Now it’s time to start winning consistently, but with a 37-year old Olie, a shaky D, I don’t see it happening.

I agree with the view that it was more an indictment of, rather than a testament to, Hanlon’s ability to motivate this bunch, to see them put forth such a solid performance last night but not keep the game competitive beyond even half a period three nights ago, and so on.

However, clearly this team played for its coach last night, giving him, as you say, a few more weeks’ job security. Vogs has alluded many times to the fact that the players generally like Hanlon and don’t want him replaced. So they went out and did something about it tonight.

It was inspiring to see how comfortable everyone played with a lead, and no momentum was lost following the Sens’ lone goal.

Saturday’s performance, however, will tell whether the corner to be turned is even in sight. TB shouldn’t be quite as desperate following a beat down of the Canes on the road. But let’s hope our team remains just as hungry as they were last night.

A loss tomorrow will erase any good feelings from this win (however vaunted was the opponent), and make the four day layoff a very uncomfortable one.