On Saturday night, the Stanley Cup Finals move to Ottawa, with the hometown Senators hoping to escape a 2-0 series deficit. Thus far, the Anaheim Ducks have been without question the superior team, delivering a stingy defensive performance through the first two games that has left the Sens reeling. And though Senators head coach Bryan Murray did start making some lineup adjustments in Game 2, they weren’t enough to turn the tide in his team’s favor.

In Game 1, Murray’s top line of Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, and Dany Heatley was completely neutralized by Anaheim’s tenacious checking line (led by Selke Trophy finalist Sami Pahlsson) and the Ducks’ dynamic duo on the blue line, captain Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger.

“We’re counting on a couple of guys to be big-time players for us,” Murray said after Game 2. “They played better tonight. But they didn’t create much in the way of offense. I’m hoping when we get home, we can do a little juggling, and it will come. But, yeah, I’m concerned. They have to help us win games on the road as well as at home.”

For Game 2, Murray started exploring the possibility of separating his top forwards, occasionally shifting grinder Chris Neil to a spot alongside Spezza and Heatley on the top line (while giving Alfredsson some ice time with proletariats Mike Fisher and Peter Schaefer).

But he didn’t really commit fully to that plan, continuously returning Alfredsson to Spezza’s line throughout the game. In all, Alfredsson played over two-thirds of the game alongside Spezza and Heatley, and with the constant shadow of Pahlsson and company, the Sens’ offensive catalysts combined for only six shots on goal.

“We obviously want to focus on that top line,” Pronger said after Game 2. “Our checking line has done a great job of being physical against them, making them work inside on the puck and making them play defense. It’s the best way to counteract offensive players.”

Indeed, that strategy worked to perfection, as Ottawa’s top line gave the puck away 11 separate times in Game 2 (the Sens were charged with 21 giveaways in total). In particular, a Heatley giveaway at Ottawa’s blue line led directly to Pahlsson’s game-winning goal.

“That’s what we try to do all the time,” Pahlsson said afterward. “We try to make them turn the puck over. That’s the best possible scenario for us, to get turnovers on the blueline.”

With the loss, the Sens wasted a truly spectacular performance by goaltender Ray Emery. Heading into every round of these playoffs, Emery has been held up as the Senators’ biggest question mark. Through the first three rounds, their aforementioned top line was the most dominant in the NHL. And their defense, both deep and talented, demonstrated a unique ability to thrive against three dramatically different opponents (the Penguins, Devils, and Sabres). However, Emery — with his tendency to surrender big rebounds — appeared to be the Sens’ weak link, and many pundits speculated that J-S Giguere would give the Ducks the edge in this series.

But on Wednesday night, Emery was nothing short of sensational, delivering what may well have been the finest performance of his already tremendous playoff run. The big rebounds he was prone to surrendering earlier in the postseason were a non-issue, and Emery held the Sens in the game despite their getting out-shot by a decisive 31–16 margin. And on Pahlsson’s winning goal — a quick-release short-range rocket fired between Sens defenseman Joe Corvo’s legs — Emery had little or no chance to make the save.

That the Sens managed to keep the game deadlocked through the first 54 minutes of the game was of little consolation, for their offense failed them mightily while their defensive play fell far short of exemplary. But if Emery can continue to play at the high level he did in Game 2, there is still hope yet for these Senators.

In order for them to turn the tide in this series, they must first and foremost find a way to get the topline forwards some more time and space with which to work. And the most logical solution would be to make some far more aggressive changes to the forward lines.

Putting playmaking center Mike Comrie between Heatley and Chris Neil would be an excellent starting point. While Comrie’s passing skills aren’t the equal of Spezza’s, they are close enough that this should be a very effective trio: Heatley and Comrie providing the offense with Neil providing some much-needed grit.

On the second line, Spezza could center Fischer and Schaefer, benefiting greatly from the time and space afforded by playing alongside two gritty, hard-working forwards who can battle their way into the crease in front of Ducks goaltender J-S Giguere. And on the third line, Alfredsson could play right wing alongside Antoine Vermette and Chris Kelly, a fastskating trio with exceptional playmaking ability.

By rolling three dangerous scoring lines against the Ducks, Murray’s team would be in a much better position to capitalize on Anaheim’s shortcomings, thus far masked. While Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald are excellent offensive players, they aren’t well suited to standing up against aggressive attackers, and the Sens haven’t done much in terms of forcing them to play on their heels in this series.

And opportunistic opposing checkers can easily victimize second-line winger Corey Perry, who is prone to defensive lapses when he isn’t in possession of the puck. But in order to do so, they will need to take a more proactive approach with both the matchups and their style of play, taking the game to the Ducks far more aggressively in Game 3 and beyond.

Without a doubt, the Senators deserve their place in these Stanley Cup Finals. (They delivered terrific performances against three very capable hockey clubs to get here, but though those opponents were all very different, none of those matchups required much adjustment on the Sens’ part.) But here, against the Ducks, it’s clear that a much different tact will be required.

The sooner Murray gets down to business, the more likely it’ll be that the Senators will bounce back. Emery has been stellar thus far, and there’s every reason to believe that he’ll get better as the series progresses. But if the Sens continue to follow through with the flawed plan they executed in Games 1 and 2, they will fall into a 3–0 chasm from which it’ll be nearly impossible to escape.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.