As a form of thanks for the friendly treatment he received during his time in the Nation's Capital, Patrick Lalime bought 18,444 Sens fans a slice on the occassion of his first return to Bytown. For only the second time this season, the fans at ScotiaBank Place leave the building with free lunch in hand, as the Sens registered a 6-3 victory of their arch-rivals from Buffalo, triggering the PizzaPizza promotion.
You got the impression from the way the Ottawas came out of the gate that this was going to be one of their nights. The Senators came out fast and physical in the first period. Daniel Alfredsson scored almost immediately on the team's first powerplay, affording the club the rare opportunity to play with the lead. The team also set the tempo for what would be a physical encounter; Mike Fisher, Shean Donovan, and Jesse Winchester were all finishing checks early on in this one. Winchester even took Jaro Spacek out of the game for some time with a hard, clean check in the corner behind the Buffalo net. Spacek was levelled again later on in the first by Fisher and Jarkko Ruutu, making for what would be best described as a rough 10 minutes. For a team that generally stumbles out of the gate, the Senators had a very encouraging first seven minutes.
Good game for Nick Foligno. The Senate Committee “Golden Boy” registered his 12th and 13th goals of this season, and 7th since Cory Clouston took over behind the Sens bench. At his current pace, he could hit an even 20 before the season is done.
Foligno’s line, also featuring Ryan Shannon and Mike Fisher, has been impressive. Shannon set up Foligno’s goal with a nice cross-crease pass, and could have had one of his own had Chris Kelly chosen to pass instead of trying to use those stone hands to create offense. The trio is really benefiting from the more free-wheeling style of Cory Clouston.
The CBC actually picked the same three stars as I, choosing Foligno, Alfredsson, and Campoli in that order. I had Campoli ahead of Alfie though, as I thought he played a great game. Campoli picked up a goal and an assist, and he showed great awareness with some apt pinches to keep up pressure in the offensive zone.
How about that Patrick Lalime, eh? The St. Bonaventure, PQ native was beaten twice from the hash-marks along the boards en route to allowing 6 goals on 35 shots. Certainly not the heroic return he envisioned, no doubt. Normally, Lalime’s struggles would fail to raise an eyebrow, but given how well he has played for the Sabres since Ryan Miller went down with an ankle injury, his poor play tonight was actually cause for a double take. To be fair to Lalime, this game didn’t really go off the rails for Buffalo until late in the third, and he had next to no chance on goal five.
The parade of vilified ex-Senator goalies continues Monday, as everybody’s favourite Swiss scapegoat and his teammates roll into the bank to face your Ottawa Senators. That’s right folks, in what could be the most compelling game of the season for Ottawa, Martin Gerber and the Toronto Maple Leafs are in town. I could scarcely contain my excitement when I heard Gerber will henceforth be allowing his very special brand of deflating, inopportune goals in the Blue Team’s duds. Hopefully, motivation notwithstanding, Gerber’s familiar surroundings will trigger some form of subconscious, uncontrollable Pavlovian suck.
Notes
1) Pascale Lecalire was interviewed by Dean and Gary during the second period. Leclaire described his injury in-depth, saying there is some torn cartilage and a bone chip in his ankle. He is targeting April for a return to the ice, which should ensure he is well rested and in game shape for the start of training camp. He talked about being excited about being part of an organization where the team is expected to win, which likely represents the biggest change from his time in Columbus.
You got the impression from the way the Ottawas came out of the gate that this was going to be one of their nights. The Senators came out fast and physical in the first period. Daniel Alfredsson scored almost immediately on the team's first powerplay, affording the club the rare opportunity to play with the lead. The team also set the tempo for what would be a physical encounter; Mike Fisher, Shean Donovan, and Jesse Winchester were all finishing checks early on in this one. Winchester even took Jaro Spacek out of the game for some time with a hard, clean check in the corner behind the Buffalo net. Spacek was levelled again later on in the first by Fisher and Jarkko Ruutu, making for what would be best described as a rough 10 minutes. For a team that generally stumbles out of the gate, the Senators had a very encouraging first seven minutes.
Good game for Nick Foligno. The Senate Committee “Golden Boy” registered his 12th and 13th goals of this season, and 7th since Cory Clouston took over behind the Sens bench. At his current pace, he could hit an even 20 before the season is done.
Foligno’s line, also featuring Ryan Shannon and Mike Fisher, has been impressive. Shannon set up Foligno’s goal with a nice cross-crease pass, and could have had one of his own had Chris Kelly chosen to pass instead of trying to use those stone hands to create offense. The trio is really benefiting from the more free-wheeling style of Cory Clouston.
The CBC actually picked the same three stars as I, choosing Foligno, Alfredsson, and Campoli in that order. I had Campoli ahead of Alfie though, as I thought he played a great game. Campoli picked up a goal and an assist, and he showed great awareness with some apt pinches to keep up pressure in the offensive zone.
How about that Patrick Lalime, eh? The St. Bonaventure, PQ native was beaten twice from the hash-marks along the boards en route to allowing 6 goals on 35 shots. Certainly not the heroic return he envisioned, no doubt. Normally, Lalime’s struggles would fail to raise an eyebrow, but given how well he has played for the Sabres since Ryan Miller went down with an ankle injury, his poor play tonight was actually cause for a double take. To be fair to Lalime, this game didn’t really go off the rails for Buffalo until late in the third, and he had next to no chance on goal five.
The parade of vilified ex-Senator goalies continues Monday, as everybody’s favourite Swiss scapegoat and his teammates roll into the bank to face your Ottawa Senators. That’s right folks, in what could be the most compelling game of the season for Ottawa, Martin Gerber and the Toronto Maple Leafs are in town. I could scarcely contain my excitement when I heard Gerber will henceforth be allowing his very special brand of deflating, inopportune goals in the Blue Team’s duds. Hopefully, motivation notwithstanding, Gerber’s familiar surroundings will trigger some form of subconscious, uncontrollable Pavlovian suck.
Notes
1) Pascale Lecalire was interviewed by Dean and Gary during the second period. Leclaire described his injury in-depth, saying there is some torn cartilage and a bone chip in his ankle. He is targeting April for a return to the ice, which should ensure he is well rested and in game shape for the start of training camp. He talked about being excited about being part of an organization where the team is expected to win, which likely represents the biggest change from his time in Columbus.
The native of suburban Montreal appears to have a good attitude, and looks like he could live up to the expectations the club, fans, and media have set for him. I certainly hope he does, as it would be nice to drive down the 417 towards Arnprior without being confronted by the grizzly spectacle of the team’s starting goaltender being hastily nailed to a cross on the front lawn of the rink by a hurried Bruch Garrioch and Don Brennan as they bemoan being late for their second lunch of the day at the BareFax.
2) Anton Volchenkov was rightly assessed a boarding minor during the second period as he railed Patrick Kaleta into the boards from behind. I understand fully why Volchenkov was penalized and fully agree that it was warranted. What I don’t understand is the NHL’s official policy on hitting from behind. It has become routine for players to hit an opponent into the boards despite being able to clearly see the numbers on his back, but sanction for such action is anything but. I like tot think I watch a lot of hockey, and I don’t see any pattern or consistency in how the officials are calling this. Anybody care to explain it to me?
2) Anton Volchenkov was rightly assessed a boarding minor during the second period as he railed Patrick Kaleta into the boards from behind. I understand fully why Volchenkov was penalized and fully agree that it was warranted. What I don’t understand is the NHL’s official policy on hitting from behind. It has become routine for players to hit an opponent into the boards despite being able to clearly see the numbers on his back, but sanction for such action is anything but. I like tot think I watch a lot of hockey, and I don’t see any pattern or consistency in how the officials are calling this. Anybody care to explain it to me?
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