SB Nation - Ottawa Senators

Senators shut out by Thomas, Bruins win 2-0

PeterR — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:29:23 -0000

More photos » by Sean Kilpatrick - AP

about 2 hours ago: Ottawa Senators' Chris Kelly, left, get pushed around by Boston Bruins' Zdeno Chara, of Slovakia, as Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas keeps his eyes on the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa on Monday, Dec. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)

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A 2-0 loss was certainly not the result the Ottawa Senators wanted when they were set to take on the Boston Bruins Monday night, but it's the kind of thing Ottawa has probably come to expect when facing Tim Thomas in nets. It was a very tight game, for the most part, with both teams exchanging shots, scoring chances, and big saves, until Boston broke it open in the third period. The Senators couldn't beat Thomas to get back into the game after going down, and that was all she wrote.

Sens killer: Tim Thomas
There is only one tonight. The Level 12 ogre-mage* continues to shut down the Senators whenever he plays them, and has now won the last ten games he's played against Ottawa. He stopped all 29 shots he faced tonight, none of the saves standing out as highlight-reel stops, but huge nonetheless. He's become legendary amongst Senators killers, and could enter the category reserved for Ed Belfour and Gary Roberts if these teams ever meet in the playoffs. It's true that Chara could probably also be classified as a Sens killer, but doing so would downplay the amount of killing that Thomas inflicted.

Sens heroes: Brian Elliott, Alex Kovalev, Jarkko Ruutu
For the first two periods, Elliott was among the Senators' strongest players against Boston. He was making strong saves, with 12 in the first alone, and kept Ottawa in the game through the second period when it looked like they were being brutally outplayed. Neither goal was particularly awful, although the team needed Elliott to stop the very stoppable second goal. Still, Ottawa had no business staying in that second period, if not for Elliott.

Kind of looked like Kovalev enjoys the physical challenge of going up against Zdeno Chara tonight, which seems like the opposite of what you'd expect. Of particular note was a play in the first period, where Kovalev rushed to beat Chara and kind of did, before being taken down hard by Chara behind the net. And, near the end of the game, he even got into a sort-of fight with former teammate Steve Bégin. It was an uncharacteristically gritty, hard-working game for Kovalev, and perhaps of Ottawa got a powerplay opportunity (more on that later), he would have made some magic happen for the Senators' offence.

Of all Senators, Ruutu had the best scoring chances. He had a great opportunity short-handed after Patrice Bergeron coughed up the puck, he was sent on a breakaway by Chris Phillips late in the game. Obviously, he couldn't convert any of the chances he had, but it was a strong game for the pest nonetheless.

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Sens zeros: Josh Hennessy, Erik Karlsson
Might not be fair to put Hennessy in this category considering he only had 5:02 in ice time, he gave the puck away for what would ultimately be the decisive goal. He didn't do much else on the night, and that makes it even uglier for the guy. If it's any consolation for him, though, it wouldn't matter how well he played tonight; when Chris Neil returns to the lineup on Wednesday, Hennessy is (in all likelihood) right back to Binghamton.

One kid who's not going to be going back to Binghamton, though, is Karlsson. He was softer on the puck tonight, for whatever reason--maybe he was hesitant because the Bruins are pretty big, or he was just tired after an emotional game last game, or maybe he's sick of playing with Filip Kuba while Kuba drags his ass all over the ice (seriously, the veteran has to pick up his game). Karlsson was soft in front of the net on Bergeron's game-winning goal, and that's why the rebound went in instead of getting cleared harmlessly to the corner.

Why does this keep happening: Zero powerplays
For the third time this season, the Senators played a saintly team, and were therefore given no powerplays on the night. I could bring up instances where Boston should have been assessed powerplays, we could talk about whether or not the Senators are getting in positions to draw penalties, or whatever else, but we could also mention an old cliche: One is an event, two is a coincidence, three is a trend.

Ugly stat of the night: Jesse Winchester 5-for-21 in faceoffs
I guess the faceoff magic Winch had in his stick for his first couple games on the top line had worn off before tonight, because he was absolutely destroyed in the faceoff circle tonight, with a 24 percent faceoff win number. You've heard it before, but it's not easy for his line to get offence going without the puck, and that's even more devastating because it meant the puck was away from Daniel Alfredsson and Milan Michalek. No one else on Ottawa was below 50 percent in faceoffs.

* - Nickname explanation: Ogre because he's short, mage because he wears a mask/cage hybrid he calls a 'mage', and Level 12 because it makes it even nerdier.

Thomas and Bruins shutout Ottawa 2-0

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:27:36 -0000

More photos » by Sean Kilpatrick - AP

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Tim Thomas turned aside all 29 shots he faced to earn his fourth shutout of the season as the Bruins finished off their 3-game road trip with a 2-0 win over the Ottawa Senators.

After over 43 minutes of scoreless hockey, Patrice Bergeron finally scored the game's first goal 3:19 into the third period, when Bergeron cleaned up Shawn Thornton's rebound.

Marco Sturm gave the Bruins some insurance with 6:53 left in the third period when he found the back of the net after Marc Savard's pass sprung him on a breakaway. Sturm carried the puck in from the right wing wall, cut in front of the net and beat Brian Elliot with a forehand shot for his team-leading 10th goal of the season.

Final - 12.21.2009	1	2	3	Total
Boston Bruins	0	0	2	2
Ottawa Senators	0	0	0	0

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- The Bruins were extremely disciplined tonight. They did not take a penalty until 18:31 of the third period when Steve Begin was tagged with a double minor (slashing and roughing) for his part in a little dust up with Alex Kovalev.

- Tim Thomas now has 16 career shutouts (only 88 behind Martin Brodeur).

- I was a little nervous when Johnny Boychuk left the game briefly after blocking a shot in the first period. The Bruins can not afford to lose defensemen right now. Fortunately, he returned the game.

- There were 32 blocked shots in this game (16 by each team).

- Dennis Wideman returned after missing the last 2 games with an undisclosed injury. Wideman logged a game-high 28:55 and was on the ice for both goals.

- Mike Fisher finished the night with 6 hits. I guess he isn't getting enough body contact from his new finance Carrie Underwood.

- With the win, the Bruins jumped ahead of the Senators for second pace in the Northeast Division.

- The Bruins are back in action on Wednesday night when they host the Atlanta Thrashers in a Festivus showdown.

Silver Nuggets: Fisher and Underwood engaged, injury updates

PeterR — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:46:34 -0000

IS SILVER NUGGETZ NOW! Ottawa Senators news for the day

Yes, it is confirmed: Senators centre Mike Fisher has proposed to country star Carrie Underwood, and she accepted. Good for them, congratulations to both. Now, some buzzwords to increase the SEO: fisherwood, boyfriend, american idol, girlfriend, hot celebrities. (Sun)
The prediction panel makes a triumphant return for tonight's game against the Boston Bruins, and a pretty significant majority are picking Ottawa for the win. (Citizen)
No lineup changes for tonight, but Pascal Leclaire and Chris Neil are both expected to slot in for Wednesday's game, while Shean Donovan may be as little as a week away from a return. (Twitter)
It had been a while between goals for Erik Karlsson, but he's apparently looking for a bit more consistency. I'd be fine with that. (Citizen)

(Read more... )

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds head coach Denis Lambert gave Senators prospect goaltender Robin Lehner plenty of credit for his team's early-season success (or at least relative to their expectations going into the year). (Sault Star)
Apparently a swap of Jason Spezza for Dion Phaneuf would be a "dream deal" for both teams, according to Brian Costello's blog on The Hockey News website. As much as I'd love to see Phaneuf come in and stabilize the d-corps, Ottawa's future offensive picture are a lot bleaker than the defensive prospects in the system. Getting rid of Spezza, even if he is underperforming, would just compound those problems. (THN)

Carrie Underwood engaged to Ottawa Senators' Mike Fisher - can she bring him to Nashville?

Dirk Hoag — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:26:20 -0000

via www.truecountry.tv

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In what I'm guessing is the first (and last) time I'll need to link to People Magazine on this site, we have word this morning that country music star Carrie Underwood has publicly announced her engagement to Ottawa Senators center Mike Fisher.

So here's the question for Predators fans; might she be able to lure him to Nashville at some point in the future? We've seen hockey wives exert influence in the past over where their husbands play (as Edmonton Oilers fans know all too well with Chris Pronger and Wayne Gretzky), so what are the chances that Mike Fisher might someday don a Predators jersey?

First off, Fisher is a terrific hockey player; not necessarily a 1st-line center, but as a 3-time 20 goal scorer, well on his way to a 4th with 15 goals already, there's little doubt that he'd make a fine addition in Nashville. He does get dinged up quite a bit, but that comes with the up-tempo, energetic game he plays. As a center, he could fit in between Dumont & Hornqvist in the short term, and might make a long-term replacement once Jason Arnott hangs up the skates, whenever that happens.

Of course, that talent comes at a price. He makes $4 million during this and the next two seasons, along with $3 million in 2012-13. That level of pay, while significant, isn't out of line with the core group that the Predators rely upon. Right now there are a host of players making between $3 million and $5.25 million. Since Jason Arnott, J.P. Dumont, David Legwand and Martin Erat are all covered by no-trade clauses in their contracts, you can bet that none of those players would be likely to head the other way in a theoretical deal.

Granted, this isn't to say that anything will (or even should) happen this season on this front; but it's an idea to keep in mind each summer, as that's when it's most reasonable for teams to make deals for players under long-term contracts like his.

And if Ms. Underwood ends up being viewed as a villain in Ottawa for swiping away one of their top young stars - well, that's just part of being a good Preds fan, Carrie. You do what it takes to help the team!

Lastly, I'll leave you with an interview from last month in which Carrie talks about Mike:

Poll

Do you think Mike Fisher might end up playing for the Nashville Predators once he's married to Carrie Underwood?

Bruins finish off 3-game road trip in Ottawa

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

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There's no place like home for the holidays. That Hallmark sentiment rings true for the Boston Bruins, who will be happy to see their 3-game road trip come to end. The trip has seen them lose games and personnel, as they have gone 0-1-1 and are currently without the services of 3 of their top 6 defensemen. The B's will look to turns things around tonight when they take on the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place. Only one point separates the two teams in the Northeast Division standings as the Senators sit in second place with 40 points, while the Bruins trail behind with 39 points. The Sens are coming off a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, while the B's are trying bounce back from getting shutout 2-0 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Know Your Enemy

Ottawa Senators (18-13-4; 2nd in Northeast, 5th in Eastern Conference)

Head Coach: Cory Clouston (2nd Year; 37-24-8)

SB Nation's Senators Blog: Silver Seven

Leading Goal Scorer:

Milan Michalek

#9 / Left Wing / Ottawa Senators

Height: 6-2

Weight: 225

Born: Dec 07, 1984

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Milan Michalek	16	6	22	-7	8

Goaltending:

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Brian Elliott	20	1154	9	8		52	2.70	528	476	.902	2

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Mike Brodeur	1	60	1	0		1	1.00	23	22	.957	0

Injury Report

Boston Bruins Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Derek Morris	undisclosed	12/20/2009
Dennis Wideman	undisclosed	12/20/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Milan Lucic	ankle	11/26/2009
Mark Stuart	sternum	12/15/2009

Ottawa Senators Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Shean Donovan	knee	11/20/2009
Jason Spezza	knee	12/16/2009
Chris Neil	knee	11/26/2009
Nick Foligno	knee	12/15/2009
Pascal Leclaire	jaw	11/24/2009

Projected Lines & D-Pairs

Boston

Marco Sturm	Marc Savard	Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille	Patrice Bergeron	Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler	David Krejci	Byron Bitz
Steve Begin	Vladimir Sobotka	Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara	Matt Hunwick
Andrew Ference	Johnny Boychuk
Andy Wozniewski	Adam McQuaid

Ottawa

Milan Michalek	Jesse Winchester	Daniel Alfredsson
Peter Regin	Mike Fisher	Alex Kovalev
Jarkko Ruutu	Chris Kelly	Jonathan Cheechoo
Chris Campoli	Josh Hennessy	Ryan Shannon

Chris Phillips	Anton Volchenkov
Erik Karlsson	Filip Kuba
Alexandre Picard	Matt Carkner

Notes:

- As of last night when I wrote this, Derek Morris was still listed as questionable with an undisclosed injury.

- Ottawa is 13-4-3 at home this season.

- Ottawa goalie Mike Brodeur got the win and turned aside 22 of 23 shots in his NHL debut on Saturday vs. the Wild.

- The Bruins have lost 4 straight (0-2-2) and have been 0 for 11 on the power play in those 4 games.

- Ottawa takes the 6th most penalty minutes per game in the league (14.5 minutes/game).

- For more on the game, Check out Silver Seven

- The puck drops at 7:30 and can be seen on NESN. The Public Skate open thread starts at 7:00.

Today's Obligatory Embarrassing Senators Fan YouTube Video

I have to admit that one was pretty funny. Apparently, this is video #3 of the series. Be sure to check out the original Jonathan Cheechoo Song and The Better Cheechoo Song.

How Erik Karlsson scored his first NHL goal

PeterR — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:49 -0000

It may have taken a little longer than he would have liked, or than many had expected, but Erik Karlsson scored his first NHL goal Saturday in the Ottawa Senators' 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. How it happened will likely be forgotten if his career plays out as Senators fans and brass expect him to, but why not take a closer look at the play as it developed while it's still fresh in our minds.

It started off with a wrister from Karlsson. Bit of a weak-looking shot, with Karlsson sliding across the blue line, but he did what was most important: He hit the net.

(Read more... )

After Niklas Backstrom made the save, Joshua Hennessy and Peter Regin worked the front of the net. Minnesota defender Clayton Stoner appeared to hold a conversation with Backstrom, and Marek Zidlicky was bodied off the puck by Regin, who won the puck battle and drew the puck back to Alex Kovalev on the side boards.

With Kovalev on the sideboards, he draws left winger Cal Clutterbuck towards himself--and away from Karlsson's shooting lane--while settling down the puck. Once he's got it settled, he looks to Karlsson, and sets the rookie up with a perfect one-timer pass: A steady puck with a good pace, at just the right spot in front of Karlsson.

Cue the one-timer. We've heard a lot about Karlsson's slapshot, but haven't had much of an opportunity to really see him let one rip so far this season. This time, he made no mistake, and his timing--with a little help from a perfectly-placed pass from Kovalev, and some wingers drawn out of position (or just hesitant to block the shot), the puck got through.

Again in front of the net are Hennessy and Regin. Only Regin got a point on the goal, but both of them deserve some credit for winning that battle for the puck and for causing trouble in front of the net. For this second shot, Regin was right at the top of the crease, while Hennessy worked Zidlicky a little higher off the crease.

And a celebration ensues. It really looked like Kovalev wanted to get Karlsson that goal--in fact, it had kind of looked like the team had been working to get him his first for a few games now.

Might not be an amazing goal (wouldn't it have been spectacular if he'd scored on that breakaway a couple of games ago), but a first goal is a first goal. The fact that it was the fourth goal in a 4-1 victory won't likely matter much to him a few seasons from now.

Strong team play leads Senators to 4-1 win over Wild

Mark Parisi — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:41:53 -0000

More photos » by Adrian Wyld - AP

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The Ottawa Senators stepped up their game tonight for goalie Mike "Not Martin" Brodeur, who made his NHL debut. Brodeur only let in one goal on 23 shots, but that didn’t matter as the team put up four goals to support him. Ottawa was strong in almost all facets of the game (except for one… you can guess now and see if you’re right later) and made what looked like a concerted effort to help out their young goaltender. Brodeur was not spectacular, but he did not need to be – defensemen were quick to jump on and clear rebounds, clear traffic in front of the net, and the team as a whole worked to keep shots to the outside.

I’m giving out praise like Halloween candy tonight, so let’s get right to it.

Sens Hero #1: Erik Karlsson.
Karlsson recorded his first NHL goal tonight, and it was well deserved. A player whose game has improved every night since his recall, it seems he is rewarding GM Bryan Murray’s faith in him. Karlsson weighs as much as my cat, but he already possesses a big time shot, and Alex Kovalev had the smarts to feed him. His first blast rebounded to Kovalev, who simply decided to pass to him again. His second shot did not miss. It is exciting to see Karlsson’s offensive vision develop. He is making smart plays more and more often, though he is far from perfect. If he can fill out his frame, his potential is very exciting to think about.

Sens Hero #2: Mike Brodeur.
Guy won his NHL debut and only let in one goal, come on. This alone is enough for hero status, but when the Wild started to buzz late in the third, he put together several great saves. The team then rallied behind him and used the momentum to generate a long stretch in Minnesota’s zone, effectively canceling all of the Wild’s hard work.

Sens Hero #3: Peter Regin.
Hamlet, like Karlsson, is riding a string of strong games lately. Regin put together a two-assist game tonight. He is probably not going to be a dominant goal scorer, but he is strong defensively and has some pretty decent offensive skills. If he can continue contributing at this level, he will be a player on the team for quite a while.

Sens Zeroes:
I have none tonight. How awesome is that?

One of these things is not like the other:
Mike Fisher and Jonathan Cheechoo both scored their 300^th point tonight. Way to go, guys!

Oh, hello there:
Milan Michalek scored the game-winning goal tonight, snapping a nine-game goalless drought. It was a snap shot, changing up from his previous pattern of goals from in front of the net. It’s nice to see a reminder that he can score from many different places on the ice. The goal was also his team-leading 16^th.

Anyone else notice?
Ottawa has done a really good job of limiting team’s shots recently. Teams that are averaging 30 shots a game are playing the Senators and only coming away with 22 or 23.

Sens Killers: Ottawa’s Power Play.
Another 0-for effort tonight, as the Senators went 0-for-6 on with the man advantage. Don’t worry, guys, it’s not like special teams matter in the playoffs or anything. Is Clouston even working on this with the team?

Jealous of Picard?
Anton Volchenkov opened the scoring tonight with an awesome shot. Anytime the Android scores, it’s fun to see, and he ripped a shot for a goal tonight. But that wasn’t good enough for him, as he took another shot that was also a good scoring opportunity. In addition, Volchenkov and Chris Phillips were +3 tonight, supporting three different goal-scoring lines tonight.

Shot Chart from the game:

Game highlights:

Mike Brodeur in net tonight

DarrenM — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:07:59 -0000

via www.rds.ca, used without permission

Mike "Not Martin" Brodeur starts in net tonight against the Minnesota Wild. Somewhere, user Ryan Classic just shed a tear of happiness. Somewhere else, a misinformed hockey fan believes the Senators' starting goalie is trying to break Terry Sawchuk's shootout record tonight.

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 19

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:51:32 -0000

Up next: Devils at Thrashers - (The Bergen Record)
Devils' notes: Salvador's long shot pays off - (The Bergen Record)

New Jersey Devils Deny the Ottawa Senators Points with 4-2 Win in Martin Brodeur's 1,030th Game

John Fischer — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:52:53 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

There was a lot of hitting going on in tonight's game, but the Devils hit Ottawa hard in response to their goals with two of their own. And then Bryce Salvador took this one shot... (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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Only one record was broken tonight, Martin Brodeur is now the all-time leader in games played by a goaltender with 1,030 games. In this 1,030th game of his career, Brodeur was very solid, faced 29 shots, and survived a collision with Jonathan Cheechoo. His saves kept the Ottawa Senators from taking over the second period en route to a 4-2 win by the New Jersey Devils.

First and foremost, tonight's game was vastly better by both the home and away teams than the Devils-Montreal game on Wednesday. The fans were more vocal in their chanting, the intensity on the ice was much higher, and both teams actually tried to win tonight's game. For a neutral, this game had it all - plenty of hits, big saves, fluke goals (one of which was absolutely hilarious), and slick goals.

Now, let's get to the analysis. Despite a 7-2 record this month, the Devils haven't been getting results because they've been the flat-out superior team on the ice. They've been getting them by being the better team for stretches of the game (usually a period or so) and holding on to their leads. Tonight's game would fall into that category. Don't get me wrong, the Devils were much better tonight than they were on Wednesday overall. However, was it a solid, complete effort? No. And the Devils should be thankful it wasn't for the Senators either.

NHL.com has their recap up, complete with links to the boxscore and other stats. Peter R has an excellent recap already up from the Sens' perspective at Silver Seven. Ottawa fans are right to be frustrated about a 0-for-6 performance on the power play as well as the fact that their goals didn't really come from the run of play. Read on further for my thoughts on the game.

Let's start off with some praise. The Devils' special teams were very good tonight. After a miserable power play performance on Wednesday, the Devils were better on the man advantage. OK, Rob Niedermayer took a dumb/cheap (depends on your perspective) high stick to negate a second period power play; and the Devils didn't do much on the power play late in the third. But they did score on their first power play with an excellent set-up by Andy Greene that made it easy for Jamie Langenbrunner to put home. How the Ottawa Senators didn't jump up on Greene or prevent Langenbrunner from getting behind them that close to Brian Elliott is beyond me. Well done and for converting one of them, that is a result and that's an definite improvement alone over Wednesday's 0-for-5 performance.

Apparently, that was the only shot they put on Elliott on the power play tonight. I would have liked them to attempt to put more on net on that third power play, but they didn't have to though. New Jersey was up 4-2 and just by holding onto the puck and cycling, the Senators' chances of a comeback became bleak and so there you have it.

But the real stars on special teams were Martin Brodeur and the penalty killers. They were busy, but they were ruthlessly effective. The Devils took 6 penalties tonight, and even a 5-on-3 disadvantage for 1:22 in the third period. Normally, I'd be screaming about this type of discipline. Yet, I felt that some of the calls the refs made were, how should I put this, "iffy." Ottawa got away with similar behavior - even Cheechoo colliding his knee into Martin Brodeur's head got nothing from the refs; but the Devils seemed to get caught with restraining fouls.

No matter, the killers stepped up and played huge. They remained poised in their own end, they prevented Ottawa from getting to any rebounds, and their clearances were mostly good. Even in the second period in killing off Jamie Langenbrunner's "tripping" call, two Devils sticks were lost and the PK units were still out there getting stops. Solid stuff. They even outletted three scoring chances after killing first and second calls on the 5-on-3, but the attempts on net weren't so good. Even so, they were great; Brodeur came up big on 9 power play shots against (3 from that 5-on-3) and the Devils really roared on the ice after that last big kill. Great work by the PK units for New Jersey.

However, let's go onto a mixture of praise and criticism. Before all this, I advise you to check out the game highlights from NHL.com to get a brief remainder on all the big plays in the game.

The Devils did a relatively good job for the first 40 minutes of the game. The key word here is relatively. Relative to the Senators, the Devils held up well. They kept pace with them in shots (20-22, Ottawa after the second), they battled with the Senators in a physical way (the official stats show the Devils outhitting the Senators 36-27), and the Devils responded to Ottawa's goals with goals of their own. After the Senators would have a few good shifts, the Devils would go out and do the same. Were the Devils great? Were they controlling the game? No, but they weren't letting Ottawa dictate the game either. After all, their first goal was a bizarre fluke from Alexandre Picard from the point that just found it's way in. It's not like they were bossing the Devils around in the first or second periods.

Yet, the second period in particular was just so odd. Brodeur had to be called on to make huge saves; but he was beat off a fluke deflection and hung out to dry on a bad line change by the Devils. In all fairness, Jarkko Ruutu made an excellent move on his breakaway to ensure Johnny Oduya wouldn't stop him at the last moment. In fact, the Devils committed multiple bad line changes, where the defense fortunately recovered or Ottawa duffed the shot. I liken that period to that sandwich cookie you can get at the Mrs. Field's kiosk on the lower concourse. The icing in the middle of the cookie was all over the place, much like the Devils' defense for much of the second period. Sloppy, full of sugar, and making you wonder whether it was a good choice to pay $5.50 for such a filling, unhealthy cookie. Yet, the two cookies (Brodeur and the Devils' offense), ensured that the icing (defense) wouldn't fall onto the ground or on your clothes. Brodeur made some huge stops on the Senators, and the offense put 8 on Elliott to keep them honest. Most notably, Brian Rolston and Jay Pandolfo scored some pretty good goals to keep the Senators down and the Devils up 3-2. Was the sandwich cookie good? Eh, it was OK. Was it a solid period for the Devils? No, but relative to the Senators' performance, it was decent.

Yes, that's my metaphor and I'm sticking to it. Moreover, I believe that second period performance was the best second period effort I've seen from the Devils since the Buffalo game despite it's flaws.

Then the third period came and the Devils played passive hockey for most of the first 15 minutes. OK, I get that the Senators had an extended power play complete with a two man advantage. I get that the Devils did battle for possession throughout the period. But only 3 shots on net? One of which being the most hilarious fluke goal I've seen for the Devils in years? I know this was in the highlights, but it deserves it's own video.

AAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Poor Brian Elliott! The other goals were not totally his fault and he played pretty well, but this was bad. Caught off his line on a routine save and the worst possible scenario just happened! Bryce Salvador scored his first goal of the season and did so in a way to make Ilkka Pikkarainen's first goal of his NHL career look like a goal scorer's goal. Wow. Fortunately for Elliott, it wasn't the game winner. But it did drop Ottawa's confidence as well as make the game even more of a challenge.

Still, the Devils didn't build much on the goal; what really got them going was the euphoria of killing off a 5-on-3 while up by two goals. And now I'm scratching my head. Yes, this is what I wanted to see; but why could we not see this earlier in the game? Or even earlier in the third period? The Devils only put 3 shots on Brian Elliott and that's really concerning given that the entered the period with a one goal lead. Why so passive? Did Salvador's strike put them more at ease? Did they think they could sit on the lead? Was it just that Ottawa was that aggressive going forward (possible, they were down one). Was it something else? The Devils are 7-2 this month and I'm baffled at how they keep getting results with less than 60 minute efforts.

I'm also baffled with Zach Parise. Despite what happened in practice yesterday, Jacques Lemaire had him playing with Travis Zajac all night long. He had an early breakaway that Elliot did very well to stop and throughout the night, he seemed a bit lost. Yes, he had 3 shots on net (more than any Devil); but I think the frustration at him not scoring any goals in this month is starting to set in. Think about it. In that time frame, Ilkka Pikkarainen has scored his first goal; Jay Pandolfo scored his first goal since his injury tonight; and Bryce Salvador opened up his account with a bizarre goal. But Parise? Nope. Zajac was fairly quiet tonight and was beaten plenty on faceoffs (2 for 6). Maybe they do need to be split up for a few games.

Also, now that I'm looking at the stats, I'm also baffled with Nicklas Bergfors only playing 9:26? Was he OK? I mean, Pikkarainen got more time (10:14) than him. Given that he put up no shots and he was most notable coming out of the box for second call on the 5-on-3, getting the puck, closing in on the keeper, and whiffing on a shot; maybe he wasn't. Better luck tomorrow, I suppose?

Nonetheless, some other Devils not named Brodeur had a few good games. The fourth line looked good, as Pelley and Pikkarainen combined for 9 hits and McAmmond picked up an assist on Salvador's goal. Patrik Elias had a solid night with 2 shots, an assist, and a fantastic night at the dot in going 7 for 8. Andy Greene and Salvador were both monsters on the penalty kill, with Greene killing 5:02 and Salvador killing 4:57; they were mostly steady on even strength to boot outside of the second period. Despite taking 3 minors tonight, Langenbrunner was instrumental not only on the power play goal but in setting up a screen for Rolston's slap shot. And speaking of, don't look now, but Brian Rolston now has a 4 game point streak as he scored a goal with his trademark blistering shot. He very well could be earning his money and that is a very good thing.

Yet, I'm sure you're left with all of these ramblings about tonight's game with one question: Can the Devils keep succeeding without playing a consistently good performance all game long? I'd love to say no, but this month has proven this mostly wrong. Maybe I'm demanding too much and the Devils only need to do just a bit better than the opposition to succeed? I'm not sure. I really hope the Devils can play better throughout each period to not only win some non-ugly (or inconsistent-effort) games so we don't have to find out the hard way.

The Devils conclude a 5 game homestand with a 4-1 record and now go on the road for their next 3 games. Tomorrow the Devils will play Atlanta. Maybe a change in scenery will have the Devils give a better overall effort. After all, their most complete game this month was in Buffalo. Here's hoping they'll do that.

Again, congratulations to Martin Brodeur for now being the all time leader in games played. Thanks to Steve for putting up the GameThread and thanks to the commenters and readers in said thread and for this recap. Again, check out Silver Seven for their side of tonight's game. Please share your thoughts and feelings about tonight's game in the comments.