa should have shut down before they ever became dangerous. But the Charge weren't pressuring, weren't challenging, and weren't making things difficult. New York finished the game outshooting Ottawa 32-18, which isn't a particularly good stat when you're trying to win a game.
Getting out of the zone was a problem, too. Rushed passes, poor decisions under pressure, and poor exits made it difficult for the Charge to generate any sustained offensive-zone pressure.
The other obstacle for Ottawa in this game was special teams, which has been a particular issue for this team of late. Following the team's victory against Seattle in their last outing, head coach Carla MacLeod said, "Penalties, the penalties are hurting us in many games now, so we certainly have to lean into that and figure it out." MacLeod went on to say, "We've got to figure that out as a group and make sure discipline is a priority." Those issues carried over into this game and forced the team to chase momentum against New York rather than carry it.
And this should have been a winning scenario, as Ottawa came into the game with the league's best power play and faced the league's worst penalty kill. Despite this advantage, New York prevailed, going 2-for-3, while the Charge struggled, finishing 0-for-3.
When the Charge are playing their game, it starts with strength from the blueline out, strong passes, and playing with pace through the neutral zone. Those ingredients make them a formidable opponent. But defensive struggles and special-teams issues have created a recipe for inconsistent play. Ottawa has 11 games left on the season, and now sits on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in. Time is running out to put the pieces together and show the league what "Charge hockey" is all about.