SB Nation - Ryan Shannon

Senators shut down Sabres in 2-0 victory

PeterR — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:25:37 -0000

More photos » by Fred Chartrand - AP

Judging by the expression I can read from Jonathan Cheechoo's eye, he's thinking, "How did that go in?" while Alex Picard is saying, "Yeah! I totally planned it that way!" Ryan Miller is thinking the same thing as Cheechoo.

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The Ottawa Senators' 2-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres may look like it was a boring game if you're just peering at the scoresheet, but anyone watching the game would certainly disagree with that. There were big hits--and controversial ones--and plenty of scoring chances, with the vast majority of them stymied by either Brian Elliott or Ryan Miller, probably the first and second stars, respectively, for most people who watched the game. It was certainly one of Ottawa's most impressive start-to-finish efforts of the season, and it paid off on the scoresheet--all it took was a significant injury to the team's top centre for the Senators to find their rallying cry.

Sens heroes: Brian Elliott, Peter Regin
Elliott the pendulum was back on the favourable side tonight, and was outstanding for the most part. His glove was right on, his rebound control was strong, his reaction time was light-speed, and his luck was there when those assets failed him. He may have only faced 22 shots, but he stopped them all, and you can't ask for much more from your goaltender.

I'm going to give Regin some love here, too, in part because I've been hard on him recently, and also in part because he looked like the force he'd been earlier in the season. He had one assist on the night, and could very well have had two goals against most other goalies in the league. He finished with a game-high five shots (tied with Tim Connolly) in 13:21 TOI, and it`s a pretty good bet he'll play a few more games as a winger rather than a centremen in the near future.

Sens killers: Ryan Miller
People have been saying Miller's been the best goaltender in the league so far, and I didn't realize just how good he was playing until I saw him tonight. He may have only made 26 saves on 28 shots, but there were plenty of good chances in Ottawa--especially early in the game, and Miller gave the Sabres every chance to take the lead and win the game.

Sens zeros: Jarkko Ruutu
I'll let Mark take care of this one, because he obviously feels strongly about it.

Mark's take: Ruutu has to play smarter. There's no other way to say it. On his own, he accounted for nine of Ottawa's thirteen penalty minutes on the night. Think about that. Almost seventy percent of Ottawa's penalty kill time tonight was Ruutu's fault. One a night where the team was so depleted that a defenseman was playing as a forward, that kind of sloppy play is flat out unacceptable. We have repeatedly seen this team outwork more skilled opponents and then give away hard-earned leads with untimely, sloppy penalties. Thanks to Ruutu, Buffalo had a great opportunity to continue that trend tonight. That they weren't able to (with a big assist from Connolly in the middle of Ruutu's major) is a testament to the effort of his teammates. He should be made juice boy for the month with the way he forced everyone else to bail him out.

Ruutu can be a good player, and I realize his game is playing on the edge, but he has to play intelligently, and that means being aware of his reputation. Just like we've seen Carkner reign in the fists as he becomes more integral to the team, Ruutu must also be aware of when to push the envelope and when not to -- and a one-goal game against the division leaders is not the time to.

The bottom line: This depleted roster cannot afford to take stupid penalties at any point. Ruutu took three tonight. I hope Cory Clouston tells him to shape up.

Plenty of credit to: Chris Campoli, Jesse Winchester
I'm not sure whether or not Campoli was excited at the prospect of playing as a forward, or just at the prospect of playing at all, but he sure made the best of his chance. He finished with 7:26 in ice time, more than many expected, and he looked like he was excited at the chance to punish opposing defenders as unforgivingly as he's often been punished when backchecking himself; he was tied for the team-lead with three hits on the night. No shots credited, but he created an amazing scoring chance for Ryan Shannon in the second.

As for Winchester, it was a strong statement that--although he's no replacement for Jason Spezza--he's not going to look too out of place in an increased role, especially if he's with any of Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher, or Milan Michalek. His faceoff dominance continued tonight (he won 11 of 17 faceoffs), so now we know it wasn't just because he was against weaker opponents--a lot of his wins tonight came against Derek Roy. Winch won third star from NHL.com, despite registering no points and no shots in his 18:55 TOI; that ought to say something about how effective he was at what he was asked to do.

Not a bad start: Josh Hennessy
Hennessy only had 6:47 TOI, but he was strong--especially in the first period, in between Campoli and Shannon. I'm actually a little surprised Cory Clouston didn't give Hennessy and Shannon more of a chance to get something going, considering how strong they were for him in Binghamton, but the guy's got his game plan, and he's sticking to it. In his limited ice time, Hennessy had a shot on net and two hits.

First big hit: Erik Karlsson
Karlsson took what, if memory serves, was his first big NHL hit when he was plastered by Tim Kennedy in the first period. It looked like he was labouring at first, but Special K bounced back and finished off with a pretty solid game. Not as impressive, in my opinion, as the last two games, but he's really appearing to be more confident now--especially in asserting himself in front of the net.

Unnoticed greatness: Ottawa's defensive support
I'll once again refer to the CBSSports.com shot chart to demonstrate a pretty telling trend for the Ottawa Senators; this time, look at where the Sabres took most of their shots from on the night:

Compare Buffalo's shots to Ottawa's, and you'll notice the defensive support Ottawa offered Elliott, and the lack of defensive support the Sabres offered Miller. There's but one shot within the Senators crease, and five or six in the immediate area of Buffalo's. It's especially impressive on the left side of the Senators' end, covered mostly by Matt Carkner, Filip Kuba, and Chris Phillips--Ottawa's strongest positional defencemen on most nights.

Silver Nuggets: Spezza has torn MCL, Foligno injured, Campoli to play forward

DarrenM — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:57:45 -0000

More photos » by Ryan Remiorz - AP

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Good afternoon Sens fans, and welcome to another highly anticipated edition of Silver Nuggets, your collection of all the Ottawa Senators headlines fit to print:

According to Ian Mendes, Jason Spezza has a torn MCL in his right knee and will miss 6-8 weeks. Clouston said they'll be lucky if he's back before the Olympic break. Uh-oh. (Mendes)
To make matters worse, Nick Foligno is out for tonight's game with a lower body injury. At the skate this morning, Peter Regin took Nick's spot on the second line, and on the fourth line with Ryan Shannon and call up Josh Hennessy was... defenceman Chris Campoli. It makes sense, I guess, as he's the best d-man on the team at joining the rush, but it's still worrisome. (Mendes)
Other injury updates: Clouston hopes Leclaire and Neil can return next Wednesday for the game against the Penguins. (Score)

Though commentators on Sportsnet and TSN have speculated as much, Canada's Olympic team assistant coach Lindy Ruff has put it on record that Mike Fisher is on the team's radar and in consideration. Fisher probably won't make the team, but I'm sure he's quite flattered just to be in the conversation. (Examiner)
It turns out prospect Robin Lehner will be a part of Team Sweden's World Junior squad -- he'll travel with the team as their "third goalie." Congrats to him on the honour, even if it just means he gets free tickets to watch some games. It'll be a good experience. (Sault Star)
Another Ottawa Senators Blog with an interesting article, crunching the numbers to show how the Senators' offence is more potent with Pascal Leclaire in net. (AOSB)
Sens players spread some Christmas cheer by visiting children at hospitals. (Senators)

Senators' surge in final minutes not enough, lose 3-2 to Coyotes

DarrenM — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:32:51 -0000

More photos » by Ross Franklin - AP

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If you thought the road trip was looking bad after the first three games, well, it didn't get any better with tonight's effort. The Senators were outworked for 56 minutes by the Coyotes tonight, only coming on strong in the final few minutes. Though no Senators had great games tonight, the team's best players were probably Ryan Shannon, Chris Campoli, and Jonathan Cheechoo. Shannon used his speed to constantly recover the puck in the Coyotes' zone, and was the only player who seemed to have his legs under him for the whole game. Campoli responded well to his benching, creating a lot of offensive chances and being strong in his own end. Cheechoo had assists on both of the Senators' goals, and in fact created both opportunities by driving hard to the net and getting some lucky bounces.

There were also a number of Senators who had poor games, the worst coming from Erik Karlsson and Brian Elliott. Karlsson partially caused the second Coyotes goal after his shot was blocked, leading to a rush by Taylor Pyatt. Karlsson was weak on the third goal as well, and even took a penalty 16 seconds into an important Sens powerplay late in the second period, bringing the teams back to even strength. Elliott once again let in too many soft goals early, which shattered the confidence of the club in front of him.

(Read more for further analysis and video highlights)

Cory Clouston played musical chairs with his lines, especially the defensemen, but to no avail. No line managed to stand out for more than a shift, all struggling to create any chances that weren't wraparounds or shots from the perimeter.

In the end, the Sens simply could not recover from those two first period goals, and never really looked comfortable in the game until the final two minutes (when they were playing 6-on-5 with a pulled goalie). If the Sens don't pull out a win against the Ducks tomorrow night, then they will have gone winless for the entirety of this roadtrip. The team needs to figure out what it's doing wrong (which is most everything), and start playing on the road like they do at home.

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.

Senators get bored, lose 3-1 to New Jersey

PeterR — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:01:51 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

28 days ago: New Jersey Devils' Andy Greene (6) checks Ottawa Senators' Jonathan Cheechoo as Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur, right, eyes the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009 in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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And who can blame them, really? Any time you play the New Jersey Devils, you're going to be fighting to stay awake the whole game, and the Ottawa Senators couldn't fight through the snooze to get the win. It didn't help that forwards Alex Kovalev and Mike Fisher were both out, and the struggles of Jason Spezza (2P in last 9GP) continue, so there was really not much going offensively for the Senators tonight.

When Ottawa did get chances--and there were a couple, including notably from Nick Foligno, Daniel Alfredsson, and Milan Michalek--Devils 'tender Martin Brodeur was usually standing tall in net. Ottawa's lone goal came from Michalek, who tipped in a point-shot from Jesse Winchester; Winch and Ryan Shannon (who had the second assist on the lone goal) again had strong games tonight. The Sens did manage to outshoot the Devils 25-21, including a 12-7 third period, but couldn't convert their scoring chances.

On the plus side, Brian Elliott was strong, and Jersey's goals were all explainable. Nicklas Bergfors was the beneficiary of a lucky bounce off the stantion after a dump-in, as the puck dribbled in front of the net and Elliott couldn't pokecheck it away. The second was a tip-in, and Elliott stopped the rest of the shots, helping the Sens kill off all four penalties they had. The third was an empty-netter, but there was more to it than just an easy tap-in.

(Read more... )

Those of you who saw it know exactly what I'm talking about, but after Spezza had committed (and missed) coming off the bench late in the game, Jamie Langenbrunner was on a breakaway with an empty net. Alfredsson, obviously frustrated with his team's inability to get anything of substance going offensively, threw his stick. It's not something you see very often--and it results in an automatic goal--but it goes to show that Alfie was as frustrated as the Senators fans who were watching the game were.

As if the Senators injury problems weren't bad enough, Peter Regin got hit in the face with a puck in the first period, Chris Neil injured his left knee after he was hit by Andrew Peters later in the first, and Alex Picard was down and out mid-way through the second after getting the forearm-shiver from Peters (no penalty, though). Although Regin returned in the second (with a face shield on) and Picard was back in the action after a few minutes, Neil did not return. Which is too bad, because Neil's had a rebound season almost as resounding as Fisher's had been, and now both--for uncertain time frames--are out of the lineup.

Among my picks for stars of the night (along with Michalek and Regin) was Chris Phillips. I've been very impressed with his play this season (who hasn't?) and even though he was -2, he had another strong game. Most positive statistic was his five hits, but I was most impressed by a defensive play he made while short-handed, when he stretched out to knock the puck off Elias' stick in the second period.

I can't really say I noticed much from Ryan Keller on the night, but he did only play 8:03 overall. He did have a couple of shots, though, which is as many or more than the majority of his teammates--in far less time than anyone other than Neil (who had only played 3:25 when he got knocked out of the game). I hope I don't have to see him again, because that would mean at least one of Fisher or Kovalev is back, but it would be interesting to see how well he plays against a team that's not the New Jersey Devils.

Again tonight, the Senators played a very disciplined team; it was the second time this season Ottawa had no powerplay opportunities (the first was a couple of weeks ago against Edmonton). I don't know what it is, but you can be sure there were at least a couple of penalty-worthy indiscretions on the night, not the least of which was Peters' dirty hit on Picard (no, it wasn't boarding or cross-checking, but it was roughing). It's also curious that, after the hit, Peters dropped his gloves to fight Matt Carkner, but despite the fact that Carks didn't drop his gloves, both got two-minute roughing minors.

Not much else to say, really. The Senators were missing a lot of firepower, the firepower they had wasn't firing, and they were playing New Jersey anyway. It was a disappointing end to the team's four-game winning streak, but there isn't much time to pout about it; Ottawa's back at it tomorrow night.

Donovan deserves his chance, but who comes out?

PeterR — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:00:16 -0000

Shean Donovan, right, has been a healthy scratch for six of the Ottawa Senators' first fifteen games, despite consistently inspired play. Why is he often the odd-man out?

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It's a question I've been asking for most of the season, but can't seem to find an answer for: Why does Shean Donovan so often seem to be the odd-man out this season? There's no doubt that his place on the team puts him among a group of players who are likely to be scratched, including Jesse Winchester, Ryan Shannon, Jarkko Ruutu, Chris Kelly, Chris Neil, and Jonathan Cheechoo--two of whom, depending on injuries (and maybe an eventual trade), will be in the press box for each game.

But it's not as though Donovan's been a liability this season. In fact, the Senators are 7-2 (point-winning percentage of .778) with Donovan in the lineup, and 1-3-2 (point-winning percentage of .333) without him. That could very well be a coincidence, but they're pretty convincing numbers to be pure coincidence. So what is it that makes Donovan so often the scratch, while many of the others continue to struggle to find the kind of consistency that Donovan brings every game he plays?

(Read a bunch more... )

First off, let's take a look at Donovan's game-by-game stats this season:

Date	Result	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	+/-	Shots	Hits	TOI	GV	TK
Oct. 6	W 2-1	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	5:49	0	0
Oct. 8	W 3-2 (OT)	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	7:25	0	0
Oct. 10	W 4-2	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	7:11	0	0
Oct. 12	L 1-4	0	0	0	0	-1	1	0	8:35	0	0
Oct. 15	W 7-1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	11:17	0	0
Oct. 17	W 3-1	0	0	0	0	-1	2	0	9:21	0	0
Oct. 28	W 4-3	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	4:16	0	0
Oct. 29	L 3-5	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	9:38	1	0
Oct. 31	W 3-1	0	0	0	0	-1	1	4	8:46	0	0

There's one thing you'll notice on there: A lot of zeros. But in some instances, that's not a bad thing. For one, Donovan has only committed one giveaway on the season, meaning he's not costing the team in that regard. He's also only taken one penalty on the season, which was a five-minute fighting major; he has not taken a single minor penalty, which is a pretty good statistic considering the Senators' ongoing penalty problems. On no night has he been a liability--which you can't say about everyone on the Senators--but he has been a boon on most nights he's played.

Although he's not putting up big offensive numbers, his three points (1G, 2A) still puts him right in the middle of the pack on the team's scoring chart. He may only have one takeaway, but I can guarantee you that he's caused his fair share of opponent-giveaways. Being credited with only six hits on the season is baffling, I'm sure most people who've watched even a few of those games would give him credit for more than that. And he's even on the year, another zero on there, but a pretty good one, all things considered.

It's no secret that Donovan's not going to score a lot of points (although he scores a lot fewer from the press box). The trick to Donovan's game is intensity: Whenever he plays, Donovan will forecheck hard, backcheck hard, wreak havoc in front of the net, and basically play the dirty, greasy style of play that the Senators lack on some nights. His style strikes a good balance with that of Kelly and Ruutu on the fourth line, and that trio can often make low-pairing defencemen on the opposition turn the puck over, and keep the pressure in the offensive end. Even if it doesn't result in a goal for Ottawa, it builds momentum, and if it means an offensive-zone faceoff, it means a good starting position for Ottawa's more skilled players to begin their shift from.

In all likelihood, there are two reasons Donovan's the easy scratch for head coach Cory Clouston. The first is his salary, a cap hit of $625k, near the league minimum and among the lowest on the team. Fans aren't likely to object to a low cap-hit being scratched, but, more importantly, general manager Bryan Murray won't look like an ass for having a high-paid player sitting in the press box, while owner Eugene Melnyk won't see extra money paying guys while they aren't even playing. It makes it an easy decision for Clouston.

Another thing that makes it an easy decision is Donovan's team-first, easy-going attitude. On the Team 1200's pre-game show this past Tuesday, in discussing the Donovan situation, one of the media personalities mentioned that Donovan, when asked about being scratched, said he feels lucky enough to be playing in the NHL right now, and won't be raising a stink if he's scratched or not. That's not to suggest he's as happy being scratched as he would be were he dressed, but he won't complain about the coach's decision. Instead, whenever he gets to play next, Donovan can be counted on to bring his best game. Which is just another reason to get him on the ice, because he's exactly the type of player Clouston should be using as an example for his style.

Would it be easy to take another player out in favour of Donovan? Certainly not. Kelly brings plenty to Ottawa's penalty kill, and (similar to Donovan) provides more than can be seen on the scoresheet (although he has very quietly scored six assists). Ruutu is currently fifth on team scoring, and draws more penalties than he takes. Neil's had a renaissance since two consecutive disappointing seasons, and is rediscovering the ways he can be effective. Cheechoo has been disappointing, but he just scored his first goal of the year; could it be he just needed to get one, and more will come soon? Similarly, Shannon has started slow, but is getting his speed back, and had a gorgeous assist on Tuesday against the Oilers. Winchester's barely had any chance this year, only has one game under his belt, so you've got to at least give him a chance. So who comes out? I can't really say.

All I know is that Donovan deserves a chance to stay in the lineup regularly, because the team seems to play far differently when he's playing--even if it's just for a few minutes a game.

Poll

If Donovan should dress for more games, who should be benched?

Donovan's the least productive player, he should stay out.

4 votes

Jesse Winchester

56 votes

Chris Kelly

17 votes

Jonathan Cheechoo

13 votes

Ryan Shannon

22 votes

Jarkko Ruutu

4 votes

Chris Neil

3 votes

Someone else

2 votes

121 votes | Poll has closed

Cheechoo scores as Sens win 4-3 in shootout

DarrenM — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:35:50 -0000

More photos » by Adrian Wyld - AP

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After going through the first 14 games of the season without a goal, Jonathan Cheechoo finally put one in the back of the net in Ottawa's 4-3 shootout victory against the Edmonton Oilers. He did so after Alex Kovalev stole the puck on a good forecheck and fed it to Cheech. That's right, hard work from Kovalev and a goal from Cheechoo. Strange times, indeed. Also finally getting on the board was Ryan Shannon, who got his first point of the season on a beautiful backhand assist on a goal by Nick Foligno, which tied the game 2-2.

Coach Cory Clouston wanted his team to play a more disciplined game, and they apparently listened. The team was only shorthanded at one time during the game, and it was off a hooking penalty that Daniel Alfredsson had to take to prevent a good scoring chance. Unfortunately, the Sens never managed to get on the powerplay, despite several obvious missed calls.

The win comes despite a rather underwhelming performance from the Sens. In the first period, Ottawa was prone to far too many giveaways which is a huge part of the reason why they finished behind after one. The second period, Ottawa came out strong, but kind of gave up through most of it, giving up 15 shots while only putting up 6 of their own. The third period was a more balanced affair, with 9 shots and a goal from each side. Ottawa's goal came from Chris Neil, who stuffed the puck in the net at about the same time that he was pushed onto Edmonton goalie Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, who was livid on the play.

(more analysis and video after the jump...)

Even though he made 31 saves, Pascal Leclaire had arguably his worst game as an Ottawa Senator, knocking in the first goal with the butt end of his stick, letting Ethan Moreau slip the second goal five hole on a play he should've had, and letting in a Gilbert Brule shot from the blue line slide past him with less than five minutes left in the third period. He made some huge saves in the second period and a couple on breakaways in the third, but he really has to stop making soft goals a habit, lest he be pegged the new Gerber. Of course, it doesn't help that the Senators defense continuously gave up huge scoring opportunities to the Oilers - most notably, Alex Picard had a rough game with numerous turnovers.

Ottawa's best line on the night was likely Peter Regin, Foligno and Shannon. The three were constantly in the attacking end, creating all kinds of speed with a tenacious forecheck and strong cycle game. Shannon, especially, who I cannot see being scratched after such a wonderful performance. I fully expect Clouston to keep this trio together.

Jason Spezza had a very solid game with a number of very strong defensive plays, putting up a team high four shots and getting the game-winner in the shootout on a beautiful (and insanely wide) deke that he somehow managed to get around Deslauriers' outstretched pad. Also scoring in the shootout was Kovalev, who flipped the puck upstairs on a nifty backhand deke.

Even though this is a game that the Sens should have had in regulation, I'm just happy they pulled out with the win. Since Edmonton is a Western Conference team, giving out the extra point to them won't come back to bite them when it's playoff time, but it's not something they should continue to make a habit of.

For those who missed it, here's Cheechoo's first goal as an Ottawa Senator:

The rest of the highlight reel can be found here:

Pick The Rival: The Pacific Division

Yankee Canuck — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:51:34 -0000

Mattingly, shave those sideburns hippie!

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With no hockey for a few days, let's pick up our rival thread from the offseason. If you don't recall, we're going division by division to figure out who the Canucks rival is in each and why. Or maybe you don't need a reason and it's just blind hatred. Hey, no need to get overly scientific about it. Check out the Northeast, Atlantic and Southeast selections.

Today we'll take a crack at our first western conference division. The Pacific division has given Vancouver fans such memorable moments as the first franchise loss, games in Japan, more reasons to love watching Pavel Bure and some NHL 94 sprinkled in.

Anaheim ~~Mighty~~ Ducks

Franchise Record: 68GP, 34W, 23L, 9T, 2OTL, 79pts

The Ducks and Canucks are no strangers at the trade table. In 1996 Vancouver landed Mike Sillinger in exchange for Roman Oksiuta (c'mon, that's a great name). Sillinger played just one season before being traded to the Flyers. In 1999 the teams tried to make a deal work with the late Peter Zezel going to Anaheim but it was nullified because he refused to report (stay classy Burkie). In 2006 Anaheim sent Keith Carney and Juha Alen (who never saw a NHL game) at the deadline in exchange for Brett Skinner and a 2nd round pick in the 2006 Entry Draft. Carney played 18 games for Vancouver before moving to Minnesota. This past September he accepted a Vancouver camp invite before retiring for a second time. And lastly in 2007 Vancouver picked up Ryan Shannon and a conditional pick from Anaheim for Jason King and a conditional pick. Shannon was moved to Ottawa for Lawrence Nycholet (and we all cry a little bit inside) and King played four games for the Ducks before moving to the German Elite League (we'll always remember the mattress line).

In 45 games played over the past decade (playoffs included), Vancouver is 19-18-1-1 against the Ducks with seven ties. Last year each team scored 19 goals in four contests against the other team's netminder. In more recent times Anaheim brought the hammer of hurt to Vancouver in the 2007 playoffs, dispatching the Canucks in five games. Though it should be noted three of those games went into overtime, Luongo had some bathroom issues and Rob Niedermayer is the biggest asshole in the Northern hemisphere.

Fun fact: In 1997 these teams opened the season playing two games at Yoyogi Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The two split the games by a score of 3-2 in each game. It marked the first NHL game in history to be played outside N. America. Scott Walker becomes the first player to score a NHL regular season goal outside North America.

Later on that season Gino Odjick got his 371st penalty minute (fighting of course) in a game against the Ducks. That broke Odjick's previous PIM record of 370 from 1992-93 and made him the most penalized player in the league that season.

If you have some time to kill, why not relive the Halloween nightmare between these two from last year, a 7-6 SO victory for Vancouver that took 13 rounds to decide.

Dallas Stars

Franchise Record: 158GP, 60W, 72L, 22T, 4OTL, 146pts

How evenly matched are the Stars and Canucks? In the past decade, the teams have met 49 times (including playoffs) and Vancouver is 22-22-2-2 with one tie in that stretch. And goals? Each team has scored 120 goals. Daaaamn. (note: this doesn't include Friday's game which ruins this otherwise amazing coincidence)

In my eye, the teams have only met up once for a significant deal. Back in 1995, Vancouver sent Greg Adams, Dan Kesa and a 5th rounder (later traded to LA which became Jason Morgan) in exchange for Russ Courtnall. I guess these days you could look at their current squad and see Marc Crawford and Alex Auld hanging around and be reminded they gave way to Vigneault and Luongo respectively. Anyone care to trade 'em back?

Fun fact: The 1988 draft was big for both clubs: the Minnesota North Stars took Mike Modano with the first overall pick and Vancouver followed up in the second slot by taking Trevor Linden. But both teams didn't fare so well in the second round. The Canucks selected Leif Rohlin, a much-praised prospect who never panned out in the NHL. The Stars took Link Gatez, nicked named "The Missing Link," who wasn't much on the ice but certainly provided some humor off of it.

You probably knew I was going to roll out this video. It's just too good not to.

And good call by Sean for reminding me about the Bure's elbow to Churla.

Los Angeles Kings

Franchise Record: 212GP, 90W, 87L, 32T, 3OTL, 215pts

The Canucks and Kings have played 41 times in the past decade and Vancouver holds a slight edge, going 18-15-2-1 with five ties to boot. Though if you consider LA has been awful for a few seasons now, that record isn't terribly amazing.

What is amazing, however, is LA's willingness to accept our flawed goalies and try and make heads or tails with them. In 2001 Vancouver accepted future considerations from the Kings in exchange for Felix Potvin. Potvin was great for the Kings, helping them squeak into the playoffs and upsetting the Red Wings in the first round (hooray!). Vancouver's future considerations eventually became a third rounder in 2002 named Lukas Mensator who has never played a NHL game but is a handy trivia answer in case someone asks you if Vancouver has a Czech goalie. Indeed they do.

In 2006 we all got a good laugh when Los Angeles sent a second and third rounder round to Vancouver for Dan Cloutier. Riddled with injuries, Cloutier only played in 33 games in two seasons for LA, netting them eight wins. In return the Canucks drafted Taylor Ellington with the second rounder in 2007 and then traded the third rounder last summer to Buffalo for Steve Bernier. That'll do pig, that'll do.

Fun fact: Next to only one other team (who we haven't looked at yet in this rival series) Vancouver has played the most games against the Kings. Vancouver has taken more points from playing Los Angeles (217) than any other franchise.

Oh yeah: the Kings won the franchise's first game too. Booo.

Let's go old school: I have no idea what the year is, but I think it's Snepsts blowing up Schultz so that's worth looking for.

Phoenix Coyotes

Franchise Record: 157GP, 79W, 56L, 20T, 2OTL, 180pts

If nothing else, Brad May gets some love between the two franchises. He was originally acquired by Vancouver back in 2000 with the Canucks sending a conditional pick in the 2001 draft back. In 2003, May was reacquired from Phoenix for future considerations. Also, in 2001, Phoenix sent Tyler Bouck, Trevor Letowski, Todd Warriner and a 2003 3rd round draft choice (who Vancouver flipped to Edmonton in a separate deal and the pick became Zack Stortini) in exchange for Drake Berehowsky and Denis Pederson.

Since the team has been in Phoenix, there hasn't been much of a palpable anger between the two. Over the last decade Vancouver holds a commanding with a record of 23-11-2 against Phoenix with four ties. However, when the franchise was in Winnipeg, the Jets and Canucks had some notable games. Speaking of which...

Fun fact: Pavel Bure played his first game against Winnipeg in 1991. He was held off the scoresheet (much like another rookie Russian Canuck you may have hear of recently). But here's a rare look at Bure's first game anyway where you can see just how much jump he had:

San Jose Sharks

Franchise Record: 82GP, 40W, 31L, 9T, 2OTL, 91pts

No notable trades (pick swaps mostly) between the two squads until this summer when Christian Ehrhoff was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on August 28, 2009 along with Brad Lukowich in exchange for prospects Patrick White and Daniel Rahimi. In case you're curious, White has six points so far with the Gophers and Schroeder has five. meanwhile, Rahimi has an assist and is -9 in the Swedish elite league and Luko has seven points for the Texas Stars.

The Sharks have spent much of the past decade stomping the Canucks, going 21-4-2 with four ties and scoring 125 goals to Vancouver's 103 in the same span.

Fun facts: In February 2001 the Canucks and the Sharks played the first scoreless draw in Vancouver. And, in March 2007, Roberto Luongo posted his 39th win of the season in San Jose setting a new franchise record for wins by a Vancouver goaltender in a single season. The following month Vancouver beat San Jose again for their 49th win of the season (a new franchise record) and captured the NW crown with 105 points (another franchise record).

Since most of the videos out there aren't terribly interesting, let's enjoy watching Vancouver flatten the Sharks in everyone's favorite game, NHL '94. (0/12 on one-timers? tisk tisk)

Poll

Who is Vancouver's biggest Pacific division rival?

Anaheim Ducks

145 votes

Dallas Stars

93 votes

LA Kings

10 votes

Phoenix Coyotes

1 votes

San Jose Sharks

35 votes

284 votes | Poll has closed

Silver Nuggets: Winchester in, Donovan and Shannon out,

PeterR — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:36:58 -0000

Game-day Nuggets for tonight's matchup between the Ottawa Senators and the New Jersey Devils:

Musical roster spots continues: Jesse Winchester is in, while Shean Donovan and Ryan Shannon sit for the Sens tonight. (Twitter)
Check out tonight's prediction panel, my call was 3-1 Ottawa over the Devils. (Citizen)
UPDATE: Great preview over on SB Nation brother blog In Lou We Trust, featuring a guest appearance by yours truly. (ILWT)
Whoa... not good news: The Devils have apparently not lost to the Senators in more than two years. (CBS Sports)
Good news for the Senators, as Devils forward Patrik Elias won't be in the lineup tonight. Not that it's been a problem for them on the road so far this season. (NJ.com)
Wayne Scanlan think what we saw on Thursday will be a trend this season: Close games with Pascal Leclaire playing a key role in keeping the Senators in the game. (Citizen)
Also, as I celebrated yesterday, Dean McAmmond is back in the NHL and playing for the Devils. He won't practice with the team until Monday, though. (NJ.com)
Wyshynski took a look at who might end up being the best player of this era to go without a Stanley Cup, and Daniel Alfredsson made the list. Apparently he didn't get the memo that the Senators are winning the cup in the 2011-12 season, in large part thanks to Alfredsson's playoff heroics. (Puck Daddy)
Come on, McDonald's. It's bad enough to use an outdated photo of Dany Heatley portraying him in a Senators jersey, but to suggest he's still on the Senators' roster in your latest set of cards? It happened more than a month ago. Terrible. (Puck Daddy)
UPDATE: Binghamton won their second in a row, once again on the back of goaltender Mike Brodeur. After the 2-1 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs, Brodeur's got a GAA of 0.50 in the last two games.

Senators score five goals, beat Lightning 3-2 in overtime

PeterR — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:58:47 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

about 1 month ago: Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Antero Niittymaki, of Finland, looks away as Ottawa Senators' Mike Fisher (12) and Jason Spezza celebrate Spezza's overtime goal during an NHL hockey game in Ottawa on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

Browse more photos »

Alright, so maybe I'm a little bitter about two Ottawa Senators goals called back in the last five minutes of Thursday night's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, either of which would have wrapped up the win without need of extra time. Maybe the Chris Kelly goal, deemed a high-stick by referee Dennis LaRue with only second left, wasn't a genuine goal. But when Filip Kuba put the puck past Antero Niittymaki while a delayed Lightning penalty was on the way, there's no way Tampa had possession; the play should never had been blown dead (in fact, it wasn't, but referee Kerry Fraser claims he intended to) and Kuba's goal should have counted.

Alas, it didn't, but the Senators came out with the win in the end anyway. Maybe it wasn't thanks to Kuba's first goal of the year, but it was Jason Spezza's long-overdue (and long-ago-earned) first goal of the season on the powerplay that got the Senators the extra point with less than a minute left in overtime. So, unless the Senators finish in ninth place after 82 games, only one point behind the Lightning, then all is right in the world.

Spezza's game winning goal wasn't all he brought to the table Thursday night; he also assisted on the Senators' other two goals, giving him 11P (1G, 10A) in 11GP so far this season. Considering he wasn't even expected to play in the game, I think it's safe to say the story would have been quite different without the Spezz Dispenser in the lineup tonight. He played a remarkably high 23:12 on the night, more than any Senators forward this side of Daniel Alfredsson, and finished with four shots on the night.

(Read more about Alfredsson and an early contender for biggest bodycheck of the season... )

Speaking of Alfredsson, he was no hack, either. Sure, he only got one point (yeah, only... a goal), but he was a huge part of both the penalty kill and the powerplay. Although he didn't put up the numbers Spezza did, Alfie was still first star; that's got to tell you something.

The biggest hit of the night, and an early contender for the biggest hit of the season, came about mid-way through the game. With rookie Victor Hedman skating behind his own net, Chris Neil caught him with his head down and absolutely annihilated the defenceman (check out the video highlight below). The hit came just after Tampa had tied the game at two, and gave a huge boost to the Senators in the game, shifting the momentum in Ottawa's favour. (It was also the second time Hedman had been given a ride as, you may recall, Anton Volchenkov gave him an admit one onto the A-Train earlier in the year.) Hedman left the game and did not return, costing the Lightning one of their highest-ice time defencemen. As it that wasn't enough, Neil then went on to give Steve Downie a few shots in an ensuing fight--which also resulted into a Senators powerplay thanks to the instigator penalty Downie got.

Also of note on the night was Mike Fisher, who had a goal and an assist to give him a better-than-respectable 13P (6G, 7A) in 13GP this season--good for second on the Sens' roster. (xoxo by the way, #12.) He had five shots and three hits, and has looked like a completely different player this year from last. It's in no small part thanks to a re-energized role under Cory Clouston, and it seems to be helping Fisher achieve the potential his $4.2M contract extension indicated he had.

Ottawa's defence did not look strong tonight. There's a very obvious reason that Kuba played 25:52 and Chris Phillips played 25:27 against the Lightning, and it wasn't just the extra time or all the special teams play: None of Chris Campoli, Alex Picard, Brian Lee, or Matt Carkner were particularly strong tonight. They each had their moments, and Picard deserves kudos for his short-handed play, but all four left themselves room to improve for next game.

Ottawa's special teams was a mixed bag tonight. The penalty kill, usually top-notch, was only 5-for-7 (a 71 percent effectiveness rating), but the powerplay was 2-for-6 (a 33 percent effectiveness). I guess you've got to take the good with the bad, but I'd rather have the good with some more good.

Talk about a shortened bench: None of Kelly, Neil, Lee, Ryan Shannon, Jonathan Cheechoo, Nick Foligno,or Jarkko Ruutu saw any ice time in the overtime period. I guess it's not that surprising, since the extra frame only lasted 4:17, but I figured it was worth mentioning.

A win is a win, and two points are two points. It would have been nice to keep the Lightning from getting one of their own, but it didn't happen. I'm already looking forward to Saturday's game against the New Jersey Devils, which should be a heck of a challenge for the Senators.