ALLARD: SENATORS ALL DUCKED UP

Jean-Pierre Allard has a hard time finding a pulse in the Sens following a 3-2 loss to the Ducks in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final, which left Ottawa one loss from elimination.

Quick, get those Senators some duct tape to plug in those gaping holes on defense. How about a whole bunch of new hearts from their previous owner Rod Bryden's former company that manufactured artificial tickers?

Don't ever say I never warned you of their shortcomings.

Ottawa lost its biggest game in franchise history mainly due to a porous defense that was burned on all three Anaheim goals and an alarming lack of effort beyond the first 20 minutes. Sounds like those nefarious November nights of 2006.

Except that this was Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final, a must game for the home team and one where you would have expected a heck of a lot more than they gave us. They had a tremendous first-period effort, outskating the Ducks and outshooting them 13-2 with the only shots from Anaheim resulting from Sens' turnovers. Yet they missed chance after chance, providing everyone with early visions of J.S. Giguere stealing this game to compensate for the absence of suspended Chris Pronger.

All Ottawa had to show for its work was going to the dressing room with a slim 1-0 lead. You would think the late goal by the brave captain, Daniel Alfredsson, would have energized the Senators, but it seemed to have the opposite effect, almost as if they were discouraged from not having profited from a glorious chance to go up by two, maybe more.

ABOUT FACE

How else to explain a complete about-face in the next 20 minutes? The second period thus became to Anaheim what the first was to Ottawa, except that the Ducks, courtesy of Andy McDonald, scored two quick goals in exactly one minute to take the lead and silence the Scotiabank Place crowd. Thanks mainly to two Sens penalties in the first eight minutes, Anaheim slow took control, culminating with McDonald's first goal four seconds after Chris Phillips' penalty had expired. On his second tally, McDonald took a pretty pass from Rob Niedermayer that sent him flying down Ottawa's left side, went around Anton Volchenckov and only had to backhand a weak shot past a startled Ray Emery.

Yet another weak goal allowed by Ottawa's No. 1 netminder.

Ottawa drew even on a goal by Dany Heatley -- set up by Patrick Eaves, who was taking Alfredsson's spot on the Pizza Line -- but it came on just their fourth shot of the period.

The fifth Senators shot didn't officially count but you can bet your tickets to Game 6 it struck a nerve with every last Duck after the elder Neidermayer who was the unsuspecting recipient of an Alfredsson slaphopt as time was winding down in the second. Not sure "What the heck was that all about, Alfie," but the "not so brave after all" captain should thank his lucky stars that he didn't injure his counterpart when, after looking up at the clock, he suddenly changed his angle and fired the puck right at the Ducks captain.

You can well imagine how red in the face he would have been when called upon to explain his rather dubious action to NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell. You can also bet all your next year's season tickets that Alfie would have been suspended for at least the next game if Niedermayer had been injured. As it stands, all he has to worry about is the next game or two not turning into lopsided affairs because Randy Carlyle just sent him a post-game message that the Ducks have a long memory.

While this act was reprehensible, you'd think it might have spurred the team to come out like lions for the final period but fat chance, baby. Ottawa, playing more like they were afraid to lose, only lasted some 4 minutes before allowing the winning goal. At 4:07, Teemu Selanne, after an initial pass from that man McDonald who had just escaped a heavy hit from Chris Neil, went around Wade Redden, deked Volchenkov and then fed a wide-open Dustin Penner who just had to bury the puck into Emery's vacated net.

Game. Home set. And nearly match, my loving Sennies. So much for Ottawa's so-called shutdown duo of Phillips and Volchenkov, who were each minus-2 on the night.

In winning their 12th one-goal game in the playoffs, the Ducks tied the 1993 Canadiens and are now one win away from capturing their first Cup. They did without Pronger. And get this. This was Anaheim's first road win in a Cup final in six tries over two series.

Forget that with 5:44 left, Emery tried again to lift his mates with another huge save on a partial breakaway by Corey Perry, with the rebound hitting the post. It wasn't enough for the Ottawa skaters who, after pulling their goalie with over a minute left, couldn't even come close to sending the game into overtime. With time winding down and the Ducks having iced the puck, none of the six Sens skaters could get to the puck before their opponent did. In the bitter end, that speaks volumes.