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Senators can't convert powerplays, lose 4-1 to Canadiens

PeterR — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:03:21 -0000

3 days ago: Montreal Canadiens' Josh Gorges tries to clear Ottawa Senators right wing Daniel Alfredsson away from the puck in front of Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak and defenceman Hal Gill during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Adrian Wyld)

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In another frustratingly effete effort, the Ottawa Senators made Jaroslav Halak look like an all-star and made their powerplay look like the feeblest in the league, walking out of the rink with a very disappointing 4-1 loss against the Montreal Canadiens. After the loss, Montreal pulled even with Ottawa in the standings, a very tough-to-swallow fact despite the fact that the Sens still have two games on hand. Most disappointing was the Senators impotent powerplay, which went 0-for-7 on the night despite 13 shots--which hearkens back to the criticisms of Bryan Murray earlier this week, when he said the Senators lack the grit to drive to the front of the net, force rebounds, and score some dirty goals.

Although there have been calls for Mike 'Not Martin' Brodeur to see some action one of these days, little blame can be placed at the feet of Brian Elliott for the loss. The first goal came after a linesman accidentally (or was it?) kicked the puck around Chris Phillips and right to Tomas Plekanec, leading to a two-on-one that Anton Volchenkov misplayed; Elliott was square to the shooter (Plekanec), while Volchenkov left Mike Cammalleri wide open to tap in the cross-ice pass. And the second was a doubly-tipped powerplay goal (which, apparently, are possible).

On to some finer points of the game...

Sens heroes: Mike Fisher-Milan Michalek-Daniel Alfredsson
The Senators' top line was dominant for much of the game. Fisher had the lone Senators goal early in the second period, and also had four hits and seven shots--second only to Alfredsson on the night, as the captain fired eight at Golden Jaro. Michalek had three shots, meaning that the three had 18 of Ottawa's 46 shots on the night. They also combined for four takeaways. Long story short, they brought it.

Sens zeroes: Alex Kovalev
Kovy did one good thing tonight: He injured Jaroslav Spacek with a shot late in the first period (Ed.: I'm joking, Kovalev didn't do anything good Tuesday night. And I hope Spacek is back in the lineup for next game, he's a well-respected person and a solid player). After that, he did little else: He floated either just inside the offensive or defensive ends, rarely venturing deep enough to contribute to the play, and didn't meaningfully contribute to the game in any way. Which you may say is characteristic of Kovalev, but most expected he'd at least bring some intensity to the team that let him walk for nothing. More unfortunate was that, since it was a one-goal game for most of the night, Kovalev could have made even just one play that would have had the chance to completely turn the tables, and he had plenty of powerplays to do it on. But he just didn't.

(Read plenty more... )

Sens killers: Jaroslav Halak, Sens' powerplay
Whether or not Halak was actually great isn't the point; he looked great. Look at the chart below (from CBSSports.com), which shows you where Ottawa had most of their shots from, and you'll notice one thing in particular: Little to no shots from the slot. The bulk of the shots are low-percentage ones from awkward angles at either side of the net. That has as much to do with the Senators' unwillingness or inability to get to that part of the ice and not have their shots blocked as it does the Canadiens' ability to clog up the area.

As for the Senators powerplay, it was just not pretty. I was actually surprised to see Ottawa had 13 shots on the powerplay, but they seemed unable to really get much going on it--unfortunate, because the PP had been clicking for quite a while leading up to this game. Ottawa was unable to get the puck off the perimeter and into the centre of the ice, where key scoring opportunities are truly generated. We complain about not getting powerplays some games, but when you can't score on them anyway, it's basically a moot point.

Credit goes to: Erik Karlsson, Chris Campoli
You've really got to handle it to Campoli after his scratching: He's taken it as a constructive criticism rather than a personal insult, and his play has improved as a result. And he's earned the trust of Cory Clouston, given 21:24 in ice time--the second-most on Ottawa after only Filip Kuba. You might think the PP opportunities had a lot to do with that, but more than 15 of those minutes were at even strength. He was -1 tonight, but he had a shot on net, three more fired toward the net, and looked like the player Murray was expecting when he traded a first-round draft pick for him last season.

Similarly, since being recalled from Binghamton, Karlsson has really looked strong. He had some strong poise in the first period, particularly of note being a confident play to use his glove to settle the puck and another to use his body to protect it--all in the defensive end. His confidence to play very high in the offensive zone can be nerve-wracking at times, but it hasn't yet cost him big time. But defensive play isn't what Ottawa needs from him, and that's not all he provided tonight: He had five shots on net, third best on the team, and played 21:12 on the night--fourth-highest on the team.

Big Hitter: Jesse Winchester
With Chris Neil and Shean Donovan out of the lineup, the supporting cast needs to step up and fill the void in the grit department. Although few seem willing to muck it up in front of the net, Winchester is stepping up his physical game. He had a team-high five hits in only 11:32 tonight, including a very impressive hit on Max Pacioretty behind the Canadiens' net. His line with Peter Regin and Chris Kelly was pretty strong in the first period, but didn't get a shot to generate momentum or dirty goals in the third--something Clouston might need to address, because I've noticed he's falling to the John Paddock-esque failing of consistently looking to the stars to provide all the offence, while making the players who are "on" to ride the pine.

Point: Blame the refs
The linesman gift-wrapped Montreal's first goal

Counterpoint: We can't blame the refs
The Senators had seven damn powerplays.

Endnote: It was definitely the kind of game the Senators need to shrug off, and they need to do so quickly; as bad as thePhiladelphia Flyers have been for the last couple months, they're still a good team. Ottawa can't play them lightly when they meet up on Thursday.

Sens outclassed by Kings, lose 6-3

DarrenM — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:31:33 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

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Sens heroes: Mike Fisher, Jonathan Cheechoo
Fisher played like the Mike Fisher we saw earlier in the season, good for two goals and six shots on the night. Jonathan Cheechoo had his best game in a Senators sweater, putting up a goal and six shots, but also drawing two or three penalties through good old fashioned hard work. Cheechoo and his linemates, Chris Kelly and Jarkko Ruutu, were the only Sens players to finish on the positive side of the plus-minus statistic, each at +1.

Sens zeroes: Filip Kuba, Brian Elliott
Kuba simply played soft tonight, not punishing players physically and letting the puck bobble off his stick too frequently. Elliott made some nice stops, but he also let in far too many goals that he could've stopped.

Sens killers: Drew Doughty, Justin Williams
Not to sound like Pierre McGuire or anything, but Doughty played extremely well tonight. Not only was he strong in his own end, but he also put up a rocket of a shot for a powerplay goal. Justin Williams had two goals and an assist on the night.

Telling stat: faceoffs 32-19 Los Angeles
This is starting to be a trend. The Sens have been terrible in the faceoff circle as of late, and tonight was simply awful. Not only did the Senators frequently lose draws, but they lost them at important times when they needed to get goals. Chris Kelly did well with 58% while Jesse Winchester did spectacularly at 86%, but Fisher and Spezza need to pick it up.

Did anyone notice: Ryan Keller
Keller has now played four games. I am not sure I've noticed him in any of them, and as a forward, that's not a good thing. I have a feeling he'll be sitting while Foligno returns.

Injury alert: Alex Picard
In the first period, Picard took a clean, hard hit from Dustin Brown on the boards. He went off the ice labouring his arm/shoulder, and did not return. I expect Chris Campoli will be playing against Phoenix with Picard taking some time off.

Penalty woes: The final minutes of the first period; Phillips' dive
In the final three minutes before the first period ended, the Senators had given up a penalty shot (which Wayne Simmonds scored on) and taken three additional minor penalties, including a bizarre one where Anton Volchenkov grabbed the puck out of the air, held on for a few seconds, and then threw it with all of his might. The Senators somehow killed off the 5-on-3s, but their penalty problems didn't stop there. The Sens nearly had a powerplay in the dying minutes while only a goal down as Scott Parse held Chris Phillips' stick, but Phillips ended up getting called on a dive, so the teams played four on four instead.

2010 Winter Olympics Hockey: A look at the Ottawa Senators

PeterR — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:12 -0000

The Olympics are mere months away, and I'd be lying if I said I'm not looking forward to the men's hockey tournament most of all. Although the Ottawa Senators don't have the international flavour they've had in years past, there will still be a pretty good Olympic presence for this year's team. Although plenty can still change between now and the beginning of the tournament, the following is a preview of which players may fall where on their respective Olympic teams. I've broken it down into four key categories:

Pack Your Bags

Daniel Alfredsson, Sweden: Alfredsson was an associate captain on Sweden's 2006 gold medal-winning Olympic squad, so you can be sure he'll be there again--and you can be sure he'll be a part of their leadership corps. He's got two silver and two bronze medals in World Championships, and has been on a total of twelve Swedish international teams. You'd better believe he'll be there.
Anton Volchenkov, Russia: There's no way the A-Train gets left out of Russia's Olympic roster. In fact, alongside offensive d-men like Andrei Markov (if he's back from his injury by then) and Sergei Gonchar, you can be sure Volchenkov will be a valuable shut-down defender when Russia is up against the big squads. He'll see plenty of the world's best, you can be sure.
Filip Kuba, Czech Republic: Even more so than Volchenkov, Kuba will looked to as one of the Czech Republic's top two defenders, along with Tomas Kaberle. Unlike Volchenkov, though, he will also have to offer some solid offence.
Milan Michalek, Czech Republic: Even if Michalek weren't having an awesome year, he would still likely be on the Czech squad for the Olympics. But with 13G and 8A in 24GP, it's an even easier pick for him to make it.
Jarkko Ruutu, Finland: There aren't many teams that Ruutu would make, but he could very well be instrumental to any success that the Finns have in the Olympics. He'll likely play third-line minutes, and he'll likely be up to his old tricks--but with a little more discipline added in.
Kaspars Daugavins, Latvia: There aren't many Latvians playing pro hockey in North America, and Daugavins--who's currently with the Binghamton Senators of the AHL--will probably be among the team's leaders, despite the fact that he's only 21 years old.

(Continue reading for the rest of the list... )

Nearly A Lock

Alex Kovalev, Russia: Most people would bet on Kovalev making the team, if only as a leader for the young stars. But young stars there are many, and Russia's not going to be scared to pull talent from the Kontinental Hockey League, too. Kovalev's highly likely to be on the team, but I don't know if it's an absolute lock--especially with the relatively low point total he's put up so far this season.

In A Battle

Mike Fisher, Canada: Fisher got himself on Olympic radar with a strong performance in last summer's World Championships, and his career-best numbers so far this season--10G, 11A in 21GP--is just adding to that. He's going to have to beat out some very good players to get a spot on Canada's squad, but he's done himself plenty of favours so far this season.

Headed On Down

Jason Spezza, Canada: A last-minute invite to Canada's orientation camp, Spezza was going to have to do a heck of a lot to get a sniff for Team Canada's roster at all, and his chances at centre were even worse. Although his defensive play has improved markedly, it's not going to get him on the squad, and the numbers he's put up so far have bumped him farther down the list.

Game 24 Preview: Jackets End Rough Roadtrip in Ottawa

Mike MacLean — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:53:30 -0000

More photos » by Graham Hughes - AP

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First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to my friends south of the border! I'm going to make this short and sweet- the Jackets need a win tonight, badly. This is the fifth and final game of their longest road trip of the season, and it has been a disastrous one for the Jackets. Tonight they face the Ottawa Senators, who have been playing pretty solid hockey of late. Their top six forwards are still very dangerous, even with Mike Fisher potentially out.

This marks the return to Ottawa for Antoine Vermette, I'm sure he'll be up for this one. Unfortunately, the Jackets won't be facing Pascal Leclaire- he got hit with a puck in the face while sitting on the bench recently. The Jackets need to get back to playing Hitch hockey, and avoid getting too fancy with the puck. Let's see a solid 60-minute effort tonight boys!

Fearless Prediction- I just want a win.

Game Time: 7:30pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Silver Seven

Game Page: Blue Jackets vs Senators Coverage

TSN Preview: Blue Jackets vs Senators Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

R.J. Umberger	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
Kristian Huselius	Derick Brassard	Jakub Voracek
Jason Chimera	Samuel Pahlsson	Michael Blunden
Raffi Torres	Derek MacKenzie	Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Rostislav Klesla	Jan Hejda
Marc Methot	Mike Commodore

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Kris Russell, Tom Sestito

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Andrew Murray, Derek Dorsett

Ottawa Senators

Milan Michalek	Jason Spezza	Daniel Alfredsson
Nick Foligno	Mike Fisher	Alexei Kovalev
Jonathan Cheechoo	Peter Regin	Ryan Keller
Jarkko Ruutu	Chris Kelly	Jesse Winchester

Chris Phillips	Filip Kuba
Chris Campoli	Brian Lee
Alexandre Picard	Matt Carkner

Brian Elliott

Mike Brodeur

Senators score three straight in 4-3 OT comeback victory over Capitals

DarrenM — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:33:12 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

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If you turned off the television after two periods, you missed one heck of a finish, as the Sens posted an incredible comeback to take the game 4-3 in overtime thanks to a beautiful tip-in goal from Mike Fisher.

To be completely honest, after the second period I started typing this up with the title already stating that the Sens had lost. In my mind, the game was out of reach. The Ottawa Senators were outplayed for the first 40 minutes by the Washington Capitals, entering the third period down 3-1 and getting outshot in those two periods 25-15. Yet the Senators absolutely exploded in the third, getting two goals and putting up 18 shots in the process while holding the Caps to 3 shots. Overtime lasted just over a minute, as Chris Phillips carried the puck into the Caps' end, threw the puck on net where Mike Fisher showed great hand-eye with a spectacular tip-in.

The first goal of the game also came from the Sens, a Peter Regin goal off a feed from Jesse Winchester. Truth be told, the line of Regin, Winchester and Shannon was likely the best of the night for the Sens, especially in the first two periods. In fact, Regin and Shannon ended up promoted to the second line with Fisher by the middle of the third, where their speed and takeaways stumped the Caps' defense. Chris Neil got his fourth goal of the year, already giving him more than his total output from last year.

(Read more for more analysis and video...)

Other players who had great games for the Senators include Brian Elliott, who made a handful of spectacular saves and was solid throughout the game; Filip Kuba, who quietly posted three assists, giving him 8 points in the last 3 games; and Alex Picard, who had a number of great blasts from the point during the night. Players who didn't have their best night include Jonathan Cheechoo, who helped create the Caps' third goal with a bad giveaway; and Pascal Leclaire, who left midway through the second period after getting hit in the face by a puck while sitting on the bench. He didn't return.

After first two periods, the Senators would have considered themselves lucky to come out of this game with one point. Coming out with two points has to be seen as a fluke, and something that the Senators cannot hope to repeat. Still, you have to hand it to this team for sticking in it and battling while down two goals to post such a great comeback.

Thanks to the two points from this win, the Senators are now first place in the Northeast Division.

Peter's take:

First off, Peter's glad he got to go to this game, no matter how torturous those first two periods were. I attribute the third-period comeback to this interesting fact: In the final frame, Cheechoo was only given 2:08 TOI, Nick Foligno was only given 1:45 TOI, Brian Lee was only given 2:50 TOI, and Chris Kelly was only given 3:56 TOI. Lee and Cheechoo gift-wrapped Jay 'Voyage of the' Beagle's first NHL goal mid-way through the second, Kelly took two stupid (if perhaps undeserved) penalties, and Foligno continues to look lost so far this season. On the other hand, Fisher was given (or, more honestly, earned) 7:10 TOI, Shannon was given 6:25 TOI, Regin was given 6:10 TOI, and Kuba was given 9:19 TOI. Going into the third period, Chris Neil--who was instrumental in the comeback, not only with his tip-in goal, but also a couple big tide-turning hits, said that not everyone was on the same page through the first two periods. Coach Cory Clouston rectified that by benching those who weren't.

Although I'm a little unsure why Jesse Winchester was only given 1:33 TOI in the third; he played like a man possessed tonight, and was benched seemingly because his line played so well and served as a good spot for Fisher.

Although the first two periods looked bad, the three goals could be traced pretty cleanly to personal errors. Chris Clark's goal (which was total B.S. anyway, because it was blatantly kicked in) came after Kuba left his position to give Alex Ovechkin (who was actually quiet, for the most part, tonight) a love-tap, while Brendan Morrison's goal came after Chris Campoli decided to take a Sunday skate and completely left his man unchecked, and the aforementioned Beagle goal was just U-G-L-Y ugly. But hey, it all worked out in the end, I guess.

I'm not sure what's wrong with Jason Spezza, but he looked off tonight, too. Not just because he missed two glorious (yes, Darren, GLORIOUS) chances to end the game in overtime, but he doesn't quite look comfortable in his skin out there. Let's say Clouston had good reason he was demoted to play alongside Neil and Foligno in the second period. Again, not sure what it is, but tonight might have been his worst game of the season.

I'm sure you all know this already, but if you look up "clutch" in the Ottawa Senators Dictionary, it's spelled F-I-S-H-E-R. The guy's Ottawa's all-time leading overtime scorer with five regular-season overtime winners and he's got one playoff overtime game-winner, too (which was against the dirty Leafs, to boot). How good is this guy this year?

UPDATE: Oh yeah, I want to talk about the Capitals a bit, too. Tonight, I learned who the second-dirtiest player in the NHL is, behind only Chris Pronger: John 'The Lumberjack' Erskine. Anyone else see him completely hacking, slashing, cross-checking everyone anywhere on the ice? It was ugly. He took one minor in the game, but on the shift where he took that minor, he could probably have been assessed five or six individual penalties.

You know who might have been Washington's best player, though, aside from Semyon Varlamov? Rookie Mathieu Perrault. This kid's got skills, and I was actually pretty impressed with his strength, quickness, and defensive and offensive awareness. He's a gamer.

Senators kill late penalties to win 5-3 over Sabres

PeterR — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:13:56 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

20 days ago: Buffalo Sabres' Paul Gaustad, ( 28), attempts to pry the puck loose from under the pads of Ottawa Senators goaltender Pascal Leclaire during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Fred Chartrand)

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Solid play from the Ottawa Senators was book-ended by Buffalo Sabres dominance, but Ottawa took advantage of their chances and ended up winning the game by a 5-3 score. The Sabres outshot Ottawa 17-8 in the first period and spent six of the last eight minutes of the game on the powerplay, but didn't get the results they needed. When the Senators had the momentum through the second period and the first half of the third, they put five past Sabres goaltender Patrick Lalime.

The first period was... forgettable for the Senators. It was ugly, especially an early-game powerplay where they had no shots on goal. But thanks to some strong play by Pascal Leclaire, they escaped with only a one goal deficit. A couple goals in a dominant second period, and a goal-filled third period followed. Then it got interesting, when Patrick Kaleta and Jason Pominville scored back-to-back 93 seconds apart, and the Sens played a well-known penalty-ridden tune. Matt Carkner was sent off for boarding, and Chris Neil took the dumbest penalty of the season (which doubled the minor he'd already been assessed to earn him... umm... a double-minor). Strong short-handed goaltending by Brian Elliott, penalty-killing pressure from Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher, and some great defence from Filip Kuba got Ottawa through it, though.

In fact, Kuba looked like Ottawa's best defenceman for the first time this season in the game against the Sabres. Obviously, four points--including his first goal of the season on the powerplay and three assists--goes a long way, but he added more than that, especially on the defensive side of the puck. He spent more time on special teams than at even strength, including 7:43 while shorthanded, and was a huge reason the Senators held the Sabres to 1-for-7 on the powerplay tonight.

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On offence, Milan Michalek was killing it tonight. I was a little sceptical of seeing him in front of the net on the powerplay at first, but he's a big body, and his presence there makes things happen offensively. That's where he was for his goal (after a slick pass from Kuba), which turned out to be the game-winner, and he got most of his six shots of the night from within feet of the Buffalo crease.

Just as impressive, though, was Alfredsson. Unlike some Senators, he brought his intensity from that start of the game, and kept it up for the whole thing. He had two goals, an assist, and fours shots on net--plus he shot about a thousand wide while the Senators were on the powerplay in the second period.

Mid-way through the second, a Sabre was knocked overtop of Leclaire, knocking his head to his knee and his helmet off. He was down for a while, but finished out the period--and then was replaced by Elliott for the third period. It's unclear what the extent of the injury is right now, although according to Twitter, coach Cory Clouston said he was going to be fine. Given his history, I hope he will be.

Although he only had one assist on the night, Fisher deserves a ton of credit, too. He was, obviously, instrumental to the team's penalty-killing success, and had more penalty-killing ice time (6:20) than any other forward. Most impressive was his dominance in the faceoff circle, where he went 15-for-22 (68 percent) against some of the NHL's strongest drawmen, including some very important wins while the Sens were on the powerplay.

Oh, and be honest: Were you more surprised when you thought Carkner scored, or when you found out that Chris Kelly had tipped it in?

Despite a bit of a scare late in the third, the Senators have won three in a row, outscoring their opponents 14-7 in the process, and have jumped up to second in the Northeast Division. Good place to be, but there's still a long road ahead.

Sabres Endure First Three Game Losing Streak Of The Year

Zachary Zielonka — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:32:58 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

20 days ago: Buffalo Sabres' Tim Kennedy flies over Ottawa Senators' Chris Kelly during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa Saturday Nov. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Fred Chartrand)

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The Sabres struggle again with a 5-3 loss Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators. Patrick Lalime takes his second loss of the season in his second start of the season while the team comes back from a four goal deficit to bring the game within two goals. Lalime made 21 saves on 26 shots but again played behind a team that appeared listless for large stretches of the game. The Sabres ended up outshooting the Senators 41-26 and also outhit the Senators 29-24 but could not find the back of the net. Pascal Leclaire played well for the first two periods of the game before leaving the game during the second intermission. Brian Elliott filled in during the third period and ended up earning the win.

Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson scored two goals on the night while Milan Michalek, Filip Kuba, and Chris Kelly scored the other three goals. For the Sabres, Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, and Patrick Kaleta all found the back of the net. The Sabres also had their fair share of missed opportunities in this game with 18 missed shots and 22 blocked shots.

The Sabres main problems have started to blossom in the past three games. The Sabres are missing a backup goaltender that instills confidence in the team. In my personal opinion, many of those goals Lalime really did not have a chance on, but the team does not play with the same intensity and with the same passion that they do when Ryan Miller is in net. If the Sabres are going to have a chance to make the playoffs, they need to find a goaltender that gives the team the confidence that they can win the game which Lalime nor Enroth do. Buffalo has a few days off until they play again on Wednesday night.

Senators extinctify Penguins en route to 6-2 victory

PeterR — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:03:05 -0000

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The Ottawa Senators benefited greatly from a depleted Pittsburgh Penguins defence corps, an off-game from goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, and plenty of secondary scoring to soundly beat Pittsburgh by a 6-2 score. It's rare enough for any of Matt Carkner, Chris Phillips, Chris Kelly, and Jonathan Cheechoo to score a goal in any given game, let alone each of them scoring in the same game--and Phillips even added a second goal on the night. I'll turn the floor over to Silver Seven Radio (watch for its relaunch soon) co-host Mark Parisi for a Coles Notes recap of the game:

Ottawa played a complete game for once. Lots of people scored. Mike Fisher was great. Michalek is mad because Fisher has the same number of goals as he does. Spezza doesn’t understand what to do now that the spotlight isn’t on him. Regin is mad because now he will never get on the ice. Leclaire is mad because he really needed to keep it to one goal for his GAA. And Cheechoo gave us pizza.

--Mark Parisi, hero

Well said. But because I'm long-winded, I've got details to add.

The game actually started pretty scarily, with Jordan Staal scoring only 69 seconds into the game to give the Penguins an early 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, though, after some very strong sustained pressure in the Pittsburgh zone thanks to some effective cycling between notably Mike Fisher and Alex Kovalev, Carkner was able to fire the puck past Fleury to tie the game. Milan Michalek scored a powerplay marker in the second period, and then the Senators broke the game open with goals from Kelly--who had an impressive post-penalty breakaway goal, beating Fleury low blocker side--Phillips--whose two goals were from the very same spot, along the mid-boards on the left side, the first going far side and the next high short side--and Cheechoo to give the Senators all the offence they would need (and then some). Evgeni Malkin scored a late powerplay goal on a bogus powerplay to make it 6-2, but it didn't make any difference except for Pascal Leclaire's personal statistics.

To touch on that bogus powerplay quickly, it came right after Shean Donovan went down after a knee-on-knee collision with Matt Cooke. Donovan needed help to get off, which isn't a good sign when it's a player as tough as he is. Despite the fact that he's a fourth line role player who rarely even approaches 10 minutes of ice time per game, an extended absence could be tough for the Senators. Donovan's intensity does a lot to energize players on the rest of the team, and it's no coincidence that the team is 9-2-1 when he's in the lineup. Both Alex Picard, who was given two minutes for slashing, and Carkner challenged Cooke after the play, and Picard (or "pee car", if you're an FSN commentator) was the only one handed a penalty.

Back to the good stuff, though. It's amazing to see that Kovalev had no points tonight, because he had one of his most solid games of the season to date. His line, along with Fisher and Nick Foligno, was again the fulcrum of the Senators' offence: Fisher had three assists, Foligno had two, and the three of them controlled the play for most of their time on ice.

In doing so, they made it less obvious that Jason Spezza went pointless again tonight, and has no points in his last six games. He had a strong game defensively, but if you'd told me that the Senators were going to score six goals tonight and Spezza wouldn't have a point on any of them, I'd have had you committed. Even Filip Kuba got off the schnei tonight, netting an assist on Phillips' second goal (his third of the year and first in six games). Then again, Kuba had five shots on the night, Spezza only had one; hasn't that been an issue for a while now? I'm not panicking or anything, just excited for when Spezza gets that monkey off his back.

On defence, Picard had a pretty strong game tonight, his second in a row. In fact, if he didn't intersperse his good games with terrible ones, he'd look like a pretty good player in the Senators defence corps. He's well on his way to a career year, as his two assists tonight give him 9P (1G, 8A) on the season so far. (His previous career high is 22P in 2006-07 with Philadelphia.) If he could keep those defensive gaffes to the minimum, he'd easily surpass Brian Lee and Chris Campoli on the depth chart, and maybe even pass Carkner in tight situations.

Leclaire had a solid game tonight, although he wasn't overly tested. He had little chance on the first goal--Picard lost his check, a mistake that led to a 2-on-1--and the second goal was a sick shot by one of the best players in the league today.

Everything said and done, a very exciting game to watch, and a resounding statement that the Senators can compete against some of the most skilled players in the league.

Trade speculation: Is Carolina looking to deal?

PeterR — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:37 -0000

It's no secret that the Carolina Hurricanes have had a disappointing start to their season this year. After making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the 'Canes are last in the league right now, and lost their thirteenth in a row last night. They've recently signed Manny Legace and placed defenceman Tim Conboy on waivers, but don't count on that being all the roster moves Carolina does if their play doesn't turn around.

First off, this is all trade speculation. I have no secret sources, this is not based on any sources (real or, more likely, imagined) I've contacted. Looking at the two situations, though, it's obvious that both Carolina and the Ottawa Senators will want to make a move, and the sooner each one does it, the better it is for their hopes of righting their ship and perhaps getting some momentum going. Is it possible these two teams, who've got recent history of fairly big deals, could be talking to each other again these days?

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Short answer: It is possible. I don't know if it's likely, but if they are talking, there are a few names the Senators could probably be interested in. First and foremost, a name that has been mentioned in rumours for a while now, is former Senators defenceman Joe Corvo. Is it even fathomable that Corvo could return to the city he requested a trade out of? Well, he doesn't have a no-trade clause, so it wouldn't really be up to him. Although he's got his defensive liabilities, he's no less reliable than Alex Picard, Chris Campoli, or Brian Lee, and he's got a more substantial short-term offensive upside, especially when we're talking powerplay production. Corvo alongside Filip Kuba on the man-advantage would be a solid top pairing, and would give Ottawa a big shot from the point that, unless they were to bump Daniel Alfredsson or some other forward back there, the Senators are lacking. He's on the final year of a contract the Sens signed him to a couple seasons back, with a cap hit of only $2.65M; it'd be a low-risk pickup, although it wouldn't be without its criticism (why reacquire a player who didn't want to be here two years ago?).

More attractive, though, would be Joni Pitkanen, but--assuming he'd even be available (which is a big assumption)--he'd have a much higher asking price than Corvo. Also, with two more years at a cap hit of $4M per, it might make a possible contract extension for Anton Volchenkov difficult to fit under the salary cap structure for the Senators.

At forward, the Hurricanes have a few interesting pieces that might fill out the Senators' top-six forward ranks. Wingers Jussi Jokinen and Sergei Samsonov both have some scoring ability, but lack an all-important asset the Senators desperately need: Consistency. We have wingers like Jonathan Cheechoo and Alex Kovalev to pick and choose nights to show up, what Ottawa needs is players who can be more reliable. Samsonov has two years at $2.53M and Jokinen's got two at $1.7M, so neither presents a huge obligation (although it's nothing to scoff at, either).

More interesting could be Erik Cole, who has been, well, awful so far, with just one point in seven games. He's a big forward, though, and might give the Senators a good option for net presence on the powerplay. He's streaky, too, which isn't great, but maybe his streak will begin with a change of scenery.

Finally, is Tuomo Ruutu available? Because there could be some interesting familial magic if he is. Jarkko Ruutu obviously already plays here, and there's another brother who's a coach in the Sens' organization. Tuomo, a more skilled player than Jarkko, still has some of the same gumption, but balances it very well with offensive output.

As I said before, this is all speculation. But there's an opportunity here for a trade, and Senators' GM Bryan Murray is never afraid to pull the trigger if he sees a good deal for this team. With a surplus of middling forwards and low-pairing (but young) defenceman, the Senators could put together a half-decent package to tempt Carolina into a deal.

Senators blow two-goal lead, lose 3-2 to Devils

PeterR — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:04:06 -0000

More photos » by Pawel Dwulit - AP

about 1 month ago: Ottawa Senators right wing Jonathan Cheechoo, (41), and New Jersey Devils defenseman Andy Greene look on as Devils goalie Martin Brodeur dives for the puck as it crosses the goal line during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Pawel Dwulit)

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I don't know where to begin, so I'll just say what we're thinking: Disappointing. That pretty much sums up the general feeling after the Ottawa Senators blew their 2-0 lead and ended up losing to the New Jersey Devils 3-2 after letting Jersey back in with a series of stupid penalties.

Penalties. It just keeps coming back to penalties. All three Devils goals were powerplay markers, and the Senators gave them six powerplay opportunities. Including Saturday night's loss, Ottawa's given up seven powerplay goals in five games (four of those five games, not coincidentally, without Anton Volchenkov) and have given their opponents 28 powerplays, averaging 5.6 times short-handed per game. Ottawa's 2-3 in that span, and can't hope to win too many if those numbers keep up.

It's hard to blame Chris Campoli for his delay-of-game penalty, because it was a flukey one where the puck got flipped out of the defensive zone. You've also got to wonder how much of Jarkko Ruutu's 12 minutes in penalties were warranted, and how much were just reputational. You can kill off the odd untimely penalty, but when they just keep coming, you're pushing your luck. Ottawa just kept pushing their luck on Saturday night.

The loss was too bad, too, because the Senators came out like gangbusters to start the game. Milan Michalek had two strong scoring chances before the game was five minutes old, and his line with Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson wrought havoc in the first period. Late in the first, Michalek scored off a setup from Alfredsson with Spezza, of all people, providing the screen in front of Martin Brodeur.

Although the play of many Senators fell off significantly as the game went on, Spezza was the most notable exception.

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Although he had no points, Spezza was Ottawa's best player by a mile. Or probably more. He was on for both Sens goals, and none of New Jersey's, and his speed was something else. He had two shots on net and a couple other good opportunities where he didn't get the shot away, but was stymied each time by Brodeur. Of note was a sick little toe-drag around the Devils defender right before Michalek scored to give Ottawa the 1-0 lead. Spezza's speed was on another level tonight, and he set up plenty of teammates--they just couldn't capitalize, either.

Ottawa's second goal came off a hilarious end-to-end rush from Brian Lee. After collecting the puck in his own end, Lee circled behind Pascal Leclaire, skated virtually unchecked along the right-side boards until he was inside the offensive zone. He took a wrist shot from the top of the circle that tricked Brodeur, and trickled in behind him. It was flukey, to say the least, but I'm sure Lee will take it. Aside from that play, Brodeur was strong, although he only faced 21 shots on the night. (Check out the goal below.)

In the Sens' net, Leclaire started out well, but faded as time went by. He made a couple of very strong pad saves, one sliding cross-ice to stop a Jamie Langenbrunner one-timer with his right pad, the other one kicking away a Matt Halischuk shot right from the slot. The first goal was a scramble where Leclaire lost his stick before the puck ended up on Zach Parise's stick, so--although he could have stopped it--it wasn't a bad goal. The second was a bad goal, with David Clarkson banking the puck in off Leclaire's pad (before getting what looked to be some congratulatory junk-slaps from linemate Nicklas Bergfors). The third was a flutter shot from the point that made it's way through a screen provided mainly by Michalek, so, again, he gets some repreive. In his last two games, though, Leclaire has an ugly 0.889 save percentage, and he's got to be looking to improve on that. A few less penalties from his teammates would help.

As bad as the penalty kill was, the powerplay might have been worse. (Although it only had two opportunities.) Ottawa had no shots on the first powerplay, only one (from Campoli) on the second, and had little to no sustained pressure in the offensive zone on either of them. It was unpleasant to watch.

Spezza and Alfredsson aside, there aren't many Senators players who should be pleased with their 60-minute effort tonight. Michalek was very strong in the first, and finished with a game-high four shots (tied with Parise), but faded quickly and looked lost on the third Devils goal. Chris Neil had a good start, but took an absolutely moronic ten-minute penalty early in the third period. Filip Kuba was alright, but didn't have a single shot in 26:59--more than any other skater in the game--including over three minutes on the powerplay. Mike Fisher wasn't as strong in the offensive zone tonight, with no shots, but still managed to get seven hits and did well in the faceoff circle (10-for-17, 59 percent).

One good game, and surprisingly so, was from Jonathan Cheechoo. It's a positive sign that at least he's stopped taking stupid minor penalties for no good reason, but he also had five hits on the night, and actually looked like he was skating well enough to stay in the play and cause turnovers. One of the most important things for a player who's struggling offensively is to increase their physical intensity and make sure they're not a defensive liability, and Cheechoo succeeded with that tonight.

Campoli was also pretty solid, with an assist on Michalek's goal, and two shots on goal. It's like he and Alex Picard go back and forth with strong games; maybe we could fuse them into one steady defenceman who's got decent physicality and some good moves to complement his good skating.

Also notable was Matt Carkner, although that might only be because he had a very strong showing in a fight against Andrew Peters. He was on the ice for the first two Devils' goals, one of which was because he was unable to clear the traffic (or the puck) from the front of the net. I wouldn't say he was at fault (he had to check two guys, after all), but he might be running around a bit too much on the PK. He could use a little simplicity, and the angles can be his friend. However, depending on what else happened Saturday night, Carkner may now be leading the league in fighting majors with seven.

Tough loss. The Devils played a patient game, and the Senators played into their hands by really slowing down and taking it easy as the game went on. It was, as I said, disappointing, and the Senators would be well-served to string together a few strong games--and soon.