Pens and Sens: Live Analysis - Ottawa 4; Pittsburgh 3 (SO)

I thought I'd try my hand at a little in-game analysis, as I tire of my traditional post-game format. The idea didn't come to me until just now and I thus have not done any advertising beforehand, so I don't expect anybody to read it, meaning this is really just a half-baked, fruitless exercise. Nevertheless:

Sens Win. The team is now 36-6-2 when Chris Phillips scores a goal. CBC gives 3 Star Honours to
1) Fleury
2) Phillips
3) Tyler Kennedy.

Phillips really did have a great game, and really earned the accolades.

Given that the Pens were 9-1-1 coming into this one and that they trailed by 2 goals, the Senators can really take pride in this victory.

SENS WIN SHOOTOUT 2-1!

Comrie - SCORES Drags to the glove side, fires it off Fleur's pad and in.

Kunitz - Backhands it over the net

Fisher - Tries to squeeze five hole, Fleury shuts door

Malkin - Stopped low glove side by Elliott's pad

EXTRA SHOOTERS

Ruutu - Stopped blocker side.

Crosby - SCORES Five hole on Elliott

Sykora - Backhand gloveside, gloved by Elliott
Alfredsson - SCORES Out-waits poke check, scored high backhand

Letang- High glove, stopped by Elliott

Shootout

Ottawa: Alfie, Spezza, Ruutu

Pittsburgh: Letang, Crosby, Sykora

End of Overtime.

Wow. That was an exciting 5 minutes. Both teams had quality chances, and it looked like the sens were poised to use their momentum to end it.

1:05 Spezza breaks free on the counter attack. Takes a shot to the head going to the net, curls back but can't find a pass.

1:15 2-on1 For Crosby and Malkin, but Elliott stops a high Malkin snapper.

2:00 Fisher gets two chances in front, puck pops out to Lee but Fleury knocks it over the glass.

3:50 Alfie and Comrie both get chances, but Fleury is there.

4:30 Great pass cross crease hits Heatley in the feet, can't covert.

End 3rd Period

0:07 Gonchar accidentally hauls down dany Heatley. 2 for tripping, Ottawa will get a 1;53 4-on-3 powerplay in OT.

0:45 Foligno and Kelly go 2-on-2 with two Pens defenders, but nothing doing.

2:20 Comrie fools Fleury, Fleury over-commits to his right, Comrie shoots left, but Fleury outstretches his left pad and gets some material on it.

4:18 Sykora beats elliott short-side with a slapshot from the right face-off circle, but rings it off the crossbar and out of play

4:36 Fleury stops Daniel Alfredsson on a Senators' 4-on-2 rush.

6:06 Sens Score! 3-3! Heatley's shot produces a weird rebound, Phillips follows up the rush and taps in the rebound. Phillips has jumped into the rush a few times today, and had a chance in the first as a result. He's had a good game. he now has 6 goals this year, and 200 points for his career.

7:40 Ottawa Scores, 3-2 Pens. Foligno rips a shot short-side past Fleury, through traffic. Foligno now has 14 on the season.

8:45 Dean, Gary, and Cassie Campbell just finished singing the praises of Sidney Crosby's autograph signing prowess. Prediction: I feel Staal and Kunitz have been Pittsburgh's best forwards, but Crosby will get first start, because the CBC desperately wants to market a Canadian as the world's premiere hockey talent. I remain unconvinced. Ovechkin is clearly better.

11:13 Elliott stops a high wrister from Kris Letang and swallows up the rebound with two men in blue sweaters on the doorstep. other than the bad first goal, Elliott has been solid.

13:10 Kunitz misses the net on a good chance. The man has had himself a game.

13:54 Anton Volchenkov has a lower-body injuury, will not return. if this is serious, that means the club is now missing Volchenkov, Picard, and Smith for extended periods of time. Will we see Mattia Karlsson in the NHL before the season's out?

15:00 Fleury's penalty ends, 3-minute powerplay for Pittsburgh. Ottawa has been sluggish on the PK. This could be the final nail into the coffin.

16:00 Gonchar takes a high stick right in front of his net, goes down in a heap, and is VERY slow to get up. Substantial blood loss, possible missing teeth. Heatley is the culprit, will serve 4 for high sticking. Ottawa's powerplay is over.

17:00 Fleury stops a Comrie shot. Neil stops in front of Fleury, and Fleury gives him the blocker in the back of his recently-injured leg. Brouhaha ensues. Fleury gets the only penalty, Ottawa gets their 6th chance on the man advantage.

17:33 Powerplay over. Bad angle shot (gloved down by Fleury) from Alfredsson that was likely too high to hit the net was Ottawa's best chance

19:02 Gonchar gets a chincey hooking penalty for laying his stick on Ryan Shannon. Penguins spend the first 30 seconds of the powerplay dumping the puck into the Sens' end.

Start Thrid Period.

Intermission Notes:

The CBC is running a nice feature on Brian Kilrea. Some fun Kilrea facts:

• Apparently Kilrea was a restaurant manager when he was hired as the coach of your Ottawa 67s.


• The 67s have only missed the playoffs once in Kilrea's 34 seasons behind the bench.


• Considers the hilights of his career in order: 1) Being inducted into the HHOF 2) Winning the Memorial Cup coaching his hometown team, in his own barn.


• Killer is an Anne Murray fan...

End 2nd. Tough frame for the Sens. They gave up two goals and, despite having a couple powerplays, were outclassed by the Pens when it came to the man advantage. Shots: 11-10 Pittsburgh.

1:34 3-1 Pens. Campoli turns the puck over, creating a Penguins 2-on-1. Matt Cooke feeds Tyler Kennedy, ol' Pig Nose goes roof daddy on the cross-crease pass.

3:43 Elliott stops a rolling Guerin shot from the slot. Once again, no rebound.

4:10 Jesse Winchester hooks Jordan Staal. Receives the aptly named hooking minor.

6:00 Elliott then stops Kris Letang point blank, allows no rebound. Strong. Cassie Campbell mentions that Maxime Talbot and Tyler Kennedy have had luck scoring after spitting on their stick blades. dean mentions that it's a known statistical fact that the Penguins are "the top saliva team in the league." Classic Dean humour.

6:40 Elliott stops Tyler Kenedy and Jordan Staal on a 2-on-1. 3-on-2 for Ottawa ensues, Heatley fires the puck wide.

7:25 I've always wondered: How, exactly, did Cotton Eye Joe inhibit that guy from getting married way back when?

8:20 Dean and Gary discuss Penguins coach Dan Bylsma's nickname - "Disco Dan." Galley does not reveal its origins, but I sense it sprouts from some combination of a bad moustache, a perm, and plaid pants.

8:50 Kunitz has been busy. He hits Kelly from behind. Phillips comes to Kelly's dence, then Crosby gets involved. He presumably plans to whine at such a high pitch as to puncture Phillip's ear drums, removing him from play.

9:10 Kunitz fans on a one timer off a Crosby pass, then redirects a Gonchar shot.

10:00 Comrie gets sent off for elbowing during the scramble.

10:30 Jordan Staal's line whack at a loose puck in the slot in front of Brian elliot. Dean bust out a "scraaambllle".

10:55 Comrie gets a hot on goal as Ottawa's powerplay ends with a whimper.

13:00 Sens back on the powerplay. Fedetenko for high-sticking. Was too busy fuming about Crosby's smile to notice waht happened.

14:04 2-1 Pittsburgh. Crosby converts on a cross crease pass from Mark Eaton, putting the puck into a half empty net. I hate his pre-pubescent goal triumph smile almost as much as I hate Mats Sundin's stupid celebratory mouthguard smile. If you are a true Leaf hater, you know what I'm talking about.

14:35 The Sens pepper Fleury with chances with some sustained pressure, but Maxime "Superstar" Talbot eases the pressure with the clearance.

16: 15 Pascale Dupuis takes his second penalty of the afternoon, tripping Brian Lee behind Ottawa's net. I'm sure Dan Bylsma is thrilled.

17:20 Neil throws a hit on Mark Eaton, but then gets hit from behind into the boards by Evgeni Malkin and is slow to get up. He Looks OK though

17:50 Elliott swallows up a Peter Sykora slap shot.

19:00 CBC just showed a shot of Fleury thanking his goal posts. Ottawa hit them three times during the first, so I understand that Fleury was feeling relieved, but I always caution against reliance and/or outward display of affection towards inanimate objects.

Start 2nd Period

Intermission Highlights:

Anonymous Commentor: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/ should have a stream up and running. Let me know if you can't get it to work and I'll see what I can find for you.

Ron Maclean, PJ Stock and Kelly Hrudey are engaged in the kind of highly refined intellectual discourse we've come to expect from them. Stock may be one of the few people currently on Television who has worse mastery of the English language than Gary Galley. In his defence, Galley is an excellent colour commentator who clearly knows a lot about the game, but struggles in expressing his views.

Stock, however, cannot keep pace with the intermission highlight package he reads every week due to his painful bumbling delivery. He also just argued that a reverse on the breakout, clearly shown by Ron and Kelly, was not a reverse. Ron and Kelly scolded him.

End 1st. Exciting first period. it looked like the Penguins were going to throttle the Senators early on, but Ottawa bounced back. Shots: 9-7 Pittsburgh.

2:00 Gary Galley analyzes the powerplay that was, and makes absolutely no sense. "The posts are the goaltender's best friend, but he might have used them all up there!" "The Senators made some nice seams and creating some perimeter." Excuse me?

3:06 Maligned defenceman Filip Kuba breaks up a shorthanded 2-on-1

3:50 Alfie hits the post. Puck bounes out, Sens recover, the Heatley hits it.

4:15 Spezza shoots wide on an opportunity. He should totally be traded.

4:28 Dupuis knocks Foligno down away from the puck. 5-on-3 Ottawa.

5:40 Kunitz trips Nick Foligno as Foligno crosses the Pittsburgh blue-line. 2 for Tripping, Sens Powerplay.

6:20 Rob Scuderi dives on his belly to break up a Pizza-line rush. Nice play by the Alfie, Heatley, and Spezza are off to a good start in this one.

8:31 Heatley rips a one-timer but Fleury gets a pad on it. Dean gets excited.

11:12 Sens Score, 1-1. Chris Campoli sends a seeing eye shot from the point past Fleury. Right off the draw inside the Pens' end, reinforcing the underrated importance of face-offs. The goal gives Campoli 8 points in his first 11 games as a Senator.

13:20 Good chance for Comrie on the breakaway. Looked like Fleury caught it with his mask.

14:00 Pens Score, 1-0 Pitt. You know you've surrendered a bad goal when: 1) It's scored by Eric Goddard. 2) It's scored from behind the net.

The Jesus Fish Performs OT Miracle: Ottawa 3; Tampa Bay 2 (OT)

Mike Fisher saved... the Senators' bacon with an overtime goal, as the Sens defeated the Tampba Bay Lightning to win their fourth straight last night. The Sens, by their own admission, did not play their best game, but it was enough to defeat the league's second most dysfunctional former cup winning franchise (the first being Rick "My Contract Will Age More Than Cheap Scotch and Leave a Similar Taste in the Mouths of Those Who Have to Taste It" DiPietro and the New York Islanders.)

Fisher had an all-around strong game, earning first-star honours. The former Sudbury Wolf was at his multi-dimensional best, throwing 5 hits, blocking a shot, hurling 2 pucks on net, and winning 54% of his draws. Fisher's goal was scored in true Mike Fisherian fashion, as he jammed in a rebound off a Chris Phillips point shot while fighting off a Lightning defender. I hitherto advocate the widespread used of nickname Jesus Fish for Fisher, taking in consideration to factors such as: his well advertised faith, last name, and the reverence he enjoys amongst the followers of his team. Now go forth, and spread the word.

Unofficial Mayor of Ottawa Daniel Alfredsson was also in fine form, having yet another strong showing on the penalty kill while recording two assists. The Captain helped Chris Kelly score only his thirs goal in 23 games, setting him up on a short-handed two-on-one. Alfredsson is now on a bit of a hot streak, picking up points in four straight (3G, 3A.)

The Senators won this one despite falling off the waggon with regards to a habit they looked to have kicked: Allowing a goal immediately after having scored on of their own. I don't have any qualitative stats on how many times they have done so this year, but it seems like somewhat of a trend for the 2008-09 edition of the Senators.

Brian Elliott deserves some credit, however. While he allowed what would be best described as a flaky goal to let the Lightning tie the game only 13 seconds after his club had taken it's first lead of the hockey game, Elliott stood tall in the Senators net, making several saves on odd man rushes. Elliott's counterpart, Kari Ramo was rightly named second star. While Elliott did have a good game, Ramo was easily the stronger of the two goaltenders making several good saves.

I though Lightning defneder (and Kanata native) Cory Murphy had a solid game for the Lightning. His skating and offensive awareness made him a standout on Tampa's blue line. Murphy registered the opening goal of the game, an extension of the offensive success he's been having since being claimed off waivers by the Lightning. The 31-year-old has 13 points in 22 games with Tampa this season, giving him 30 in 76 NHL games with the Lightning and the Florida Panthers. Murphy bounced around Europe for much of his 20s, playing in the Finnish league for five seasons, but has been producing when healthy since being Pogiven a chance in the NHL. He is unrestricted at the end of the year, and I wouldn't complain if the Sens saw fit to bring him in to play a 6-7 role on their back-end at the right price, as he seems to be capable of generating offense and playing well on the powerplay. He could be a good candidate to play the role of someone like a Brendan Bell.

TSN showed an interesting stat during their broadcast. With last night's win, the Senators have now picked up 23 points in the 18 games since Cory Clouston took over behind the bench, meaning they have been playing .638 hockey since the coaching change. Obviously it's different playing without the pressure and intensity of playoff expectations, but that stat is nevertheless encouraging. If Clouston can keep the team playing close to that rate for the remainder of the schedule, he will likely be able to count on a new contract with the Senators.

The gents will have their work cut out for them if they hope to continue their winning ways. They flew to Boston following the game to prepare for Tonight's meeting against the Eastern Conference leading Bruins. The Bruins are slumping, going 3-6-1 in their last 10 games, but Tim Thomas has given Ottawa's shooters fits since joining the brown bears after the lockout, so the Sens will need to bring their A-game if they hope to be successful.

Sens Beat Leafs, Avoid Further Disgrace: Ottawa 2; Toronto 1.

For only the second time this season - and the first time in regulation - the Senators beat the hated Toronto Maple Leafs. While there was no return of Martin Gerber, the game play was fairly mundane, and the rivals lacked the intensity of meetings past... well I can't find a positive to finish that thought. Still, always nice to beat the Leafs. Both teams had their moments in what was a pretty even game as both teams finished with 26 shots. Jason Smith (lower body injury) and Filip Kuba (flu) missed this one, meaning Brian Lee was called up from the AHL on an emergency basis.

The Senators played a fairly strong first period, outshooting Toronto 11-8. Dany Heatley had two solid chances in the final second of the period: a blistering one-timer that veteran goaltender Curtis Joseph somehow got a pad on, and a shovelled shot that hit the post. Chris Campoli (post) and call-up Peter Regin (Joseph) both failed to score on quality chances as well.

The second frame of this one was god-awful boring for the first 15 minutes or so. The Maple Leafs probably had the edge in play, pinning the Senators in their own end for a stretch of 2-3 minutes in the middle of the period. Captian Daniel Alfredsson brought the Senators even with 4:46 left to go in the middle stanza, capitalizing on an Ian White turnover from a broken play, beating a defender, and putting a floating slapper from a rolling puck short side past Joseph. Heatley tipped an Anton Volchenkov slap shot in the high slot to put Ottawa up by one just before the intermission.

Then there was Chris Phillips brushing away teammate Jesse Winchester like a father restraining his four year old son from an inexplicably attractive dead bird on the sidewalk. The incident followed a Winchester hit from behind on Nikolai Kulemin that drew quite the crowd. Winchester tried to get at Brad May while May was being restrained by the referee, and Phillips stepped in to remove his compatriot from the fray. In a league where grown men are willing to engage in a (often mindless) retaliatory physical altercation with their opponent regardless of how small a perceived slight they inflicted on their teammate, this was definitely something you don't see every game.

The highlight of the scoreless third period had to be Blue Team coach Ron Wilson’s act of desperation as he had Jason Spezza’s stick measured, resulting in a two minute minor to Spezza with 2:15 left to play. The club seemed to rally around what was somewhat of an underhanded move by Wilson. Wilson’s gamble did not pay off though, as Spezza’s teammates put forth a concerted effort to ensure he did not wear the goat horns following a Leafs' game for the second time in nine days. Daniel Alfredsson and Jarkko Ruutu both created turnovers and alleviated what pressure Toronto built in their team’s end, as the Leafs failed to register a scoring chance up a man. A very solid kill.

My three stars in this one were as follows:
1) Daniel Alfredsson: Great on the PK, scored a goal on a fine individual effort. Best player on the ice tonight. (1G)
2) Curtis Joseph: With the leafs outshot and out chanced through two, Joseph kept this one close. The Sens could easily have tied this one during the first period were it not for his heroics. (24 saves on 26 shots)
3) Dany Heatley: Had multiple scoring chances, was effective in the offensive zone. (GWG)

Speaking of Heatley, he has been an absolute juggernaut against Toronto in his career. Put him down for 27 goals and 23 assists in 37 career games against the Leafs. Alfredsson now has 60 points in 61 career regular season games against the Blue and White, while Jason Spezza has 35 assists to go with 8 goals in 34 games against his boyhood heroes. Kind of makes you wish these guys were together during those four playoff showdowns with the Blue Team, though there's a good chance they would have been felled by the same mix of confidence issues, Ed Belfour and/or Curtis Joseph that stymied the group played in those series.

Mike Comrie was also impressive in this one. He made a nice play to set up the maligned Christoph Schubert, and created a turnover or two to put the Leafs back on their heels. While he did not register a point, Comrie made smart plays with the puck and showed good patience in the offensive zone. Comrie finished with one shot on goal in 15:43 of ice time.

Christoph Schubert returned from the press box to show us all why he has spent so much time there. Schubert made a variety of his patented mistakes. On the defensive, Schubert got caught pinching to hit lay a check on a Leaf forward who had long rid himself of the puck, resulting in an odd man rush in which Schubert was the odd man out. The foul up allowed Ian White to walk in on Brain Elliott unmolested and squeak a one timed wrist shot through the rookie’s pads. The two-time German Olympian did not contain his blunders to the defensive aspects of the game, however. Set up for a beautiful scoring opportunity by Mike Comrie, Schubert ripped the puck wide of the net. He did recover the puck shortly afterwards with a shooting lane, and repeated his trademark move. This all occurred in his staggering 4:14 of first-period ice-time. Schubert would play 14:42, last amongst Ottawa defencemen, was the only player on the team with a minus rating, and led the team with 4 shots that did not find the net.

The Sens wrap up their nine game home stand Wednesday night when they host the Tampa Bay Lighting and first-year member of the team Gary Roberts Olaf Kolzig Matt Carle Steve Eminger Radim Vrbata Ryan Malone Wednesday. The Lightning have lost 3 straight and are 2-6-2 in their last 10, meaning the Sens may be in a position to add to their three game wining streak.

I will leave you with an interesting stat:

3 Game Winning Streaks Under Craig Hartsburg: 0.

3 Game Winning Streaks Under Cory Clouston: 2.

I'm just saying...

Lalime Treats Former Fans to Free Lunch: Ottawa 6; Buffalo 3

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.

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?

Sharks Subdue Sens OR The Unfortunate Adventures of Stagger Lee: San Jose 2; Ottawa 1

Well, were you really expecting anything else?

The Ottawa Senators, ever the strong contenders for a lottery pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft, fell victim to the class of the NHL tonight, dropping a 2-1 decision to the fabled Sharks of hockey-mad San Jose.

The turning point in this one was a stretch of eight nearly consecutive minutes in penalties in the heart of the second period, the latter two thirds being the handiwork of rookie (and Senate Committee "Golden Boy") Brian Lee. Lee took three penalties in a row, two of which were understandable, one foolish. His first was the result of a turnover he committed along Ottawa's boards to the right of Alex Auld. The breakdown created a situation where Ottawa's red-clad defenders were outnumbered by white jerseys, and Lee hooked an wide-open Jeremy Roenick. An understandable foul, committed near his own net to alleviate up a threat. The Sens killed that infraction off, and actually had some of the better scoring chances over the two-minute span.

Lee's second faux-pas was a rather suspect holding call for using a free hand whilst finishing a check. Highly dubious. However, Lee's reaction to the poor call was imprudent in a close game against a superior opponent, and resulted in an additional unsportsmanlike conduct minor, giving San Jose a four minute power play. The Sharks took this opportunity by the reigns, potting two goals and never looking back. Sportsnet's Ian Mendes intimated that the coaching staff read Lee that riot act for the foul-up.

The Sens were held the momentum from a strong first period and a series of proficient kills, but this took the wind out of their sails and easily served as the turning point on the night. They were not the same trying to play from behind against the competition best the NHL has to offer.

Hats off to San Jose though. They didn't even play their best game and were still a treat to watch. The Sharks looked smooth and skilled with the man advantage, going two for four. Their second goal, off a Partick Marleau deflection on a Jeremy Roenick shot, was the product of a series of precision passes that simply left the Sens defenders looking flat-footed. For sombody who has had to give up NHL Centre Ice to devote more time to academics, getting to see a team like the Sharks play is truly something to behold. They are one of the main reasons I am looking forward to this years playoffs.

The Sens' PK looked up to the task of containing the Sharks, but eventually wore down in the face of so much time shorthanded over such a condensed time frame. Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson looked like legitimate offensive threats while playing shorthanded, and did a good job of sweeping the puck out of harm's way.

His goal on a deflection notwithstanding, Fisher's improved play of late leads me to believe he may have shaken off whatever was ailing him through the latter half of 2008. He deserved the third star honours he garnered tonight, as he was abuzz every time he touched the puck. And no, I'm not going to attribute his improved performance to anything in his personal life... Frankly, I refuse to even allude to it any further, as it has become the Paris Hilton of Ottawa's hockey story lines - unintelligent, meritless, over-exposed, and boring.

The Ottawas looked poised to tie this one up in the final minutes. Both Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley had quality chances to send this one to overtime, but fired the puck into the pads of Brian Boucher, who made 23 saves in this one. Boucher's play was commendable, as he thwarted several good chances. Kudos to Boucher on a game well played.

So far so good on the Chris Campoli front. I thought he looked good during his 21:03 of ice time. Campoli looks to be moving the puck well, and has been contributing to the club's offensive output in the three games since he arrived from Long Island. He may make Bryan Murray to look very unlike the developmentally delayed cretin many fans perceive him to be. I like his offensive awareness, willingness to join the rush, and his speed, though I feel his size and offensive flair will cause him to make his fair share off mistakes in his own end. This will no doubt draw the ire of the Over the Edgers who want their defenceman to chip the puck off the glass to safety - without any though given to offensive creativity or excitement, for fear of the unforgiveable "turnover" - every time it makes contact with their sticks.

Watching Dan Boyle, you can really see how a No.1 defenceman is the pulse of a team, though. While Campoli is looking like a nice addition, the Senators are still in need of a bona-fide top-flight player on their back end before they can reasonably hope to contend again.

Sens and Leafs Saturday. I remeber a time when those four words were not an invitation to laughter, ridicule, and poorly thought out one-liners... Sigh.

Long Painful Boring Death: Montreal 5; Ottawa 3

Happy Hockey Day in Canada!

As February nears its end, I hope you take time to give thanks for all the manufactured holidays the month has brought us. Valentine's Day, Family Day, Hockey Day, perhaps someday Neighbours Day and Person I Met in the Tim's Line Day. The possibilities are endless. I am going to agree with Steve Warne and humbly ask why we must have 4,729 February holidays, but we can't build a day off into June.

I thought Jarkko Ruutu summed up the afternoon's events well during a 2nd intermission interview with the CBC's Jeff Marek. Ruutu stated that the Senators made too many mistakes and gave the Canadiens goals. An apt appraisal of what was a lacklustre performance. The Sens were, for the second time in as many games, poor in their defensive zone, leaving attackers uncovered and thus digging themselves a hole that proved too deep to allow for escape.

Ottawa gave the enigmatic Alexei Kovalev a lot of space in the first period, allowing him to feed an open Tomas Plekanec for a goal. Kovalev also skated past Anton Volchenkov unmolested to give Les Glorieux a 2-0 advantage. To be fair, Ottawa's gamble made sense, as there was a 50% chance Kovalev was just out for some leisurely exercise before shooting a commercial.

Ottawa countered with two of their own in the middle stanza, creating an enthusiasm tapered only by the fact they surrendered an additional three, essentially taking the Senators out of contention in this one.

Mathieu Schneider scored Montreal's third goal off a bullet from the point that beat a screened Brian Elliott, chasing Elliott from the net. The rookie is going through a tough stretch, allowing 10 goals in his last 5 periods of hockey. Alex Auld did not provide the spark that coach Cory Clouston was looking for, as Ottawa's coverage lapses persisted.

Give the club credit for battling through to the end though, as they peppered Jaro Halak with shots whilst trailing by three. The Ottawas threw the puck at Halak 46 times in this one, including an astounding 21 in the third, a figure aided by three 5-on-3 advantages. The Sens kept up good offensive pressure, but were unable to close the substantial gap they had created for themselves.
Bryan Murray's new acquisitions made their debut in this one. Offensive defenceman Chris Campoli came as advertised. He had a 2-point afternoon, recording second assists on both of Ottawa's second-period goals. Both assists were legitimate contributions to the goal rather than fortuitous statistical anomalies. Campoli's first assist was a pass that created a scoring chance for Jesse Winchester, which created the rebound that led to Jarkko Ruutu's goal off a bad angle shot. The second was a pass to Jason Spezza that allowed for another shot, with the rebound benefiting Dany Heatley this time. Nothing overly fancy, but a fine start none the less.

Returning Senator Mike Comrie was less visible. Comrie skated well, and was often present around the crease, quietly registering 5 shots, but did not compile much in the way of quality scoring opportunities. Hopefully Comrie will be more involved in the team's upcoming games.

Dany Heatley had numerous opportunities in addition to those that led to his two goals. Heatley played his role and did what he does best: create and capitalize on scoring chances. Dany Boy could have had the opener had his stick been at a better angle, as a pass ricocheted off his blade and out of the zone during the first period. The man whose teammates call him Heater had several other close calls. Heatley was particularly useful on the powerplay, where he parked himself in key scoring areas and plied his trade. Heatley finished with 7 shots and 22:36 in ice time.

After winning five straight, the Senators have played two games where they give up a substantial number of unanswered goals and then try to play catch-up. The Sens are also lacking the sense of urgency and energy level that was present on their successful road trip. If the Sens want to keep their playoff delusions intact, these bad habits will have to be beaten like they're Rihanna (too soon?)

The sens get a chance to shake off the doldrums on Tuesday when they host the Hurricanes of Tobacco Row. Until then, enjoy the rest of Hockey Day. I hear some fellow named Mats might be playing tonight in Toronto. Hopefully the media will bring us up to speed on this woefully neglected story.

Vancouver 5; Ottawa 2 / Trade Reaction

The Game

After picking up points in seven straight games (12 of a possible 14, to be precise,) Ottawa laid a bit of an egg against a Western-Canadian foe. The Sens looked to be putting in the effort, but ended up the victims of an hour-long game of keep-away, as the Canucks dominated puck possession to come away with the 5-2 win.

The story in this one was Ottawa's inability to contain Vancouver's offensive zone pressure. The Canucks sent two men deep into the offensive zone with frequency, and the Sens did not cover their defensive assignments, leaving Vancouver forwards open to make skilled plays.

Filip Kuba did not have a very good game, as he gave away the puck with such frequency that I bean to think he was convinced it carried syphilis. Two very poor clearing attempts by Ottawa's piece of Czech trade bait eventually led to Vancouver's first goal.

Ottawa's entire defence corps didn't have their best overall game. I thought the points on the powerplay were sloppy, as they let a lot of pucks cross the blueline, thus alleviating pressure. To be fair though, on many occasions such breakdowns were the result of panicked plays by the Sens'

Despite what the stats look like, Brian Elliott did not have a poor outing. On two goals he was the victim of the aforementioned poor defensive coverage, as an opponent left open in the slot had an open net to shoot on after receiving a tape to tape pass. Another was a tip of the stick of Jason Smith that handcuffed Elliott, who had committed to the original shot.

Hopefully the effort was the result of the dreaded "first-home-game-after-a-road-trip-effect" and not the beckon ing of the club's return to suck. We shall see Saturday, as a re-vamped Sens squad takes on the Montreal Canadiens. Note the 3PM start time, as the game is the matinee portion of CBC's Hockey Day in Canada.

The Trade

See Details in the Wrap Up.

I still don't know exactly how I feel about this deal.

I was initially ecstatic at the prospect of re-acquiring Mike Comrie, until my brain informed me he was, in fact a UFA this summer. My excitement changed to disappointment, but then back to excitement again, as Comrie gives Bryan Murray a little flexibility.

Murray has a choice: Keep Comrie for the stretch drive, and hope to be able to meet his salary demands with the club having more cap-space this summer; OR flip Comrie to another team as a rental for a package he likes better. Realistically, either one is an option.

On paper, Comrie fills the club's vacancy at centre and could very easily be retained in that role for an affordable amount. However, Comrie has only 20 points in 41 games this year, and 69 in the 117 games he's played since leaving Ottawa. My renewed excitement could still turn back into regret.

Murray said on the Team 1200 that the real reason he made the deal was to acquire Chris Campoli. I won't lie and claim to be an expert on Campoli's play, but from what I gather, he should help to make the Sens' back end more mobile. Campoli puts up decent numbers, but his -20 rating for this year is a big red flag. Granted, he was playing on a terrible team in Long Island, but that number is rather low for my liking regardless of cicrumstance. Time will tell how he will respond to a change of scenery.

Campoli's $675K cap hit through next season is a winner though, as it gives the Sens room to maneuver this summer while still having a mobile puck mover in tow. I'm sure Murray and his scouts feel Campoli is a blooming offensive defenceman who will add to Ottawa's rich tradition of stealing valuable players from the Isalnders' system. I hope for the his sake he's right. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire.

The loss of Dean McAmmond is not cause for dismay. I had actually started work on an article listing my reasons for disliking McAmmond a few days ago, and they were as follows: He's small, not as quick as he once was, possesses stone hands, and does not play a significant role on the team. Why the Islanders were even interested in him is beyond me, frankly. I assume his inclusion was on a numbers-basis.

It does sting to see the Senators give up San Jose's first-rounder (likely to be in the 25-20 rnage) in what is allegedly a deep draft. That was a good piece to use for improving this team 5 years down the line.

How history views this deal, and thus Murray, will turn on Campoli's development and the depth of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft,

Good Things Come in Threes, Although Sometimes Only Once a Year: Ottawa 5; Philadelphia 2.

The Senators have their first legitimate winning streak of the season under their belts, even if it is only a modest one. The Sens looked surprisingly energetic after killing 13 penalties last night in Buffalo, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 5-2 for their third straight victory.

Dany Heatley scored in this one, and therefore played tremendously. Actually, Heatley had only three shots on goal, and the goal he was credited with took a luck bounce of Scott Hartnell. Nevertheless, I thought the pizza line played well in this one. Jason Spezza’s feed to set up Heatley’s shot on Ottawa’s fourth goal was a little piece of genius. He showed patience with the puck, passing it around a Flyers defender, timing it so that it wedged its way perfectly into Heatley’s wheelhouse. The staff in the Wachovia Centre gave the ensuing goal to Daniel Alfredsson, but I get the feeling that Heatley will be given credit.

Spezza also chipped in a goal of his own for the second straight night. Spezza’s marker was nearly identical to the one he registered last night, minus his falling ass-backwards.

Brian Elliott was solid again. Elliott’s glove hand is starting to impress me. After watching Ray Emery and Martin Gerber, who, for their NHL-ish skill sets, both had terrible glove hands. Elliott made a very flashy save during the second period on Jeff Carter’s wrister that was headed top corner on Elliott’s far side.

The Sens got more of that elusive secondary scoring tonight. Hot hand Nick Foligno scored his ninth, and third in his past four games, on a befuddling error from Antero Niitymaki. Niitymaki over-committed blocker-side, allowing Foligno to waltz in and pot the Sens’ third goal.

Antoine Vermette treated us to a taste of what he used to bring to the table more regularly, scoring the team’s final goal on a fast-break. Vermette has struggled to produce those kinds of goals this year, which I credit to the Sens’ lack of puck-movers. Vermette receives less tape to tape passes in stride, which negates his biggest asset: speed.

There was not a whole lot of excitement in this one until the latter half of the third period. Both teams were fairly reserved and the game was not one you would describe as run and gun or particularly intense. Ottawa’s high goal total can be attributed to the poor play of Niitymaki.

The team has tomorrow off, before playing the Wild in Minnesota Saturday night. Look for a more challenging foe for the Senators’ scorers, as Nicklas Backstrom is quietly solidifying his reputation as one of the league’s elite puck stoppers as he heads towards unrestricted free agency this summer. Check back here for a live stream, as this one won’t be televised.

Penalty Kill Mightier than the Sabre: Ottawa 3; Buffalo 1

The Ottawa Senators played another complete 60-minutes to down the Buffalo Sabres for the second straight game, this time by a score of 3-1. The victory was Ottawa’s 7th road win this season. For those of you who are baffled as to why the senators are so far removed from a playoff spot, a telling statistic: The Sens now have as many road wins as the San Jose Sharks do regulation losses this season.

Goaltending was a key to this victory, as Brian Elliott was not spectacular, but solid. He got a piece of a top corner Jaroslav Spacek slap shot through a screen in the first period to send it out of play. Not a huge stop by any stretch, but the kind you got the feeling was going when Martin Gerber and even Alex Auld were in net. Elliot also shut down Nathan Gerbe on a breakaway that looked to hold the potential for trouble. TSN showed Elliott working on his rebound control with Sens goaltending coach Eli Wilson. Practice paid off, as Elliott was, as described by Pierre McGuire “a piece of Velcro,” swallowing up Buffalo shots.

The Newmarket native’s low goals against total is more impressive in light of the fact Buffalo had 13 powerplays in this one, including an 11 minute stretch where Ottawa played with four skaters. Elliott was Ottawa’s best penalty killer on this night, finishing with 31 saves.

Jason Smith was given the rare triple-minor penalty for his hit from behind on Patrick Kaleta. I have to side with McGuire in my analysis of this penalty. Smith let up when he saw Kaleta was vulnerable, and Kaleta dropped his gloves, signalling that he was a willing participant in the dust-up that ensued between he and Smith. How Smith got six minutes in penalties, and Kaleta got none is beyond me. Give Kaleta credit though. For a guy who played less than seven minutes in this contest, he made his mark.

Moving on to a different kind of bad penalty, what was Jarkko Ruutu thinking when he ran over Ryan Miller, arguably negating a Chris Kelly goal (it is arguable because Kelly likely would not have scored in the first place without some assistance from Ruutu.) I like Ruutu because, as a general rule, he picks his moments to stir the pot and doesn’t let his desire to be a hir under the collar of his opponent interfere with the welfare of his team. But how did Ruutu rationalize running the goaltender without so much as a shove from the opponent to help his fall? To be fair to Ruutu he was not alone, as Daniel Alfredsson and Nick Foligno also took time out of their busy schedules to drive Miller into his net, receiving two minutes in the penalty box for their troubles.
The intellectual instigator redeemed himself though, executing a masterful screen on Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller to help set up Ottawa’s second goal, and by playing an otherwise solid game. Coach Cory Clouston even rewarded him with a shift or two with Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza.

That second tally for the Sens was the product of a series of smart plays by the club’s fourth line. Deam McAmmond was strong on the forecheck, using his speed and low centre of gravity to fight off a hit and center the puck to Shean Donovan, who made use of Ruutu’s screen and some patience to wire the puck past a handcuffed Miller.

I liked Clouston’s decision to play the Brian Lee-Filip Kuba pairing with the Foligno-Fisher-Shannon line. The club’s two best puck movers playing with some of the team’s best north-south forwards seems like a winning combination to me. Fisher’s line looks to be benefiting from the marriage, as they had another strong game. Antoine Vermette seems like he could fit in well with that five-man unit should Shannon be sent back to the minors. Ditto for Chris Kelly.

The Sens will try for their first 3-game winning-streak tomorrow night when they travel to Philadelphia to face the Flyers. The team’s energy level and offensive presence has remained strong in Clouston’s first four game, which means a victory against Philly is a
distinct possibility.

Notes

I noticed Dany Heatley didn’t score in this one. Ergo, he must have had a bad game. I love how the Sun’s ego maniacal writers are trying to insert themselves into the “story” of the fued between Dany Heatley and or the media that they have manufactured. I will now address each party.

Dany: I for one understand your plight. If I were you, I would hate the guys at the Sun too. Hell, if I had media accreditation to speak with the team personally and thus didn’t need the Sun for quotes and such to do my work here, I would likely not read their work at all. Hook a brother up?

Bruce, Don, Chris, and co.: How about, instead of finding ways to integrate yourself into the story of the team and manufacturing animosity and baseless rumours that never come to fruition, you focus on writing accurate, fact driven, interesting articles about the team. I know this would require “effort” and “talent,” but I’m sure you guys can find a way around that. I mean, you’ve made it this far. Maybe you could call up the guys at The Citizen to ask for tips.

Check out article on The 6th Sens and Black Aces for a more.

Bruins Edge Sens in Low Scoring Shootout: Boston 4; Ottawa 3 (SO)

The Senators put forth one of their better effort, probably deserving a better fate, but were edged out by the Boston Bruins in the shootout. The team looked really in sync in the final 40 minutes of this one, battling back from a 2-0 deficit with three unanswered goals. An unfortunate, accidental, but deserved high sticking foul was called on Antoine Vermette, allowing the juggernaut Bruins to tie the game on the power-play. The Sens pressed hard for the rest of the third and much of overtime despite having to kill off another penalty in the supplemental period, but the Bruins got strong goaltending from Tim Thomas, allowing them to shut the door on the Sens' attack and play the probabilities against the Sens' woeful shootout record.

I actually thought Thomas looked very Hasek-like on this night, particularly when stopping Mike Fisher’s breakaway in overtime The Sens had some of the better chances in the shootout, but Thomas was up to the task, stopping a Dany Heatley snap shot that had goal written all over it. The Sens’ shooters have always had a hard time against him, so it was encouraging to see them pot three against their foe, even if the end result was not what they had hope for.

Daniel Alfredsson said before the game that Bruins are not a team to relinquish a lead, thus it was crucial to for Ottawa to get the first goal. While the senators surrendered the first two scores of the game, Alfredsson certainly did his part to remedy the situation. Alfredsson tied the game with a point blank slapper that went top corner. Alfredsson played like a man possessed, registering 7 shots on goal, with his teammates counting 15 between them.

I was vaguely disappointed when Nick Foligno scored a goal, as I had typed some notes on his strong play tonight that I found very observant and pithy. By scoring, he made my noticing the little things he did well less subtle and intelligent. Nevertheless, I thought Foligno was great, even aside from the second period marker. He appeared to benefit from Clouston’s implementation of a two-forechecker system, and used his speed, strong skating, and puck protection skills to make smart plays on the cycle. Foligno’s goal was an objet d‘art, as he beat three bruins to slide the puck past Tim Thomas with outstretched arms. I’m pleased with Clouston’s decision to continue playing him on the second line.

The loss has to sting for this group, but this was another strong effort under the new task master. Given their position in the standings, this team should be assessed in the same manner one would judge a poker player: The result takes a backseat to the process that leads to it. If the process stays sound, the results will come over the long run. The team gets a chance to see if the odds even out against Buffalo on Saturday night.

Notes:

1) Bryan Murray held court with James Duthie during the second intermission. Here are some of the highlights from that interview for those who may have missed it.

• When asked about how the senators went from first in goals scored in 2007-08 to last this season, Murray answered that he was dumbfounded at how this happened. He doesn’t believe the team takes enough shots, and used tonight’s effort as an example


• Murray thought the team is playing better under Clouston, and thought we may see more success against a “the right opponents.”


• He alleged whether he would be a seller at the dealine is contingent on what is offered for the players he is interested in moving, and that not going to clean house completely.


• Also said that he had been fielding calls about the Big 3, but insinuated that he was not planning on moving any of them before the deadline barring a gargantuan offer.

2) One trend that has stood out every time the Bruins come to town is the ability of the fans in Ottawa to single out a player every time he touches the puck. It was fine when it was just Bryan Berard, Alexei Yashin, and players of that ilk, but it’s gone too far. Zdeno Chara was once again booed mercilessly tonight. I won’t pretend to have inside knowledge on the process that led to Chara’s departure. Some say Chara chose to leave because he wanted to be the top dog on a team and that was not going to happen in Ottawa. Others have relayed that Muckler flat out chose Wade Redden over soaring Slovak. Regardless of how it went down, booing Chara is asinine.

To loosely borrow the words of the fiery Santino Coleone, the NHL is a business and the fans in Ottawa are taking it very, very personal. The Big Z gave nothing but his best to this organization. He played hurt in the playoffs, was active in the community, has always been a class act when asked about his time in Ottawa, and will go down as one of the best defencemen to play in this city. Bitter boo birds: If you were offered a job that included a more sought after role and more cash by a different employer when your contract ended, you would no doubt take it. That’s all the man did, and he was well within his rights in doing so. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

Sens Fail to Score More, Clouston On Hot Seat: Los Angeles 1; Ottawa 0

The Ottawa Senators were shut out by the LA Kings for the second straight meeting last night. Much of the media has already taken new coach Cory Clouston’s to task for the club’s failure to implement a more offensive game plan. I feel it a bit reactionary to deem his coaching philosophy “more of the same” after only one game. Sens fans should be willing to give the guy a longer showing – at least the rest of the season – before judging him too sternly.

Clouston, while assuring the beat writers he was not pleased with his club’s failure to score a goal, said there were a lot of positives to take form this victory. The Sens had a great second period, out-shooting the Kings by a count of 13-4. Brian Lee, Chris Neil, Dany Heatley, and Chris Phillips all had quality scoring chances in the middle stanza, but each one failed to capitalize. Brian Elliott had a strong game for the Ottawas, making several big saves in the third period to keep the score tied, but his teammates couldn’t reward score a goal for him. The Sens, barring a shaky first period, put forth a good effort, but the execution was not there. If the team plays the way they did last night, however, the goals will come.

That’s not to suggest the evening was a coming out party for the team. The Senator power play seems over-cautious about taking shots. The team looks to be searching for the perfect scoring chance rather than throwing puck on net through traffic. Daniel Alfredsson’s decision to pass up a point-blank shot on goal in the second really stood out, and was part of the reason the team managed only 5 shots on 5 opportunities with the man advantage.

Chris Kelly missed the net completely on a beautiful break-away chance. Is there any player in the National Hockey League who posses the ratio of speed, hockey sense and shiftiness to stone-handedness that Chris Kelly does? Oh well, at least it wasn’t as bad as David Perron’s failed shoot-out move from the other night.

Give credit to Kings goaltender John Quick. A relatively unknown NHL commodity, Quick gave the senators shooters fits. Quick is a great story, as he has gone from playing in the ECHL last season to experiencing NHL success this year. Quick has strong stats, and last night's shutout was his third in 16 games this season. Clouston acknowledged Quick, saying he was the Kings’ best penalty killer.

Notes:
1) I noticed the Sens are running a commercial featuring the roman anthem as part of their “Fans First” campaign (or as I call it, their “We’re SO sorry we suck, please keep buying tickets” campaign.) Coincidence? I think not. It seems as though the club is attempting to curry favour with those who have become disenchanted with the new, worse direction this team has taken both on the ice and inside the marketing department. Hopefully they bring back the side profile logo and some more aesthetically pleasing jerseys as their next act of outreach.

2) Andy has got a new contract with the feds, so the morning wrap-up is on hiatus for this week. It should be back bright and early Monday. Meanwhile, you’re all stuck with me. I know, I know, I don't like it any more than you. frankly, I find your voice nasally and your breath akin to the stench of milk that has fallen behind the heater and gone unnoticed for several months. Nevertheless, we'll have to make it work.

Good Evening Blues: Ottawa 3; St. Louis 1

The Sens played a strong 60 minutes and got timely saves from their goaltender, allowing the Senators to walk out of St. Louis with a 3-1 win over the Blues. The story lines in this one are pretty obvious, so let's dive in.

Mike Fisher had a monster night even when one discounts the empty net goal that accounted for his second of the night. Fisher had 7 shots on goal, threw 4 hits, and looked like a man possessed. His first goal was the result of following up on his own rebound, and a poor turnover from David Perron. Fisher now leads all Senators not named Heatley, Alfredsson, or Spezza with with 7 goals.


Peter Regin scored his first NHL goal on a nice individual effort. Regin looped around the St. Louis net, and fired a wrister low short side from a tight angle, eluding Chris Mason. While Mason should probably have had the angle covered, give Regin credit, as his patience paid off. Regin also threw a nice hit (I believe on Patrick Berglund, but don't take me to task on that one) in the first period.

Brian Elliott stood tall, allowing only one goal on the 23 shots he faced. I gave Elliott flak Tuesday in New Jersey for having a poor showing, so I will give him credit for not folding and making some nice 3rd period saves. He had absolutely no chance on the Blues' only goal; If Brad Winchester hadn't caught the puck with his skate, Brad Boyes would likely have buried it on the cross-crease pass. Elliott was making his 7th straight start, and will get a well deserved break tomorrow night when Alex Auld starts against the Blue Jackets. I would like to see Auld push Elliott for playing time with a strong performance, as I am a firm believer in the desirability of healthy competition between a team's two goaltenders.


Watching the Senators on the power play during the first period gave me flashbacks to Tuesday night. The Blues succeeded in the keeping the puck away from the Sens for extended periods of time, and got the best scoring chance over the combined four minutes of Ottawa's first two opportunities with the extra attacker courtesy of a David Backes rush. Ottawa also failed to capitalize on 1:34 of 5-on-3 time during the second period. The inconsistency and intermittent futility of the Sens power play will have to be rectified if the Sens want to spare Melnyk the embarrassment of having to live down his various mid-season assertions that the Sens will make the playoffs.

While the Sens did have a strong effort, I feel it is important to taper any excessive optimism with a reminder that the St. Louis Blues are, in fact, now just one point behind the Senators in the NHL's futility bowl. This team has yet to win three games in a row all year, so let's keep this victory in perspective. The Sens need 53 points in their final 36 games to reach the hypothetical 94 point standard that will likely serve as the cut-off for playoff participation. That means the Sens have to pick up points at a .736 clip. The silver lining for those of you who still hope to see the club qualify is that, having picked up 9 of a possible 12 points over the last 6 games, the Sens are currently accumulating points at the right rate. Whether that is sustainable remains to be seen.



Notes:
The NHL Network's broadcast - featuring Bill Clement, Gary Green, and some other dude - was just awful. A brief sampling of their many sins.

1. Bill Clement compared the St. Louis Blues to "hyenas on hamburger." While I am unclear on exactly how he dreamed up such a witty, complex analogy, Bill was humble enough to break it down for us, "The Blues being the hyenas, and the opponent being the hamburger." Thanks Bill, for catering to my inferior intellect by explaining your complex use of similes. He went on to reference the comparison at least twice more. Has anyone ever seen a pack of hyenas come into contact with ground beef (prepared in any manner) in their lifetime? If so, please let me know.



2. Bill also referred to the line of Antoine Vermette, Mike Fisher, and Chris Kelly as the "Helicopter Line" as there are "no wings," an admittedly vaguely clever way of noting that all three are natural centres. Clement pointed this out during the first period, and then near the end of the second, stated "I know I called them the 'Helicopter Line' earlier, but did I mention it was because they have no wings!?" with the utmost sincerity. Yes, Bill, you did, and it was almost an apt remark until you ruined it.
   
   
3. The other dude (aka the guy who did the play-by-play) mentioned that Andy Murray loves intensity, and actually uses Carlo Colaiacovo as an "intensity barometer." A baffling statement, one I felt required much explanation. No clarification ever came, though the comment was succeeded by a comical, 10 second long awkward silence amongst the broadcast team.
   
   
4. The audio feed cut out for the first 2 minutes of the second period, an error in which I took great pleasure. I thought back to the SRC announcer strike before the lockout when Radio-Canada still carried the Francophone Saturday night hockey broadcast. I always enjoyed watching the game without commentary, as it forced you to pay more attention to the game if you wanted to know what exactly was happening. The technical difficulty was a nice vacation from the blithering of these three stooges.

The broadcast crew did have one interesting tidbit of information. In speaking with Sens GM Bryan Murray, they learned that Murray feels the biggest mistake the Senators organization ever made was letting Zdeno Chara walk away. Murray was a year away from being named GM when Chara chose to sign with Boston in July 2006, so this amounts to a pretty stinging criticism of his former boss John Muckler.

While They May Take On Pleasing Forms, Sens Still Themselves: New Jersey 4; Ottawa 1

Out-shot, out-chanced, out-goaltended, and all together outplayed, the Ottawa Senators dropped a contest with the New Jersey Devils for the third time this season. While the Senators had their chances, the Devils were the better team on this night and reaped the spoils that follow. As was the case the last time the Sens played Jersey, their play was not terribly bad, but they were simply not able to find a way to get the two points against a superior opponent. The Ottawas, as Craig Hartsburg mentions below, were plagued by their inability to play a full 60 minutes, as they seemed to go to sleep in the final frame.

Ottawa had a number of scoring chances, but only managed to beat Scott Clemmensen once on an Alex Picard one-timer that came on the man-advantage (though they did hit a post as well.) I found Clemmensen to be the superior netminder on the night, which is not intended to be a knock on Brian Elliott. The Sens had some quality chances in the first two periods, and Clemmensen shut the door. Elliott had his moments in the game, making a very noticeable glove save in the second period - the result of a self-inflicted rush he created with an errant stretch pass that led to a turnover. However, the rookie tender also allowed a shaky goal or two. Personally, I would like to see more poise and consistency from Elliott, and that may come as he adjusts to life in the NHL.

For me, the Sens were dead in the water when they failed to sustain any meaningful pressure on their third period four minute power play, courtesy of the dastardly Brendan Shanahan's malicious high stick on our lord and saviour Daniel Alfredsson. While Our Father Who Art in Kanata was sitting on the bench with gauze in his lip, his teammates were the victims of a schoolyard-style game of keep away, with the New Jersey Devils playing the role of older, taller, cretinous bullies. Down two goals, Ottawa needed to use that opportunity to get back into this game by either scoring a goal or gaining some momentum. They accomplished neither, not even registering a shot, and the remainder of the match was nothing more than a figurative whimper.

The Senators will likely silence the Over the Edgers who, being incapable of seeing more than 3 days into the past, espoused renewed optimism towards Ottawa's prospects of a playoff push. The Sens will get a chance to pick up some more points Thursday and Friday, when they face fellow doormats the St. Louis Blues before travelling to the capital of the buckeye state to take on the newly plucky Columbus Blue Jackets.

Notes:

1) I was surprised that Craig Hartsburg drew Jason Smith out of the line-up, though not mystified. Ottawa is looking more and more like they are evaluating what they have in terms of assets with an eye on next season, and Smith doesn't seem to be a piece that fits into the overall puzzle going forward. The club appears to be looking to strike a balance of four offensive defencemen and two stay at home guys; That is to say, the ratio they dressed back when they still won playoff games. It will be interesting to see how the situation plays itself out over the next few weeks. I'd wager Smith will find himself back in the line-up before too long, likely at the expense of Brendan Bell.

2) Martin Gerber has been sent back to Binghamton for the time being. I have a hard time believing Gerber will find a new home in the NHL given his contract and inability to perform reliably even in short spurts. While Gerber would help the Baby Sens stay in contention in the AHL's Eastern Conference, the logical move for the organization is a return to Europe. Eugene Melnyk is probably about as keen to eat Gerber's salary in the minors as he is to share Frank Clair Stadium with Ottawa's 409th CFL franchise. Moreover, the front office needs to decide what they have in Jeff Glass as a deep draft approaches. The best way to do that is to let the man play regularly.

Sens Heating Up: Ottawa 3; Washington 2

The Ottawa Senators earned their seventh point in their last four games, defeating the high flying Washington Captials 3-2. Brendan Bell returned from his banishment to the press box to provide the heroics with a late goal while Dany Heatley scored twice, giving him 4 in his last two games. The Senators, while victorious, deviated from their "Play 60 Minutes" plan, as the Captials were dominant in the second frame. To the Senators' credit, the Caps did spend almost half the middle stanza on the power play courtesy four Senator infractions, which helps to account for Washington's 19-3 shots on goal advantage.

The other two periods saw the Senators play quite well, out-shooting Ovechkin and co. 31-12 in the first and final 20 minute segments. It was nice to see Antoine Vermette get rewarded on the score sheet. While the former Victoriaville Tigre has been offensively anemic for much of the season, he managed to pot 3 assists last night. Vermette's play has been improving since Christmas, and he will need to keep contributing and improving if the Senators are going to make a serious push for the post-season.

The Senators' power play has been re-invigorated ever since Craig Hartsburg moved Dany Heatley to the second unit to provide more balance. The Sens have scored 5 goals with the man advantage in the four games since the shuffle, with another two or three coming within seconds of Carolina returning to full strength during Tuesday's game. That the power play can be a fickle lady is cause for concern going forward, but the Sens will take any momentum they can get at this point.

Game 44 for the Senators marked the NHL debut of Danish prospect Peter Regin. Regin looked strong on the puck and showed good wheels in spot duty for the flu-ridden Chris Neil. It looks as though the 2004 3rd rounder might need some more seasoning in the minors, but I for one liked what I saw.
Brian Lee's play is getting more and more impressive as time passes. After getting off to a horrendous start to this campaign that resulted in his being sent down to Binghamton, Lee is adjusting to the speed and intensity of the NHL game. I have been particularly impressed with Lee's willingness to take contact to make a play. Last night he skated into a devastating check to make a nice breakout pass that led to an Ottawa rush during the second period, a scene Sens fans are being treated to with increased frequency. Lee has also quietly demonstrated a willingness to throw himself in front of shots. He blocked two last night, and has been picking up numbers in that department, intercepting 15 in the Sens' 9 games so far this month. While the his development is still ongoing, its nice to see that he is willing to compete and sacrifice to make it in the bigs. While the Ottawas aren't likely to be playing hockey after mid-April, Lee's progression gives the club another piece to build with going forward.

I have discovered that the Sens' website posts Hartsburg's post-game presser after each contest. You can find it there, but I'll keep embedding them for your viewing pleasure.