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...

Anoter Reason To Hate the Toronto Maple Leafs

TSN.ca is reporting that Ron Wilson has decided that Curtis Joseph will start in goal tonight against Ottawa, at the exclusion of Martin Gerber, robbing fans of both clubs of a very interesting storyline. Thanks, Ron.

Who knows why this decision was made? Was it because the Leafs were afraid Gerber's fragile psyche would melt under the pressure of the ex-home rink's bright lights and chorus of boos? Was it the soft goals he let in Saturday's contest with Edmonton? Or, my personal suspicion, is Gerber's new Leafs gear STILL not ready, and the team didn't want to throw him in net with his Ottawa gear on, as that would just be too much?

Either way, this stinks. Who knows? Maybe the Sens build on Saturday's offensive explosion against Buffalo and we get to see both Joseph AND Gerber. Here's hoping.

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?

What is and What's to Be

Well, my market predictions re trade deadline were embarrassingly contradicted at every turn. Kuba re-signed, Vermette did get dealt for Leclaire, and nobody else moved. GM Bryan Murray did back up one of my prophecies, when he responded to questions as to why he did not deal Chris Neil with claims there was not much of a market for him. So I got one right and a whole bunch wrong. I think this qualifies me to fill Eklund’s position over at HockeyBuzz should he ever fall ill.

In a day that will no doubt live on in infamy amongst the female portion of the Ottawa Senators’ faithful, GM Bryan Murray dealt fleet footed piece of National Capital man-candy Antoine Vermette to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for comparatively unattractive but athletically talented goaltender Pascale Leclaire and a somewhat aesthetically amorphous second-round pick in this year’s draft. Since you are all fans of the team first, I assume you recognize the tantalizing potential of this acquisition, but nevertheless: My condolences, ladies. Regardless of the journalistic impact of the swap, I’d be disapointed off if TSN traded Holly Horton to CJOH for Leigh Chapple, so I feel your pain.

Kuba’s deal is for 3 years with a $3.7mil cap hit over that time frame. Rumours were circulating that Murray had given Kuba a no-movement-clause, but the speculation, according the GM himself, was only 33% true. Kuba has a NMC in the first year of his deal, meaning he can be moved in the latter two if the Senators see the need. While the team’s fan base was anxious to see what the Sens could get for the offensively talented but mistake-prone and physically diminutive rearguard, Murray wisely cautioned that a player like Kuba would be hard to come by this summer, especially at such a price-tag.

Murray addressed the moves he didn’t make in his press conference yesterday, embedded below. As previously mentioned, he determined the market for Neil was not what he was hoping for, and chose to retain the rugged winger in the hopes of working out a new deal. Murray also said he was hoping to move one more body for a pick (presumably Schubert, maybe Jason Smith) for a pick, but could not find a suitable offer.

Seeing how everyone and their dog has broken down then potential pros and cons of the moves, let’s stop living in the past (yesterday) and look to the future (this summer.) The Senators are in need of further tweaks to be a playoff team in April 2010, and major roster moves don’t often happen during the first half of the regular season in the salary cap NHL. This summer will be what makes or breaks this club, so let’s set the stage for the tough decisions to be made over these months now.

The Key Stats:
Cap Hit (based on 2009-10 salaries for the club’s regulars and Ray Emery’s buy-out): $51.01mil
Regulars Under Contract: 19
NTCs (as of July 1st, 2009): 6
$ tied to NTCs: $31.4mil
Notable FAs: Mike Comrie (UFA), Brian Elliott (RFA), Brendan Bell (RFA), Chris Neil (UFA)

Operating under the assumption that the upper cap is within $2mil of this year’s figure, up or down, you get the impression that there will be some salary shed at some point by the Sens. If Comrie is to return, somebody like a Chris Kelly, Jason Smith, or perhaps even Jason Spezza (provided there’s a substantial return) will have to be cleared to make room. There’s also the matter of getting some of Ottawa’s developing prospects signed, and making room for them to be full-time contributors should they warrant inclusion on the roster.

Simply put, Bryan Murray has not given himself a lot of room to manoeuvre, which either means he has a master plan pertaining to the salary structure of the club that we don’t know about and/or hasn’t been fully developed but involves major moves, or he is planning on going another with nearly the same roster that will finish the season amongst the also-rans of the National Hockey League.

I would bet he is planning the former, which would mean quite the exciting summer for fans in the Nation’s Capital.

Market Watch

A wise man once said the secret to happiness is low expectations. If you don’t succumb to outstanding and outlandish anticipation, you will be more easily pleased more often and thus happier, or so the theory goes. Since I love you all so much, I’m here to tailor your expectations for you!

With the deadline rapidly approaching, it’s easy to get swept up in the TSN manufactured holiday, as Maple Leafs Coach Ron Wilson would call it. We north of the 49th have made what is a non-event in other sports into an all-out frenzy. As you may have heard, the Ottawa Senators are playing the role of sellers for the first time in over a decade and many fans have expectations higher than former BNL front man Stephen Page with a stack of rolled up Canadian $50s.

Many fans are hoping the deadline will allow management to completely remake the team and address some of the massive holes on the roster. However, this lofty optimism is likely unrealistic. Teams don’t usually make blockbuster “hockey trades” (that is, talent for talent deals that shuffle the proverbial deck of a team’s roster in a major way) at the deadline, but rather reserve that behaviour for the period in the between the draft and the start of unrestricted free agency. With that in mind, here is an assessment of the market that exists for some of the home team’s players who may be on the move.

BREAKING NEWS: TSN.ca is reporting that Sens GM Bryan Murray is spending Tuesday negotiating with the agents for Neil and Kuba and is hoping to get them signed to new deals. The article states Kuba’s agent has denied he is seeking at least $4.5mil per annum. Personally, I don’t think retaining either one makes much sense, but I don’t get to listen in on trade negotiations, so we’ll assume Bryan knows best.

All statistics in brackets are from the season the trade was made up to the day the player was traded.

Filip Kuba

Well, well, well. Turns out the prediction I made months ago is coming to fruition. Take that, detractors. As I said then, this team can’t afford to lose it’s #1 defender for the third time in four seasons. Kuba has a no-trade clause in his deal, but has communicated through his agent that he will waive it if asked. If the two sides can't get an extension done in the next 12 hours or so, he is as good as gone.

Some similar talents that have been dealt and the return:

Mar. 2nd 2009
- To New Jersey: D Niclas Havelid (63GP, 2G, 13A, +4) and F Myles Stoesz (207th Overall in 2005)
- To Atlanta: D Anssi Salmela (17GP, 3A, +1, 33 SOG)

Feb 17th 2009
- To Montreal: D Mathieu Schneider (44GP, 4G, 11A, 50PIM) and Conditional Pick in 2009.
- To Atlanta: 2nd Round Pick in 2009, 3rd Round Pick 2010.

Feb. 27th 2008
- To Anaheim: D Marc-Andre Bergeron (44GP, 9G, 9A, -14.)
- To NY Islanders: 3rd Round Pick in 2008.

- To Colorado: D Russlan Salei (65GP, 3G, 20A, -5.)
- To Florida: D Karlis Skrastins (43GP, 1G, 3A, -2) and a 3rd Round Pick in 2008.

- To Detroit: D Brad Stuart (63GP, 5G, 16A, -16.)
- To Los Angeles: 2008 2nd Round Pick, 2009 4th Round Pick

Havelid is the defenceman most comparable to Kuba’s this year, but Pierre McGuire said on the Team 1200 this morning that the feeling is Atlanta didn’t get “full value” for the Olympic Gold Medalist. Rumours are circulating that Murray is working to bring a first-round pick back this deadline, and Kuba represents his best chance of achieving that. However, unless someone desperately covets Kuba, a return similar to what LA got for Stuart and Florida for Salei seems more likely. Expect a 2nd rounder and either a low pairing defenceman/bottom six forward, a mid level prospect, or another pick.

Chris Neil

Neil is rumoured to be on the move, as his pay demands ($2.5mil/yr) are roughly $1mil more than Bryan Murray is willing to pay. Chris Neil has always been good in the community, loyal to this franchise, and appreciative of the fans’ affections. He does his job, but his offense has all but disappeared (He has 2 goals and 3 assists in 44 games this year.) While he has always been a stand up guy, it seems like it’s time for both sides to move on.

Comparables for Neil are:

Jan 7th 2009
- To Toronto: W Brad May (20GP, 0G, 5A, 28PIM.)
- To Anaheim: Conditional 6th Round Pick in 2010 in 2009.

Feb 26th 2008
- To Washington: W Matt Cooke (61GP, 7G, 9A, 64PIM.)
- To Vancouver: W Matt Pettinger (56GP, 2G, 5A, -11)

- To Florida: D/F Wade Belak (30GP, 1A, 66PIM)
- To Toronto: 5th Round Pick in 2008.

- To Minnesota: W Chris Simon (28GP, 1G, 2A, 43PIM)
- To NY Islanders: 6th Round Pick in 2008

Some fans may not like having Neil grouped in with Belak and Simon, but given his offensive production in recent months, that’s where he is. Granted Neil is a better skater than those two, but it’s hard to imagine his value being radically higher. Pat uncle Bryan on the back if he gets anything more than a late-round pick or a 4th liner for Neil.

Antoine Vermette

TSN and the Ottawa Sun are both reporting the possibility of Antoine Vermette being moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets, with Pascale Leclaire coming up from the Buckeye state in return. To me, this represents a huge risk. Murray would be adding salary in this deal, as Leclaire has two years left on his contract at a Gerber-esque $3.8M per. With so many free agent goaltenders of roughly the same calibre (Tim Thomas, Nikolai Khabibulin, and Marty Biron) it may make more sense for Murray to wait until the summer. Murray said last week he hold off until golf season to figure out his goaltending.

A few comparables in setting the market for Vermette:

Feb 7th, 2009
- To Carolina: W Jussi Jokinen (57GP, 7G, 14A)
- To Tampa Bay: D Wade Brookbank, D Josef Melichar, and a 4th Round pick.

Nov 24th 2008
- To Toronto: W Lee Stempniak (14GP, 3G, 10A, -3)
- To St. Louis: C Alex Steen (20GP, 2G, 2A, 31 SOG) and D Carlo Colaiacovo (10GP, 1A, -2, 9 SOG)

Feb 26th 2008
– To Washington: C/D Sergei Fedorov (50 GP, 9G, 19 A.)
– To Columbus: D Ted Ruth (47th Overall in 2007.)

– To Carolina: W Tuomo Ruutu (60GP, 6G, 15A.)
– To Chicago: W Andrew Ladd (43GP, 9G, 9A)

It is a little tricky to set the market for Vermette, but these may be the best comparables from the last two seasons. Vermette could realistically fetch one of the following: a mid-level prospect, a mediocre draft pick, a bottom three defenceman, or some spare parts. Stempniak may be the best comparison in terms of overall ability, but unless Murray is able to make a flat out “hockey trade,” that kind of return is unlikely. Adding to the weakness of that comparison is the fact that the deal was made in November, months removed from the distinct climate of the trade deadline. Given his modest $2.76 cap-hit and (frustratingly untapped) potential, they hang on to him unless they can find a cheaper substitute.

Christoph Schubert

Chrtistoph “I’m too picky to play forward in order to stay in the NHL” Schubert will definitely be moved if BM the GM can find a taker. He doesn’t play most nights, is part of the log-jam of defenders that necessitated the demotion of Brian Lee to the AHL, and has become more high-maintenance than Jennifer Lopez and only slightly less so than Alexei Yashin. While there were some laughable rumours that Schubert might have value as part of a package for Jay Bouwmeester, he is a spare part at this point and his value could scarcely be lower.

Schubert could fetch something similar to:

Feb 26th 2009.
- To Montreal: D Doug Janik (11GP, 1A, -2, 2 PIM.)
- To Dallas: W Steve Begin (42GP, 6G, 4A, 27 PIM)

Feb 3. 2009
- To Anaheim: D/W Sheldon Brookbank (15 GP, 0P, +1, 25 PIM.)
- To New Jersey: C David McIntyre (Drafted 138th Overall in 2006)

Feb 27th 2008
- To NY Islanders: D Rob Davison (15GP, 0P, -3, 21 PIM.)
- To San Jose: 7th Round Pick in 2008

- To Florida: D Magnus Johansson (18GP, 4A, -5, 15 SOG.)
- To Chicago: 7th Round Pick in 2009.

Don’t get your hopes up here. The Janik deal was more about Dallas acquiring Begin, and even if the Senators could get someone like that for Schubert, they would have no use for him as they are already flush with 4th line talent. Any kind of draft pick, or even just the removal of Schubert’s full salary from the team’s cap figure for next year, would have to be considered a success.

Jason Smith

Lastly, we come to the veteran Smith. The former captain of two NHL clubs brings experience and leadership to the room, if not speed and skill to the ice. Smith has one year remaining on his deal at a $2.6mil cap hit, which could make him difficult to move given his age and declining play. He is rumoured as a possible trade candidate, though what riches he would garner remains unclear to those circulating such speculation.

An observation of the market tells us Smith could bring something similar to any of the following hauls:

Sept 30th 2008
- To Los Angeles: Sean O’Donnell (82GP, 2G, 7A, 84PIM in 2007-08.)
- To Anaheim: Conditional Pick in 2009

Feb 27th 2008
- To Pittsburgh: D Hal Gill (63GP, 2G, 18A, 52PIM.)
- To Toronto: 2nd Round Pick in 2008, 5th Round Pick in 2009

- To New Jersey: D Bryce Salvador (56GP, 1G, 10A, +12, 43PIM.)
- To St. Louis: W Cam Janssen (Missed 63 games with shoulder injury, 1A, 12PIM in 12 games with St. Louis following trade)

Feb 20th 2008
- To Calgary: D Jim Vandermeer (28GP, 1G, 5A, 27PIM.)
- To Philadelphia: 3rd Round Pick in 2009.

As you can see, there is no player who has been dealt in the last year or so who fits an exact comparison to Smith. His stock may be higher than some of these players due to his leadership abilities, which are reputedly excellent. It may be lower because of his lack of speed and age. Given that the return on the veteran would be low due to his salary for next season, and that Smith is a Murray signing, smart money wagers he stays put.

If they do anything at all, the market history tells us that the Senators will be merely tweaking tomorrow afternoon, and that the major overhaul (if any) will come in the off-season. Nevertheless, I know I'll be sitting home to watch every second of this unfold... God, I'm a loser.

I will be a guest pannelist on The 6th Sens' Celeberity Trade Deadline Day Blog tomorrow. The panel will have a mystery Sens prospect, a former NHL GM, two thirds of TGOR, the loveable Ian Mendes, and many more. I reccomend a visit.

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.

Pad Beef

Former Ottawa Senators coach John Paddock had some unkind words for his old boss today. Paddock, currently the head coach of the AHL's Phillidelphia Phantoms, holds GM Bryan Murray responsible for the mess that is the current Ottawa Senators, followed closely by the players for being "not very good." The man who oversaw the dynasty that was the Winnipeg Jets of the early 1990s was quoted as follows in today's Camden Courier-Post:

"I think now (Murray's) next in line... We were 14 games over .500 when I
was fired. They're seven under now. Somebody needs to take responsibility for
that. Whether the coaches he hired and fired were good or not, they're his
players and they're either not playing good or can't play, one or the other...
The players are not very good, that's the problem." - John Paddock

I detect a note of bitterness. Somebody care to remind John that he was fired in February, and the team was 14 games over .500 in November, meaning they played .500 hockey for about 4 months under his tutelage, which over 82 games in the 3-point-game NHL, is well below what is required for playoff contention. The team was in a tailspin when Paddock was relieved of duty, and was coming off two ugly blowout losses, so that 14 games over .500 stat is VERY deceiving.

Paddock is right though, the personnel Murray has in place are not the greatest, but as I have routinely pointed out, Murray did not assemble the majority of this roster. Apparently, people in the hockey world have short memories, possibly from all the blows to the head. Blaming Murray for the club's decline would be like crediting Brian Burke for drafting Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaff, and acquiring J.S. Giguere to lead the Ducks to playoff glory... which many people do with annoying frequency.

My pro-Ottawa bias notwithstanding, it is interesting to get the candid perspective of an individual who was a part of this team over their decline. Whether you agree with Paddock or not, he is likely one of the more informed voices who has called for Bryan Murray's head - likely the most.

For more, consult Michael Landsberg on TSN's Off the Record, where he and a panel three or four Torontonians will no doubt spend eight minutes agreeing with Paddock, and lambasting Murray for signing Gerber and trading Chara after the NHL strike.

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.

General Anlysis of Debatable Worth on a Tuesday

I failed to write a post game report due to my participation in a McDonald's double-cheeseburger eating contest (I finished in 1st place with 10) following the Sens' 3-2 shootout victory. You would be surprised the level of delerium 20 of those greasy faux-meat-squares can inflict on a man. In light of my glutony, and Andy's participation in the real world is interrupting his once steady flow of morning wrap-ups, I felt it appropriate to provide all 30 of you who read this with anything resembling regularity with your TSC "fix."

A few notes of possible interest:

1) I thought the Sens were great on Saturday, at least compared to the continuous mediocrity we’ve all come to know and love. They peppered Ryan Miller with 42 shots over 65 minutes of hockey, and looked energetic and focused while doing so. While I am not prepared to back this up with "research" at the moment, that has to be one of, if not THE, highest shot count the team has posted all year. Kudos, fellas.

I think what most impressed me was the team's effort in the shootout. I felt all was lost after the talented Mr. Spezza missed on his first attempt but lo, the team rebounded. How about Jarkko-freakin'-Ruutu and that leg kick deke he pulled? We all knew he was good in the shootout, but man alive that was unexpected. Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson also pulled what appeared to be new tricks out of their bag of shootout moves. Chris Yzerman appears to have been spot on.

Since I feel the need to conform to the standards set out by my superiors in the print media, I am going to credit Cory Clouston for the improved shootout effort, and also suggest Bryan Murray should be fired for not hiring a better shootout coach earlier, and also for not getting Jay Bouwmeester for Vermette, Schubert, and a 7th-rounder yet.

2) Did anyone watch Coach's Corner during the intermission this week? If you did not, you missed quite the show. While I will give honourable mention to the disturbing love-letter-esque montage Don Cherry clearly supervised that paid homage to both him and Bobby Orr (while, ironically, never showing the two together at any point) that literally brought Cherry to tears, the highlight of the week had to be Cherry's public shaming of Thomas Vanek.

Cherry intimated that Vanek’s fractured jaw courtesy an Anton Volchenkov slapshot was not, as I had assumed, the product of bad luck but rather the divine providence of the hockey gods. As we all should have guessed, Vanek’s dynamic individual performance against the Maple Leafs, wherein he recorded a hat trick, was in fact the cause of his injury. Apparently, the hockey gods are very similar to most of CBC’s broadcast talent, in that they are thinly veiled Leaf fans. When Vanek “ran up the score.” He earned himself a very painful injury. Had he done so against the hapless Senators, I’m sure the correlation would have gone unnoticed. One implication that I found particularly newsworthy is the revelation that in NHL hockey, apparently, a 5-0 win is now “running up the score.” Had Vanek allowed the Leafs a chance to steal a much needed two points from the Sabres, who are in a tight playoff race, the gods would have spared the Austrian goal scorer. Kids: Remember, if you beat the Leafs, god will break your jaw.

3) The normally competent Allen Panzeri penned what was I consider to be his most glaringly revisionist and sub-standard piece to date for Saturday’s edition of the Ottawa Citizen. I’m usually a fan of his work, so Allen, if you read this (though I’m sure you won’t) know that it’s strictly business, not personal.

Panzeri sought out to assess each transaction the Ottawa has made since the lock-out, grading each one “good”, “bad”, “good deal gone bad”, or “jury’s still out.” I dispute many of Panzeri’s conclusions, such as his decision to altogether omit Muckler’s acquisition of Tyler Arnason, signing of Joe Corvo and giving him a pass on signing Martin Gerber. Equally offensive was his unequivocal condemnation of Murray’s signing of depth offensive defenceman Brendan Bell, and his evaluation of the 2005, 2006, 2007, and particularly the 2008 draft as anything other than “the jury’s still out” as in today’s NHL, one must allow at least 6 or 7 years before judging what a team got out of a draft.

The article, included here, does not have the convenient little chart contained in the print edition, neatly summarizing everything wrong with the club.

That Panzeri feels himself qualified to judge all of the club’s transactions in black, white, blackish-grey and whitish-grey is the height of journalistic arrogance, as each transaction is only given a brief overview, many of which don’t give any in-depth consideration to the salary cap consequences of a move. salary cap figures dominate trade negotiations, and to0 neglect their role in the process is short sighted. How Mr. Panzeri termed the Peter Schaefer (a player who is no longer in the NHL, and had 3 years and $7 million left on his deal) for Shean Donovan (a player who had 1 year, and $800K remaining on his) a failure is beyond me. Talent wise, that may not have been the best move, but cap wise, it was a winner.

Panzeri seems to be joining the growing crowd of people who have chosen to heap the blame on Bryan Murray for the club’s current struggles. This trend is simply unfair.

Nobody was crying foul when many of Murray’s “bad deals” were made. How many of you can honestly look within your souls and say you thought, based on previous performance, Mike Fisher, Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, or Ray Emery should have been let go at the time they signed their deals? How many of you were not in favour of adding Cory Stillman’s scoring and Mike Commodore’s professed defensive prowess, and jettisoning the fragile, moody, and inconsistent Joe Corvo’s cap hit? Patrick Eaves has done nothing since he left for Carolina, and was producing precious little prior to his trade, so don’t cry foul over his loss. And I don’t want to hear that “we should have kept Wade Redden” line out of you, because the team’s fan base was calling for his head and he is being grossly overpaid for his nevertheless under-rated services in Manhattan.

The fact of the matter is, Murray is a good GM who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. John Muckler traded away a 2nd round pick and a prospect (see Brooks Laich) every year he was here, and his scouts uncovered no late-round hidden gems up to this point. He got nothing for key building block Martin Havlat, and based on talent alone, how many of you would do that Heatley for Hossa deal again today? The cap relief that came from Heatley’s reduced salary, and offloading Greg DeVries’ contract, which was what made this deal a winner.

Murray inherited a track record of poor asset management that is readily demonstrable, and while his moves have not been sterling, and his reputation is deservedly un-teflonish, Murray should not be blamed for the gradual erosion of this team’s keys to victory: strong drafting and frugal player personnel decision that garnered maximum value. Murray has new people in place, so give the man a few drafts, and a chance to make and use cap space before casting him into the flames with Mel Bridgeman and Randy Sexton.

4) Nick Foligno and Brian Lee continue to impress. Foligno scored another goal on Saturday off a tip, with credit owing to his willingness to drive the net. Foligno appears to be a huge benefactor of a more aggressive forechecking system, as he has been great in the offensive zone, winning battles for loose pucks and making smart plays. I liked the speed and offensive flair of the line he was one with Ryan Shannon and Mike Fisher.
Lee is looking more and more like he could help the club fill one of their "Puck Moving Defenceman" vacancies from within. One play he made on Saturday night really stood out in this regard. He took a bad pass of the outside of his skate inside his own blueline and, without breaking stride, corralled the puck and hit Mike Fisher with a tape to tape pass just outside the Buffalo zone. In a season where the club has struggled to make those outlet passes, Lee is beginning to get the hang of the trade. The rookie is always willing to take contact to make a play, and shows good patience and hockey sense when he has time with the puck. Lee has been, in my opinion, right behind Filip Kuba as the number 2 option on the club's defensive depth chart since Christmas.

The progress of these two young players this season, coupled with the benefits of an off-season of hard work, provides hope that the sens may see improvements in a few areas of weakness next season: Notably their breakout, secondary scoring, and forechecking.