streaky

Sens dismantled the Thrash on Saturday 7-3.  It was closer than the score in some respects. The 'Thrash scored on a 5-on-3 midway through the 3rd to make it 3-5. Then they got a full 2-minute 5-on-3. But the Sens were the ones to score two goals, and instead of a tie game, it was a blowout. It reminded me of last time these teams met. 5-goal lead by the Sens, which ended 6-4. I think the Thrashers tactic is to lure the Sens asleep by giving them a huge lead.

 

The bad thing was that Fisher got injured and is out with an abdominal strain. On the bright side, I think it is a good chance for Vermette to show what he can do. He's been pretty solid with limited minutes. I think most GMs want to steal him away. He's got skills, but is used as a PK specialist and 3rd liner. I think he will post some numbers, if he gets paired with Alfredsson. The guy is creative and fast. We'll see.

Rex in effect

Recchi scores two goals in his debut with the 'Thrash.  Not really sure why the Pens didn't play him. But scoring two goals in the first game out has to feel good. He's got nothing to lose & something to prove. Pittsburgh is on the bubble to make the playoffs right now.  When all is said and sone at the end of the season, I think he will make the Pens regret giving him away...

Crosby. I am your father...

It was back-2-back road games for the Senators. They came out about as expected, tired and lethargic. Crosby had at least three breakaways, but scored on none.  Darth Gerber was huge. I guess they gave him that nickname after his all black, un-painted helmet. I believe that he had a mask painted, but stuck with the plain one after such a strong start. Supersticious goalie? Go figure. Gerber made 31 saves, actually 32. Sens were on a delayed penalty, Gerber heads to the bench. Heatley made a bad pass to the point, that was heading toward the center of the net. Gerber saw it and came back to make a nice save/outlet pass.

 

Sens hung around and evened the game at 1-1 after 2 periods. It smelled of the ideal road game. Stick around, keep the crowd out and steal the win. Heatley 2 goals, Spezza 2 goals, but give the win to Darth Gerber.

DiPietro Deal Deja-vu?

In a rather interesting move, the Phlyer locked away Mike Richards for 12-years @ $5.75MM/year, that's a shorter term than Ricky's deal but pays out more per season.  I don't really watch the Flyers since Roenick left several years back, but I don't think he has the skills to justify this move. I will say that Richards seems to be a hardworking, honest player and it is less of a risk than for a Yashin-type. But as with the DiPietro deal, there is far too much that can happen in 10 years, let alone 12 or 15.....

solid

Sens played a solid game against the 'Canes. 6-0. 3 goals in the first and 3 in the third. The sad thing was they could have had 3 in the 2nd period too, if it weren't for Ward. I'm not a big fan of Cam's; as he was given too much hype too soon when he first came into the league. (Though, the same can be said of Emery) Much has been made of his conditioning over the summer, and he did start the year a lot less Pilsbury. I must say that he looked very solid in the games I've seen him in. Much more like Cup Playoff Ward, versus regular season .870 SV% Ward.  I hope for his sake that last year was a sophomore slump thing.  I know he let in 6 goals last night, but due to some wacky Directv scheduling change, I didn't TIVO the first period. And it looked like Cam was keeping them in the game with a scoreless 2nd period.

 

Granted the 'Canes are coming off a very poor stretch of late. And what could have been a battle for first place (looking back 3 games ago) It didn't materialize and both clubs are heading in opposite directions.  But Ottawa looked like the solid club that ran away with the start of the season. Canes defense looked slow and lost most of the game. Bad turnovers.

 

Gerber didn't really deserve the shutout. But I thought he deserved the win. Emery went out 5 minutes into the first period. He was debuting a new Muhammed Ali mask, but had a sore hip. Gerber jumped at the chance to start and played well. The 'Canes couldn't put it in a couple wide open nets. But I think the game winner was scored while Emery was in net, so he got the win.!? Interesting. Also, Gerber had a nice assist. He power blockered a shot to the top of the right circle, and Spezza hit a streaking Heatley to set-up a partial breakaway. Nice.

 

Lastly, there was a good fight. Scott Walker clipped Gerber and Fisher came in to remind him that bumping the goalie isn't cool. That turned into a solid fight. Walker was bloodied. Then he head butted Fisher as the refs were pulling them apart. I'm a partial MMA fan and didn't really notice it. But Walker got a major and misconduct. I think he will be suspended. He just lost his mind. Team was down 0-3.  No on but him showed any desire. He got his face bloodied. Time to land something. Thus the headbutt and an extra late punch.

 

Otter Pop

Sens took down the Stars last Friday. Finally, a solid/dominant game by the Sens. Stars had trouble with the Sens forecheck, and the defense looked a lot better. Emery made all the necessary stops. The team looked good again. Gerber will probably get a start in the back-to-back games coming up. If he falter again, Emery gets pole position for the time being.

 

Steve Ott was interesting. I know that he's one of the agitators of the league. On his openeing shift, he bumps into Emery way after the whistle. Later he tries to put Heatley into the Stars bench after the whistle. I know that these guys try to rile the other team, but his play was pretty marginal. I don't like stuff after the whistle. Talking trash is also kinda lame in my book. I like guys that agitate by hitting often, but during play. Ott proved to be either smart or a coward, as he didn't fight Neil after the Sens took a one goal lead and gave the Stars a 4 minute double minor roughing powerplay. Later in the game, Neil had a breakaway with Norstrom trailing. Sens had a two goal lead. He could have taken out Smith, which would have been the Steve Ott thing to do. But he didn't and in fact, dove out of the way and nailed the crossbar, as Norstrom took out his own goalie. Ott is cheap, but effective.

 

Rex went to Atlanta off waivers. They need a veteran guy.!? That's pretty much saying that Holik and Rucchin aren't filling the bill. It's an interesting experiment. After Hossa, there isn't much right wing to speak of. I think Recchi can still do some damage with a skilled center and ice time.  We will definitely see...

 

I read that Carolina and Edmonton are interested in Corvo. I say, hell no. He's finally showing flashes of the play he had early last season. The guy is a premier puck skating defenseman. He's been awesome of late and really helped spark play during the "slump". I liked him with the Kings and his game has matured. He's picking his spots to attack and shoot, very well. One of the bright spots on a struggling Sens defense.

Lucky 7

Both the Sens and Lightning have been struggling as of late. And as has been the pattern, the Sens fell behind early due to defensive errors. They slowly bring up the intensity as the game goes on. Eventually tie the game late, then lose. This time in the shootout. Almost all of the last 7 games have been at least entertaining, come from behind rallies.  The team is still scoring at least 3 goals a game. Usually that's enough to win.  It's clearly a case of not being able to defend.

 

Emery was pretty good last night. He got hosed on a turnover and missed assignment. He was solid on the powerplays, and had really good rebound control and puck coverage. I think he's returning to form. In the 3rd, he was screened/interfered by Vinny, but there was no call. They score the go ahead goal. Minutes later there's a bench minor unsportsmanlike for him still jawing at the ref about it. Then he took a swing at Prospal's ankles for bumping into him. Is Emery a head case? Yes. But I think he actually plays better when a little angry.

 

 

 

Karma

The Sens can't seem to buy a win. Just like they couldn't lose early in the season. I figure it's a balance shifting back in the hockey karma universe. That, or Gerber coming back to reality (From 0.950 SV% to 0.880 SV%)

To make a losing streak worse, Volchenkov broke his finger last game. Out 4 weeks at least. So he joins Eaves on the IR. I guess this gives Schubert his chance to play top 6 defense. He wants to move back from forward, so he has something to prove. Also, it gives Foligno another chance to get out of the AHL.

In retrospect, the best thing to happen to the Sens last year was the tough December/January. Injuries and slumping brought the team together. I thought we were past that. But maybe a refresher is in order? I think they right the ship soon. Tonight would be good.

Rex

From TSN - The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed forwared Mark Recchi on waivers.
Recchi, 39, has had a difficult year - playing in only 19 of the Pens' 26 games this year and has registered just two goals and six assists. Recchi has been a healthy scratch in seven of the last eight games.

Ironically, Monday was "Mark Recchi Bobblehead" night in Pittsburgh.

Sucks for Recchi. I wouldn't be surprised to see him do well on another team. But Pittsburgh was a homecoming for him; not sure he wants to go anywhere else. Like JR, I think he's near the end of his career and wanted to play at home; but also was not granted sympathy playing time on a young team. Similarly, I figure he would play for a winner and another shot at a Cup.

Saw that Downie is back in the NHL. So, mark Jan 20th on the calendar. That's when McGratton beats Downie's ass. I have mixed feelings about the Phlyers. I know that some teams are goony. But not sure Philly is that team. The NHL needs to target headshots & cheapshots & cheap headshots. But, making the Flyers the posterboy team for bad hits doesn't seem fair. I don't think the coaches are teaching or encouraging marginal/dirty play. I think player history, game situation, intent and damage are bigger factors than the team a guy plays on.

Streaky

Well, the Sens have not won in 5 of the last 6 games.  Time for panic?  I'm not terribly concerned myself. There are several factors at work.

 

First of all, their incredible start was fueled by fantastic goaltending and fortunate bounces when they weren't playing their best. You don't win 15 of 17 games by pure luck, but they did use up a lot of Jobu's rum in the process. Within the last 6 games they dropped 2 in a shootout. If they pulled those out, it doesn't appear nearly as bad. They are a strong team, but not one that will realistically win 88% of their games this season. I honestly didn't see a couple of the games they lost. But you can't allow 4 or 5 goals and expect to win. The fact is, they need to tighten up the defense.

 

Goaltending will ALWAYS be an issue. Much like Philly or LA, the Sens have a history of second guessing their netminders. One issue was Gerber getting pulled after a goal in a 3-3 game. (Granted, he had given up 8 goals over the last 4 periods) Emery hasn't been very good in his return. He had his best game last night, but I think he's finding out how tough it is to be a back-up. These things will pass. Both guys are fundamentally good goaltenders.

 

Injuries. Alfredsson missed a few games with a groin pull and probably isn't 100%. Eaves is out 4-6 weeks. Funny, that everyone below Heatley/Spezza/Alfredsson is underrated. But Eaves is underrated. He has a nice physical side to his game, and was really starting to click with Kelly. They can live without Eaves, but expect a lot of losses if Alfie is out long term. He pretty much IS the team. El Capitan is what makes them go.

 

I am concerned that the powerplay hasn't been very good all season. For as much skill as this team has, it should be much better.  The media has overlooked this so far.

 

It sucks to see the team lose. But last year was a lot worse. There's a difference between struggling and drowning. A least their hot start allows some room for error. Besides, the season is long and the time to get hot is months from now. Simply, stay in the playoff race, keep injuries down, and don't read the newspaper during slumps.

Big Weekend

Was a great hockey weekend.

 

The Sens/Habs game was pretty good. Montreal got the early lead and Huet was stellar. Pretty exciting hockey for 1-0 score. The Sens broke the game open late in the third (5-minutes left) and Ottawa's second losing streak of the season ends at one game.  Sens 3-1.

 

Roenick scores 500! I read about it, since the in-laws were at the house and I was taping the Kings game, but needed the other channel open. I guess it was a pretty fluky goal. I didn't imagine JR would be playing this year, much less get to 500. And at least #499 and #500 were game winners. And he got it against Phoenix no less. Modano also became the highest scoring American player.

 

So, I'm watching another 0-4 Kings blowout loss yesterday. We were about to leave for the mall and I skipped to the end of the game to see the damage. 4-4? What the? Unfortunately, I forgot that the non-Center Ice games on Fox don't record for 8+ hours. I missed the last 2 minutes of the game and OT. Well, the Kings came back with 7 minutes left in the 3rd. I saw them tie it 4-4. I read that they took the lead with 5 straight goals, then Dallas tied it to force OT. Kings win 6-5 in OT.

 

Good stuff. 

Losers

Sens lost their second game this season. I kinda saw a letdown coming, since the Caps are bottom feeders so far this year. The chances were there, but Kolzig was there too. Redden showed little effort and got beat too often. Sens took a few too many penalties (especially Schubert filling-in for Volchenkov). I think Kolzig was better and the Sens gave up too many shots.

 

Emery didn't help his cause, if he plans to overthrow Gerber. Paddock was obviously giving Emery something of a softball with Washington (5-9-1). Emery was better than last game, but that's not saying much. I see Gerber's starting job as safe for the time being.

 

The best news is that Volchenkov is slated to play Saturday. He went out after blocking an Ovenchicken shot, with his inner thigh. I've played goalie enough times to know that non-goaltender pants offer little 5-hole protection. The bottom line is that Volchenkov blocks a TON of shots and one will find a tender spot eventually.

 

I saw an article about whether the Sens were lucky or good. I would say both. There were at least 3 games, mostly back-to-back nights, that the Sens were not at their best and got more than a few good bounces. There is an OT win and SO win thrown into that 13-2 record. Lose those games, and you're looking at 8-7.  That's still top 5 in the East. Lucky + good = dominant.

 

What hasn't been talked about too much is Heatley's scoring drought. I think it's been 4 games or so since his last goal.!? Which goes unnoticed when the team is winning. Also, the lack of Spezza.

Redden Stays?

Well, I had all but written off Wade Redden after his horrible, injury plagued season last year. He didn't live up to the $6.5MM salary. And he won't get it again from Ottawa. All of that extra money went to Heatley/Spezza/Fisher/Alfredsson/Phillips.  Murray tried to trade Redden over the summer to off-load his salary. He has a no-trade clause, so I expected the Sens to get nothing for him this year and lose him to unrestricted free agency next summer.  Any team seeking a puck moving, powerplay quarterback defenseman would give Redden millions of reasons to leave Ottawa.  That is most teams in the New NHL.

 

But apparently, Redden let it be known to the media that he will take a discount to stay. He's apparently not an idiot and can do the math. Let it be known NOW that you want to stay, and are willing to bargain. Otherwise, the remaining cap money may go to other players. Also, it sets-up some goodwill/sympathy for him. I'm still not sure if Murray wants Redden back, but it's crazy to not at least try.  Redden was underachieveing and expensive, not a cancer to the team. His play has turned around this year. I think $3.5MM is a good place to start....

Lucky 13

Well, the Sens finally got a solid game together last night. And with Toronto not bothering to show-up the first period, it wasn't much of a game. 5-1 Ottawa. The score doesn't reflect how bad the Leafs got smoked.

 

It was interesting that enough Maple Leaf fans got tickets into Scotiabank Place, to be heard on TV. Typically the Leafs Fans will boo Alfredsson. But getting boo'd by your cross-town rival in your own building?! At least the Ottawa fans made noise of their own; so it was a weird mixture for cheering and boos, whenever Alfredsson touched the puck. And he handles the puck a lot and for long stretches of time, so it was noticable. Luckily the Sens badly outworked the Leafs and had a 2-0 lead in the first 5 minutes, the Toronto faithful shut-up.  Then Ottawa fans boo'd Sundin the rest of the game.

 

The game started at a pretty high pace, the crowd noise might have helped. But high tempo hockey for a regular season game. Maybe they take this "Battle of Ontario" a little seriously. At least the TSN network does. It's good to see regular season drama, even if it is artificial.  And look for Neil to lay a beat down on Mark Bell next time they play, in 10 days. Some stupidity by Bell with a minute left and his team down 4 goals, won't go unpunished.

 

Gerber was solid again. He's as confident as I've ever seen him. It really shows in his puck handling. Emery should continue to sit, at least in my book.

 

So the Sens set a NHL record for 26 points in 14 games, to start a season. Very artificial, since there's OT and shootout, which makes comparison to anything pre-lockout/New NHL meaningless. But a good start helps carry you through the season. And winning without Spezza or McAmmond or Emery shows the team is deep.

499

Saw JR score career goal #499 at Staples Center. Kings should/could have stopped him. Puck went high off LaBarbera and JR gloved it in the slot, dropped it to himself, and fired it far corner. Two Kings standing there watching him and not leveling him. Chorous of boos rained down. LA is tough on any former players. I was hoping for #500 in LA, but it didn't happen.  JR was out there late with the empty net. Sharks started to get control and Roenick starting sprinting out of the zone with eyes the size of dinner plates. It didn't happen. The pass never came.

 

For only limited ice time (5-6 shifts) on the 4th line, it was amazing that he produced.

12-1

Bruins lost two to the Sens this weekend. Last night was a pretty tight shootout victory. I thought Timmy "Sportmask" Thomas was pretty good in both games. The Bruins could easily have stolen both games from the Sens, but they were in the box far too often. Corvo got a ton of ice time last night and he looked good. It seemed as if he was paired with both Redden and Richardson, because of all the powerplay time. So, double his normal minutes. Richardson has been surprisingly effective. He's old and relatively slow, but cagey vets on defense can be sneaky effective. (And he's still got fighting skills; nothing like getting beat up by grandpa.)  Foligno is now on the 4th line, with McAmmond back. I think they send him down to Binghamton when Spezza gets healthy. Fisher had a very solid weekend and lots of minutes. I think he had 3 goals?

 

The shootout was not good to Thomas. Alfie beat him low blocker, and after getting beat, Timmy missed twice swinging at puck to bat it out of the net, not a good sign. Vermette put a pretty good 5-hole move on him, that banked off his leg and in. Gerber stopped two. Game over. Not the greatest game by Ottawa, but they have been good enough to beat teams and that's what it's all about. Winning when your A game isn't there.

 

 

Long term Spazz

Sens signed Spezza for 7 years.  He got 7MM/year. That's a mighty long time. I have my reservations about Spezza's health and all around game. I will give him credit for the early part of this season, though. He's had much improved backchecking. And he actually hit a few people, and stuck up for his teammates. I have been shocked. The fact that he's out with injury again, is a bad sign. But the fact is, he's still learning and can get better.

 

Heatley and Spezza will be 25-30% of the payroll for the next 6 years.  Well, at least they make-up more than 25-30% of the scoring....

Thrashed

Sens came out on top over Atlanta, but not without a little drama.  It was a 5-0 domination for most of the game. Emery saw 6 shots through two periods. Robitaille had two goals in place of the injured Spezza. McAmmond was back in the line-up. Foligno scored his second career goal. Neil had a nice brawl with Boulton. I was wondering how high the score would get, since Hedberg was lifted and there was the 3rd period left. Then the wheels came off.

 

Robitaille took a heavy check while scrambling in the crease for his hattrick goal, and was leveled by Exelby. Did not return. Neil took a bad penalty, double minor for roughing. Then the Thrashers started getting shots on Emery. Granted Emery was probably asleep, but he got beat bad and often. Long shots, 5-hole, high glove, he couldn't stop anything. Well, before you know it, it's 5-4 and the Thrash have a powerplay with 1:30 left in the game. Sens get an empty netter, and walk away with a scare. Gerber's job is pretty safe for know in my eyes.

 

Nice new barn

Well, the Devils unveiled the new Prudential Center and it is quite a nice building. You can see the Devils logo on the seats, behind the benches. i guess there is a Fire themed bar on one end and Ice on the other. (was this planned before Blades of Glory came out?)  The Ice bar has a kewl frozen area that runs the length of the top of the bar to keep drinks cold.  The broadcast booth is one of the better seats in the arena and it is right in front of a concession area/bar. I guess the practice rink is on location as well, similar to the Flyers set-up.

 

Unfortunately, the Sens spoiled their debut. 4-1 Ottawa. It was a pretty close game, and Jersey came out shooting. Gerber was up to the task; and the only goal scored on him was kicked in by Volchenkov. It is another 4 day wait until the Sens play again.

8-1

Emery came away with a victory against the "Cats". I felt that his rebound control was poor. I know that's relative, since it's not one of the finer points of his game. But he did look rusty. Confident, but rusty. Several pucks went through him and through the crease. But what can you say, he kept them all out but a PPG. Vokoun kept the big line off the board for most of the game. Only Alfie scored with a weird off-speed shass. Ultimately, the Panthers were just too sloppy with the puck. Speaking of "Cats", the announcers in Atlanta refer to Kovalchuk as "Kovie", both references are pretty lame.

Scary moment when Mezei gave Foligno the paralyzer hit. (The guy is 2-3' off the boards and bent over, so you nail his head into the boards right before he gets the puck.) There was a delayed call and the Sens scored as Foligno lay on the ice. He got back up, woozy, on his own, so no boarding major or misconduct. Later in the game Volchenkov hits Booth as he tries a spin move into the boards. Booth required a stretcher. Anton get a major for boarding and misconduct. It was clearly not a revenge-type hit, but Booth put himself into a bad position. I will be pissed if Volchenkov gets suspended.

Meszaros continues to look lost. He has stepped up his offensive game. But he's been getting burned routinely. It's becoming a problem. I think the best display was by Neil, Donovan, Eaves and McGrattan. Neil has been showing some offensive flair lately. Donovan and Eaves and checking machines. McGrattan looks like a totally different player. His skating looks fast and he is confident with the puck, making plays and getting shots! I think that guy did some major work in the off-season. The last thing I expected was him to become a 'real' player. That would be a great surprise for this season.

In a scheduling snafu, Sens don't play again for a week and then another 4 days after that game. I've read that they are going camping for three days.?! Kinda kewl team bonding trip, but the team is playing well and there aren't really any locker room issues on this team. It will be a test to see if they can continue to roll after such a long layoff. Also, what am I supposed to do for a week? I can only watch so many Kings games before I go into a major depression.

JR WATCH 2007: Update. JR put one in against the Preds to put the career total at 498. It is amazing that he has scored 3 times in 6 games considering the actual playing time he gets. Watching the Sharks, it seems like something is just not right so far this year. I think they miss Scott Hannan...

Loose & Fast

Sens beat the Canadiens. It was a rather sloppy game and Ottawa wasn't playing that well. Gerber let in a really bad angle, soft goal. Ottawa allowed two PPG for the first time this year. PK has been super solid, until last night. Carey Price, goalie of the future, started and made his best stops against deflections by his own defense. I thought his rebound control wasn't sharp and he too let in a soft first goal; but that guy can handle the puck well. Gerber made some fancy looking saves, but only because his rebound control was a little off, and the Habs got the puck in good scoring areas. The team was sloppy. Less hitting than usual. Although to continue the theme of weird play, Spezza made a retaliation hit (and roughing penalty) on a Montreal player that dumped Heatley; and was seen on the PK. Eaves had a solid game. Foligno scored the first goal of his career.

Who starts?

Gerber is supposed to start tonight. But much has been made in the Canadian media of the brewing goalie controversy. I don't see one. In my mind Gerber has been the starter this year, and it's his job to lose. There are 3.7 million reasons why he should be playing. With the Sens getting only three games until November, there will be plenty of downtime to over analyze the situation. I will admit that when I saw Gerber with a black un-painted mask to start the season, I figured he was moving to another team, not that he was getting his mask painted. The last thing they should do is rush Emery back into the net before his wrist is fully healed. If anything, it is best for the organization to have this 'problem'. Gerber's trade value only increases with every game he continues to start. Gerber has been a professional, despite getting slighted over his rough start last year, he came in and got it done so far this season. The best revenge for Gerber is to keep Emery on the bench this year, with some solid play of his own. Either way, it will be easy to off-load one of these goalies to the Kings, once they hit the panic button in a couple weeks. I have a soft spot for Dustin Brown. Bring him over along with Brian Boyle. Just remember you heard it here first...

Robitaille Returns!

Not that Robitaille. Luc is still busy creating wacky marketing gimmicks between Hollywood and the Kings.  Randy was just signed for a one-year deal to the Sens, brining him back to his hometown. I don't like this move. They don't need anymore players, unless McAmmond is out long term. So, I would guess that McAmmond is going to be out until after Christmas. I honestly don't know that much about the "other Robitaille". But journeyman players tend to fit one of several molds.  1.) Offensively gifted, but uber streaky and lazy players. 2.) Specialize in one area, faceoffs, PK, etc. But tend to get replaced by teams looking for more versatility. 3.) Not good offensively, but have solid hockey smarts and above average skating ability. I am assuming and hoping that he's #3. Don't need another Arnason. Robitaille may play as soon as Thursday, so we'll see.

 

 

Emery-watch 2007

Emery did OK in his weekend conditioning stint with Binghamton. In the two games he was 1-1, 3.00 GAA, .930 SV%, and saw 86 shots. Stat-wise it seems like he got plenty of action and played well enough.  (FYI. Leighton, Danis and Boucher have some solid early season numbers in the AHL.) The Sens sent Elliott back down, so Emery will be expected to start the back-up duty this Thursday.

 

After a torrid start and frantic schedule, the Sens have only 3 more games scheduled in October. That sucks. I hate waiting a WEEK between games. Wacky schedule.  It will give Emery plenty of time to re-hab and practice. But I think that is too much time between games.

5 game streak!

Well, the Sens 5-game winning streak came to an end, and the losing streak reached one game.  Justin & Bea were at the house this weekend and saw the Rangers lose in a one-minute span; when 3 quick goals were pumped past Lundqvist.  I was worried about Gerber, since Emery is close to coming back and he had a shaky game last time.  Gerber was spectacular.  On a 5-on-3, he made several cross the crease pad slide saves.  The highlight was a stickside slide, where he dropped the stick, grabbed the puck, and threw it out of the zone in a "ridge-hand" throwing motion.  Gerber will be hard to unseat if he continues this type of play.  I certainly wouldn't hand Emery the starting job, and I happen to like him.

 

The Kings and Ducks streaks are still active.  I believe that both teams are on 5-game losing streaks, and counting...

 

 

Lazy

Well, the win streak is over.  Sens gave up way too many odd-man rushes to Carolina and Gerber wasn't great. Ward looked strong early and the 'Canes never trailed this one. I thought the Sens might come out a little flat playing back-to-back nights, but that wasn't really the case. If anything they were a little too aggressive, with the defense pinching and carrying the puck a lot. I think they played too wide open and got burned. I am more bummed about them also breaking the perfect penalty kill streak. On the positive side, McGratton had quite a few minutes above normal and he played pretty well.  The best part of the game was McGratton leading a 2-on-1.  That's when you know things aren't quite right in Senatorland. Some new line combinations were tried late in the game to get things going. Fisher lead a two goal comeback late in the third, to cut the lead to 1, but Carolina iced it with an empty netter.

5-0

I will continue the game reviews until the Senators lose, sort of a superstition-type thing.  But regardless, I just like blogging about the games. Thrash played a pretty good game. It was 1-1 most of the game and a penalty-free second period was played pretty tight.  Sens took the lead in the 3rd and the Thrash self destructed. 

 

Highlight of the game was the play of Elliott.  Who-liott? Brian Elliott is a future goaltender for the Sens, a University of Wisconsin standout. He made some highlight reel stops, looking very impressive.  It's only one game and college goalies can often fold in the NHL.  But I think this kid's for real. He showed good feet, flexibility and size. Give him a few years in Binghamton to develop and hopefully he'll be ready for when Emery wants too much money in 2 seasons.  Elliott would be an amazing late round draft pick-up if he pans out.

4-0

Sens out gunned Jersey. Ottawa typically has problems with a very patient Jersey team, but the Devils had some offense of their own this time around. Gerber wasn't great, but the puck stayed out of the net more times than for Brodeur. Parise looked pretty good in the loss, creating good scoring chances.

 

With 5% of the season gone for the Sens, things are steady.  Paddock is loading the team on Alfredsson's back, and he's carried them.  Part of that is due to McAmmond still out with a concussion, and Alfie having to play the PK (along with SC1 and PP1). Every player has continued last year's receipe for success. Heater is still a sniper extraordinare. Neil and Fisher hit people. Volchenkov blocks shots. Defense is solid. Spezza still makes high risk plays.

 

Vermette has elevated his game. He's still the steady PK guy, but has created a lot of offense with his speed and isn't showing any reluctance to shoot the puck. If this keeps up, his numbers will be big this year.

 

Weekend Update

Sens are 3-0.  The Ranger's game was tighter than 2-0.  Sens scored a shortie and off a bad line change early in the game.  The 2nd and 3rd periods were a goaltending battle.  Lundqvist and Gerber looked pretty good.  Henrick robbed Heater on a few quality chances.  Avery got knocked-out of the game.  Neil caught him with a stiff check.  NY commentators called it an obvious elbow.  Having watched over 240 Chris Neil games the last 3 years, I can say that Neil leads with the shoulder and then pushes off with his arms, which does look like an elbow.  I'm calling it clean, but who cares?  Avery deserves what he gets for running his mouth all the time.

 

Kings lost.  But it was filled with side stories.  Brady Murray played against his dad, Blues coach (& former Kings coach) Andy Murray.  Jon Bernier started in net for the Kings.  He looked pretty solid for most of the game.  The funny thing was that Labarbera had a special mask painted, to promote an upcoming movie The Seeker.  Not sure what that publicity stunt cost, but it was futile as Jason rode the bench and wore a baseball cap during the game.  I like his Metallica mask better anyway.

 

JR scored two goals.  3 more to 500.  JR really can't skate anymore.  It's hard to watch him. Colorado played the Sharks and stomped them.  Stastny looks really good.  I rated him pretty high in the hockey pool, but still didn't get him.  The guy is on fire early in the season.  Comrie has also been tearing it up.  I know he has plenty of skill, now that he's getting top line ice time the points will come. I just don't like his flashy style. I think his scoring will be inconsistent & he will probably be a minus player. And the biggest shocker?  Havlat DTD with shoulder injury.  The guy has otherworldly skill, but can't stay healthy. 

2-0

Well, it wasn't a work of art, but the Sens got two games from the Leafs.  Ottawa looked a little loose defensively at times, which is typical for October.  Good thing Gerber was up to the task, with 40+ shots.  Bottom line, they got the wins.  Power play looked a lot better this time around.  Toskala made some pretty nice stops.  Justin's haul from Heater/Alfie: 3 goals, 1 assist, 2 ppg, 1 gwg.

 

I am wondering about the officiating this year. 1.) They mentioned cracking down on goalie contact, and Gerber got a very quick whistle after Blake came hard into the crease. Toronto scored after the whistle. Goal disallowed  2.) Heatley definitely directed a puck into the net with a skate.  No "destinct kicking motion".  Goal allowed.  3.) Vermette got hauled down from behind in a manner that would have been a penalty shot two seasons ago.  No call.

 

I am not a fan of too much goalie contact. Directing the puck in with the skate is cheesy. If a guy is standing still and it goes off his skate, into the goal; that's fine. There was a big variation in how the "kicked-in" goals were called last year. I guess the bottom line is consistency. They simply need to call it the same all year. There were still a lot of 'obstruction' penalties called, which shows a nice carry-over from the last two seasons. 

Battle of Ontario

Well, the 'battle' lived up to the name for once.  Toronto decided to take a page out of the Ducks playbook and run Redden all night.  Only, Redden didn't back down.  He fought twice, and not just pretend to fight and bear hug.  Redden had his arm out of the jersey and was throwing some huge rights. I have new respect for that guy.  I don't want Redden in the box all year, but adding a nasty side to his game is a good thing.  He needs to prove himself this year, and that was a good start.

 

The bad thing is that the Sens looked flat. I think it was the undefeated pre-season.  Toronto came out ready to play.  Gerber was solid.  Phillips kicked in a goal and Spezza was loafing on defense for another (big surprise), but Gerber was aggressive and looked confident.  Heater had a big game.  I have to admit that both of his goals were from his nasty-quick release and not shot placement.  Raycroft simply fanned on them going 5-hole.  I don't mind seeing Justin win the Pool this year, if it means he gets crazy points from Heatley and Alfredsson.  I think they were good for three goals, one GWG.

 

Vermette looked pretty good.  He was flying all over the ice and killed penalties well.  Kelly was also very good on the PK.  Donovan was good in a limited 4th line role, but seemed to cause havoc or draw a penalty on each of his shifts. Fisher and Volchenkov were their normal selves with some highlight hits.  The bad side was a poor looking powerplay.  That has to improve. 

The rumor is on!

Looks like 6 more years of hearing Glenn Frey's horrible 80's song "The Heat is On".  It's the only song I don't mind hearing 25+ times a year, since it plays after Dany Heatley scores.  Heater is rumored to have signed a 6-year, $8-$7.5MM/year deal this afternoon.  Supposedly, the Sens had until the start of the season (today at 4:30PST) to get a deal done, or wait until the end of the season.  Heatley had a self imposed deadline, to avoid contract talk 'distractions' during the season.  Probably wise.  Since it's in the Sens best interest to get a deal done now.  He would have received max salary offers in the open market. If you really want the guy, time to pay up.  Otherwise, the season long drama and questions will hurt the team.  (see Buffalo Sabres 06-07)

 

I like how the team payroll is shaping up.  Heatley, Fisher, Alfredsson, Phillips, Volchenkov, Emery are signed in descending salary and contract length.  It shows a pretty clear value that the organization places on each guy.  I pretty much agree with the deals.  That leaves Redden a UFA at year's end, and Kelly, Vermette, Eaves and Meszaros as RFAs.  This is actually a good situation.  Redden and Meszaros could stand to prove their worth after a bad season.  While Vermette, Kelly and Eaves have to take it to the next level, or possibly get left behind.

 

Spezza is also a RFA at season's end. It may be easier to sign him now, since Heatley is on board long term. But Spezza better not expect Heatley-type money, 'cause he has issues.  He can't hit or backcheck.  He has missed time with a back injury. I think they should let the season play itself out. Spezza could stand to show some defensive improvement and a willingness to shoot.  See if he can play a full 82 games.  Giving Heatley big money is a slam dunk, not so much for the Spazz..

It has begun

Well, the '07-08 NHL regular season is here.  I guess it officially started with the publicity stunt in London over the weekend.  But I see tomorrow as the 'real' start of the season.  Hockey should start in October, not September.  I'm excited.  It's a very long haul over the regular season, but I'm still anxious to see the first games.  Which kids will emerge (backstrom, price, bernier, foligno)?  Which guys need to retire (JR, modano)?  Who will continue to defy old age (chelios, brind'amour, selanne)? 

 

I am looking forward to see how the Kings do, with the overhauled roster and new goalies.  Squeezing in to the playoffs is a noble goal.  I just got tickets for next month's Sharks/Kings game.  I will also be following the Sharks a little bit this year, as I am hoping for Roenick to get his 500 goals and retire already.  Sharks are contenders, so if they happen to get JR a Cup this season, he can retire happy and content.  Of course, it is still all about watching the Senators.  Ever since the lockout, I have been following the team.  I find it ironic that I am following the Senators and hating on the Ducks.  Basically, the Senators are the Ducks; as the Kings are the Maple Leafs.  Both sets of teams are neighbors and one is the newcomer; and younger brother happens to have the better team and current success.

Pre-season

Went to Ducks/Canucks last night.  Pretty kewl.  Kadi got us on the ice for warm-ups.  Kalea liked walking on the ice to the penalty box.   Kalani was pretty interested in the action.  Being at ice level gave a better sense of scale for how big (or small) the players really are.  It was funny that my legs didn't touch the ground on the penalty box bench.  If I had skates on, I would have been fine.  But as a 5' 6" guy, my feet were dangling.  Still getting used to hockey players with skinny arms. The slimmer jerseys really make guys look anorexic. Hiller was solid in net.  Sanford and (some other guy) were not so good. We left early when Kalani got tired.  I'm ready for the regular season now.

Cloutier = AHL

Well, Cloutier is officially a minor leaguer.  The Kings waived him, and no surprise that there were no takers.  So, he's off to Manchester. Maybe he can outplay Brust or Fukufuji for the starting role.  Kings seem high on Bernier and he has played well.  But that makes 3 goalies: Labarbera, Aubin and Bernier (if you count Aubin as a goalie).  I am hoping that the Kings don't rush Bernier, out of desperation. They did that last year, and it was embarrasing and scary.  LA showed that none of their prospect goalies were ready for the NHL.  I think Labarbera deserves a full year to prove himself.

Pre-season

Not much drama for the Sens as far as the pre-season goes.  The team didn't change all that much over the summer and there are only 1 or 2 roster spots open.  However, Nick Foligno impressed last night with a goal and 2 assists.  I couldn't find the superstats sheet for the game, which was disappointing. But apparently Gerber stopped 52 shots in the shutout.  It's only pre-seson, but that is impressive.  A good sign, maybe Marty wants to battle for the starting spot, since no one would take him in a trade.  With Emery healing from wrist surgery, Gerber will get over half of the pre-season starts.  A least its a reason for me to be somewhat interested in pre-season results.

 

King played Sharks at Staples.  Roenick given a warm welcome by LA, he was boo'd all night. 

Sharks go old skool

San Jose unveiled their new jerseys. As much as I liked their new
logo, I don't like the jersey. It is a definite throwback to jerseys
with colored shoulder panels and contrast piping. The only problem is
that it looks dated, and the slimmer fit jerseys don't look right with
this type of paneling. I also don't care for the multi-colored
stripes. Too much going on there? They also went back to teal, I
liked the black jersey better.
Sharks went with jersey numbers on the front, upper right chest. This
is along with arm numbers and number on the back. If you are a Sharks
fan and can't locate your favorite player out there, he's probably a
scratch.
BTW. JR went back to #27, since most people were wondering...

Fish

Not very big news to non-Senators fans, but Fisher was signed for 5-years, $21MM.  That's $4.2/year.  Pricey?  I think a little bit.  But it shows some committment to him for the long term, as I don't think $4.2MM is that easy to trade away. I was concerned that Fisher would not get re-signed this year, since all the attention will be on Heatley (he will probably get a max salary deal) and Redden.  But Fisher deserves his share.  I'm biased as a huge fan, but the guy does everything well: hits, forecheck, backcheck, makes plays, he's just not the Spezza or Heatley-type scorer (although his slapper is deceptively nasty). It's another matter if his body can withstand the punishent that his playing style dishes out, for another 5-years. 

 

Speaking of Salary issues, I'm wondering about Spazza.  If he doesn't improve defensively, continues to get pushed around physically, misses games from his bad back, I am thinking that not giving him a new deal is the way to go.  Let some team like Edmonton throw a crazy RFA offer sheet at him next summer.  Spezza is bound to command over $6MM/year, that means Ottawa gets 4 first rounders in return.  One of those four guys would probably not be afraid of getting hit.

Why Poo Should Jump on the Emery Bandwagon...

http://www2.sportsnet.ca/blogs/hockey_hearsay/2007/09/07/road_rage_hits_rayzor/

Sharks Jersey

Going to order my new Sharks jersey with 97 on the back!  That's right.  JR signed a one-year deal with San Josie.  Now JR will get his Cup and retire after this year!  But seriously, I hope it works out, which means that he needs to get 5 goals this year, playing on a 3rd or 4th line.  Once he breaks 500 goals, he can 'officially' retire.  Poor Roenick's game hasn't been very good since the lockout.  But I wish him well and it is a great excuse to get Sharks/Sens tickets for March.

Huh!?

Kings made two moves.  They are equally good and bad.  First, the bad.  Kings signed JS Aubin to a one-year deal.  From the TSN story, "Aubin, 30, played in 20 games last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and had a 3-5-2 record, a 3.34 goals-against-average and a .876 save percentage."  Is the idea to have someone in the locker room that can relate to Cloutier?  Or do they need to make Labarbera look that much better, by having him outplay two guys?  They said that teams would start copying the Ducks, but getting your own marble mouth is not the way to do it.  There was already one too many Jean-Sebastian goalies in the greater Los Angeles area, don't need more.  (I think one sign of the Apocalypse is supposedly three JS goales in SoCal.)  But, the Kings also signed Dave Lewis as assistant coach.  Good move.  There aren't many assistant coaches better than him.  Just don't expect him to take over for Crawford; as good as Lewis is an assistant coach, he's proven to be a bad/ineffective head coach.  I have no doubts that Lewis will speed the learning curve for all the kids on the Kings, he's a great teacher.

Ugly

Here is the new Senators logo and jerseys.  First, the good points.  I like the colors and the fact that the stripes and banding around the sleeves and bottom of the jersey are gone.  The shoulder patches feature an old skool Senators logo which is simple and clean.  The bad?  I never liked this logo when it was on the third jersey.  They cleaned it up, but it only shows that the base design is bad to begin with.  The new numbers are generic.  I liked that the old jerseys featured numbers that looked oversized and had a unique font.  The new numbers look anorexic by comparison.  In fact, the only redeeming quality about the Sens jersey was the numbering, now that is gone.  At least I'm not rushing out to by a new Senators jersey or hat with this new logo.  Better luck next logo change...

Foppa

I've heard rumors in the last week about the Senators being interested in Forsberg for next season.   I was pretty doubtful at first, since the Sens don't really have the cap room for Forsberg, unless he is willing to take less money to be on a Cup Finals team. But the rumor was more or less confirmed by a story on TSN today.  I have very mixed feelings about Forsberg joining the team.  Didn't they learn from the Hasek experiment?  Old, injury prone players will let you down come crunch time.  But speaking of Hasek, he rebounded to play a full season and playoffs for a surprising Wings team last year.  Maybe the Sens are counting on being the "rebound team" after Nashville had their own failed Forsberg Experiment last season.  I guess I'm just too much of a fan.  I was burned by JR coming to the Kings; while he did plenty of PR work and got on plenty of local TV shows, he was never really in hockey shape.  And I have always liked Forsberg, too.  So the last thing I want to see is Forsberg injured for 45 games, then half of his former self upon returing, and injured come Playoff time.  But the guy is still pretty good at only 75%, so I can see why teams are still interested in rolling the dice with him.  Murray mentioned friendship with Alfredsson and a contending team as reasons for coming to Ottawa.  And that is an interesting concept.  Both Swedes are about the same age, Alfredsson would put up big numbers playing 80 games with Forsberg.  Not only do they possess incredible skill, but the Heatley/Spezza line would have to be respected as well; so basically Forsberg gets second line duty, avoiding the opponent's top defensive pairing.  The other teams courting Forsberg are in the West.  I think the smart move is to go to the East and not get as banged-up all season.  The West sports some big, physical teams that are a receipe for re-injury.  So, unless he really wants to head back to Colorado to finish off his career, it might not be a bad move to pick Ottawa.  The only downside is that some cap room has to be made.  And as much as I am talking myself into thinking that this is a good idea, the sacrifice of any young player on the roster is not worth Forsberg's health gamble.  So unless Murray can do some salary cap magic, I probably won't be happy to see Forsberg on the Senators.

Sens Signings

Sens have signed a few more players.  Luke Richardson and Jim O'Brien.  Richardson is older than dirt and clearly at the end of his career.  I think this is the "Rob Blake" signing; which is having a veteran mentor your young defensemen and he gets to play near home.  At least the Sens aren't really paying Richardson anything and aren't counting on him to actually play big minutes in games.  O'Brien was this year's late first round pick.  I was surprised that they signed him so soon.  But I guess he was a very young 18 year old playing 4th line duty in college.  At least this way he can play minutes at a pro level, probably ECHL.

New Uni's

I went to the Sharks website the other night for a reason I have long since forgotten, but noticed that the Shark logo looks better than ever.  After a little research, I've found out that several teams are changing or 'refreshing' their logos.  Its a good time to do it, since next season is the start of the form fitting Reebok jerseys.  Which brings me to the Senators.  They have applied for logo patents in Canada, to revise their logo.  I really do not care for the Senators jerseys or logo.  And the new changes are pretty minor, better, but still minor.  I don't like the 3/4 profile senator face that was on the 3rd jerseys; and I understand that it will be the main logo.  Too bad.  At least I don't have to rush out and buy a new jersey.

Kings

I guess Mike Cammalleri went through with his arbitration hearing.  I have to believe that there will be lingering hard feelings.  On the one hand, he was the leading scorer and has steadily increased his production each year without much of a team around him.  I would think that warrants a raise.  But I think it is hard for most teams to give big money to small sized players unless they are Kariya or St. Louis.  I'm wondering just where he fits in the rebuilding process, in Lombardi's eyes.  I also see him as a player that eventually gets away, and has success elsewhere.  (That sounds like the Dave Taylor era Kings....)

 

Was talking to a definite Kings fan on 4th of July.  He liked the signings that Lombardi made.  I do too, but don't put a whole lot of hope on them either.  I  mostly liked the short length of the deals.  If they all come together, he will look like a genius.  But if nothing happens, these guys' tryout is over and time to move on; without a lasting salary cap problem.  Kinda win-win.  Calder-Handzus-Nagy will help take the stress off Frolov and Kopitar.  And that seems to be the main point, getting some "mature" players that are still under 30, to add stability to the team without making it "old".  All of these forwards have question marks in their games, whether injury or consistency, so let's roll the dice and see what we get.  On defense, Preissing is highly under-rated in my mind and surprisingly versatile (on a very good Senators team).  Stuart is a little over-rated, but having two mobile defensemen is a big addition.  One of the better moves was the subtraction of Mathieu "Off Angle" Garon.  I wish him well, but don't mind seeing him leave LA.

 

I'm excited to see how the rookie players develop most of all.  It will be great to see Jason LaBarbera in net again.  He will be a definite wild card for next season; but he absolutlely tore-up the AHL last year, which will be great for his confidence.  I am still waiting for Dustin Brown to take the next step as a power forward, but I said that this time last year; and he seemed to take a step backward last season.  Jack Johnson will most likely get a year of mentoring from Rob Blake.  I've been waiting to see if the huge, Brian Boyle makes the team this year.  O'Sullivan will probably get his shot at full time NHL duty.  Tukonen will hopefully "pull a Kopitar" and impress right out of the gate, continuing the successful draft of relatively unknown euros.

 

Lots of unknowns.  Which is fun now.  But I didn't make it through December last year; before I was not watching the Kings games regularly.  PLEASE give me a reason to watch for the whole season. 

Ready?

Well, the Sens managed to avoid arbitration with Emery, Schubert and Kelly.  That's probably a good thing.  There tend to be hard feelings after an arbitration hearing; as it's hard for players to hear team management and coaching staff tear down their ability.  Which brings me to Sean Avery.  I guess he was 'shocked' that the Rangers called him out as a selfish player.  What did he think an arbitration hearing was about?  At least they didn't say "media hog" or "cancer to the team".

 

Anyway, the Sens roster appears to be set.  There's some room for a rookie to make the team, but no clear intention of bringing anyone up like with Kaigorodov last year.  I wish him well with the Coyotes, but he seemed far from ready to play North American style hockey.  Giving away Comrie and trading Schaefer will open up some premium ice time.  I'm hoping that Eaves, Kelly and Vermette are given a chance for quality ice time.  Eaves has a ton of heart and plays a nice power forward game in high traffic areas.  Kelly has solid game, and put up points when playing with Heater and Spezza for a limited time last year.  Vermette has a ton of skill, i think he lead the team in shorthanded goals, but can be more than a PK specialist. Time to see what these guys can do. I think at least two of them will be on the 1st or 2nd line by mid-season.  Donovan and Dimitrakos are new additions.  I think Donovan is a good checker, which is what the team needs.  Dimitrakos is probably more of an experiment?

 

Now it will be pretty slow until training camp.  Most of the free agents have been signed.  August is a slow month. 

Show me the money

Well, the Sens managed to avoid arbitration with Emery and Schubert. I was pretty sure that Ray was getting a fat arbitration award. After the NY Insangers signed Lundqvist to $4.25MM, that meant a big payday for Ray-Ray. But Emery signed for 3 years @ $3.2MM/per which is reasonable. The bottom line is that the Sens don't have much cap room, and having Emery take on a huge contract makes signing Heatley and Fisher for next year that much more difficult. I'm a big fan of Emery, but had he been awarded $4.5MM it was time to walk away. Meanwhile, Schubert signed for 3-years at slightly more than an entry level contract. This was surprising. The guy was near the top of the league in hits, can play checking winger or defense. A lot of intangibles. Sens are lucky to sign him for cheap. All that's left is for Kelly to sign. And the Sens probably have the cap room if he wins an arbitration case. Not a lot of changes in the roster from last year, but not a lot is necessary.

Schaefer

Peter Schaefer off to the Bruins for Shean Donovan. This was purely a salary cap move. I will miss many parts of Schaefer's game: incredible board work, way under-rated stickhandling skill, and two-way ability. That said, it wasn't quite worth $2.3MM/year. Murray was simply off-loading $6.7MM in salary over the next 3 years, in exchange for a $.9MM contract through next season. If Donovan doesn't impress, he was a cheap rental. Either way, the Sens are freeing up money. If not for Emery, surely for next year with Heatley becoming a UFA. Smart money would be to sign him soon. Personally, I would low ball Spezza with offers this year. See if he gets any RFA offer sheets. Spezza would likely command high salary and the Sens would get 4 first rounders as compensation. I would take that. In salary cap NHL, entry level players are key for long term success.

Emery

I think the Sens are not making any deals until their RFA arbitration has been settled. Mainly Emery's decision. It could price them out of the market pretty quick. I should say, the Sens are not dealing to add any players. I'm sure Murray has been trying to deal Gerber $3.7MM (and possibly Corvo/Schaefer I've heard). But most GMs are not dumb, and the dumb ones will not have any cap room to take on Gerber. I think there's something to him being a $3-million minor leaguer, for the Sens to have cap room.

Emery didn't get an offer sheet from the Kings. Too bad. I think that it would have been kewl to see Emery and LaBarbera play locally. I see Emery's future as a Cujo type goalie. Playing his best for a losing team that gives up a lot of shots. I am afraid that Miller set a precident for Emery to get around $3.5MM...

Too free?

Seems like the big money was dumped on a few 'big' free agents and teams are signing cheap roster fillers now. So, that leaves the mid-level guys still out there with some anxious days as the summer rolls on. It seems like there may be quite a few decent players left homeless. We'll see. But with a bigger free agent pool and poor spending habits by GMs, I think some players will have to take a pay cut or not play next year.

No moves?

Sens have been pretty quiet so far. But logically so. They barely signed a replacement head coach. It's hard to lure in new players with an TBA head coach. Paddock was a good, safe choice. I was interested in Hunter. Quite a character guy while playing, and I guess he's been pretty good coaching Roy's minor league team. But more of a wildcard choice. Paddock and Murray see eye-to-eye. Murray should bring in players that they both like. GM and head coach chemistry is not always there. Plus, the players have a known quantity in Paddock. The only issue is if Paddock pulls a Lewis. I doubt it. Paddock was head coach over these same guys before in Binghamton. So, they've responded to him before. Now it is just a bigger stage.

Tired

JR is done. I would like to say I'm sad to see him go. But it is time. Actually, past his time. Like Hull, he played too long. At least Hull packed it in, rather than be a healthy scratch for the Coyotes, like JR was last year. I'm sure he will be a commentator soon, as his tryout during the playoffs this year seemed to go pretty well. A great personality, he can be as outspoken as Hull, but maybe not as brash.

I will miss his game. A mid-sized guy that could score and bang. Tough as they come, playing in the Playoffs with his jaw broken or teeth missing. Not afraid to go after the open ice hit. JR was the classic hockey warrior. I doubt anyone will be the complete package of skill, toughness and wit.

Future

With the Draft coming up, I've been thinking about hockey again. The bitter Finals disappointment and consequent depression was hard to get over. But it's time to look forward.

Giggy re-signed, which means the Kings aren't getting him (thank God!). Kings will have to get a goalie somewhere. I am hoping LaBarbera gets another shot, maybe as the backup. He had a huge year in the AHL. But I hope that Garon is gone, and Cloutier is a buyout or demotion to Manchester.

Looking forward to Brian Boyle, Jack Johnson and another year of Kopitar. Hopefully, Brown, Camalleri, and Frolov take the next step in development. But it will probably be another long year.

Roenick probably retires. That's a good thing. I wish he could have netted his 500 goals, but JR just doesn't seen to have it anymore. He loves the game. But retirement should have happened last year. I tried watching the Coyotes last year, but the Kings are enough bottom feeding watching.

Sens have some work to do. Comrie and Preissing are on the way out. Kelly, McAmmond, Emery and Schubert need new contracts. Might be some trades to make cap room. Gerber, Corvo and Schaefer are rumored to be shopped. With the 29th pick, I'm not expecting too much draft wise. Beside, Ottawa's gems have come in the 4th round or later.

The End?

Not yet... I think the Sens have at least one more win in them. Pretty much lost the series on Monday though. Came out like the Sens I know, but playing for only 10 minutes doesn't get it done. I thought they were destined to win, since the Ducks came up with so many posts. I liked Poo's comment about the shaky brilliance of Emery. That's why he's fun to watch; maybe not the most technical goalie, but he's athletic, aggressive and a battler. I will give Alfie the benefit of the doubt about shooting the puck at Niedermayer. I don't think there was a vendetta, and it's not in his character. I don't doubt that he was frustrated, but it wasn't like the Sens were down and out at that point in the game. I think most people, refs included, were surprised and confused by the play. But a lot of things were out of character, like Emery's dive. What was that? Priessing and Redden had off nights and couldn't even make the simple D to D passes. Several guys ran into each other. When it's bad, it's really bad.

I almost wish the Sens didn't show flashes of their 'earlier 3 rounds self'. It just shows that they can bring their game together, but not consistently. There is a little hope, but playing 3 periods of Senators hockey out of 4 games isn't getting it done. Fisher seems like the only guy that remembers how they got to the Finals. Phillips and Volchenkov are still solid. Neil is his agitating self. But everyone else needs to be desperate, times two.

Hula Girl

Kalea had a hula performance this weekend. It was in Northridge. Quite a haul. Especially considering that her 'act' is a short song about the Hawaiian language, which lasts about 20 seconds, and it is just her and another little girl. We got lucky with traffic. Flew up there and back. I managed to still make my roller game. I would have blown-off my game, but I knew we were going to be short-handed. And I don't miss many games.
She did great. It was funny to see how nervous she was before the performance, but she did just fine on stage. It was held at a park with a small-scale fair/carnival going on. I would have loved to eat a ton of kalua pork or other soul food, but we only got shave ice and corn dogs on our way out.

Wrong

I was wrong. Sens didn't win big, but they at least played big. This series finally had a game with more evenly matched play. But it wasn't a one-goal game, as I predicted. The Sens didn't blow-out the Ducks, but battled back after three one-goal leads; that was pretty exciting.

Spezza proved me wrong. I actually saw him hit someone. He was scoreless, but had much improved play. He played hard, that's all I ask. I hate lazy skill players. Being a lesser-skilled grinder myself, lazy guys drive me nuts.

Refs were wrong. Well, maybe not wrong, but highly inconsistent. I figured the Alfredsson goal was to be disallowed and we move on with the game. Then my mouth dropped open. Disbelief & confusion were battling in the corner of my brain. Far lesser 'kicked' pucks were disallowed earlier this playoff.

Pronger was wrong. I like McAmmond. He brings it. Speed, forecheck, good PK. Sens will miss him. The suspension is a bummer. Because Pronger put one by Giggy too. It's like the Sens are losing two players from one head-shot.

I'm pretty stoked. More because of NOT having to go into a 0-3 series depression. And because Justin gets to go to game #5. I don't feel like the Sens have turned the corner. They got the beat down for games #1 & #2. And squeezed a high flying one out at home, with a disputed goal. It means nothing unless they tie up the series. At least each game has seen a better effort. Which is a good trend for Monday.

SENS WIN BIG!

You heard it here. Sens are winning big tomorrow. No more one goal games. This one's not going to be close.

Why? Because they have to. I have to see that the last two games were some sort of abberation. That the Sens can, and will, play like Cup Champions. It has to be this way. Anything less is unacceptable.

"C" in Crosby

Crosby is El Capitan in Pittsburgh. Not a big surprise. I thought that he showed his leadership in the playoffs this year and really blossomed. Already the face of Reebok/NHL/Pittsburgh & hockey in general. The captaincy is a formality as far as the team is concerned. It's incredible that he's met all the hype and expectations. I'm not a fan of hyped players in general, but he has won me over. I appreciate what he brings to the game, his skill level, toughness. Incredible maturity. But only a generational talent like him should be Captain at such an age.

No Problem...

Yeah, being down 2-0 is trouble. I could be more of a die hard fan and optimistically say that Ottawa has trailed for only 8 minutes out of 120. Or point out that they have held the lead for 3x more of the minutes than the Ducks. Or that the home ice crowd will soon energize the team and make all the difference. Or that having the last line change will make room for the Big Line to operate. There isn’t that much wrong.!? But I don’t really believe that.

I will say that the physical play of Game #2 is the ‘real’ Senators. I’ve said before, that they can bring it. But once again, the Ducks were more effective at the same game plan. The Ducks leading in all statistical categories, points to the facts that changes are necessary. Mainly, being a more physical and simple team.

My plan is to remove Spezza from the lineup. Madness you say? It has to be done. Here’s why:

1.) Sens have been giving away too many turnovers & not generating offense. It’s obvious that the Big Line has stood guilty of both counts. The other three lines kept it simple, since they did that all year long.
2.) They lost Spezza for an extended period in the regular season, and were sitting out of the playoffs. This is when the Sens rolled 4 lines and everyone was expected to perform. It’s the same situation, but 10x more urgent. They can win without him.
3.) Give Spezza another try at home? No. He’s had two kicks at the can. Now he gets kicked in the can. Everyone on the team was desperate last game, except Spezza.
4.) Putting in Eaves or McGratton instead of Spezza adds grit and defense. McGratton, the lead-footed fighter guy? Yup. At least he will hit somebody with his large frame instead of standing around, and he will NOT get cute with the puck. I’d rather see a goal against with a Duck laying on the ground, than celebrating.
5.) Won’t this take away all their offense? The Big Line has been shut down for two games. So, it can’t get less than zero. At least this will fix a glaring weakness.
6.) Salary is not a right to more playing time. The other three lines were working hard.
7.) Isn't this pulling a Lindy Ruff? No. It’s asking the guys to play their game. The Big Line's game doesn't suit the play that Anaheim brings. So, change it or remove it. Add another basic line. Don't ask Spezza to start hitting at this point in the season. But change what's wrong and add more of what's worked.
I’m not saying Spezza watches the game in street clothes, either. Dress him as an extra and let him play on the powerplay. It's the way the Sens have generated chances. Heatley gets more of a 4th line role, until he sacks-up; and of course gets his usual powerplay time too.

A 7-game series is about adjustments. Let the team win or lose, as a team. Don’t let any one person take the fall, unless it is the coach. Try to fix what’s wrong. Small line juggling didn’t work in Game #2. Time for bigger moves.

I would love to see that I’m completely wrong. The Sens go home and everything comes back together. The Wings had much more success at home. That last line change can be huge. But being down 0-2 is time for desperate measures. Down 0-3 is too late.

Worried? No. Anxious? Yes.

Good old fashioned beat down. Typical Senators game, play smart and dump the puck in to limit turnovers, use strong forecheck to create turnovers, take the play to the opponent, get to loose pucks first. However, we were on the receiving end of this gameplan. Senators got their own game given to them, and I didn't like it too much. The physical play of the Ducks created much of their chances. Big Line was ineffective with the puck.

Silver lining? That said, the Sens still almost had the perfect road game, despite playing marginal hockey. Score early and take the crowd out of it, then weather the storm. The Sens never trailed, until late in the game. Their powerplay made Anaheim pay for their sins, but the 5-on-3 PK won the game. Shoulda, woulda, coulda; but the Sens nearly pulled one out that they shouldn't have had.

I thought I was anxious for Game #1 to start. Now, I can't wait to see what adjustments/effort shows-up in game #2. To the uneducated, the Sens have not been outplayed in any game this playoffs. Only periods of games were sub-par. So this game was confusing to me. I kept expecting a Sens rally. The turnovers kept happening. Sens were dumping, but not chasing hard. Tape to tape passes were rare. I'm glad they were ahead or tied the whole game, but the effort wasn't up to par. I expect a different team to show up for game #2. They better...

Game One, Game On!

Sis is trying to get me tickets to game #1. SWEET! Will be uber-kewl to soak up the atmosphere of the Cup Final. I think that a lot of questions will be answered with game #1. I liked the NHL "Crystal Ball" forecast. A much more concise review than mine, but it is in agreement with what I am trying to say.

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=310666

My Long Breakdown

First of all, the Senators are going to win it all.

I know that it is impossible for me to be objective at this point in the post-season. So, I'm not really going to try. I want the Senators to take advantage of this opportunity too badly. I think that both teams fully deserve to be where they are and have passed all the tests. The top goalies of the regular season were defeated (Loungo, Brodeur, Hasek, Miller), defensive teams broken (Wild, New Jersey), top offenses contained (Wings, Sabres, Penguins). I expect some great hockey. One interesting aspect of this matchup is that they haven't played each other. A lot of unknowns as far as match-ups. I don't necessarily like this, but it makes the anticipation that much greater.

So, here's my breakdown of the teams… *(Note: I have trademarked these names.)

OFFENSE - Senators have arguably the best top line in hockey right now. But the Ducks are no slouches. Andymac/Selanne, followed-up with the "Big Kids Line*" (Getzlaf/Perry/Penner) are a tough, one-two punch. One comes at you with speed and skill, while the others are cycle-you-to-death grinders. Much has been made of the Pahlsson/Neidermayer checking line, and rightly so. In a mirror image, the Sens second line loves to cycle-it and the checking line has shut down: Crosby/Malkin, Egg Line (Elias/Gomez/Gionta), and Briere/Vanek/Afinogenov. But, the Senators boast 4 lines and the extra offensive depth could make the difference. Sens.

DEFENSE - Top billing has to go to "Prongermayer*". The press loves them. Neidermayer had multiple clutch plays this post-season, while Pronger is putting points up and fought the conspiracy of the Canadian Media getting him suspended. ; ) You just can't match that talent in two guys. So, the Sens don't. The secret to the Sens success this post season has been defensive depth. Phillips, Meszaros, & Volchenkov, solid stopper defensemen. Volchenkov has more hits and blocked shots than the Ducks entire team! Not really, but I love that hard-nosed part of his game. Redden, Corvo, Preissing, are mobile, puck moving defensemen, that can contribute to the offense. A very good balance that has caused problems for the Eastern Conference. So, it is a matter of style: two guys dominating or 6 guys sharing the load. (Granted, Prongermayer is on the ice for 2/3 of every game!?) I like the Sens.

GOALTENDING - Giggy has been stellar. Emery has been good enough. Advantage Ducks.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Sens have been very 'special' in all aspects. Solid PK, timely powerplay goals and backbreaking shorties. Anaheim I'm not sure, 'cause I didn't see every playoff game they had. But the playoffs are about what you are doing right now, and the Sens had a bit of a slide in the last two games against Buffalo. Lets just say, Even.

PHYSICALITY - Ducks played pretty physical/goony all season. "I want my respect!" Tommy Gunn, Rocky V. But the playoffs are a different time and have not featured any Parros or McGratton. Ducks can play a punishing style and have the big bodies to do it. While lacking the matching ammunition, the Sens will match the desire. Comrie has been seen throwing his liliputian frame around and even fought in the Pens series. Everyone to a man has been taking the body. They will take whatever the Ducks dish out and send it right back. But, Advantage Ducks.

ADVERSITY - The whole reason the Sens are in the Final is because of regular season adversity. A bad start had question marks swirling; key injuries forced them to play a responsible, hardworking & balanced style that continued and intensified in the playoffs. Giggy has had plenty of personal reasons to be distracted, but that has only focused his resolve. I think getting pulled, in the 0-5 spanking, only proved to wake him up as well. Losing Kunitz forced Anaheim to re-focus. The Ducks developed a victim complex, to fuel their passion: the Pronger suspension, unfair officiating, biased media. Even.

KARMA - It looks like the Ducks are meant to win it. Burke got revenge on his old team, Anaheim beat their old coach, and will soon face their former GM. It's only appropriate that Teemu get his name on the Cup, he's a stand-up guy and an elite finisher; it would seal him as a Hall of Famer. Likewise, the Senators have chased away the choke-artist label. Alfredsson has gone from goat to hero in one year. The team that was considered to have too much flash & dash, has been the most hardworking and business-like in the league. It seems like both are meant to win. Even.

BLOGZILLA's KEYS

Matchups - Always key in any series, but who contains the Sens All-Star Line or the Ducks Big Kid Line? Sens have had problems with other big, physical forward lines on Pittsburgh and New Jersey. The downside to the Sens speedy, mobile defensemen is that they aren't very big. Likewise, the Sens #2 through #4 lines will be called to produce offense, with all attention on stopping Heatley/Spezza/Alfie. The fact that these two teams are unfamiliar makes this an obvious aspect of interest. Game #1 will reveal much.

Goaltending - Giggy stole games #4 & #5 from the Wings. It goes without saying that a hot goalie can mean a series. Emery must elevate his game.

Special Teams - Sens have ridden their Special Teams to get them where they are now. Big powerplay goals, shorthanded scores, and deadly PK. My main point is that Anaheim probably can't afford un-necessary penalties.

Discipline/Consistency - Night in and night out, the Sens have been turning in very solid effort. They don't get too high or low from a big win or loss or officiating call; at least it doesn't affect their play. The team has been a model of consistency. Sens have not lost their composure. They stick to the game plan, don't force offense, force turnovers, always backcheck to limit opportunities, clear loose rebounds, block shots, and finish checks. More than any single aspect, it is the team's will to win as a single cohesive group, that makes them so tough to beat this playoff. Ducks will probably not get away with inconsistent effort or un-disciplined play in this series (see '07 Buffalo Sabres).

Clarification

...in response to Poo's goaltending analysis. I don't think you can argue that Hasek was "swimming in the crease", 'cause that's what he does. And when you score on him, it looks really bad, like the game winner where he couldn't locate the puck on his back. But that doesn't happen too often. I saw all of his games, while he was with the Sens last season. I've gone on record as saying that the Dominator of old was back last year, before he got hurt at the Olympics. I thought the Wings took a huge gamble on Hasek's health, but his ability wasn't in question. The reason the Wings went deep in the playoffs is Hasek. I am not a fan of the traditional butteryfly style, and tend to hate goalies who use it. But I can't deny that Giggy played well and Hasek looked bad in game 6.

As a matter of style and technique, I prefer the aggressive, positional & athletic goalie. Legacy, Fuhr and Richter are examples of small goaltenders that master angles, skating and positional play; they have to be aggressive to make-up for size. Brodeur is very athletic, making weird jumping saves at times. Kipper is amazing. But the, stay deep in the crease, drop to the knees, just doesn't do it for me.

Next Monday

Looks like it's Sens/Ducks. Wings had their chances in the previous two games, but couldn't capitalize when out-playing the Ducks. I was afraid that the Ducks might come out with something closer to their A-game. They did. It was all Anaheim. Hasek was swimming around on his back. At least the Wings made a game of it. Ending was exciting. The series was pretty fun to watch.

I have already heard predictions of "Ducks in 5", from the Duck 'fans'. "We can shut down the Sens top line." "Pronger and Neidermayer."

Roadies

Solid road game by Anaheim. They came out hard early and got Detroit to take penalties. Then kept the score within one goal, as Detroit took the play to them. Giguere has stolen the last two games. I thought that the Ducks couldn't hold off Detroit's game, if it was a repeat of game #4. Well, I was mistaken. Detroit shot at the ducks 34 times (to 18) but came up like Elmer Fudd. Ducks carried the OT play. Selanne is too good to miss wide open opportunities like that.

CUP FINALS!!!!

YES! Sens dispose of the Sabres in 5 games. Sabres showed-up. Guys were diving for pucks and blocking shots. Similar to the end of game #4. Drury basically forced overtime by blocking an open net during a Sens powerplay. My problem with this is; where was the intensity all among? Sens have played that way from game #1 (against the Penguins). Definitely a case of too little, too late.

Very appropriate payback from last year. The high flying, high scoring, President's Trophy winning team, bows out in 5 games; sounds familiar... Also, love the personal redemption for Alfredsson. Game winner, with Pommenville on the ice.

I feel for Miller and Drury, those guys played hard. I like both players. But I knew the Sens had a great chance of taking the game when Drury caught a puck in the face, by his own team no less, and wasn't out there for the start of OT. He's a gamer, and none of the other Sabres followed his lead until it was too late.

Senators by a nose?

Rant. NBC sucks. I missed the end of the Senator's game since it went into overtime and horseracing was more important. At least Versus carries the WHOLE game. Mind you, I realize where hockey stands in the popularity/profitability of sports in the US. But, 'cmon, this was an elimination game in the Eastern Conference Final. And a pretty exciting game, right up to the OT. It bums me out, since I pay for the Season Pass and can't even see the end of an important playoff game.

Lucky

What a game. Ducks came out hard and had a two goal lead in the first. But the game was all Detroit from there. Ducks continue to take stupid penalites and got the Red Wings right back in the game. Giggy was up to the task, as Detroit got their 39 shots and numerous chances. Double screen powerplay goal was the winner for Anaheim, don't think Hasek ever saw the shot. Ducks displayed a lot of heart, but not much discipline. They can't do that the rest of the series and expect to win...

I've enjoyed this year's playoff games quite a bit. Mostly, because the Senators and Wings are in their respective conference finals. But the games have been entertaining. A lot of lead changes, late period goals, pulled-goaltender game tying goals, double overtimes, and exciting shutouts(!?). Old NHL featured slow, low scoring games, where the first team to score at all, always won. I think the big difference is that there are more scoring chances overall. Might just be me, but that's what I've seen so far.

9 seconds

I'm a little depressed this morning.... Well, that wasn't so good. Right from the opening bell, the Sabres had life scoring an improbable 9 seconds into the game. Powerplay goal 5-on-3. Then Emery let in a rather lame breakout goal. 0-3. Sens battled back, but weren't as sharp as normal. They had a major surge late in the second and got two goals back. 2-3. Sabres came out to play for the start of the third, but it was still mostly Ottawa. 15 shots in the 3rd, I believe. Two were off the crossbar. Miller held the fort. A late high stick by Heater, made any late comeback that much tougher.

Sabres finally got some bounces, and they were long over due. Their powerplay finally scored. Sabres showed some heart and were playing desperate and blocking shots. I think they had 18. I noticed that Lindy shortened the bench defensively, giving 4 guys the bulk of the minutes.

Things are back on track for the Sabres, right? Probably not. Sens still managed to outshoot the Sabres: 33 to 22. Add the blocked shots. 51 pucks heading toward the net. That's Red Wings territory. Not bad for an 'off' game by the Senators. If anything, it will inspire the boys to play hard from the first second of the game. Sens don't need any adjustments, just show up ready on Saturday.

Dismantling

5-0 dismantling of the Ducks. Wings did everything right and were disciplined. Anaheim was not. Too many consecutive bad penalties. Going head hunting with the game out of reach 4-0 was cheap. Fortunately, Homer was not seriously injured and came back to play; and finish off a fine game for him.

Cruisin'

The Ensenada Cruise was awesome! Alisia and I had a solid 36 hours of relaxing. The weather was perfect, not too hot or too cold. Dinners on the ship were very good. We even got dressed-up for the formal night. I have to work off 5 extra pounds from eating so much though...

3-0

Sweep? It's certainly possible, but unthinkable about a week ago.

Game #1 was a nailbiter. Sens came out of the gate hard and put up two quick goals. Sabres answered with two and it was tied going into the third. This was the series I had expected, no lead was safe. Well, three unanswered goals later it was a 5-2 Senators mauling. Game winner by none other than Saprykin? I think it was his only shot in the game. Speaking of which, the Sabres had only 20 shots, with 5 coming in the third. Sabres 0-5 on the power play. Senators 2-6 & a shorthander by Fisher.

Tonight I watched the sweetest 4 hours of hockey yet. I managed to not see the score for Saturday's game, which wasn't too difficult being out at sea or in Mexico. But resisted online temptation at work and was rewarded. Sabres clearly didn't want to drop two games at home, and came out flying. An early Sabres goal was disallowed because it was directed in with a glove. Whew, that was a good sign. But the Sabres scoring two goals after that was not. 15 shots in the first. All Sabres. Alfie scores on a sweet 3-on-2 play to cut it to 1-2 before the intermission. Senators re-grouped, scored 2 powerplay goals in the second, to lead 3-2. Sens control play all of the third period. Yes! My boys are going up 2-0. Not quite. Briere scores a tap in goal with 6 seconds left to force overtime! Sens re-group (again) and control most of the play for the first OT. Corvo scores in double-overtime. Once again, Sabres 0-7 on the powerplay, Senators 2-4. Sabres managed to out-shoot Ottawa, but most of that was due to their inspired first period. Fisher, Volchenkov and Schubert had some highlight reel hits. Emery had some huge saves.

Second part of tonight's matinee was the Senators first home game of the series. It was a tight game, like the others. But the Senators controlled play for the most part. Miller kept it close and it probably shouldn't have been. The numbers tell the story. Sabres: 15 shots, 17 hits, 0-6 on the powerplay. Senators: 32 shots, 26 hits. Emery got the shutout, but wasn't even voted one of the three stars! It was Alfredsson, Redden & Miller. Not sure what Lindy is telling his troops, but they looked a little confused tonight.

Sabres are in a deep hole, down 3-0. I honestly didn't expect that. Game #2 was a bounce either way, once it got into OT. But Games #1 & #3 were all about the Sens defensive corps, team defense, and forechecking. I think the absence of the Sabres powerplay added to their situation. Miller is doing his job, but you have to score to win.

Amp'd

Totally amped about tonight's game! It will be hard to focus. I still need to pack for our cruise and Barbara is coming in to town to watch Kalea & Kalani. Right now, I'm considering waiting to watch the game after we get everything packed and settled. Plus, I can speed through the intermissions and commercials at TIVO speed. I am also trying to figure out how to watch game #2. We will be in Ensenada and getting back on the ship when the game starts. Maybe there's a sports bar on the ship? I think Alisia will be understanding, since it's the playoffs, right?

Quiet

Here's the playoff beard. Haven't heard much from Poo since his Penguins went down in Round #1. I am also up on him for round #2. As Sens, Sabres, Ducks and soon Wings will be in their respective Conference Finals. I figure, even if the Sharks win, that makes it 100% chance for the Senators to be in California for the Cup Finals, after they beat the Sabres....

Eastern Conference Final is Final

Rangers are done. So, it is Senators/Sabres. This is the matchup I've been waiting for. The regular season saw some great games between these two teams. I will get to the point and say the Senators are winning the series.

Sabres weren't too impressive in the Islanders series and were pushed pretty hard by the Rangers. If not for Miller, the Sabres would be golfing right now. But I think it was a case of playing down to your opponent and roster changes from injuries. Sabres know what they are in for and should show up for this series. The other rounds no longer matter.

It is such a great matchup. Both teams feature great depth, incredible skill, defensive scoring, goaltending, and skating. I think the physical edge goes to Ottawa. Sens have checking machines in Neil, Fisher, Volchenkov & Schubert. Skill edge is even, both teams have two lines that can score highlight reel goals and get production from the 3rd and 4th lines. A lot has been said of the Sabres 4th line. It is solid. But the combined strength of Ottawa's 3rd & 4th line equalizes it out. Both teams have defensive scoring and can move the puck up quickly. Speed factor goes to Buffalo, only Anaheim has anything close to the speed of the Sabres. I see the Sabres generating most of their chances off the rush, and the Senators from cycling down low. Goaltending edge goes to Miller. I am a huge Emery fan, and he has elevated his game with each series. But I think Miller is playing better right now.

Not to be too cliche, but special teams will probably make the difference. Both teams have excellent powerplay and penalty kill. Sabres are not hitting on all cylinders on their powerplay and Ottawa's special teams have been excellent, especially the penalty kill. But beside that, I think they are even. Any advantage in this area will be huge.

Bad blood factor will be hyped, but not applicable. No one will take chances with stupid penalties when the stakes are this high. I don't see anyone going after Neil for past hits on Drury or Connolly. Emery will not get in a fight (but that would be kewl to see). But any and all physical play will be hyped-up by the telecasters.

Injuries could be the difference. Neil hurt his knee in game #5. Eaves has not returned since the Penguins series. It may seem wacky for me to say that injuries to 4th line players will hurt Ottawa. But Neil and Eaves are basically Sean Avery with less playing time. They hit everything and create chances through physical play. This cannot be understated in the playoffs. I hope they are both ready to go and at full effectiveness.

Go Sens!

YES!

Senators are in the Eastern Conference Final. I think the very hyped match-ups of super offensively talented Pittsburgh and uber-defensive New Jersey were a little overblown. Still, I think the Senators are playing well. Brodeur seems to have worn down from the regular season, as his play against Tampa and Ottawa would suggest. Simply not characteristic of him to let in such soft goals, especially in the playoffs. I feel for him, but fortunately his record and even recent play this year suggest it was an anomaly. Any other goaltender with a lesser resume would be questioned the rest of his career.
So far, the key for Ottawa seems to be balance. Solid play from four lines and two-way play from everyone. Emery is getting better each series. Now, it is a matter of waiting for the Rangers or Sabres.

*WHEW*

Huge games last night. It goes without saying that game #4 is all important. Just past mid-way for a 7 game series. No sweeps in this round. That leaves 3-1 or 2-2. Wings came back in nail-biting fashion. I think they got close to 50 shots again. Late goal by Lang tied the game. I watched Lang well before his Detroit time or even when he put big points up in Washington, we're talking LA Kings in the mid-late 90's. Why? Only because he wore #13. I think the Wings had to have game #4. Statistically, going down 3-1 is big trouble. As-in less than 10% come-back ratio, trouble. Speaking of 2-2 series, I think the Rangers will be glad to take their chances in a three game series with Buffalo. Go Rangers.?!

Sens got a huge win! I was shocked that Brodeur gave up soft goals in such an important game. Yes, Emery finally out-played Brodeur. Interesting, that both goalies had a assist in the game. Devils had powerplay chances early and mounted some attack in the second period, but it was otherwise mostly Senators. All my favorite guys got on the board: Alfredsson, Heatley & Fisher. Finally, Fisher gets a goal in the playoffs. He's been playing really well, just not getting it in the net. I had mentioned to Grant that I was hoping to NOT have a game to watch on Monday, when the new TV gets delivered. Hopefully, the Sens can close the series out on Saturday. At least they are in good position.