from Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun,

...as the Senators have struggled defensively, so has Karlsson. He is minus-4 in his last two games, minus-2 on the season. He has made bad decisions that have resulted in odd-man rushes the wrong way. He has committed a number of glaring errors in his own end. Twice in the past half-dozen games he has allowed an opponent to step out from the corner to score — most recently, Philadelphia’s Kimmo Timonen, for the winner.

He has also taken considerable heat for his mistakes.

When he was an intermission guest on TV Tuesday, Karlsson was commended for a fine defensive play earlier in the game. He chuckled, and feigned surprise that something positive he did in that end of the ice would actually be noticed.

Clearly, he’s aware of all the criticism. But he’s also able to shrug it off.

“The way I play the game, I’m never going to get credit for anything but my offence, putting up points,” said Karlsson. “That’s what people are going to write about and people are going to notice. The other stuff is just kind of ... (people) gotta have something to complain about.”

What helps make Karlsson so good offensively is the same something that is presently hindering him defensively. He’s a risk-taker, a gambler. And these days, he’s losing a few too many of his bets.

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