Hockey Sentral

Award Picks Recap

2008-05-03T15:49:00.007-04:00

Here's a quick look back at my award picks:

Hart (MVP) - Alexander Ovechkin (aka The Beast)

Jack Adams (Top Coach) - Bruce Boudreau

Vezina (Best Goalie) - Evgeni Nabokov

Calder (Top Rookie) - Patrick Kane

Norris (Best D-man) - Nick Lidstrom (of course)

Selke (Top Defensive Forward) - John Madden

Lady Byng (Most Sportsmanlike) - Pavel Datsyuk

Keep in mind these are my picks of who I think should win, not predictions on who will actually win. Sens Awards coming soon.

Who's got the most Hart?

2008-05-02T21:15:00.016-04:00

The Hart nominees for MVP:

Alex Ovechkin, WAS: 65 Goals (1st in NHL), 112 Point (1st), almost single-handedly led the Washington Capitals to the playoffs.

(Insert elevator music)

Evgeni Malkin, PIT: 47 Goals (4th), 106 Points (2nd), led the Penguins when Crosby went down, the biggest reason they finished 2nd in the East.

Jarome Iginla, CAL: 50 Goals (3rd), 98 Points (3rd), did it all for the Flames this year.

In my mind, there really is no competition here. It's more of a which-players-were-important-to-their-team-but-not-quite-as-important-as-Ovechkin-was-to-his kind of deal. Without AO, the Caps wouldn't have even been in the playoff race, little less have won their division. The guy was a beast this year (in both look and performance). It would be a travesty if he doesn't win, but I'm pretty sure he will.

Hockey Sentral's Hart Pick: Alexander Ovechkin

Tomorrow I'll recap all my award picks, and then hopefully release my inaugural Senator Awards. Stay Tuned.

Heatley makes history at Worlds

2008-05-02T20:56:00.007-04:00

It may not be in the NHL Playoffs, but it's May and Dany Heatley is ripping it up again. In the opener at the World Championships, Heatley had a hat trick (and an assist) to lead Canada to a 5-1 victory over Slovenia (you know, that place that Anze Kopitar comes from). He made history because, with his second goal of the game, he passed Marcel Dionne as Canada's all-time leading scorer at the event.

He's on a line with Rick Nash and Ryan Getzlaf. First of all, interesting that he isn't with Spezza, and second of all, I don't see how Canada can possibly lose with a line like that leading the way.

Coach of the Year

2008-05-01T15:02:00.007-04:00

The nominees for the Jack Adams Trophy for Coach of the Year were released recently:

Bruce Boudreau, WAS

Mike Babcock, DET

Guy Carbonneau, MTL

All three of these coaches definitely deserve to be nominated, but I'm going to go ahead and scratch Babcock of the list from the start. Detroit has been a powerhouse every year this millenium and this year was no different. Granted, he had to work with a lot of younger players and make tough decisions when it came to goaltending, but I don't think Detroit really exceed anybody's expectations too much.

Washington and Montreal, on the other hand, really exceeded people's expectations. Most people (myself included) predicted the Caps and Habs to both do badly this season. Washington finished 3rd in the East (although that looks better than it was because of the stupid divisional seeding thing the NHL has going on) and Montreal won the Conference.

This is a tough decision, but I'm going to go with Bruce Boudreau from Washington. Guy Carbonneau definitely did a great job in helping the young Canadiens develop and deserves credit for that, but I think Boudreau did an even better job. For me, the telltale stat is the following one: Before Boudreau was hired, the Caps were 6-14-1, but after Boudreau was hired, the Capitals went 37-17-7. That's an incredible turnaround, something which has to be accredited to the coaching. Also, Boudreau's coaching style really allowed young D-man Mike Green to flourish. Once Bruce took over, Green's game really took off and was elevated to another level. Green ended up leading all NHL D-men in goals with 18.

So, overall I think Boudreau deserves it more than other two and I'm going with him. Also, an honourable mention to Barry Trotz from Nashville. The Preds, having dismantled their team due to ownership issues, were not supposed to do well. They finished 8th in the West.

Hockey Sentral's Coach of the Year Pick: Bruce Boudreau

More awards and Heatley and Spezza

2008-04-26T17:12:00.010-04:00

There were two other awards whose nominees were announced recently, the Lady Byng (Most sportsmanlike play combined with high skill) and the Selke (Best Defensive Forward).

Lady Byng Nominees

Pavel Datsyuk: 20 PIM, 97 points

Jason Pominville: 20 PIM, 80 Points

Martin St. Louis: 26 PIM, 87 Points

My pick for this one goes to Pavel Datsyuk. He's a very clean player and was among the top 5 in scoring this season.

Frank J. Selke Nominees

Pavel Datsyuk: 144 Takeaways, 42 Blocked Shots, 68 Giveaways

Henrik Zetterberg: 53 Takeaways, 16 Blocked Shots, 59 Giveaways

John Madden: 77 Takeaways, 50 Blocked Shots, 36 Giveaways

This award is probably one of the only ones where stats are really a big factor. Either way, I think John Madden should get this. Datsyuk and Zetterberg and both very good defensively, but Madden is a true defensive forward, and so I think he deserves it most.

Hockey Sentral's Lady Byng and Selke Picks: Pavel Datsyuk and John Madden

Heatley and Spezza at WC's

Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza have been added to Canada's roster for the World Championships in Halifax next month. Canada looks to have a strong team, despite having superstars like Martin Brodeur and Dion Phaneuf refuse the invitation to play. Shane Doan will once again captain the team. Maybe Heatley and Spezza can make up for their poor playoff performances by ripping it up for Team Canada. Here's hoping Spezza doesn't re-aggravate his knee injury.

Calder Trophy Nominees

2008-04-24T17:17:00.006-04:00

This year's nominees for the Calder Trophy, given to the Rookie of the Year, are:

Patrick Kane, CHI: 72 Points (1st among NHL rookies), 21 Goals (3rd), 51 Assists (2nd). Had an amazing season on a young Chicago squad. Definitely lived up to the hype.

Nicklas Backstrom, WAS: 69 Points (2nd), 55 Assists (1st), +13 (2nd among rookie forwards). Had a slow start, but justified his No. 4 overall selection once he got going.

Jonathan Toews, CHI: 54 Points (3rd), 24 Goals (1st), scored one of the Goal of the Year finalists, all this while playing in just 64 games.

All three of these guys are sensational players and are already well on their way to superstardom, but unfortunately only one of them can win the award.

Kane was very good from start to finish this year and really helped power the Blackhawks' offence. He also led the League's rookies in shootout goals, going an awesome 7-for-9 on the season.

Backstrom had a slow start while he adjusted to the North-American style of play, but once he got going his playmaking skills really became apparent. Many attribute all his assists to the fact he plays with Ovechkin, the best natural goal-scorer in the League, but I attribute a lot of Ovechkin's goals to Backstrom's passes. He is a very skilled playmaker with some sniping skill as well.

Toews has been compared to Steve Yzerman, and it's not a bad comparison. Despite missing 18 games with various injuries, Toews led all rookies in goals, scored a jawdropping goal against the Avs, and played a good two-way game all year long. It's been said he has great leadership skills and that's apparent by the "A" he wore on his jersey at times this year.

Living here in Ottawa, I get to see Backstrom play a lot more than the other two, so I'm going to try and make a non-biased pick. Overall, I think Toews missed too much time. Had he played the whole season, I think he would've won it. So, if it's between Kane and Backstrom, I think Kane is a better all-around player and I'll have to go with him.

My 4th place pick would have to be Carey Price from Montreal, but I don't think he played enough (41 games) to make the top three.

Hockey Sentral's Calder Pick: Patrick Kane

Norris Trophy Nominees

2008-04-23T17:27:00.003-04:00

Yesterday the NHL announced that the candidates for Defenceman of the Year are: Nicklas Lidstrom and.....some other guys. Honestly, until Lidstrom retires, there's barely even a point in naming other nominees.

Nicklas Lidstrom, DET: 70 Points (1st in NHL), 60 Assists (1st in NHL), basically owned the opposing team's best players all year.

Dion Phaneuf, CAL: 60 Points (5th), 17 Goals (Tied 2nd), hit everything that moved, quarterbacked the Flames' PP, and was half of Calgary's top shutdown unit. He was "Mr. Everything" for the Flames this year. Will be Lidstrom's successor to the Norris Trophy monopoly.

Zdeno Chara, BOS: 51 Points (10th), 17 Goals (Tied 2nd), captained the Bruins to an unlikely 8th place Eastern Conference finish.

Nick Lidstrom. 'Nuff said.

Hockey Sentral's Norris Pick: Nick Lidstrom

Vezina Nominees, Carbonneau's Lucky/Ugly Tie, and more

2008-04-21T21:15:00.004-04:00

The NHL has announced the nominees for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the Goalie of the Year:

Evgeni Nabokov, SJS - 46 Wins (1st in NHL), 2.14 GAA (3rd in NHL), and 6 Shutouts (3rd in NHL)

Martin Brodeur, NJD - 44 Wins (2nd), 2.17 GAA (5th), and 4 Shutouts (Tied for 9th)

Henrik Lundqvist, NYR - 37 Wins (4th in NHL), 2.23 GAA (6th), and 10 Shutouts (1st)

Now, there are good arguments for all three goalies:

Nabokov came very close to the all-time record for wins in a season (48), while finishing high in every stat category. Some might say that that's only because he was on a very good Sharks team who went on huge winning streaks, but I say that Nabokov made that team as good as they were. he was a huge part of their amazing finish to the year.

Brodeur is, year in and year out, a Vezina candidate, and he is no less deserving this year. He led a Devils team, picked by many not to do well at the start of the season, to a 4th place finish Eastern Conference. In my opinion, the Devils might not have made the playoffs if it wasn't for Marty.

Lundqvist has played 3 years in the NHL. All 3 years he has been nominated for the Vezina. He lost in the first 2 years, and, despite his 10 shutouts, I don't believe this year will be any different. He was inconsistent at times, but mainly, he won't win because both Nabokov and Brodeur simply played better than him.

It's not an easy choice by any means, but I'm going with Evgeni Nabokov for the Vezina. It remains to be seen whether he will actually win, but I hope he does.

Hockey Sentral's Vezina Pick: Evgeni Nabokov

Carbonneau's Lucky/Ugly Tie

Habs coach Guy Carbonneau said he was going to wear his "lucky tie" to tonight's Game 7 against the Bruins, so I decided to look for it during the game. I didn't have to. That thing was SO ugly, it stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb. I can't find a picture of it, but man, was it ugly. It was black with all these different colours splashed around on it. It looked like somebody puked on it. I'll tell you this much,it made ME want to puke. That said, it did work, Habs won 5-0.

PJ Stock vs. Mark Recchi

CBC has had a new analyst since the start of the playoffs in former Bruins player PJ Stock, while TSN has introduced Mark Recchi onto its panel, at least for the playoffs. I think Stock is great. He's funny, always smiling, is actually a good analyst who picks up on interesting little things, and finally, looks very comfortable onscreen, whether he's in his "bubble" or out in the arena. I really like him. Recchi, on the other hand, from what I've seen, doesn't look nearly as comfortable, and really stumbles on his words, making him hard to follow. In my opinion, he isn't nearly as good as Stock. Kudos to CBC for finally doing something better than TSN.

Scott Niedermayer Fined Half a Million Dollars

Ron MacLean mentioned tonight on HNIC, that Scott Niedermayer has been fined $500,000 by the NHL for missing training camp. I don't know about you, but that just made my day. Serves him right for screwing his team over like that. Yeah, I know.....more sour grapes.

I am happy, oh so happy....

2008-04-21T18:14:00.005-04:00

I finally found a positive to take from this year's playoffs! The Ducks are out! *Weeps tears of joy* Last night the Stars beat Anaheim 4-1 to take the series in 6 games!

I hate the Ducks. Pure and simple, I just hate them. It may just sound like sour grapes, but it's......well ok, it probably is just sour grapes, but I hate them anyway. The only thing that could make me happier than seeing them lose in the 1st Round would be Ottawa winning in the 1st Round, and since I can't have a Sens victory, I'll take a Ducks loss.

Thank you, Dallas. Unfortunately I still can't root for you because I like the Sharks, Flames, Avs, and Wings better than you, but don't take it too hard, it's nothing personal.

In Other News:

As per TSN.ca, Jason Spezza has been named to the NHL's Competition Comittee.

"I'm definitely looking forward to it. Any time you can help better the game, it's pretty exciting to be involved in something like that."

If you're wondering what the committee is, TSN has this to say:

"The committee was formed in the new collective bargaining agreement as a joint effort to come up with recommendations to improve the game. The committee's findings get sent to the NHLPA's executive board (the 30 player reps) and then to the NHL's board of governors (owners)."

Montreal/Boston

Also, in the Montreal/Boston Game 7 tonight, I've officially decided to go for the Bruins. I just can't help but cheer for the underdog (unless that underdog is playing the Sens, of course). The Bruins really deserve to win this series more. On the whole, they've played a lot harder and with a lot more intensity than the Habs have, and I'd hate to see all that hard work go to waste.

2007-08: From Dream Season To Nightmare

2008-04-19T17:56:00.013-04:00

This past season was, in my opinion, the most promising yet the most disappointing season that the Senators have had since their re-incarnation in 1992-93. After making the Stanley Cup Finals last spring, the team and its fans came into the season with high hopes and even higher expectations. Unfortunately, after a quick start, those hopes slowly but surely went down the drain.

Here is a quick breakdown (haha, pun) of Ottawa's season, although it won't be very long because I'd rather not re-live the pain:

Part One: 15-2

The Sens started off their 15th season with 15 wins in just its first 17 games. The best start in the history of the NHL. The entire team was flying, game in and game out. The top line, especially, came to play. Daniel Alfredsson was unstoppable, registering a mind blowing 15 goals while adding 11 assists. Meanwhile, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza were also on fire, with Heater racking up 8 goals and 13 assists and Spezza adding 3 goals and 12 assists. Gerber was also very good while filling in for the recovering-from-a-wrist-injury Ray Emery. With some people comparing the Sens to the '76-'77 Habs who went 60-8-12, there was only one question worth asking in most people's minds: Is there any team that can challenge the juggernaut that is the Ottawa Senators? At the time the answer seemed to be no. The Sens were just too dominate a force for any team to handle in a best-of-7 playoff series. But, then came Part Two.

Part Two: Human After All

I know what you're thinking and no, this part is not about Anton Volchenkov and his injury. It's about the next part of the Sens' season, the beginning of what would become an emotional rollercoaster ride for the rest of the season.
Just two games after their incredible 15-2 start, the Sens went on a dismal 7-game winless streak, going 0-4-3 over that stretch. This was hard to take as a Sens fan, going through such an emotional low so soon after an emotional high, but everybody knew that Ottawa would bounce back, and they did. Immediately following their losing streak, the Sens went on a 6 game winning streak and they were sitting on top of the hockey world again, but their near perfect record was tarnished and the rest of the League knew that they could be beaten.

Part Three: The Beginning of the End

Soon after their 6-game winning streak, the Sens won 7 of their next 11 games, including a game against TB in which the captain had a franchise record 7 points, but that was the last significant run they would go on. After their comeback win in the "Game of the Year" (which I attended, man that was a great game) against the Red Wings on January 12th, Ottawa would go just 14-21-4 the rest of the way. Having Alfie in and out of the lineup with a hip injury didn't help, but when Heatley went down with a shoulder injury in the Detroit game, you couldn't help but have that feeling of impending doom which Sens fans are all too familiar with.

Part Four: The Stretch

Down the stretch, the Sens needed to pick up their game if they wanted to retain the top spot in the East. Instead, seemingly using injuries and Emery's antics as an excuse, the team faltered horribly. To try and right the ship, GM Bryan Murray pulled the trigger on a trade which sent Joe Corvo and Patty Eaves to Carolina for Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore. Instead of improving, the Sens lost their next 3 games and 6 of their next 9. Having gone the trade route and had it not work, Bryan Murray fired head coach John Paddock and took over behind the bench himself. This drastic move seemed to work, but soon the team went back to its slumping ways. The Sens ended the season in 7th place in the Northeast Division, just barely making the playoffs. In November, no one could have imagined the Sens would be fighting for their playoff lives in the last 2 games of the season, but they had to and they made, despite losing Alfie and Fisher to injuries in the second last game (I still hate you, Mark Bell).

Part Five: The Embarrassment (aka the Playoffs)

and 4, but to noThe Sens met the Penguins in the 1st Round for the second year in a row, but this time the outcome was drastically different, with the Pens sweeping the Senators in four straight games, completing the Senators' meltdown. Alfie, being the tank that he is, came back four (not a typo) weeks earlier than expected to play in Games 3 avail. Gerber was good in the postseason but not good enough apparently, letting in almost 4 goals a game throughout the series. February acqusitions Mike Commodore and Cory Stillman led the team in playoffs points with 2 each. That's pretty sad.

Ottawa's MVP for 2007-08: Daniel Alfredsson (70 GP, 40 G, 49 A, 89 P)

Anyway, that's the breakdown of the breakdown, overall a very forgettable season. Hopefully, I'll be doing a preview of the Draft and the offseason in the coming week. Also, once the award candidates come out next week, I will reveal my picks for the NHL awards. Stay Tuned.

Going, Going, Gone!....Probably

2008-04-18T19:03:00.003-04:00

According to TSN.ca, Ray Emery likely won't be back next with the Senators next year:

"My plan is not to have him back...He didn't, in my opinion, commit to the team in the way that we think our players have to commit."

This coming from Sens GM Bryan Murray earlier today. I don't think this surprises anybody who followed the Sens' dismal season this year. I, for one, am happy he is not coming back, because the team just needs a fresh start next season with no potential problem on their hands.

Many people blame Emery for ruining the team and the season, but I don't buy that. Sure his antics may have been one of many contributing factors to Ottawa's ultimate demise, but they are far from the main reason. There are several factors to consider (listed below in no particular order) when looking for a reason as to why the Sens' season went down the proverbial toilet:

1. Coaching: One has to wonder how much the coaching had to do with the team's terrible performance outside of the amazing 15-2 start. Despite several players telling the media that it wasn't Paddock's fault, I think he played a role in Ottawa's meltdown. I think that, for whatever reason, he just didn't have control of the players. My theory behind this is that, because he was previously an assistant coach with the team, he wasn't able to motivate the players, perhaps because they were too comfortable with him, and by the time Murray took over, it was too late to right the ship and get the season back on track.

2. Injuries: This past season the injury bit the Senators, and it bit hard. Heatley missed a significant amount of time, Spezza missed time, and Alfie was in and out of the lineup with various injuries. Fisher missed the playoffs, Volchenkov missed almost a month, and Chris Kelly missed part of March and all of April. And that's not even all of them. No team can function properly when its best players are constantly going down to injury.

3. Emery: Yes, he was a distraction to the team, but they're professionals; they should be able to deal with problems like this.

4. Burnout: Perhaps after having such a short summer and going through such an emotional high so early in the season, the Sens suffered from burnout. Traditionally, teams that are Stanley Cup Finalists one year usually don't do well the next, and I think this is probably a big reason why.

These are just some possible reason for Ottawa's epic collapse this year, but, as you can see, Emery was hardly the main reason. That said, I just think it's best for everyone if the team parts ways with Ray so that both parties can get a fresh start.

Game 4: A disappointing end to a disappointing season...

2008-04-16T21:42:00.005-04:00

It's over. The Sens have officially been eliminated from Stanley Cup contention.

Ottawa played a decent game but were undone by a goal which Gerber definitely should have had followed by a disallowed goal by Antoine Vermette. That basically sums up the Senators' season in a nutshell. Bad goaltending and false hope.

Ottawa's best line tonight was definitely the 2nd line of Stillman-Vermette-Foligno. Stillman had the only Sens' goal, Vermette was all over the ice, and Foligno was driving the net all night. Those guys came to play. Too bad the rest of the team didn't. I look forward to seeing all 3 of those guys next year.

I personally believe the Vermette goal should not have been disallowed. It was definitely a kicking motion, but a) he was trying to kick it to his stick not into the net, and b) it went off Letang's stick after he kicked it. Even if it shouldn't have counted, Letang should have gotten a tripping penalty on the play, but naturally none was handed out. Either way, Foligno did an amazing job setting up the play, so props to him.

Wade Redden actually looked pretty good tonight, but, I hate to break it to you Wade, one good game isn't enough to justify a big contract for next year. I highly doubt we'll be seeing him back in an Ottawa uniform next year.

Eugene Melnyk was interviewed in the 2nd intermission and put his full support behind Bryan Murray. He said Murray had no reason to worry and that his job was completely safe. I agree with Melnyk's decision 100%. I like Murray, I believe he is a winner, pure and simple. I just wish we could clone him so that one could devote his time to coaching and the other to managing. Even if we can't clone him, I hope he stays on as both coach and GM.

The Senators' season is over, but Hockey Sentral's isn't. I will be working on a small season recap over the next couple of days, then some award predictions, followed by a draft preview, and finally a look forward to the off-season and next year.

With Ottawa now out, Hockey Sentral is officially putting its support behind the winner of the San Jose-Calgary series (I like both teams) in the West, but in the East I'm torn. I would just say out and out the New York Rangers, but the Cup belongs in Canada, so part of me wants the Habs to do well, too.

Good season, boys. I look forward to next year.

Player of the Game: Antoine Vermette (1 disallowed goal)

Game 4: Staving off elimination

2008-04-16T17:37:00.005-04:00

Game 4 goes tonight, but with the season all but over for them, the Sens are playing more for pride than anything else. I still can't believe it though. Just one year after making it to the Finals, Ottawa is one game away from being swept in the 1st Round by the team we beat so handily only one year ago. It's too bad really, I had high hopes coming into this season.

But look at me, reciting the Sens' eulogy before Game 4 has even started. The Leafs in '42 and the Isles in '75, 33 years apart from each other, came back to win when down 3 games to none. 33 years later, Ottawa could become only the 3rd team in NHL history to win a series when down by 3 games.

Bryan Murray has decided to re-unite the Pizza Line of Alfie, Spezza, and Heatley for tonight's game. The second line will likely consist of Foligno, Vermette, and Stillman.

Here's hoping the Sens can avoid getting swept on home ice (I also sincerely hope they don't have that embarrassing Gladiator opening before the game). Go Sens Go.

Game 3: So....How 'bout them Flames?

2008-04-15T17:23:00.004-04:00

As you probably know, the Calgary Flames came back from a early 3-0 deficit to beat the Cup favourite Sharks 4-3 in regulation. Pretty amazing. I watched the first 5 minutes and went to bed when it was 3-0, guessing that the game was basically over. I woke up in the morning to find out that they had, in fact, come back to beat San Jose, needless to say I was very happy. The turning point of the game, and possibly the series, was a massive hit by Flames' D-man Cory Sarich on Sharks' captain Patrick Marleau. Sarich rocked Marleau's world, it was awesome (although I would have much preferred if somebody had rocked Crosby's world).

Oh yeah, and the Sens lost 4-1 to the Penguins.

Alfie played and looked to be at about 25% of his normal strength. The guy's incredible. As Bryan Murray said "It was unbelievable." He was told that the captain would be sidelined for "six weeks minimum" when he first suffered the injury. That was less than two weeks ago. "This guy has nothing but character.", Murray added.

The Sens came out flying in the 1st period but the game was scoreless after 20 minutes. Finally, in the 2nd period, Nick Foligno scored his first ever playoff goal in fashionable style. I figured the Sens would try even harder after that but they lost all of their intensity and let the Penguins back in the game. It was as if their goal was to score the first goal and after that they didn't really care. Two quick goals by the Pens to start the 3rd, coupled with some horrendous refereeing, sealed Ottawa's fate, and the lost 4-1 to go down 3 games to none in the series. They are all but out now, but it would be nice if they could win Game 4 to avoid getting swept.

Alfie is expected to play in Game 4.

Player of the Game: I gotta give this one to Nick Foligno. He scored his 1st playoff goal ever and was a force all night, driving to the net on every shift, winning battles, and getting the Pens' faces.

Boys.... I'm back!

2008-04-14T19:04:00.002-04:00

He's in! It's official. Alfie's in. I predict a Sens win. Simple as that.

Game 3: Spezza in, Alfie might be. I have a good feeling about this one...

2008-04-14T18:45:00.005-04:00

I am so happy. Despite reports Alfie wouldn't make it into the 1st round, he might be in the lineup tonight against the Penguins (I think he will be). He is a true warrior. He's likely nowhere near 100% so don't expect a hat trick or anything, but he'll definitely help on the PP, and be a motivator on the bench and in the room. Spezza, earlier reported to be out for Game 3, will be in the lineup.

Tonight the Sens really need to come out flying. They need to build off of the momentum they gained in Game 2, and score one early to get the home crowd into it. If they win tonight, the series could definitely get interesting, and I have a good feeling that they will win.

A bit of a shakeup in the lines, as Heatley and Spezza will not play with each other. Heater will play with Vermette and Stillman, and I'm guessing Spezza will play with Alfie and Foligno. After their superb play in Game 2, I imagine Bryan Murray will be keeping Donovan and Neil on the 3rd line with McAmmond.

Let's win one at home! Go Sens Go!

Game 2: That one hurts.....Pens 5 Sens 3

2008-04-11T21:53:00.006-04:00

SO close. Gerber is the man. After falling behind 3-0, Ottawa showed some life and scored 3 times to tie it, but Lapointe's badly timed penalty cost us the game. Interesting that all 3 Sens goal scorers weren't even with the team this time last year.

Seriously though, Darth Gerber silenced all his critics tonight, making 49 saves (a Senators playoff record) and keeping the Sens in it until the very end. None of the goals can be blamed on him. Props to you Gerbs.

The rest of the team was good too though, hitting, shooting, and backchecking. The 3rd line of McAmmond, Neil, and Donovan was far and away our best one. They hit the Pens all night long, got in their face, and scored the goal that started the would-be comeback.

Crosby had 4 assists, but they were all secondary ones and he really wasn't a factor. Meanwhile Malkin was a tank and won Pittsburgh the game single handedly. Too bad.

Oh well, let's grab a couple at home boys.

Player of the Game: Martin Gerber (49 saves)

Game 2: Volchenkov probable, Lapointe on top line

2008-04-11T17:31:00.005-04:00

Game 2 goes in an hour and a half and there's (finally) some good news for the Sens. Anton Volchenkov will probably play just two days after taking a Malkin slapshot to the face. The team said they're looking for a bigger helmet for him due to the swelling. That's really good news for Ottawa because playing without Alfie, Fisher, Kelly, AND the A-Train, would be basically impossible.

Martin Lapointe (not a typo) will likely play on the top line with Heatley and Spezza tonight. Bryan Murray feels that the line needs a physical element to it and Lapointe brings just that. Robitaille was a major bust on the top line in Game 1, so I guess anybody else is an improvement.

If Ottawa can get their offence going and if Gerber plays as well as he did in the last two periods of Game 1, then I am confident they can win.

Here's some inspiration for the Sens:

Bring it on Penguins.

Go Sens Go!

Pens take Game 1...

2008-04-09T22:43:00.006-04:00

So.

Too bad about that one. I had a good feeling going in. It was gone by approximately 1:08 into the 1st period.

Some quick game notes:

Gerber was good in the last two periods which was encouraging, but he should have had that first one. Ottawa hit everything that moved which was also good to see. I hope Volchenkov isn't hurt too bad, that'll be the death knell for the Sens if he is. I think CBC showed the Sens in the pressbox (Alfie, Kelly, Fisher, Richardson, McGrattan) no less than 8 times throughout the game. Spezza and Heatley seemed to be on the ice every second shift. Meszaros has to learn to shoot at the net and not at the Penguins' shinpads. If Ottawa's PP could have gotten at least one goal, it really would have given the entire team more confidence. Oh well, let's hope the Sens can bring it on Friday.

Player of the Game: Gary Roberts (2 G)

P.S. I'm officially blaming this loss on John Muckler for not getting Roberts at last year's deadline. Curse you, Muckler, curse you.

Time to Rev up the Red!!!!

2008-04-09T17:29:00.005-04:00

Game 1 goes in an hour a half, and I've actually got a good feeling about it. I can't really explain it, but somehow, I think the Sens can beat the Pens, despite not having Alfie, Fisher, or Kelly in the lineup.

If the rest of the team can step up and fill the gaps in the roster, then I believe that Ottawa can beat the Penguins. Ottawa is playing the underdog card again, and I think they really are the underdogs. Nobody expects them to beat the Pittsburgh Powerhouse, and I think they just might use those low expectations as motivation to beat the Pens.

Either way, I hope the Sens put up a fight.

Let's Rev up the Red, Sens fans!!!

Sidenote: I've been having computer trouble recently so posting may be light for the next couple weeks.

Round 1: Sens vs. Pens....again

2008-04-06T18:27:00.011-04:00

Alright, so it's an old picture, and the standings aren't quite like that this year, but the 1st round matchup is the same. With Philly's 2-0 win over the Penguins this afternoon they jump ahead of Ottawa and Boston into 6th place, so the Sens will play the Penguins in Round 1 for the 2nd year in a row. I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but I can't help but feel that this time around the outcome won't be quite as good for Ottawa as it was last year. I think the key for the Senators in this series will be to avoid taking penalties so that Pittsburgh's top PP unit will get as little time as possible. Gerber is going to have to be very good, and Ottawa's scorers are really going to have to step up in Alfie's absence. The good news for Ottawa is that they went 3-0-1 against the Pens this year. The bad news is that they have never played them while they had all three of Crosby, Malkin, and Hossa in their lineup, and that Alfie and Fisher are out for at least the 1st round.

The Sens have to remember that it's a whole new season and that anything before now (including their abysmal post-Christmas record) mean nothing. They have to start strong and throw their weight around a bit. If Ottawa trys to outscore Pittsburgh with Alfie and Fisher out they're only going to get burned.

Here's hoping the Penguins aren't very good at getting revenge.

Crosby or Ovechkin? Take your pick, Sens fans...

2008-04-05T22:02:00.007-04:00

With Washington's win and Boston's loss tonight, the Sens are now going to play either Washington or Pittsburgh in the first round. If Pittsburgh beats the Flyers tomorrow (in regulation or otherwise), then Ottawa stays in 6th place and they play 3rd seeded Washington in Round 1. However, if the Flyers manage to beat the Penguins, then Philly moves past Ottawa and we play the Penguins in the 1st round.

Either way, I'm scared. Obviously Pittsburgh is very good, they are battling for tops in the Eastern Conference and boast a top PP unit of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa, Sergei Gonchar, and Ryan Whitney. Needless to say, that's an insane line, one I'm sure the Sens would have great difficulty containing, if they could do it at all.

Of the two, however, Ottawa is more likely to play Washington. Now, normally I would absolutely prefer this matchup to the the Pittsburgh one, because the Sens actually have more points than the Caps (Washington is only in 3rd because of the pointless divisional seeding system the NHL has in place). However, Ottawa went a dismal 0-4 against the Capitals this season, and that is why I am afraid to play them. Although Ovechkin and the relatively young Caps are not playoff tested, I'm sure they will be able to turn it in when it counts, especially the Russian superstar himself. I expect "Alex the Gr8" to be nothing short of a monster come Round 1. After him, there are still some very goodplayers: Rookie of the Year candidate-to-be Niklas Backstrom, explosive (but inconsistent) Alexander Semin, veteran Sergei Fedorov, and rushing D-man Mike Green, not to mention two very solid goaltenders in Cristobal Huet and Olaf Kolzig (Huet will likely start in the playoffs).

Overall, depsite Ottawa's terrible record against Washington this year, I hope they play them in Round 1. I think Ottawa has a better chance aganst the inexperienced Capitals than they do against the more experienced Penguins. If Ottawa can shut down Ovechkin (I know, that is one huge IF), then they can out grind the Caps and take them down.

I'll have more on this once we find out for sure who they're playing.

Thank You Florida! Bruins 2 Sens 1

2008-04-04T22:18:00.005-04:00

So, we clinched a playoff spot tonight, but it was no thanks to our own efforts. Despite losing to the Bruins 2-1, the Sens have officially clinched a berth in the post-season because the Florida Panthers beat Carolina tonight.

Now just to figure out who Ottawa will play in the 1st round. There are four possibilities: Montreal, Pittsburgh, Carolina, and Washington. If Washington gets a point in tomorrow's matchup against the Panthers, they're in and Carolina's out; but if they don't, it's the other way around. We will know for sure after Sunday night's games.

Now to tonight's game (which I, again, didn't get to see). Ottawa's lone goal came from Antoine Vermette, and it's good to see him picking up some of the scoring slack, but the rest of the team has to help out to if they want to win. Boston plays a very defensively stifling system, but are a team the Sens should be able to beat. The Sens managed just 18 shots all game, while allowing 29 against (I assume Gerber played well).

It was good, however, to see Ottawa's grinders pick up their physical game to make up for Mike Fisher's absence. Martin Lapointe had a team-high 6 hits, while Commodore had 5, and Neil had 4. If Ottawa wants to get by the 1st round of the playoffs (which they will have to do without Alfie and Fisher), they have to have their secondary scoring working and their physical game going. The Sens don't really have time to adjust to their new situation, but I hope they can cope, because the big dance goes next week and the Senators are invited.

Player of the Game: Zdeno Chara (1 G, +2, 4 hits, 29:24 TOI)

Alfie and Fisher could miss playoffs

2008-04-03T23:51:00.007-04:00

This is just a quick update, there will likely be more on this tomorrow, but I just heard Bryan Murray say that Alfie and Fisher are out for the next game and may be out for the rest of the year. That is disastrous news for the Sens. As I said in my last entry, the team's playoff chances basically rest on Alfie's shoulders, and if he isn't playing then those chances don't look good. Fisher is also a big loss, as he is a leader who hits, grinds, and chips in on the scoresheet, but more importantly, performs in the playoffs.

If it does turn out that the Sens have to play in the playoffs without these guys, then they are going to have to learn to adjust, fill the holes (more like canyons actually) left in the lineup by their absence, and learn how to win without them, fast. Personally, I think that without them we may, to put it lightly, be screwed.

Now that's what I'm talking about! Sens 8 Losers 2

2008-04-03T23:09:00.007-04:00

What a win by the Sens tonight, absolutely dominating the Leafs in Toronto. Ottawa outshot (37-28), outhit (21-15), out blocked shotted (is that even a word? 12-8), out faceoffed (35-32) the Maple Leafs, while having far fewer giveaways (6-15). Look what happens when you hit the Believe button.

Who knew Vermette had it in him? First ever hat trick, an even strength, a shorty, and a PP goal. The one where he dove to whack the puck in was particularly nice. Heatley got his 40th and 41st, while Bass had a shorthanded goal and an assist. Brian Lee had his first NHL point with a SH assist on Vermette's hat trick goal. McAmmond also got a shorty. Three shorthanded goals; that's pretty incredible. Ottawa also went 2-for-6 on the PP. Those are the Sens I want to see in the playoffs. Those are the Sens we NEED to see in the playoffs. Here's hoping they can continue what they started tonight into the playoffs.

All isn't sunshine and roses for the Senators, however. There is bad news, too. Alfie was dirtily hit to the head by Mark Bell and left the game with an "upper body injury". That is not good news for the Sens as they are saying he may not play tomorrow night against Boston. The Sens being successful in the playoffs without Alfie is like the Leafs winning the Stanley Cup, it will never happen. More bad news, as apparently Mike Fisher left the game earlier with a knee injury. Fisher hasn't contributed much on the scoresheet lately but he is a playoff performer who hits, grinds, and does add secondary scoring when we need it the most. We need him for our playoff drive. I sincerely hope neither injury is serious (although I'm not optimistic).

Good on Bass and Shean Donovan for beating the crap out of Bryan McCabe and John Pohl after the hit on Alfie. True to his cowardly fashion, Mark Bell later purposely stuck his stick in between Wade Redden's feet while he was skating towards the end boards and tripped him up. Bell is lucky Redden wasn't hurt on the play. If he had been, I would've been surprised to see him walk out of the ACC without an oxygen tank. Actually, I'm surprised Neil didn't beat the living daylights out of him. McGrattan would have, too bad he wasn't dressed.

Tonight was a good win, but the Sens have to realize that this was a non-playoff team they beat, and that they will have to put out the same effort tomorrow night against playoff-bound Boston.

Player of the Game: Antoine Vermette (3 G, 1 A)

Sens playing for their playoff lives tonight vs. Leafs

2008-04-03T18:13:00.006-04:00

I know what you're thinking, I can't believe it either; but such is the life of a Sens fan these days. Until March, it never once entered my head that the Sens were going to be battling for their playoff lives in the 2nd last game of the season. If you had told me in the first half of the season (especially early November) that that would be the case, I would have had you submitted to the Royal Ottawa. Unfortunately, we do have to fight for a playoff berth, but maybe that's not all bad. If the Sens actually do treat these games like Game 7's (as they say they are) then maybe it will better prepare them for the playoffs. However, they will actually have to score if they want to win them.

Boston is now tied with us in points (but we hold the tiebreaker), Washington is just 2 points behind(but they hold the tiebreaker), and Philadelphia is just one point behind us (we hold the tiebreaker). That doesn't leave us much breathing room and means that tonight really is a must-win game.

But the Sens can't hit the Panic Button, they just have to go out there, loosen up, and play their game. Lately the entire team has been gripping their sticks a little too tightly. They just need to relax and play like they know they can.

And (I know this really strays from my normally very pessimistc point of view, but) for Sens fans, it's not time to hit the Panic Button either, it's time to hit the Beleive Button. We have to support our team and believe they can do it and they will go out there and get it done.

Game Notes: Stillman is back from his leg injury (just in time, we need his scoring badly). Gerber will make his 16th straight start. The Sens didn't show their lines for tonight's game, but it's expected that Bryan Murray will split up Heatley and Spezza for just the second time since they started playing together. Heatley will likely play on a line with Fisher and maybe Stillman, while the top line will probably consist of Spezza, Alfie, and someone else (possibly Stillman, but more likely someone like McAmmond or Winchester).

Go Sens Go.

...

2008-04-01T22:22:00.006-04:00

Yep. You guessed it. It's a goose egg. Something the Sens are quite familiar with by now. Shutout twice in a row.....WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM???

I'm not sure tonight coud have gone worse. Sens lose 3-0 to the Habs, Caps beat Carolina 4-1. For those of you who don't know, that means Ottawa is 2 points away from missing the playoffs for the first time since before Jacques Martin was head coach.

Tonight was Fan Appreciation Night at ScotiaBank Place. Somehow I think the fans would have appreciated the night a lot better if the Sens had won, or at least, hmmmm, I don't know....scored a goal? I know it's a bit of a novelty these days but come on...

I can't even write a post-game report on this one. Maybe I'll do something tomorrow once this feeling of utter humiliation goes away.

Tomorrow's game and other thoughts

2008-03-31T17:28:00.010-04:00

The Habs are here in Ottawa tomorrow to take on the Sens at 7:30. With a win, the Habs can clinch the NorthEast Division title. After giving the team a day off on Sunday, Bryan Murray had the team back on the ice this morning. However, he gave Alfie the day off the "heal up". We all know that Alfredsson hasn't being playing at 100% (I'd say somewhere around 60-75 actually) since he came back after missing six games due to a dirty crosscheck from Ducks defenceman Francois Beauchemin (which went uncalled). The captain is "likely" to play against Montreal. If the Sens had already clinched a playoff spot, I would say go ahead, give him the rest of the season off. But, because the team's playoff chances are still in doubt (they need 3 points in the next 3 games to clinch for sure), they need him out there because he can still contribute.

Darth Gerber will make his 15th straight start tomorrow night. Personally, I think we should start Emery at least once. Gerber needs a rest before the playoffs (he has started all but one of the games since Murray took over), he hasn't played well of late, and his confidence is low. I guess Murray's remedy for his confidence issue is to just let him keep playing and hope he can play his way through it, which isn't a bad approach. That said, the playoff push isn't really a good time to be having confidence issues. Try Ray.

Cory Stillman likely won't play tomorrow due to a leg injury. "He's day-to-day. Tomorrow just isn't one of those days."

Meanwhile, Murray had Jesse Winchester on the top line at practice today, a combination he tried late last game. However, this may just be because Alfredsson missed practice. We'll see how that plays out.

Happy Birthday Mr. Hockey

I'd just like to extend congratulations to Gordie Howe, celebrating his 80th birthday today. Howe played 26 seasons in the NHL (a league record), competing in 1,767 regular season games (also a record), and scoring a whopping 1,850 points (801 goals, 1,049 assists). He had a long and impressive career and is one of the best players to ever play the coolest game on Earth.

Coyotes sign and call up prospect Kyle Turris

I am very excited to see this guy play next season and it appears we'll get a look at him this year, as he will play in Phoenix's final three games of the year. This guy has been compared to Steve Yzerman, that's how good he is. I can't wait to see him in action.

A sign of bad times for the Sens

I was watching NHL.com's top 10 goals of the past week as I do every week and I noticed that the Sens didn't have a single one of those goals. If/When the Sens were playing to their full potential, they would have AT LEAST one of the top 10, if not two. I think that's indicative of how the team has struggled of late. Hopefully they can get back on the highlight reel during the playoffs, although at this point I think I'd take any goals period.

Sens vs. Caps/Canes in the first round?

With their recent (i.e. as I type) OT victory over the Penguins, the Rangers have passed the Sens for 5th place in the conference. This places Ottawa in the 6th and set to play the 3rd place team. That team is currently the Hurricanes, but the Caps are just two points behind them. A first round matchup against the Caps could potentially be disastrous. I don't think I have to remind Sens fans that we lost all 4 games to the Caps this year and, despite their relative inexperience, I would be scared to face them. Actually, I'm not really too keen on facing the Canes either. In fact, I am downright pessimistic about Ottawa's playoff chances this year, no matter who they play. Time to hit the "Believe" button.

Alright, so maybe I'm not ENTIRELY unhappy that the game wasn't on TV...Bruins 4 Sens Zip

2008-03-29T15:36:00.012-04:00

I think the title pretty much sums up my thoughts on this game. Not only are the Bruins boring to watch, but Ottawa played a completely uninspired game today. This isn't going to be very long because I didn't see it but the Sens really have to pick up their effort. They apparently played decently in the 1st period, won some battles on the boards, got physical etc. But that's not going to cut it in the playoffs. That is, of course, if they make the playoffs (I'm sure they will, but the haven't clinched a spot yet with only 3 games to go). I guess they thought that, because of their recent third period scoring that they could just relax until the 3rd period in this one too. Well, guess what? Not gonna work. Ottawa has to come out flying, and stay flying for a full 60 minutes. I mean, this is a Boston team who is missing Marc Savard, Patrice Bergeron, Chuck Kobasew, and Andrew Ference. That's three top 6 forwards (including two top centers) and a top 4 D-man.

Now, I'm not calling for Gerber's head here or anything, but maybe it's time to give Emery a start in net. Gerber's confidence seems to be low right now, and when he has no confidence, he does not play well. I say try Ray, if for no other reason than to give Gerber a rest. Again, I didn't see the game, but I can only assume that Gerber's rebound control was terrible. Also, apparently two of the goals he let in were pretty weak.

Jesse Winchester made his NHL debut, playing exactly 14 minutes and registering a shot, a hit, and a penalty. Bryan Murray also had him on the top line with Heater and Spezza late in the game in an attempt to spark some offence.

The Quest for 100 points is now officially over as the Sens can now only get 98 points maximum.

And to finish up, here are some stats: Alfie was a team low -3, Meszaros led the team in hits with 3, Fisher went 75% in the facoff circle, and lastly, Anton Volchenkov led the team in shots with 6, almost one-fifth of the team's total shots.

Player of the Game: Tim Thomas (Shutout, 34 saves)

Lineup Changes vs. Bruins

2008-03-29T13:45:00.005-04:00

The Sens have made some lineup changes for today's matinee against the Bruins. Redden's back from his injury but Brian Lee will stay in the lineup with Luke Richardson being the odd man out. Stillman is out with a leg injury (which is not considered serious), so Cody Bass will take his place. Randy Robitaille and Brian McGrattan will be up in the press box with Richardson as healthy scratches. Jesse Winchester will make his NHL debut. I WOULD look forward to seeing Winchester playing, except the game ISN'T ON TV. I'm not very pleased about that. Oh well, Team 1200, here I come.

With a win today Ottawa can pass New Jersey and take 4th place in the Conference.

Alfie featured in new NHL ad

2008-03-28T18:26:00.005-04:00

The NHL's new ad slogan is "The Cup Changes Everything" and so far they have three ads, one of them with Alfie. It's called "Shorthanded" and Alfredsson talks about what it takes to kill a penalty ("before it kills you"), which is fitting because he leads the League in shorthanded goals with 7 (tied with Chicago's Patrick Sharp). To check it out just go here. The other two ads feature Roberto Luongo and Ryan Getzlaf.

Not To Clinch: Sabres 4 Sens 3 (SO)

2008-03-27T22:26:00.022-04:00

So, in order to clinch a playoff berth tonight, the Sens needed to a) win and b) have the Caps lose to the Lightning. Well, we didn't clinch, because a) we lost and b) the Caps won in OT.

The Sens can't afford to blow leads in the last couple minutes like that. Gaustad's goal was off a lucky bounce, but if they want to have a chance at the Cup they have to be able to hold a one goal lead. That's why they were so successful last spring, they were winning one goal games, but they're not doing that anymore. No, instead they're looking more and more like the Sens of old, aka the Sens that could win a blowout, but not a close one.

But, like video coach Tim Pattyson said during the 1st intermission, let's not focus on the negative. Lee filled in for Redden again and did an admirable job. He played over 20 minutes, blocked two shots, and was a +1. I like the look of him and Meszaros quarterbacking the top PP unit. However, the only reason he was on the unit to begin with is because Cory Stillman went down with an injury after being cross checked in the 1st period and did not return. Not good.

It was good, however, to see Fish break out of his scoring slump with two goals. He has just 5 points in his last 27 games (according to Dean Brown). The goals are his 22nd and 23rd of the season for Mike, who broke his previous personal season high of 22 goals. Fisher also looks good wearing the assitant captain's "A" in Wade Redden's absence. You have to think that that will be a permanent fixture next year after Redden leave during the summer.

Darth Gerber made a nice glove save on Maxim Afinogenov midway through the 3rd period, but let it bounce right out again. I think I harp on his horrendous rebound control after every game but I'll do it again: his rebound control is horrendous (ok, so I lied about the whole "focus on the positive" thing). But it was a nice save and afterwards they played the Darth Vader theme over the jumbotron. Loved it.

With the point earned in the shootout the Quest for 100 remains alive. The Sens need to win their remaining 4 games to make 100 points. Hard, but (technically) not impossible.
With his 1st period goal, Spezza extended his point streak to eight games.

Player of the Game: Mike Fisher (2 G, 2 hits, +2, 1 blocked shot)

Blue Team Elimination Watch: Over

That's right, it's over! With a 4-2 loss to the Bruins tonight, the Leafs have been statistically eliminated from the playoffs. Now they are really screwed. Not only did they miss the playoffs, but they played well enough to not finish last in the League and will miss out on drafting highly touted Steve Stamkos in the upcoming draft, something TSN's James Duthie calls "Middle Standings Syndrome". All I can say is: Sucks to be you, Leafs.

TSN: The Quiz

2008-03-27T18:48:00.005-04:00

So yesterday on TSN, they had The Quiz. The first question they asked their panel (Glenn Healy, Bob McKenzie, Mike Milbury) was: Who is the top playoff leader (no goalies)? Healy went with Nick Lidstrom, a good choice. Lidstrom has won 5 of the last 6 Norris trophy's for best D-man, so he's always a good pick. McKenzie picked defending Conn Smythe winner Scott Niedermayer, also a good choice as Niedermayer is always a constant come playoff time. Milbury went out on a limb and chose un-playoff tested Alex Ovechkin, citing that you need goal scoring in the playoffs and Ovie can score practically at will. A risky choice, but it could prove to be a good one. My unbiased choice though would be Daniel Alfredsson (alright so maybe it's a LITTLE biased). Last year Alfie proved that he is the ultimate leader, almost single handedly carrying Ottawa to the Cup Finals. I'd take him anyday (I think he should have gotten the Conn Smythe last year).

The next question was: Does anyone in the East stand a chance in the Cup Final? All three panel members said yes, the East does stand a chance, and I'd have to (cautiously) agree with them. I think that, on average the West is the stronger conference, but one on one I think the East could beat the West in a 7-game series if they played well. People say that the West would out muscle the East, but take a look at the stats. Here are the NHL's top 5 hit leaders by team as of this morning:

1. New York Rangers, 2003

2. Montreal Canadiens, 1888

3. Ottawa Senators, 1708

4. San Jose Sharks, 1680

5. Carolina Hurricanes, 1632

As you can see, 4 of the top 5 hit leaders are from the Eastern Conference, so I'm not sure the West would outmuscle some Eastern teams. Still I think the West has an advantage because they tend to have the better D-corps and goalies, which can stymie the East's superior offence. Overall I think it all comes down to which two teams specifically play each other. If it's Ottawa vs. Colorado, I'm taking Ottawa; but if it's Detroit vs, Carolina, I'm taking Detroit hands down.

To Clinch or Not To Clinch

2008-03-27T13:03:00.005-04:00

"Buffalo @ Ottawa: The Rematch" goes tonight at Scotiabank Place. If the Sens win and the Caps lose to the Lightning, then Ottawa clinches a playoff spot. So here's hoping we do our part. Ottawa really needs to open the way they finished last game, strong and dominant. Who knows? Maybe Volchie can get another goal after breaking his 80 game goal drought last game. I doubt it, but it'd be cool.

Darth Gerber will make his lucky (I hope) 13th straight start tonight. It looks like we'll be going with him during the playoffs. Wade Redden is a game time decision. I'm guessing he won't be in the lineup and that Lee will be back, but maybe that's just wishful thinking. Newly signed Jesse Winchester practiced with the team yesterday but is recovering from a shoulder injury and so likely will not play tonight, but Murray (and I) would like to see him play before the season's out.

Apparently Ray Emery hasn't been completely wasting his time benchwarming. TSN says that he has (another) new mask and was wearing it today at practice.

Speaking of masks, has anyone seen Gerber's real mask? It's actually really nice (that's it on the right), but you can't beat the name "Darth Gerber" so I hope he continues to wear the black one.

Listen! I hear it! It's......The Blue Team Elimination Watch!

2008-03-27T12:17:00.011-04:00

It's that time once again! For the third straight year, the Leafs are going to miss the playoffs! Alright, so I'm getting a little ahead of myself, they're not TECHNICALLY out. But, really, they are. Some people still think they'll make it, but, for Toronto to make the playoffs this year, they basically have to win the rest of their games, while hoping that Boston wins no more than one of their remaining games and that Washington wins no more than two of their remaining games. Oh yeah, they'll make it for sure.

Oh well, I look forward to Leafs fans taunts of "Oh you guys will just choke again!" or the posters that say "Diet Choke, the Official Drink of the Ottawa Senators". Right, like missing the playoffs three years in a row doesn't count as choking....Besides, who made it to the Cup Finals last year? Oh that's right....we did.

Anyway, the Bruins visit the Leafs tonight, and if Boston comes out victorious, then the Leafs are officially eliminated from the playoffs and the the media can finally get back to covering playoff teams, like Ottawa. Go Bruins.

Likely Playoff Opponents

2008-03-26T11:30:00.004-04:00

With just 5 games left in the regular season, the playoffs are rapidly approaching, and with all the parity in the NHL this year, no matchup is set in stone, even this late in the year. So let's take a look at some of the teams that Ottawa could face in the first round:

1. New Jersey Devils. If the playoffs started today, this is who Ottawa would face, for better or for worse. The Devils are on a four game losing streak and sport a 5-4-1 record in their last ten games, the exact same record as the Senators. Both teams also have 91 points (NJ has a game in hand). The Sens went 2-1-1 against New Jersey this season, but both wins came during Ottawa's amazing start, so that's a little misleading. With the way Martin Brodeur has played this year, I'd rather not play the Devils in playoffs. Last year we beat them because of our good goaltending and outstanding defence. We have neither of those things this year, so I'm not sure if we could take them come playoff time.

2. New York Rangers. The Rangers currently sit in 6th position, but if New Jersey continues to slide, then New York could easily overtake them (and Ottawa). The Rangers have been playing well of late, going 12-2-6 in their last 20 games. The Sens went 3-1 against the Rangers this season, but the two teams haven't played since December, in which time Ottawa has slid considerably, and NY has really picked up their game. Still this is a match up I wouldn't mind seeing, as I think the Sens could take them over a 7-game series.

3. Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina is in 3rd place in the Conference, but only because of the counter-intuitive divisional seeding the NHL has in place. In reality, the Canes should be in 7th place, 3 points behind Ottawa. They are another team which has played well recently, going 14-3-2 since the two teams traded players. In contrast, Ottawa is just 8-10-3 since the trade. The season series ended in a tie, 2-2. Ottawa beat the Canes 6-0 and 5-1, while Carolina beat the Sens 5-3 and, most recently, 5-1. The scary part is, the Canes first win came during Ottawa's previously mentioned great start, and that was before they were playing their best hockey. Overall, I'd rather not play Carolina in the first round, but if we had to, I think the Sens could grit out a 7-game series win.

Of these three teams, I'd like to play New York the most, but either way, the Sens are going to have to really turn it up a notch if they want to compete for the ultimate prize, Lord Stanley's Cup.

100 Points...Can they make it?

2008-03-26T11:02:00.007-04:00

Can the Sens reach the century mark this year? With just 5 games left, the Sens are currently sitting at 91 points. That means that in order to make it to 100, they would have to go 4-0-1 to end the season. So, not to be pessimistic or anything, but I have serious doubts as to whether they can do that. In fact, considering that last night's win was just Ottawa's 6th in their last 15 games, it would take nothing short of a miracle for the Senators to pull this one off. The Quest for 100 starts Thursday night in Ottawa where the Sens will try to take back to back games against the Sabres.

Remember what I said about 3rd period scoring binges?

2008-03-26T00:25:00.014-04:00

To quote myself: "3rd period scoring binges are great most of the time. However, when prefaced by 7 goals against in the first 2 periods, they are somewhat, how should I put it, less inspiring."

Well, when prefaced by only a two goal defecit, a five goal 3rd period is pretty insipiring. Inspiring enough to lead the Sens to a comeback 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres anyway. This was a huge win for the Sens. Coming off a bad game against Montreal just last night, Ottawa really pulled it together for this one. Gerber (making his 12th consecutive start) was solid, stopping 29 of 32 shots, but, again, he's got to work on his bad rebound control. Mike Commodore blocked a team high 5 shots and also led the team in ice time with almost 22 minutes played. Pretty good for a guy who is supposed to be struggling.

The best part though, was probably the spread out scoring. Schubert (did you know he could shoot like that? Me neither), McAmmond (shorthanded, on a sweet pass from Vermy), and Vermette (empty net) all scored while Alfie had two to give him 40 on the season, naturally they were both snipes. I can see you reading that and thinking, that's only 5 goals, he missed one. Well, think again, I'm just saving the best for last. Anton Volchenkov had the game-winning goal (his first goal of the year!) and two assists, and what a rocket his goal was. He blasted it from the right point and sniped the corner. Why can't he shoot like that all the time? Anyway, if the Sens can spread out their scoring like that in the playoffs, then hopefully that will compensate for their (generally) below average goaltending.

Actually, that goaltending problem has been solved. Just put Brian Lee in net, he's got a perfect 1.000% save percentage this year after stopping a Paul Gaustad shot on the goal line with his skate in the 2nd period. Filling in for the injured Wade Redden and making his NHL debut, Lee played just over 18 minutes, almost as much as the A-Train. In that time, he recorded two shots on net and blocked one shot, while playing an all around very good game. If they awarded tertiary assists, he would have gotten one on Alfie's first goal. He just made the simple play by dumping the puck behind the net where Heatley and Spezza managed to get it out to Alfie who sniped one over Miller. I look forward to seeing Lee take Redden's spot full-time next year when said 6.5 million dollar defenceman walks away for nothing this offseason.

''It was a good third period for us, and it showed flashes of what you saw last year where we were outskating teams and outworking teams,'' McAmmond said. That's always good news, because last year's team was easily the best playoff team this franchise has ever assembled. However, they still have to learn to play for 60 minutes, turning it on in the third isn't always going to work (see Game 76 @ Montreal).

Oh well, I guess I can't really complain, a win is a win, but we have to keep playing like we did in the last two third periods! Hopefully we can pull a three-peat against Buffalo on Thursday night.

Player of the Game: Daniel Alfredsson (2 G, 1 A, +2, with 2 blocked shots)

In other Senators news, the team has signed prospect Jesse Winchester to a 1-year deal and will likely play him in the remaining regular season games (he is ineligible to play in the playoffs) to see if they want to sign him for a longer term. You can get a scouting report here, courtesy of Sens Army Blog.

Interesting Stats: Of the 10 games played in the NHL tonight, 7 of them (including all the Eastern conference games) were 1-0 after the 1st period of play. Also, with his assist on Alfie's first goal, Spezza extended his points streak to seven games.

Luke's got the right idea...

2008-03-25T18:39:00.010-04:00

I'd say this picture of Luke Richardson basically sums up what every Sens fan was thinking after last night's game. Hang our heads in shame. And we should after the way the Sens played in last night's 7-5 loss to Les Canadiens.

3rd period scoring binges are great most of the time. However, when prefaced by 7 goals against in the first 2 periods, they are somewhat, how should I put it, less inspiring. I didn't see the game but I'd say the score after two periods was pretty indicative of how the Sens played. If they don't pick it up soon, there is no way this year's edition of the Senators is going to come anywhere near last year's in terms of playoff success.

As a side note, Wade Redden was injured when he tripped and went hard into the boards. Brian Lee has been recalled to take his place for tonight's game against the Sabres.

Now, let's see what went wrong:

Ottawa pre-game keys to success:

1. Shutdown Alex Kovalev. Alright, so this wasn't bad. Kovlev had 2 assists but they were both secondary ones and considering the Habs scored 7 goals, he didn't really factor in on the scoresheet. The problem is, it seems that, in an attempt to shutdown Kovalev, Ottawa forgot to shutdown EVERYBODY ELSE!

2. Penalty Killing. Only 2 of Montreal's goals came on the PP, but they only had 5 chances, so the PKing coud have been better.

3. Goaltending. Needless to say, the goaltending was dissapointing last night. Gerber was pulled in the first intermission after letting in 3 goals on 14 shots. Emery filled in and only stopped 14 of 18 shots the rest of the way. Gerber's rebound control again led directly to at least one goal and if he doesn't work on that, the Sens aren't going to get very far in the post-season. Because as your goaltender goes, so goes the team.

4. Secondary scoring. This one worked pretty well, as both Lapointe and Vermette chipped in goals to help out the Big Line, which scored the remaining three. Commodore and Stillman each had an assist, while Robitaille added 2 assists.

5. Come out like gangbusters. The Habs scored less than 2 minutes in and the Sens didn't score until almost halfway through the game. 'Nuff said.

6. Play for 60 minutes. Fail. The Sens played 20 minutes of good hockey last night, during the 3rd period. In the first two periods they were outshot 30-22 and outscored 7-1, while in the 3rd they outshot the Habs 14-2 and outscored them 4-0. That's an awesome finish, but if they open like they did last night, they're never going to make it past the first round.

So, basically, the Sens didn't do anything right in the first two periods, and then made a valiant attempt at a comeback in the 3rd, but after falling behind by 6 goals, no team can expect to win.

The Sens now have almost no hope of overtaking Montreal for the division's top spot, in fact, they are going to have to step it up if they even want to make the playoffs. They are 7 points (one game in hand) behind 1st place Montreal, and just 5 points ahead of 8th place Boston. Come on boys, let's pick it up a bit.

Player of the Game:

Andrei Kostitsyn (2 G)

Game 76: Sens @ Habs

2008-03-24T11:52:00.005-04:00

Seeing as how I likely won't catch any of the game tonight, I've decided to do a little game preview instead.

Tonight the Sens are in Montreal to take on the Canadiens in a battle between the two top teams in the NorthEast Division. The Sens are currently 5 points back of the Habs, but have a game in hand. A win tonight would go a long way towards reclaiming the division lead. The Sens are 5-1-0 against Montreal (including a 3-0 victory the last time they met) this season and are hoping to continue their dominance of the Habs in what promises to be a very competitive game. However, both teams will be without some grit players, as the Sens are missing penalty killer Chris Kelly, while Montreal will have to play without top shutdown defenceman Mike Komisarek (both are out for at least 3 weeks).

The Sens are coming off a dissapointing (to say the least) 5-4 loss to the Leafs in which they blew a 3 goal lead (I still can't believe it), while the Habs' last game ended in a 3-2 shootout victory. Ottawa is 3-2 in their last 5 agmes, while Montreal is 3-1-1, with the lone loss coming at the hands of the Senators.

Keys to an Ottawa victory:

- Shutdown Alex Kovalev. He leads Les Canadiens in goals, assists, points, plus/minus, powerplay goals, OT goals, and leads all Habs forwards in time on ice per game. The Sens have done a good job of this so far this season, as only one of his 33 goals have come against Ottawa, but they have to continue doing this to be successful.

-Penalty Killing. Montreal has the best powerplay in the entire League so it goes without saying that the Sens' penalty killers will have to be at their best, especially with top 4 PKer Kelly out of the lineup.

-Goaltending. Darth Gerber will have to be at his best if the Sens want to win. He shut the Habs out last time, but they are the highest scoring team in the Eastern Conference (2 behind Detroit and 2 ahead of Ottawa), and are not to be taken lightly.

-Secondary scoring. Mike Komisarek is out, which means the big line will have more room to work with, however, that doesn't mean the other three lines can take the night off. Ottawa needs guys like Fisher, Stillman, and Vermette to step up and help out on the scoresheet.

-Come out like gangbusters. The Sens have to come out flying, just like they did against the Leafs. They have to score early and often to shake Carey Price's confidence and quiet the raucous Montreal crowd, and they have to get the physical game going early to get Montreal on their heels.

-Play for 60 minutes. After coming out strong, the Sens have to stay strong. Against Toronto, Ottawa played a great first period, but then didn't show up until the last five minutes of the 2nd period, and then again started to coast and they couldn't get it going again until it was too late.

Kelly out at least 3 weeks

2008-03-23T18:19:00.003-04:00

Ottawa Sun's Off The Posts is reporting that Chris Kelly will be out at least 3 weeks with a fractured leg, while TSN.ca lists him as "out indefinitely". Kelly was injured while blocking a Pavel Kubina shot in last night's loss to the Leafs. This means Kelly will miss at least the first round of the playoffs. This is very bad news for the Senators, as Kelly, one of the most underrated players in the League, is a big part of Ottawa's PK unit and will be sorely missed. Kelly has 30 points (11 G, 19 A) in 75 games this year, and has averaged 16:36 minutes of ice time a game.

However, his spot can be filled and the Sens just have to keep going. No one will be called up from Bingo so it appears Randy Robitaille will be inserted back into the roster after being a healthy scratch last night. However, Cody Bass has been cleared to play and he also could take Kelly's spot (of the two, I would take Bass).

If we can't even beat the Leafs...

2008-03-23T15:05:00.009-04:00

HOW ARE WE EVER GOING TO BEAT A PLAYOFF TEAM?

Yes, the reffing was horrendous and more biased (if it's humanly possible) than Bob Cole's commentating, but that really isn't an excuse for blowing a three goal lead in the 2nd period. Gerber really has to work on his rebound control. It's awful. Tucker's late 2nd period goal was a direct result of a bad Gerber rebound. And where were the defence all night long? Ottawa's defensive coverage was terrible. The Leafs scored almost every one of their goals because they were not being covered by a defenceman. Like Pavel Kubina, among the hottest players in the League right now, allowed to just walk in to the faceoff circle and take a shot (off which rebound Tucker scored)? That just shouldn't happen.

Positives? Sure, there were some. Ottawa came out flying in the first period and completely owned the Leafs. They outhit them, outskate them, and outshot them. But they only scored one goal. You can't dominate a team for an entire period and only score one goal. Ottawa's physical game was ther though. Fisher rocked Ian White in the corner, and shortly before that, the A-Train was on track, absolutely obliterating Leaf call-up Alex Foster.

Chris Neil returned to the lineup and didn't miss a beat, laying out Mark Bell in the 1st period and leading the team in hits with 5. Martin Lapointe had a good game. He forechecked and got in Toskala's face all night. His goal came as a direct result of his own forechecking. Getting to the puck before the Leaf defenceman on a Schubert dump-in and passing to Fisher who gave it back to him for the easy re-direct past Toskala. Mike Commodore finally registered his first point as a Senator, getting an assist on Alfie's early goal. Stillman also had a goal and an assist, which means our February acquisitions combined for a total of 4 points last night.

That was another positive, our spread out scoring. Heatley, Alfredsson, Stillman, and Lapointe all scored, with a total of 9 different players contributing at least a point.

The worst part of this whole thing though? The Leafs were without their two top goal scorers, Mats Sundin and Nik Antropov, and we still couldn't beat them. This does not bode well for the playoffs. Also, Chris Kelly blocked a Pavel Kubina shot in the first period and did not return. We'll see how that plays out, but it looked pretty bad. I wouldn't hope to see him before the playoffs.

Player of the Game: Pavel Kubina (2 A, 5 Shots)

What Could Have Been....

2008-03-17T21:15:00.011-04:00

In light of the fact that the 2008 NHL Entry Draft is being held here in Ottawa, I've decided to do a little history on the Sens' past drafts. Listing who we drafted in the first round and who we COULD have drafted in that spot instead.

Hindsight is 20/20 but.....

Year: 1992
Overall Pick: 2
Player: Alexei Yashin
Could've Had: Sergei Gonchar or Cory Stillman
In Hindsight: Well, Yashin did captain the team and lead us in points for our early years, but I'd take Gonchar over him anyday.

Year: 1993
Overall Pick: 1
Player: Alexandre Daigle
Could've Had: Chris Pronger, Paul Kariya, Saku Koivu.....need I go on?
In Hindsight: Ugh.....Daigle turned into the biggest flop in Ottawa history while the three I mentioned above are all star players still playing today. Daigle is now playing for HC Davos in Switzerland. And to think we (possibly) tanked our first season just to draft him.

Year: 1994
Overall Pick: 3
Player: Radek Bonk
Could've Had: Ryan Smyth, Mattias Ohlund, Patrik Elias
In Hindsight: Well, that could've gone better. Bonk played for us for years but was never able to produce at the level he was hyped at. Smyth, Ohlund, and Elias are all studs in NHL today. However, we did draft franchise player Daniel Alfredsson in the later rounds so we came out alright.

Year: 1995
Overall Pick: 1
Player: Bryan Berard
Could've Had: Wade Redden, Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla
In Hindsight: This pick turned out a little better because we traded him for Redden who has turned out to be a stud on the blueline. But Iginla.....can you imagine?

Year: 1996
Overall Pick: 1
Player: Chris Phillips
Could've Had: Daniel Briere
In Hindsight: Finally, Ottawa scouts got one right. Chris Phillips was definitely the right pick. He is one half of one of the best shutdown pairs in the NHL today and is an absolute rock on the Ottawa blueline. I'd take him over Briere.

Year: 1997
Overall Pick: 12
Player: Marian Hossa
Could've Had: Brenden Morrow, Kristian Huselius
In Hindsight: Two in a row! Ottawa sniped this sniper with the 12th overall pick. Hossa played very well in Ottawa and bloomed into one of the League's premiere snipers. Then we traded him for Dany Heatley, 'Nuff said.

Year: 1998
Overall Pick: 15
Player: Mathieu Chouinard
Could've Had: Simon Gagne, Scott Gomez, Jonathan Cheechoo
In Hindsight: I knew it was too good to be true. Ottawa picks another loser instead of a couple of the League's top players. Choiunard flopped, in fact, he never played for the Senators. The worst part? Ottawa drafted him again in 2000. I know, I can't believe it either. Bright side from this draft is we got Mike Fisher in the 2nd round, I guess that kind of makes up for it.

Year: 1999
Overall Pick: 26
Player: Martin Havlat
Could've Had: Mike Commodore
In Hindsight: Great pick by the Sens. Havlat is a very talented right winger who we had to trade due to cap restrictions. His downside is that he is almost always on the injured list.

Year: 2000
Overall Pick: 21
Player: Anton Volchenkov
Could've Had: Justin Williams, Ilya Bryzgalov
In Hindsight: Another great pick. Volchenkov completes Ottawa's top shutdown pair and is arguably the best shot blocker in the entire League. We also got Antoine Vermette in this draft.

Year: 2001
Overall Pick: 2 and 23
Players: Jason Spezza and Tim Gleason
Could've Had: Who cares? We got Spezza.
In Hindsight: We got the Spezza pick from the New York Islanders in the Yashin trade hence the two first-round picks, I guess Yashin did serve some purpose after all. Spezza is one of the League's top playmakers and is our No. 1 center. Tim Gleason was traded to the LA Kings for Bryan Smolinski before he played in the NHL.

Year: 2002
Overall Pick: 16
Player: Jakub Klepis
Could've Had: Cam Ward
In Hindsight: Another drafting disaster. Klepis was a flop and was traded to Washington. In 2006, Ward went on to lead the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup and captured the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP.

Year: 2003
Overall Pick: 29
Player: Patrick Eaves
Could've Had: Patrice Bergeron
In Hindsight: In a very deep 2003 draft (possibly the deepest ever), Eaves was a good pick at 29th overall, but Bergeron would have been better. Eaves played for Ottawa for 2 and a half seasons before getting traded with Joe Corvo to Carolina for Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore.

Year: 2004
Overall Pick: 23
Player: Andrej Meszaros
Could've Had: No one really
In Hindsight: Awesome pick as Meszaros is developing into Ottawa's next PP quarterback and there really was no one else of note in the first two rounds that Ottawa could have had.

Year: 2005
Overall Pick: 9
Player: Brian Lee
Could've Had: Anze Kopitar, Paul Stastny, Marc Staal, Tobias Enstrom
In Hindsight: Lee is still developing in college but figures to with the team next year as there will likely be a vacancy due to Redden's probable departure. Still, I'd take any one of the three above over him.

Year: 2006
Overall Pick: 28
Player: Nick Foligno
Could've Had: Shawn Matthias, Milan Lucic
In Hindsight: Good pick. Foligno is developing into a good, grit player with skill. He's been up and down between the minors and the big club all year (mostly up). Matthias may prove to be a better pick but only time will tell.

Year: 2007
Overall Pick: 29
Player: Jim O'Brien
Could've Had: Too soon to tell
In Hindsight: Only time will tell with this one, but my gut feeling says no dice.

So there you have it, overall Ottawa's drafting was about 50-50 good and bad, but when they hit a diamond he was pretty good. Out of 17 players drafted in the first round, only 5 are still playing with the current Sens, but some of the others went towards good causes (getting Heatley etc.).

Return of the Corvo

2008-03-16T21:09:00.006-04:00

Well, what can I say? That was downright terrible. From Sens running into each other to taking stupid penalties to being given phantom penalties by the refs to not controlling rebounds to.....you get the point. If the Sens play like that in the playoffs, they won't make it past the first round. Come on guys, the "We're on a three game winning streak so we can stop playing hockey." attitude just isn't going to cut it.

Man, I hate irony. There was not a single goal that Carolina scored today that a former Ottawa player/prospect didn't figure in on. First Eaves scores, his first as a Cane (interestingly enough, his first NHL goal came at the RBC Center in Carolina against none other than Martin Gerber). As if that wasn't bad enough, Corvo goes out and lights up Darth Gerber for 3 goals, and, in between, Tim Gleason (former Ottawa draft pick and prospect) sets up Scott Walker for the insurance goal.

If there was a positive to be taken from this game, it was that Ottawa threw a few HUGE hits in the last two periods. Schubert threw a couple of dandies, and Volchenkov pummeled Ryan Bayda. Aside from that, however, there was really nothing that Ottawa can take away from this game. Best to learn from their mistakes and move on.

Line of the Game: "Well, statistically, anything's possible. The Leafs could make the playoffs, and you could get the part as that little orange and blue animal in the Cirque Du Soleil." - Dean Brown to Gord Wilson

Player of the Game: Joe Corvo (3 G)

Around the League:

Sid Who?

Evgeni Malkin comes up big again in Crosby's absence, scoring twice and adding two assists in a 7-1 drubbing of the Flyers. Malkin now has 97 points, just two behind Alex Ovechkin for the League lead.

Red Hot

Flames beat the Hawks 4-2 to pull into a 3-way tie with the Avs and the Wild for the NorthWest Division lead.

Don't Look Now

But the Caps won against the Bruins 2-1 in a shootout and are now just 2 points behind Philly for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East.

The Panthers also won, defeating the Thrashers 3-1 (Kovalchuk scored his 49th of the year) to keep pace with the Caps (Washington has one game in hand).

Pronger suspended only 8 games

2008-03-15T15:26:00.006-04:00

The NHL have just suspended for only 8 games for stomping on Ryan Kesler's calf. This means he will be eligible to play in the Ducks' last regular season game against Phoenix and will not miss any playoff games. What a joke. The League's disciplinary system, headed by Colin Campbell, needs to be seriously revamped. There is a ridiculous double standard when it comes to suspending players. Goons get huge suspensions and superstars get minimal ones. For example, earlier this season (December 15th) Chris Simon stomped on Jarko Ruutu's ankle and was justly suspended for a whopping 30 games. What Pronger did to Kesler was in no way different and he gets off with just 8 games. Pronger, just like Simon, is a repeat offender when it comes to being suspended for dirty play and therefore deserves to be suspended for the same amount of time. If anything this helps Pronger because he will be well rested for the playoffs, but won't be rusty because he gets one game in before they start.

"In attempting to free himself, Pronger carelessly and recklessly brought his foot down," Campbell said in a league statement Saturday.

Right. Look again Colin. Pronger was already free from Kesler's scissor-hold when he decided to intentionally stomp on him.

Double standard? Absolutely.

Cogs registers NHL's first OverTrick

2008-03-12T20:51:00.001-04:00

Edmonton rookie Andrew Cogliano registered the NHL's first ever "OverTrick" (coined by yours truly) last night. That's right, he scored the OT winner for the third game in a row. The NHL didn't even have a record for that before Cogliano did it. That's pretty incredible, especially for a rookie.

''It was pretty shocking,'' Cogliano said. ''It's hard to believe something like this, it's certainly a feeling I will remember for the rest of my life. Things like this don't happen often. I think I've just been really lucky to have those opportunities go in for me. But yeah, three in a row, that feels pretty good.''

I'll bet.

ALFIE! ALFIE! ALFIE!

2008-01-25T18:44:00.002-05:00

Had last night's game been at home, Scotiabank Place would have been rocking with the chants of the beloved captain's name. Daniel Alfredsson set a Senators franchise record with 7 points last night in Tampa Bay. The Swedish superstar had a hat trick by the 5 minute mark of the second period; he had an even strength goal, a powerplay goal, and a shorthanded goal. Heading into the All-Star Break (where he has been voted in as a starter), Alfie now leads the NHL with 67 points, and is on pace for 113 (54 G, 59 A).

After losing 3 straight and 5 of 6, the Sens bounced back in a big way against the Lightning. Martin Gerber got the start and, although looking a little shaky in the third, played a pretty solid game, and judging by the way John Paddock has been rotating the goalies, Gerber should get the start on Tuesday against the NY Islanders. After stoning the Senators' every attempt just last Saturday, Johan Holmqvist allowed 3 goals on 14 shots and was replaced by Karri Ramo in the second period. Ramo did not fair any better (worse, in fact) letting in 5 goals on just 12 shots.

- Ottawa native Dan Boyle returned from his wrist injury and registered 2 goals.

- Andrej Meszaros was a +6, Alfredsson was a +5. On TB's side, Chris Gratton was a -5.

- Both Alfredsson and Wade Redden assisted on Antoine Vermette's 2nd period goal, they were the 500th and 300th assists of their careers, respectively.

- Alfredsson leads the Sens with 6 SHGs and is second in the League behind Patrick Sharp.

Player of the game: Daniel Alfredsson (3 G, 4 A)

No Alfie, No Heatley, No Goals for Sens

2008-01-20T19:07:00.001-05:00

The Ottawa Senators, with their top two leading point scorers out of the lineup, were unable to beat Johan Holmqvist Saturday night, as the Tampa Bay Lightning got goals from Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier (empty net) and held on to shutout the Sens 2-0 at Scotiabank Place. Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa's leading scorer with 29 goals and 60 points in 45 games, missed the game with a hip flexor and Dany Heatley (25 goals and 56 points in 43 games) sat out his fourth game in a row with a seperated right shoulder. Ottawa sorely missed its two injured All-Stars as the Senators' inability to finish was apparent.

Holmqvist was outstanding in stopping all 25 shots he faced, including a beautiful glove save on Chris Phillips early in the second period. Antoine Vermette hit the post three and a half minutes in. Ray Emery was solid in stopping 24 of 25 shots, Martin Gerber will start tonight against the Flyers.

- Andrej Meszaros led the Senators in shots with 5.

- Jason Spezza had 3 giveaways, second on the team behind Randy Robitaille's 4, the Lightning had a combined total of 5.

- Holmqvist's shutout was his second in as many nights, but he didn't have to face Crosby, Heatley, or Alfredsson in those games.

- Lecavalier's empty-netter was his first goal since he scored a beauty against Ottawa exactly two weeks ago.

Player of the game: Johan Holmqvist (25 Saves, SO)

First Post

2008-01-19T19:49:00.000-05:00

This is Hockey Sentral's first post! Hockey Sentral is mainly focused around the Ottawa Senators, but you will also find news and notes from around the NHL with some random thoughts thrown in along the way. Feel free to leave a comment on any post. Hope you enjoy your time here!

Cheers,

A Sens Fan