SB Nation - Nick Foligno

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

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 outworked by Maple Leafs in 3-2 loss

Mark Parisi — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:54:42 -0000

More photos » by Frank Gunn - AP

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If only hockey games were decided after 20 minutes. Ottawa brought the play to Toronto for much of the first period, outshooting the Leafs 10-6, and had to walk out of the frame feeling good about their game. However, despite strong pressure throughout, they had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.

Unfortunately for the Sens, they were unprepared for what the Leafs brought for the remaining 40 minutes. If the team thought Toronto was going to roll over, they guessed wrong tonight. Toronto proceeded to outhit, outwork, and outskate Ottawa for the remainder of the game, and Ottawa was not able to overcome their opponent’s adjustments in spite a strong effort of their own at the end of the third period.

Sens Heroes: Nick Foligno, Mike Fisher, Jason Spezza

Is it a good sign that two of the players on here were also heroes in the last game? At the very least, it’s encouraging.

Nick Foligno was Ottawa’s hardest working player on the ice for the third game in a row, and that’s saying something considering the efforts players like Fisher, Daniel Alfredsson, and Anton Volchenkov bring every night. But there was Foligno, driving his legs, going to the net, fighting along the boards, you name it. Once again, Foligno’s hard work around the net led to an easy goal for a teammate, this time Mike Fisher. If he keeps this level of play, he should see his point totals rise quickly.

Mike Fisher, the beneficiary of Foligno’s work on the night, put together a fine night of his own. Fisher was his typical self, racing all over the ice and generally playing smart, physical hockey. Too bad more of his teammates didn’t follow his lead.

Jason Spezza also had another strong game. He was second on the team with four shots and what can only be described as a fun goal, where he dangled Vesa Toskala while standing still and then used a strong wrist shot to put it in the net. It should also be noted that Spezza was a turnover machine in this game, but much of the credit for that goes to the Leafs, who seemed to have every passing lane clogged up once they made adjustments.

Sens Zeroes: Filip Kuba, Brian Elliot

Brian Elliot really doesn’t deserve to be here, but his first goal was a brutal softie that visibly emboldened the Leafs. It’s hard to call the first goal of the game a gamebreaker, but it really was. Elliot has been prone to bad goals at bad times and tonight was no different. Get well soon, Pascal!

Kuba, on the other hand, was a borderline Sens Killer tonight. A painful minus two with a power play assist, his play was so bad tonight that I wondered if he was trying to get traded. Bad decisions, bad passes, bad skating… bad, bad, bad. Also, bad.

Sens Killer #1: Phil Kessel
He embarrassed Elliot with a soft wrister to the glove side. I don’t really want to talk more about it. Watch the highlights, I guess.

Sens Killer #2: The Road
Ottawa drops to 5-8-1 on the road this year, and that is not going to get it done if the team wants to have a realistic shot at the playoffs. This team must play better on the road, plain and simple.

Say What?
There were two bench penalties for too many men on the ice tonight. Shockingly, neither was against Ottawa.

Hmmm:
Chris Phillips had another tip-in chance tonight. That’s two in two games. Phillips jumping into plays? Take note, Karlsson.

Speaking of…
If there was a "Solid Sens" category, Karlsson would be in there. He’s gotten steadily better since his call-up. Let’s hope this is a trend that continues.

Sens Killer #3: Toronto’s adjustments
You thought we were done with two? You were wrong. Credit must be given to the Leafs (and it hurt to type that) for the changes they made after the first intermission. They had passing lanes filled and Ottawa’s players stymied. It seemed like every option for outlet passes had a blue jersey draped over them. At one point, Volchenkov couldn’t even break out from behind his own net without turning it over. Cory Clouston usually is able to adjust what he sees on the ice, but there was no answer tonight.

Game Highlights:

Kovalev and Spezza power Senators to 4-2 win over Hurricanes

PeterR — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:14:27 -0000

I didn't get to see the Ottawa Senators' Saturday night 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, but I did get to see the in-game reaction from the best commenters in all the land, and also got to watch the highlights of the game. And it sounds like Alex Kovalev scored some overdue and perhaps lucky goals, and Jason Spezza put on in off Manny Legace's pads. Whatever the case, it's the same measure in the standings: A full, and very important, two points.

Sens heroes: Alex Kovalev, Jason Spezza, Nick Foligno
Memo to Sens fans: This is what it's like when you have to lines that can score. I'd forgotten what it was like, but now I know. Some might say Kovalev's goal weren't of the difficult variety, and he definitely benefited from his linemates' hard work, a lucky bounce, and the fact that there was no goalie. But on his first goal, he drove to the net hard against a check, potting Foligno's centring pass, and he finally shot the puck for the second.

Spezza scored his fourth of the season, but perhaps more importantly had six shots on net--a welcome change. He's a set up man, of that there is no doubt, but there's also no denying that he can shoot the puck, too. There's a balance he'll get to, between passing and shooting and defensive and offensive presence. He's just finding it now.

As for Foligno, second very strong game in a row, and he's getting the points to show for it: Another two assists tonight. On his way to those two helpers, Foligno had five shots and was rewarded with plenty of powerplay time. He's traditionally been a streaky scorer, and the benching no doubt woke him up, but hopefully he can find some measure of consistency through to the end of this season.

Silver Seven Heroes: Mark Parisi, Dany Hea-Traitor
These guys just brought it. Bomb doors open. They kept the GameThread going for the better part of the game. Anyone else who wasn't able to watch it, you can read their thoughts on the game as it happened, without the benefit of retrospect.

(Sens zeroes, Sens killers, Hopefully back on track, There when needed, In our hearts, Mysterious injury update of the night, and game highlights after the jump... )

Sens zeroes: Alex Picard
According to the in-game testament of Mark Parisi, Picard was a non-factor tonight. He was one of few Senators on the minus side of the ledger tonight, was tagged with two giveaways (but that's a pretty subjective stat, to be honest), and only had the one shot. He also brutally lost a race for the puck against Eric Staal on Carolina's second goal, let Staal pass the puck to the slot, and stood there and watched as Ray Whitney scored to tie the game. All of which might combine to be a good omen for Chris Campoli, who was scratched tonight in favour of Picard.

Sens killers: Ray Whitney
Again, Parisi said Whitney was on his game tonight, and could easily have had even more than the two goals he did score tonight. He heeled a strong chance on a 2-on-1 in the second, and had five shots and four hits before the night was out. Sounds like a strong game for one of the Hurricanes' prime deadline-day fire sale assets.

Hopefully back on track: Senators powerplay
Ottawa was a better-than-respectable 2-for-3 on the powerplay tonight, with Kovalev and Spezza each getting goals with the man advantage. Some keys, looking at the highlights: Net presence, as was the case with Milan Michalek pissing people off in front of the net for Spezza's goal, but was also noted from Nick Foligno and Mike Fisher; better puck movement at the points, including from Erik Karlsson, whose cross-ice feed to Kovalev set him up for the game-winner; and getting the puck on the net, as Ottawa had nine shots on their three powerplays.

There when needed: Brian Elliott
Elliott may wish he could get a mulligan for the goals he did allow, but his play when the Hurricanes were really getting their chances in the third period--in which he stopped all 12 shots he faced--made a strong statement for his ability to brush off weak goals and play well when the team really needs him. Highlight of that third period was a sick left-pad save on Ray Whitney, but there were a couple of other strong chances, too.

Not on the scoresheet, but still in our hearts: Chris Kelly
I'm usually one of the first people to rag on Kelly for his stone hands, but there's no doubting his value to this team as the go-to penalty killer and the anchor of Ottawa's fourth line. He had more penalty-killing time than anyone on the night, defencemen included, and is keeping it real. He does have to get his faceoff skills back up, though, although he was 5-for-10 tonight.

Mysterious injury update of the night: Alex Kovalev's previously unreported injury
In a Team 1200 post-game interview, Kovalev mentioned that--although he didn't want to blame injuries for his lacking production--he did have something nagging him that was keeping him from shooting the puck as much as he normally would. As a result, he was passing a lot more. Maybe if he's over it, we'll see an increased shot total from Kovalev (note to poolies) and the increased production that one assumes would follow from that.

Game highlights:

Senators bring down Flyers 2-0 as Foligno finally arrives

PeterR — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:30:11 -0000

More photos » by H. Rumph Jr - AP

6 days ago: Ottawa Senators' Nick Foligno, left, sets up for a score against Philadelphia Flyers' Brian Boucher in the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr)

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Some people might say that the Ottawa Senators 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers was a boring, painful game to watch, but I enjoy a good defensive battle every once in a while--especially when teams are still exchanging scoring chances, just not scoring them. The teams went back and forth most of the game, seemingly alternating in shots, scoring chances, and penalties, but not scoring until Nick Foligno drove hard on Flyers goaltender Brian Boucher and potted his own rebound. Jesse Winchester scored an empty-net goal to cap off the scoring, as Brian Elliott earned his first shutout of the season.

Sens heroes: Brian Elliott, Nick Foligno, PK unit
You've got to hand it to Elliott, he had a strong game tonight--as opposed to some of his recent outings. He stopped all 23 he faced, came up big on Philly's six powerplays, and stopped a big breakaway in the second period. Philly had more scoring chances than Ottawa on the night, but Elliott was there to stop them all.

Foligno, meanwhile, may have had his best game of the season. The game-winning goal goes a long way--especially when it's on a solo effort as it was tonight, where Foligno took a shot, drove to the net, and put his own rebound in the net--but he also had a game-high six shots on net, and was on. Aside from his goal, he also made Chris Pronger look silly in the second, getting around him and just about opening the scoring at that point. It was the kind of game Foligno has been and will be counted on to provide, and maybe the historically streaky scorer will get himself going with tonight's effort.

Finally, the PK unit was very strong, putting the boot to all seven Flyers powerplays. Chris Phillips (7:17) and Anton Volchenkov (6:58), as expected, led the way in short-handed TOI, but forwards Daniel Alfredsson (4:55), Chris Kelly (4:57), and Jesse Winchester (4:13) pulled their own weight, too. Volchenkov had blocked three shots on the PK, and Phillips blocked two. Winchester's empty-net goal was technically short-handed (a 6-on-4, as a matter of fact), a result of a a good defensive play and a solid read.

Sens zeroes: Peter Regin
Seriously, where'd this guy go? You could give him a break because he's a rookie, but he played 11 games last season and started this season well--he was outstanding in the pre-season. These days, though, he's regularly the least-utilized player (5:17 TOI tonight, including only 45 seconds in the third), and for good reason; he's not doing anything. At this rate, he's the first candidate for a benching when Chris Neil returns.

Sens killers: Ottawa powerplay
The powerplay was just awful again tonight. Last game, against the Canadiens, you could say it was a result of playing against a hot goaltender, but against the Flyers the Senators were 0-for-6 and had only two shots on the powerplay. Two shots, in 10:11 of time with the man advantage. Ottawa's now goalless in their last 13 powerplay opportunities, over three games.

By the numbers: Ottawa missed 4 shots and had 17 blocked; Philadelphia missed 14 and had 25 blocked
Although Ottawa outshot Philly 25-23 on the night, when you factor in missed or blocked shots, Philadelphia put the puck to the net 62 times, while Ottawa only did so 46 times. You can take it one of two ways: Ottawa didn't put the puck towards the net often enough, or that Philadelphia couldn't hit the net effectively enough.

Shooting from the hip: Sens' shot map
You may remember my illustration of Ottawa's unwillingness to get into the slot and shoot from last game against the Canadiens; tonight, different story. Below is the shot map from Thursday's game, again from CBSSports.com:

You can see a distinct difference from last game, and that's based on where Ottawa's shots were taken from on the ice. There are still plenty of shots taken from the side (especially the left side, for some reason), but there are a bunch of shots taken from the slot, too. The leader in shots from right in front of the net? None other than Foligno, who took just about all of the shots you see at the top of the crease--including that goal he scored.

Take the good with the bad: Chris Campoli
There's no doubt that Campoli's under the knife when it Alex Picard returns from his injury, but he had a pretty strong game once again tonight. He drove hard to the net early in the game, bowling over Boucher and getting the Senators' started on their crease-drive, and he assisted on Foligno's game-winning goal. Then again, he took a couple senseless hooking penalties and had his shot blocked to give Scott Hartnell an easy breakaway, so he's still got things to improve in his game.

Back on track: Anton Volchenkov's hit parade
The A-Train took a couple of games to get his timing back after returning from injury, but it was right on time tonight. He had a game-high four hits, including a big one on Mike Richards,

Commercial of the night: Bonjour, madame!
Just plain terrible.

Silver Nuggets: Leclaire back soon, Daigle returns

PeterR — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:06:36 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

10 days ago: Ottawa Senators Daniel Alfredsson(11), of Sweden, and Anaheim Ducks Scott Niedermayer(27) go after the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. The Senators won 4-3 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Excitement! There's a surprising number of headlines I want to link to today. Here goes:

Brian Elliott is going to start again tonight, but Pascal Leclaire may be ready to return within ten days. (Sun)
It looked like Alex Picard would be ready to return for tonight's game, but it looks like he's not. Maybe that's just because Chris Campoli is playing too well to be scratched. (Twitter)
Short-lived experiment: Jason Spezza and Alex Kovalev are split up. Which means Mike Fisher has to play with Kovalev and Nick Foligno, which is kind of a bum deal. (Twitter)
Prediction panel for tonight's game against the Philadelphia Flyers: Four pick the Sens, two pick the Flyers. (Citizen)
Also, in anticipation of tonight's game against Philly, I made an appearance on Broad Street Hockey's Broad Street Radio last night, talking about the Sens and last year's No Habs No! campaign. Take a listen to the podcast, if you're interested. (BSH)
Yesterday Ryan Keller was re-assigned to Binghamton of the AHL. (Sens)
Daniel Alfredsson took the heat for the too-many men penalty last game. Pre-tire #11 already. (Sun)
One-time Senators' franchise player Alex Daigle is back in the national spotlight as a member of Canada's upcoming Spengler Cup team, and he's not the only former Senator on the team: Also there will be Brendan Bell, Randy Robitaille, and Jamie Rivers. (Hockey Canada, h/t Puck Daddy)

(Read a bunch more after the jump... )

I don't usually link to Bleacher Report, but I'm going to today to address anyone who says Ottawa shouldn't be surprised about Kovalev's inconsistency: His production hasn't been inconsistent. It's been nonexistent. (B/R)
Speaking of Kovalev, what the hell? All this "Montreal was magical" garbage is just making him sound like a jilted lover, not a hockey player. He should read He's Just Not That Into You, or at least watch the movie, one of these days. (Sun)
Not only was Brian Lee assigned to the Binghamton Senators, but he's also got a mysterious lower-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup until the new year. Am I the only one who thinks it's a weird injury? (Press & Sun Bulletin)
The B-Sens outdoor game against Syracuse is apparently the "Mirabito Outdoor Classic". What a great name... So full of energy! (The Cannon)
I just realized that former Senators tough guy Denis Lambert is head coach of Robin Lehner's Soo Greyhounds. (Sault Star)

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 25 Preview: Jackets Return Home to Take on the Flames

Mike MacLean — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:49:07 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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Finally, back home. The Jackets return to Nationwide Arena to face the Flames tonight, after concluding a disastrous five-game road trip. The Jackets won the first game, but then promptly lost four in a row. The team played horrible defensively, and the goaltenders were anything but sharp. Mason however did look good in the last game against Ottawa, making big saves when needed, however he lost focus on the game winning goal for Ottawa, a wraparound by Nick Foligno late in the third. Mase was again haunted by a play that developed from behind the net.

The Flames are a fairly high scoring team, and they play physical. They play a lot like Columbus does when the Jackets are "on", so this on paper is a pretty fair matchup. What remains to be seen is whether or not the Jackets can get their act together in the defensive zone. Something is broken, the effort level isn't there and the goalies haven't been good. These factors need to be remedied immediatly, as the Jackets are losing ground fast. The Preds and Blackhawks are the hottest team in the NHL right now, and the Jackets need to keep pace.

There have been some shakeups to the forward lines. Raffi Torres should be lining up with Vermette and Nash on the first line, and Umby is moving to the second line right-wing position with Jake moving to the third line. Look for recently called-up Alex Picard to see some action on the fourth line. I love his game- tons of jam and he still actually has offensive talent, although he has yet to show it at the NHL level. I fully expect him to take advantage of this chance and have a strong game.

Fearless Prediction: Picard scores his first NHL goal!

Game Time: 7:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Matchsticks and Gasoline

Game Page: Flames vs Blue Jackets Coverage

TSN Preview: Flames vs Blue Jackets Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

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

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

The Blue Jackets aim to snap a season-high, four-game losing streak. Since Oct. 7, 2005, the Blue Jackets are 7-1-0 against the Flames in Nationwide Arena, including a 2-1 win Oct. 13.

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

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

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

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Kris Russell, Michael Blunden

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Andrew Murray, Derek Dorsett

Calgary Flames

Jamie Lundmark	Olli Jokinen	Jarome Iginla
Nigel Dawes	Daymond Langkow	David Moss
Curtis Glencross	Craig Conroy	Dustin Boyd
Fredrik Sjostrom	Eric Nystrom	Brandon Prust

Jay Bouwmeester	Mark Giordano
Dion Phaneuf	Robyn Regehr
Adam Pardy	Aaron Johnson

Curtis McElhinney

Miikka Kiprusoff

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 get bored, lose 3-1 to New Jersey

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

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

21 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.

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

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

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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.

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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.