Ottawa's Consensus

What Does a Healthy Senators Team Look Like?

2010-11-05T12:38:00.004-04:00

Let me first dust off the cobwebs in here. Its been a while, but its tough to write blogs in midterm season (even though its a tempting distraction), and the fact that the Senators didn't get off to the smoothest of starts made it tough to sit down and type something, because Sens fans provide enough negativity.

With that out of the way, let's conceptualize what a healthy Ottawa Senators team looks like.

Now, I understand injuries happen, and heading into the season, they were a big concern for Sens fans. Sure, this team has some talent, but as is beaten to death, that talent is either aging (Gonchar, Alfie, Kovalev, Phillips) or injury prone (Spezza, Michalek, Fisher, Kuba, Leclaire).

Looking closely at these names, you'll see they arent just names. They constitute 5/6 of our top six forwards and 3/4 of our top 4 defencemen, not to mention our "starting" goaltender.

That's nothing to sneeze at (and please, don't sneeze at Pascal, he's delicate). Due to these injuries, the Sens have had trouble finding chemistry and consistency (its no coincidence that our fans "favourite line", the Kelly line, has been together, without injury for most of the last year).

Now, on paper, a healthy Sens team should compete in the East, and finish in the 4-6 spot, or so I believe, but thats not what I want to debate. I just want to excite you with that paper line up. So here is how I see it shaking down when the gentlemen nursing injuries come back.

Forwards

1) Regin--Spezza--Kovy

People have been calling for the Regin-Spezza combination all year, and in the last few games, Regin has started putting up points, which is positive for this team going forward. Kovy always plays better with Regin and has played quite well of late. Spezza is a player who is supposed to elevate those around him, if he can this line becomes crucial to this teams success, because it allows a second line of...

2) Michalek--Fisher--Alfie

While Spezza was out, this was our top line, and they played like it. They put up strong numbers, and I think Michaleks game is more suited to Fisher than to Spezza. (Oakes always says Michalek is the only 25 goal scorer in the league that can't take or make a pass). While the first line is all creativity, this line generates chances off the cycle, and through hard work. It is also a good line defensively. But this line produced against the top defensive assignment before, think of what they can do against second tier defence. Salivate. Repeat.

3) Ruutu--Kelly--Neil

The chemistry here is undeniable. They play well together, simple as that. This line brings consistency, hard work, physical play, zone time and occasionally some offence. They are the best third-and-a-half line in the NHL.

4) Foligno-Winchester-Shannon

Now, in the summer I advocated for Zach Smith, and in the preseason, this looked justified. He just hasn't played his game this year, and thats a shame. I'm hoping this line invokes shades of the famous Foligno-Fisher-Shannon line that got Cory Clouston a job. Winchester doesnt have the offensive skill-set of Fisher, but is a hard worker, north-south type of player. The FFS line were the masters of the cycle and generated off of it. If this line can do the same, this team can be a true 4 line team, which will hopefully minimize the injuries up front.

Defence

1) Phillips-Gonchar

I've loved Gonchar's game and Phillips has struggled, but these veterans know how to play, and they are our best. Keep them together and let Chris develop some chemistry. Gonchar played best in Pittsburgh with Brooks Orpik (in my mind a similar player to our Big Rig) so, here's hoping Phillips can learn to play with the offensive juggernaught (always wanted to use that word)

2) Karlsson-Kuba

Oh sweet Jesus I never thought I'd be so happy to see Kuba back. He is bashed for a lot of things, but he will help stabilize the defense, and hopefully will have a similar effect on Karlsson as Mr. Hale has. Speaking of King K, he is starting to round into form and I'm not worried about him one bit. Period

3) Carkner-Campoli

Really pleased with Campoli this season, and a fine point was made by a commenter on another blog. What if he was playing with someone other than Carkner and on the first unit PP? We would all be talking about him. As is, he is rounding into a fine defenceman. As for Carks, hopefully we'll see the steady Carks we saw last year when he is back playing more comfortable 3rd line minutes.

Goalie

At this point its a crapshoot. Before Pascal went down he was a lone brightspot and Ells was awful. In the last few games, Ells is winning, and it seems, once again, that Pascal has lost the starting job due to injuries. As long as we aren't losing games because of our goaltending, I don't care who plays here anymore.

So, what do you think? Does this line up presented before you make you a little more excited? Or will you believe it when you see it?

The Captain #11, Daniel Alfredsson

2010-10-23T10:55:00.003-04:00

There are no words that I can write to adequately honour this man. We are all blessed to have him leading our team. Congratulations sir.

In Pascal, We Trust

2010-10-14T11:59:00.002-04:00

Or at least some of us do.

As I'm sure many of you already have read, two (somewhat) contradictory things have come from Cory Clouston in the last two days regarding Pascal Leclaire;

1) To paraphrase, he was disappointed that Pascal didn't save what he viewed as a weak shot by Alex Ovechkin, that Ovie didn't get much behind the shot, and that it needed to be saved.

2) That Pascal will start his 4th straight game tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Now, I love CiCi just as much as the next Sens fan (though he is starting to take some serious flack, over at The 6th Sens and SenSay) but I don't agree with one of those decisions.

And for me, it was throwing Pascal under the bus. I was at the opener against Buffalo (with Oakes) and we were sitting front row. The Sens did not play well (not as bad as they did against the Leafs, but not well). Pascal was shaky to start the game, but played very well as it went on. Watching the Caps game the other night, he again played very well, and for once, the consensus around this team is that he has been our best player.

So why throw him under the bus? He already felt terrible about the goal, and there are many other guys to blame for the game (Brian Lee wandering into Campoli's corner and leaving Semin WIDE OPEN?), so why do it?

I think it was heat of the moment. I think Cory thought we were thirty seconds away from a shootout where anything can happen and it was snatched away. That is why he deserves a round of applause for putting Pascal in tonight, and recognizing the importance of him getting into a groove.

The Sens have a chance tonight to get their first win, and Pascal has earned the right to be the goalie to get that first win.

Right now, I believe in Pascal.

Do you?

Ridiculous Excited

2010-09-29T11:50:00.002-04:00

Now that the first round of cuts has been made by the Sens (which you can find here, if you haven't yet), things are starting to get a little more serious, and therefore a little more exciting.

With some of the guns in the line-up, we lit up the Habs, so with a roster that is by my estimation 75% of our starting line-up, I'm really excited to see how we play the Leafers tonight.

The game last night in Dundas was a cute idea, but I personally am glad we sent a Micky Mouse lineup. The ice surface was just too small, no room to move, and we just didnt need to risk having some of our top guys getting hurt in a game like that.

Now for tonight's game, the lineup, according to the Sens Twitter feed, looks like this

Michalek-Spezza-Alfie

Foligno-Fisher-Kovalev

Regin-Smith-Butler

Lessard-Bass-Keller

Gonchar-Campoli

Cowen-Karlsson

Weircoch-Carkner

Leclaire

So what about this excites me? Well aside from this being the first game where we will see all of our top 6 in the same game, there are a few things that make me salivate a little bit.

COWEN-KARLSSON

This should excite every one of you. This is most likely our top d-pairing in the coming years. Cowen, if he plays his game, should provide a physical presence in front of the net, while Karlsson can move the puck with the best of them. What I like about this pairing is they cover off each other's weaknesses. Karlsson obviously isn't very physical, and most complaints about Cowen so far have been about his decisions with the puck. Also, in Spokane, Cowen played with a smaller, more offensive player.

REGIN-SMITH-BUTLER

In a dream world for me, this is my third line to start the season. I know I will be crucified, but I think Kelly's line could split equal time with this line depending on what the game calls for. If the Sens need an infusion of offence, a line like this is MUCH more likely to produce it when compared to Kelly's line or a line of Winchester-Smith-Regin/Foligno. Hopefully this line has an unreal game tonight giving Clouston something to think about.

POWERPLAY

We are playing the Leafs, so chances are, one or two penalties will be taken. When that happens, I'm excited to see the powerplay on a few levels. Every forward expected to see PP time this year is in the lineup tonight, in addition to QBs Karlsson and Gonchar. With Campoli and Weircoch (how unreal was that shot last night btw?) on the second unit, we could see a preview of how the Sens will win games this year tonight.

LECLAIRE

Leclaire for 60 minutes with a pretty decent lineup in front of him. Hopefully he can play better than Elliott did against these same Leafs last week.

Some Point Form Thoughts on the First Two Preseason Games

2010-09-23T11:45:00.003-04:00

Now that the Sens (or the team we put on the ice and called the Sens) have played a couple games, both of which we have been able to watch on TV (seriously, preseason games on tv?! SO sweet), its time for what I have noticed!

ROOKIES

--All eyes have been on the rookies; J-Cow, Wick, Butler, Weircoch, Hoffman and Lehner, and they have each performed to a different level.

--Wick seems a little tentative out there, and doesn't seem to be getting a ton of minutes. He did, however look quite good at the end of the last game on the powerplay with Regin, Karlsson et al.

--Butler seems like he needs a year in the AHL to polish off his game, but he looks like he has a real solid future for the Sens. He is not afraid to fire the puck, and hopefully some of those will go in soon.

--Lehner is making it exceptionally hard to NOT overhype him. In a market starving for a saviour between the pipes, he is making us drool.

--Jared Cowen looked average in the first game, but in the second game I thought was one of the Sens' best defenceman. Positionally he is excellent, he uses his size to win battles, blocks shots, and generally looks good, especially on a pairing with Karlsson. Only thing he needs to work on is making quicker decisions, and unfortunately, he can't learn that in the WHL.

--Weircoch looks dangerous on the powerplay. With him running the powerplay in Bingo this year, they should see some success.

--Hoffman looks a little overwhelmed out there, which is odd considering how well he played in the rookie tournament. He is a project (which isn't a slight against him, being a 5th rounder) and given time in the minors he may be a scorer for us some day, just not today.

VETERANS

--Simply put, Brian Elliott should NOT have let in the second or third goals last night, that essentially put the game away. Here's hoping he is just rusty, because that was bad.

--Chris Kelly looked excellent on Tuesday, as did Chris Neil. If they can pick up where they left off at the end of last year, that's excellent news for the Sens.

--Nick Foligno looks like a man possessed. Everyone has Peter Regin pencilled into the top 6, but Nicky is going to give him a run for his money.

--Zach Smith is a monster out there. He is totally confident and is playing very well. He is, in my mind, an absolute lock for the big club.

--Ryan Shannon (who took a BRUTAL elbow) doesn't look be to impressing me. He is really leaving the door open for Smith, Butler and Wick.

--Winchester looks much better than he has in previous years, but is in my opinion working from a more limited skill set than a guy like Zach Smith.

--Brian Lee sucks. Period. He doesn't do anything particularly well, loses battles, gives the puck away, its bad. I was hoping to see him step up and grab Kuba's spot, but God help us if it has to be him to fill it now.

--Guys like Hale and Benoit have played well and should really help an improved Bingo team this year.

--Karlsson is the man. He is so smooth and confident. I didn't like that he got beat to the outside by Kessel and Kulemin, but it was his first game, and those boys can flat out fly.

I think that's about all of my thoughts so far. Looking ahead, I'm excited to see some of the big boys play, and interested in seeing Gryba compared to Cowen, because to me, that's the battle for Kuba's spot right now.

What have you noticed? Who has impressed you?

Bobby Mac, You've Earned My Respect

2010-09-18T01:01:00.003-04:00

I cannot imagine that there is anyone who reads this blog that does NOT read TSN.ca or other places that this has been posted, but if you have not yet read this, please, do it.

Its a long read, but it is incredibly touching and well written, and for somebody that I felt seemed snobby when he was here for the Stanley Cup Finals, I have sure changed my opinion of him slightly.

So here is the link, Bob MacKenzie on Pat Burns.

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/bob_mckenzie/?id=334094

Enjoy.

More Sens tomorrow.

Remember That Hockey Thing? It's Right Around the Corner

2010-09-16T10:25:00.003-04:00

That's right, the newest version of the Ottawa Senators will open their pre-season on the 21 of September against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

That's only five days away.

This has me, well, decidedly more excited than just about anything else in the world right now. For serious.

Pre-season is a fun time of year for me, because historically I've been someone who gets really excited about young players, and I like that they get mixed into the games along side veterans and give us a taste of what it will be like when they finally make it to the show.

Now for every Erik Karlsson, who had his highlight reel assist, banked off the boards from two zones away against the Bruins last year (which I couldn't find on youtube), there is a Brandon Bochenski. But at the end of the day, after watching the final game of the rookie tournament, I'm interested in seeing how those kids do on a line with Jason Spezza, or in a pairing with Chris Phillips.

The obvious ones that we will all be watching of course are Butler, Wick, Hoffman, Gryba, Weircoch and Cowen. But even a kid like Jakob Culek intrigues me, and I'd love to see how far off he is from being a professional, or if he will end up a professional at all.

Because the fact is, this is a league that has been taken over by young players. Every year the top 4 or 5 scorers are not over thirty, and many of them are closer to 25. This has become a league where one year you are playing major junior, and the next you are counted on to be a top contributor on a professional NHL team (like Tavares and Duchene of last year).

So watching how these young players fit in with the existing group of veterans and existing systems at the NHL level, even in pre-season is both interesting and important.

Me? I'm intrigued most by Roman Wick, so that's who I will be watching closest.

Who do you have your eye on in training camp?

So Rookie Camps Are Fun, but Are There Any Spots?

2010-09-12T15:48:00.004-04:00

As of this writing, the Ottawa Rookie Senators are currently winning 7-3 in the third period to Chicago's rookies. Yesterday, the Rookie Sens lost to Pittsburgh 5-3.

One very bright spot in the loss to Pittsburgh was the play of Bobby Butler, who picked up two goals and was all over the ice, having excellent chemistry with Mike Hoffman.

BOBBY BUTLER

Click Here for Video

Bobby Butler, the Hobby Baker finalist and top NCAA player from last season is a player the management are very high on, and who looked quite promising in two games last year. Bryan Murray describes him as a very smart player who is "a goal scorer". We know he can put the puck in the net at the collegiate level with 29 goals in his last year, and appears to be able to put the puck in against his prospect-peers.

So the question is simple, can he do the same at the NHL level? Oakes did a sweet piece back when the Sens first signed him that can be found here, that talks about what we might be able to expect.

ROMAN WICK

Another, exceedingly intriguing prospect is Roman Wick. A similar type of player to Butler in that he is an offensive winger (an area where the Sens are not so deep), Wick is a prospect from the past. He was brought back into the consciousness of the fanbase while playing for the Swiss at the Olympics. He is big, strong and could look good on a line with someone like Milan Michalek.

The question with him is, can he bring the success from the Swiss League, playing for the Kloten Flyers, to North America? And if he cannot right away, how long is he willing to stay here improving in the AHL?

Now I would say these are the two most NHL-ready forward prospects the Sens have (assuming, as I do, that Zach Smith is a lock for the 4th line, and is therefore not a prospect), and they are exciting because they offer at the chance for some offence. But is there even a roster spot for either of these gentlemen?

Well let's look at the roster. Under one-way forward contracts, the Sens currently have

Spezza, Kovalev, Alfie, Fisher, Michalek, Regin, Kelly, Ruutu, Neil, Winchester, Shannon, Foligno.

That's twelve, and technically, that's all you need. But if you remember, I said I believe Z. Smith is our fourth line centre, so now we are at 13, which is the number most teams carry. So let's look at line combos with these thirteen.

Regin--Spezza--Alfie

9MM--Fish--Kovy

Ruutu--Kelly--Neil

Foligno--Z.Smith--Shannon

Winchester

This is, in all likelihood, the most safe bet as to how the lines will start this season. I'm not Winchesters biggest fan, I think Z.Smith does everything Winchester does, only better and with more intensity. I'm also not a huge Shannon fan.

So in reality, in Training Camp, Wick or Butler only has to outplay Ryan Shannon for a roster spot.

Now there are pros and cons to this. Would Butler and Wick benefit from 4th line duty? Or is it better to give them more minutes at the AHL level and use them for injury call-ups (remembering that Locke and Keller will also be in line for call-ups)? In addition both players need new contracts after this year, and you want to keep them happy and around for the not-so-distant future when Kovalev and Alfie retire leaving huge holes in the top six for wingers.

So how do you handle these two young players?

Remember Us? Well Like Our Team, We've Got Something To Say

2010-09-09T20:02:00.004-04:00

Remember us?

We're a little blog that started up in March of last year. Followed the team down the stretch and into the playoffs and like the Sens, after a little break for the summer, we are back and ridiculously pumped to see how this year's version of the Ottawa Senators tackles the NHL from Pre-Season until Post-Season.

I say UNTIL Post-Season because I am sure (like Dion Phaneuf about his Leafs, but better looking and probably smarter) that this year's team is as good if not significantly more dangerous than last season's version.

THN says 10th in the East. Tenth. From a leading hockey publication. Pre-season NHL power rankings over at TSN aren't complete but I'll put money that the Sens barely crack the top 20 in their esteemed opinion.

And yet there is optimism among Sens fans. Look over at SensChirp and he says second in the East. Yost? He thinks the Sens need Thomas Vokoun to do it, but predicts a second round appearance. Canucnik goes as far as to call the Sens the BEST TEAM IN THE EAST. "Bar none".

So how could there be such a divide between the "experts" and the true fans in the blogs and message boards? Homerism and Kool-Aid gone wild?

Maybe.

Or maybe because the Sens don't have the sexiest, most exciting team in the league, so most people don't bother to look twice at the talent assembled here.

We don't have a Crosby or Ovechkin. Hell we don't even have a Kovalchuk, Luongo, pair of Twins or a Stamkos.

We don't have highly touted young stars like Doughty, Toews, Kane, Duchene or Ryan.

We don't have a fancy exciting starting goalie like King Lundqvist, Miller or Halak.

But does this mean we aren't a talented team?

The exact opposite actually.

We instead have a 26 year old true point per game centre, the longest serving captain in the league (who is 3rd in points since the millennium), the 2008 NHL shutout leader, the leader in rookie scoring for the first round of the playoffs, and the 2nd highest scoring defenceman since the lock-out.

Not to mention the supporting cast.

Kovalev? One of the most skilled players around, his SKILL cannot be argued.

Regin? Couldn't be contained in the playoffs.

Michalek? Couldnt be contained at the beginning of the year before losing his centreman and his knee.

Fisher? A serious consideration for the Men's Olympic team playing with Kovy last year.

KellRuutNeil? A third line that gave the Penguins absolute fits.

The Big Rig? The better, more steady half of Philchenkov. How do you think Volchy was able to go out of position to block all those shots and make those hits?

Get the point yet?

Look, I'm not saying we have the best team in the East. I'm not even saying we will finish second. My honest opinion is 3rd or 4th. I think Gonchar frees up room for Kovy and Spezza on the PP, I think Leclaire has a career year knowing that if he doesn't his career is over and I think that Karlsson produces at the pace he did at the end of last year.

Or we could end up with injuries. But I think healthy, this is a fantastic, VERY dangerous team, and I'm actually starting to enjoy that everyone else doesn't notice.

It'll feel better when we rub it in their faces later. The high octane Sens are back, and we're back. Now let's get some hockey discussion going on here, and let's get this season started.

Here's the Deal on that Shocking Deal

2010-06-25T23:10:00.003-04:00

I will start by saying one thing.

As much as we bleed red, black and gold and love our team, none of us has been in the NHL in SOME capacity for the better part of 3 decades.

Bryan Murray has.

The fact is, in a league with such short attention spans, and such changeover in management and coaching personnel, that is quite a feat. This leads me to believe he knows more about running an NHL team than I, or any person who frequents blogs and/or writes blogs does.

So let's look at this.

From his comments, The Bryan probably wanted Jaden Schwartz. The young talented USHL'er went much higher in the draft than many thought that he would go, but is the young forward that the Sens could very well have been targeting. Ironically the Blues picked him at the 14th spot, so Murray was Shit-Outta-Luck.

Now, with the prospects Murray has picked (trading up to get Karlsson when he was relatively unknown, getting Lehner and Weircoch second round, getting Hoffman 5th round) I tend to trust him and his scouting staff.

It is possible he saw Emmerson Etem and Austin Watson as nothing more than future third line NHL'ers, and while I love the Senators from the bottom of my heart, the Senators have more "bottom six" players than any team in the league, so picking another does not make sense.

It is also true that he was wary of taking Russians after the Sens have been royally screwed by Russian prospects in our recent history (Zubov, Kaigorodov, Nikulin etc, etc)

So he gets a call from the Blues. They have Pietrangelo, and a need for forwards. They already have a good, safe pick in Schwartz, but they are feeling risky and want to use another first round choice on Tarasenko (easily the best player still available, but one Murray is afraid of). So what does Murray do? He gets another FANTASTIC Swedish defenceman (and you know how much we liked the first one) who is one year farther in his development, has size and would have gone before the likes of Dylan McILRATH and Derek Forbert.

So what is everyone up in arms about?

I believe in Bryan Murray, and I believe that in a few years I will be looking at a top four D of:

Cowen (6'6) - Karlsson (5'11)

Weircoch (6'5) - Runblad (6'2)

That has great mobility, great offence from the back end and good size. I also believe that this means

Bryan thinks that Butler, Wick, Hoffman and Petersson are good offensive prospects or that

he has his eye on somebody later in the draft that nobody else has seen.

Either way, we look strong on D and in nets (Lehner) for the foreseeable future. With Jason Spezza,

Milan Michalek and Mike Fisher leading the next group of Sens forwards, I for one, am excited.

Aren't you?

Drafty Time-Emerson Etem

2010-06-02T11:40:00.004-04:00

Well after weeks of mourning the loss of the Senators Season, I, like many of my blogosphere brethren, have come out of hibernation to start talking about the most exciting day in hockey (for me at least).

The Draft.

Now I say its the most exciting day in hockey because the playoffs are not just a day, they are months long, deadline day is always kind of disappointing, as is July 1st.

For me the draft is the most exciting because I love young players. I think they are exciting, I think they provide hope. Not to mention plenty of deals go down at draft day itself.

Thanks to the ridiculous run of the Jaro Halak's (might as well call them that), the Senators will in fact be picking 16th overall and the consensus is they will be looking for a forward.

Now, we could pretend that all GM's are idiots and that Nino Niederreiter or Mikael Granlund will still be around 6-8 spots AFTER they are projected to go, or we can start looking at some real possibilities. One that intrigues me is Emerson Etem.

Emerson is a 6'0 190lbs natural centre that can play the wing. He was born in SoCal, but played junior hockey in Medicine Hat. The Hockey News has him projected to go 17th overall.

According to their draft preview, Emerson has all world speed, and has offensive tools, he just needs to refine them. However, he DID score 37 goals as a rookie in the WHL this year. The hockey news says that he will translate into a good two-way forward in the future, but I think he has the capability to be a good offensive prospect for the Senators.

The Senators website has an excellent article you can find here that talks about him, and I will leave you with the Top Ten Goals scored by the medicine hat tigers this year, and keep an eye out for Etem in a few of them.

So, what do you think? Is he a good fit? I will be looking at other players, but he has caught my eye first.

Off Season Planning: If I was The Bryan!

2010-05-10T22:15:00.005-04:00

Like I said, I submitted my thoughts on what ideally the Sens should do this offseason to The 6th Sens, and if you didnt get a chance to read it, DO it! Its awesome. For the few of you who do not get here by way of that beautiful site, this is what I had to say!

Here's how I see the summer unfolding for the sens. As a preface, Im not trading Spezza (the idea is ludicrous, you'd never get full value for him, and Ottawa won't support a bottom feeder for 5 years a la Pittsburgh/Chicago) and I'm not signing Volchenkov. I've made my opinions clear on his contract before, and I cannot bear the thought of him turning into the next Jay McKee.

So this is what I'd do:

1) Let Volchy walk, and go out and sign another, defensive minded defenceman who blocks shots but has slightly more offensive upside than Anton. The only person who comes to mind from this years crop is Zbynek Michalek. At 28 he is the same age as Anton and his career high in goals is nine, not 4. The other nice thing about Little Z as they call him is that he made 1.25 this year. I say sign him to 4 years, 3 mil per and move on with two Michaleks on the team. (NOTE: also would be open to signing Dennis Seidenberg, who is strong at both ends of the ice, but I feel he may be a touch more expensive)

2) Let Cheech play in the minors. The Euge has shown he is willing to do this in the past, and there is no sense having him count against the cap for two more seasons when he can be off the payroll after this year. Remember buyouts count against the cap for twice the remainder of the contract, and that hinders further moves.

3) Offer Matt Cullen what he made this year (2.8) for another 2 years. At his age, that's not bad, and the worst that can happen is he says no.

4) Sign Peter Regin, Nick Foligno and Chris Campoli. I KNOW. But Chris played a good playoffs and at this point he gets a tiny raise (to 0.7 mil) from us, or probably doesn't get a contract. Fact is, he is better than Brian Lee. Period. (Note: Peter Regin 3 year 1.4 mil, foligno 3 year 1.2 mil)

5) Pile all of our awesome Murray draft picks that are playing all over the place in one place: BINGO. Let them learn to play together and for them all to develop together. Give Cowen and Weircoch top minutes in all situations and let Mike Hoffman and Peterson et al play to their hearts content down there. Don't forget Lehner as the starter.

This leaves us with a similar but not same lineup as we finished with, but with some great prospects on the way. I'd like to see a forward selected first round who can also make the jump to the "A" but thats wishful thinking...

LINES

1) Regin-Spezza-Alfie (why tinker with it, and check out the depth it gives)
2A) Foligno-Fisher-Kovalev (or shannon til Kovy is healthy)
2B) Michalek-Cullen-Butler
4) Ruutu-Kelly-Neil

Phillips-Karlsson (the kid is the future, give him big minutes and let the big rig guide him)
Kuba-Michalek
Carkner-Campoli

The goalies are the same.

Cap is about 200k below cap. Beauty right? this summer isn't going to be one of huge changes, that's next year when all sorts of contracts come off the book. I love this forward line-up, its really deep and dynamic.

So there you have it! What would you do if you were The Bryan?

Off Season Time; If We Were the GM's

2010-05-05T00:24:00.002-04:00

Sorry about not doing the other two parts to my season post mortem. The wound was too fresh, and less people were popping by now that the season was done. Fact is, I think the season was a success. I showed the experience reason.

The other two are quite simple. Beginning of the year, not much was expected of the team, with the loss of Heatley and coming off a poor year. And yet they made it to the 5th seed and gave the defending champs (who have a clear road to another final) all they could handle. SO based on preseason expectations, the team had a successful season, and as long as they keep moving on up, I'll continue to feel that way.

The last way is also simple. Character. With the types of injuries the team was faced with this season, their finish was remarkable. Every key player on this team was injured for some stretch this year, with the exception of maybe Mike Fisher. ( NOTE: Chris Phillips also would be counted, but then we found out he is having surgery, so he was playing hurt)

Spezza for 20 games, Alfie for 20 games, Kuba half the season, Volchenkov 10 games, Kovalev AND Michalek for 10 games plus playoffs, Leclaire, Foligno, Karlsson.... The list goes on. Fact is through all that we made the best of it, and Im proud of them.

So for me the season was a success, what about the offseason?

The Sixth Sens (where many of you come from to get here) have a great idea to get offseason plans from around the blogosphere and put them all together. I think it's awesome, and I submitted mine tonight! So keep an eye out for that, and feel free to leave your plan in the comments section here, or at the Sixth Sens!

Post Mortem Part I: Experience

2010-04-26T13:26:00.008-04:00

The picture above can be found on the home page of the Ottawa Senators homepage, a salute to fans for supporting the team this year. I also want to say, to the few of you who have started to come by, thank you so much, and I hope you are enjoying what you see here. I plan on posting things periodically in the summer, some stop by when you are in need of a sens fix!! Now, on to business....

The year is over, the series is over. While many are quick to call the Ottawa Senators "chokers" (Im looking at you Allen Panzieri) I am going to make the argument that this year was a success. I will use three points over the next three days (so that it isnt too long all at once); experience, expectations, and character.

EXPERIENCE

No coach comes in in their first year and wins the Stanley Cup (unless you take over a team with Crosby and Malkin, but seriously, I could coach those guys). Cory Clouston, since taking over this team, has begun to put his stamp on the organization. He is a no-nonsense guy who is loyal to his players and his system. Was he perfect this year? Absolutely not. He made mistakes. His love for Ryan Shannon, and his throwing Pascal under the bus too many times come to mind, but overall, he did a great job, and now that he has been to the post season with this group, and played the champs, he should have an idea of what he needs to change for next year.

In addition, the playoffs were a coming out party for some rookies who will have a very important place on this team for years. I have said before on this site that going forward, the most important player on this team is Erik Karlsson. He played 40 minutes of play in game 5 in addition to leading the team in average ice time for the playoffs with 25 minutes a game. His 6 points led all rookies in points in the first round, while tying him for second in defenceman points. All of this will aid his development going forward and I expect him to play very well next year after finishing the season strong.

Peter Regin showed Sens fans there is hope on the top line left wing spot. He showed not only can he play, and play very well, with Alfie and Spezza, but that he has the ability to rise up in the big games and play with a tenaciousness we have not seen in a forward with hands like his, probably ever. At 24 years old, this restricted free agent will be signed at a bargain next season, and the Sens can look forward to a whole year of him on that top line with Spezza and Alfie. He finished second in rookie scoring for the first round (behind Karlsson, his best friend), and now that he has a taste for playing on the top line, expect him to work hard this summer to keep that spot.

Brian Elliott did not play well in this series, and Pascal Leclaire played better, but his rust was evident in the rebound trouble he had. However, neither had ever played in the playoffs before this series, and I expect two things to happen; Elliott to get hungry to prove he can play in the playoffs, and Leclaire to challenge for the number one spot that he knows he is talented enough to have. Leclaire shone in the playoffs, and now that he knows he can do it, looking to next year, I feel good about our goaltending, despite how poor it was in the playoffs.

Lastly, Zach Smith, showed at times, he can be a very good third/fourth line player for this team with how well he played in these playoffs. For a player who didnt play at the NHL level for more than 10-15 games this year, his jam was very impressive in the playoffs. However, with the theme being experience, Zach being on for both the Pens go-ahead goal in game five (his last shift in that game) AND the game winner in game 6, expect him to have some serious focus to prove to Clouston he is good enough to play with the team next season.

Which of these playoff experience stories do you see as most important. More importantly, do you think these stories can be used to justify this season as a success?

Miracle - 2

2010-04-24T14:16:00.001-04:00

Why deviate from the formula below. I am highly superstitious so this game day preview will be almost identical to the previous.

First we start with a Photoshop from the Goose

-> Pascal! - can't talk enough about how solid you were. Just keep that up and the Sens will be fine.
-> The Great Dane - I love you
-> Cullen - The trade is looking better and better every playoff game

Don't let this be the last game!

Predictions for Tonight?

2 - 1 Ottawa (Alfie, Regin)

Die Another Day

2010-04-23T00:28:00.002-04:00

Wow. No words right now.

Wrap up tomorrow.

But HOW SICK WAS THAT!!

Miracle

2010-04-22T15:23:00.002-04:00

Photoshop Cred: The Goose

We have to believe.

-> I expect Donovan to have a big game. This man is built for the playoffs.
-> Pascal I hope you play like you did before you got hit in the face. At the beginning of the year I remember being amazed with your quickness around the net.
-> Foligno according to the lines at practice it looks like you are getting a chance... break out the "jump" when you score the game winner.

Don't let this be the last game!

Predictions for Tonight?

3 -2 Ottawa (goals from alfie, foligno and Campoli)

Does anything more need to be said?

2010-04-20T15:30:00.002-04:00

Back Later with a preview.

Well Hello There, Chicken Little

2010-04-19T14:06:00.002-04:00

Well....

That sucked.

Running around the Sens Blogosphere this morning, I noticed a common trend.

A total lack of swagger, and in some case, hope.

Coming out of the gate, the Sens took one from the Big Bad Crosby's....Ummm I mean Penguins (I get confused when the media acts like they only have one player)

Where was I? Ah yes, we took a game from them. In their barn, without Kovy, without Kuba, in the first game in the playoffs for a lot of our rookies.

And Sens fans believed. We had swagger. In this very blog I titled a blog called Eat It Experts. That's cockiness.

And since then, we lost the second one in Pittsburgh, despite leading for the Majority of the game and Hockey Jesus pulling the win off the goal line, and last night, lost a game where nothing went right.

Literally.

Nothing.

I am with many of the blogs in thinking that last night may have been a recipe for the most painful/upsetting/frustrating game to possibly watch as a fan. Let's look at the checklist, shall we?

Disallowed goal (right call, but was still unlucky that no stick touched it): CHECK
Missing of Open Nets (looking at you Cullen) : CHECK
Awful Reffing. Just. Awful. : CHECK
Dominating play for 30 seconds, the puck goes the other way once and it goes in: CHECK
Missed Goaltender interference call on game winner : CHECK
Extra frustrating because it's Crosby goal, so no one talks about it : CHECK, CHECK
Second game in a row puck gets pulled off the goal line : CHECK
Captain gets sat on his ass by the only hit Crosby will ever make : CHECK
Forcing plays where there aren't any: CHECK
Demoralizingly AWFUL goal allowed less than 2 minutes in: CHECK
Fact that McKee was more effective than Leopold : CHECK
Fact that Sutton WASN'T because he looked afraid: CHECK

Most importantly, that we lost home ice advantage, just like that. CHECK.

And now, we have no swagger. People are just expecting us to lose. The thing is, without half the list above, the Pens are down 2-1 not up 2-1.

We are due to get some bounces.

So chin up, cheer up Sens fans, the sky isn't falling. Not yet at least.

NOTE: I only could write something like this the day after. If I had done it last night, this would have looked different.

QUESTION: What was the most frustrating part of last night's game? Feel free to let out a rant here.

Best Assist Ever.....? C'mon

2010-04-18T17:33:00.002-04:00

I will be the first to admit that the display of skill and determination to keep the puck from Jason Spezza was very impressive, but was it "the best assist I have ever seen" [Bob Mackenzie], no it certainly was not.

Lets take a look at the BEST ASSIST EVER.......

Spezza did a great job, refusing to allow Crosby to get to the net. 87 was 100% contained and eventually had to pass it off to the point....seems pretty standard. The Great Dane had a mind lapse in going to the front of the net where there were already three other Senators. He left the point wide open and allowed Letang to float the one through. I don't want to be too hard on the Prince cause he did prevent Crosby from walking out of the corner and may have stopped the "best GOAL ever" from happening.

I will however allow myself to deem this "the best working of the corner" I have seen in along time.
AND yes that does include you Jiri Tulusty.

Really TSN?

2010-04-17T14:24:00.003-04:00

I usually respect and enjoy what is written on the TSN website, but this is probably the worst and most inaccurate article I have read by such a respected establishment. We are going to go 6th Sens style where the article is in bold and our thoughts are in Italics. The link to the article can be found here.

PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Jordan Leopold lay on the ice for several minutes after being levelled by an elbow hit from Ottawa defenceman Andy Sutton late in the first period of their playoff game Friday night, but got up before being helped to the locker room.

...... not an elbow. When a teammate (Orpik), says it was a clean hit ... wait that doesn't mean much he probably thought his hit on Eric Cole was clean. But seriously watch the video.... no elbow.
Several??? really??? more like two minutes. I don't have several testicles I have a couple.

Leopold was skating along the boards when Sutton upended him with a raised left elbow at 17:41, causing Leopold's helmet to fly off as he left his feet. Sutton's momentum carried him into one of the penalty boxes.

Again with the elbow... it didn't happen, the elbow was tucked in. Leopold's Helmet stayed on.... And lastly, Sutton only left his feet AFTER contact.

Several Penguins players immediately started shoving Sutton, but no fight resulted. Sutton was not penalized on the play, resulting in loud booing from the Mellon Arena crowd for several minutes. After the period ended, Penguins forward Mike Rupp shoved Senators forward Zach Smith as Smith was entering a runway leading off the ice. Smith returned to the ice and fought briefly with Penguins forward Max Talbot.

Where the linesman broke up the fight way too soon as it appeared Smith had finally gotten a hand free.

After the period ended, the Penguins said Leopold would not return to the game. Sutton, then with the Islanders, drew a two-game suspension for ramming Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis into the boards Jan. 19 in Pittsburgh. Dupuis missed one game with facial injuries.

Now that one was dirty.

Thoughts on the hit?

Eat It Experts

2010-04-15T12:17:00.003-04:00

Pens in 4? I think not.

No more home-ice advantage.

Playoff-experience meant shit.

Kelly-Ruutu-Neil are goal scorers, get used to it.

My man-crush on the King continues to grow.

Sidney Who?

Alright. Now that my craziness has been tempered, WHAT UP OTTAWA!??! Talk about a wild one last night. Back and fourth, down to the wire, bangin' speedin' playoff hockey. Philly and New Jersey should take notes, because THAT'S what playoff hockey looks like.

THE GOOD

Foligno-Winchester-Smith, welcome to the playoffs boys! You banged and crashed all night and made the most of your playing time. It was my second key to victory and you did NOT disappoint.

Christopher! While many have criticized the Bryan's decision to acquire you last year, you played a phenomenal game. The assist was bologna, but you had several blocked shots, took/gave hits and played well when the match-up wasn't there for Crosbaby vs Philchenkov.

THE BETTER

The Aforementioned Philchenkov. Sure you guys were on the ice when Malkin scored both powerplay goals, but we will learn. The reason you sit in this category is because I turned to Oakes at the end of the second period and said "Have you noticed Crosby at ALL? He's been a total non-factor". Keep up the good work Gents.

THE BEST

Well you may be the most "overpaid" third/fourth line in the league, but you guys sure showed your worth tonight. Banging bodies, creating chances on the cycle and WINNING THIS GAME for us. If you bring this intensity on a nightly basis, you give us a chance to go home happy. So thank-you Ruutu-Kelly-Neil, you are both gentlemen and scholars.

The King. Do you understand the term "Rookie"? You are supposed to shit the bed, make us doubt your ability to do it because you've never done it before. Like the Pens when we kicked their asses in '07 (heyo!). But a clutch goal, assist and saved goal, not to mention calm carry-ins on the powerplay? By the end of this series, and possibly the playoffs in general, I expect you to have a few more fans

Well there you have it, the crazy/excited ramblings of a usually rather composed blogger. Can the boys do it again on Friday? Well there is room for improvement. Ells needs to be better, and the top end guys need to do a little more, but if we play a similar game, but with better goaltending Friday I have faith. Expect the Pens to come out with something to prove though.

So, my question to you, WHO WERE THE SENS 3 STARS LAST NIGHT?

Game One Tonight...Keys to the Upset

2010-04-14T17:49:00.008-04:00

You have no doubt read amazingly in-depth series previews all over the place. I would recommend a personal favourite of mine, Nichols, who gives you everything from Forwards to Jerseys to media. Its a fun read, if not a short one.

SO rather than do my customary thing and do a crazy breakdown of everything, I will do something I'm not sure I'm capable of. Short and Sweet.

I can identify THREE KEYS to upsetting the defending champs. They look like this:

1) Brian Elliott Cannot Play Like a 9th Round Draft Selection Who Has Never Played in the Playoffs: This one is simple, you live or die by your playoff goaltending. Let's hope he's a little more Cam Ward and a little less Roman Chechmanek.

2) Set the Tone Early: Let's Kick the Crap Out of Them: Physical play is one of the only advantages we decidedly have over them. Neiler, Fish, Smitty, Winny, Volchy and of course Sutts, I'm looking at you.

3) Second Line Scoring In the Absence of L'Enigma; Fast Chemistry Between 9MM & the Fish: No doubt this is crucial. Clouston has decided loading up a second line with Cullen Fish AND Michalek is the way to go. We'll see. Either way this line needs to be effective or this is going to be a reeeeeal short trip.

So, what do you think, anything to add to my list? Which of these three is most important? And Lastly, do you think the Sens stand a chance, even with these?

Gametime bitches, let's get to it.

Let's Do This Dance...On One Leg?

2010-04-12T20:14:00.006-04:00

Well, this is a tough time of year to be a University Student/Hockey fan blogger. Final exams are upon Oakes and I, which seem to take up all our time, yet this is the time of year we want to be blogging 9 times a day.

Needless to say its been tough to keep this place up and bumpin, but I have some time now, so let's look at what's going down in Sens land.

Firstly, Alex Kovalev's up and down season has ended a little prematurely. This saddens me, and this is why.

1) Secondary scoring: 49 points on the year put Kovy in fourth on the team in points, and that cannot be understated. On a team with a minus goal differential, the guys putting pucks in the net are very important.

2) The Kovy Effect: He is a talented, albeit confusing player, but he DEMANDS respect, of that there is no doubt. He opens up room for guys on the second line.

3) Second Line Chemistry: All year long Fisher-Kovy has been a fixture in the line up with the hopes of creating second line chemistry. Now, with no time for failed experiments, Clouston must find a second line that can be effective.

Number three for me, is the thing nobody is talking about, but is the biggest problem. This is a team exceptionally strong down the middle, and pretty decent on the left side, but on the right side, the team is not deep.

So what do you do with the second line? Be careful, if it doesn't work, there isn't too much time to let it struggle.

First, at centre, there is a near certain chance Mike Fisher will be the guy.

On the left side, I think they might go with either Matt Cullen, who has played exceptionally well thus far as a Sen, but might be better used as a centreman on the third line. The other option is Peg-Leg, AKA Milan Michalek. Its obvious Milan is not at 100%, playing essentially on one leg, but we need him to give everything he's got for us to be successful. Plus him and Fisher are bang-crash speed guys that might find some magic.

Might.

On the right side, there are some options, and at this point none of them are really attractive.

You cold play Nicky Foligno out of position on the right side, but he's having enough trouble this year without playing out of position.

Ryan Shannon has played sparingly down the stretch, not even playing when Donovan got to play Saturday. He has had a disappointing season, and his game doesnt seem suited to the playoffs. However, he did look good on Fisher's right side at the end of last year.

Jesse Winchester is good at faceoffs and hitting people. But he has scored 5 career NHL goals in almost 130 games. Not really a Kovy replacement.

Zach Smith seems perfect for the playoffs, but on a third or fourth line.

So have I depressed you yet? I don't intend to, and it shouldn't. Cory has shown that he is more creative than any of us when it comes to line combos, so Im not as much concerned as I am curious.

But bottom line is, Kovalev is an important player, and even though some Sens fans have played the Ship-off-Kovalev's-Ass trumpet, its hard to deny. (Like I said Here)

So what say you, Sens fans that traverse the interweb nation? What does your line-up look like, specifically the second line heading in to this big dance?

I think with little room for error we might see Foligno-Fisher-Shannon tried out, but that's just me.

Quick Game Day Preview: Second Last Game!

2010-04-08T17:54:00.002-04:00

Hey there! Sorry about infrequency of posts, everything is super busy at University for the both of us. Quick Game Day Post? Why not!

Tampa is pretty bad but they have some players to watch:

--Obviously Super Sophomore Steve Stamkos (I think he's doing awesome so that alliteration can exist) is the top player on this team, and is making Edmonton and Toron....I mean Boston very excited about the upcoming draft.

--Mighty Mouse: the guy still has it with 90 points this year! (It shocked me too). He has great vision and agility and seems to be reborn playing with Stevie.

--Hedman: Got crushed by Neiler last time, but I'm interested to see if he has as much impact on the game as our little Swedish rookie. Sometimes hype isn't everything.

On the Ottawa Side, I'm Watching

--Spezz: He's on fire, so he should tear up the porous defence and goaltending, but mostly, Im hoping for another one of those giggles. Those are ridiculous.

--Alfie: The Captain never gets old it seems. I feel bad about not doing a tribute, but Nichols had that covered. Seriously, go read it. Unreal

--King K: I just want him to show up Hedman. Period.

--J-Cow: See if the kid is doing any better than at the WJC. He's got a long summer ahead of him (like Butler), so it will be good for him to see where he is at and give himself some extra motivation.

--9MM: See how that knee is doing. Note: try not to crash into the net, just til you are feeling good again atleast.

Hopefully the boys put in a pile of goals like they did against Florida and they get some good momentum heading into the playoffs.

YOUNG'S PREDICTION

5-3 Sens: Tampa has a good powerplay, so we must be more disciplined than we were against Florida. Stamkos will get one from the same spot he gets almost all of them, and I think Milan will get one in his return.

Let's Check Out the Defence, Ya Dig?

2010-04-05T18:21:00.002-04:00

Well then... *dusts off the cobwebs*

It's been a few days now hasn't it!! Both Oakes and I went home to O-Town for the Easter weekend and we're the first to admit we slacked a little bit. Looks like our boys decided to take some time off too eh? ZING.

Jokes aside, it would make me cry to come here and ramble on about the pathetic effort Saturday afternoon in a meaningless game. The bright side is, the Sens have shown an ability to play to the level of their opponents this year, as evidenced by the awful record against non-playoff teams and excellent record against playoff teams losing only 4 times to playoff teams (as it stands now playoff teams at least) SINCE JANUARY. Wild eh?

THIS JUST IN: Apparently only playoff teams play in the playoffs!!!

Phew. Guess we can hope the trend continues.

But now that we are talking about the playoffs, let's look at something that came up in conversation on the way back to Kingston; The Senators' defence corps.

Much has been made about the fantastic depth the Sens have up front with Spezza and Alfie, who carried us to the Finals not too long ago, on the top line. The second line has wizard (with good playoff numbers) Kovy, Fish (who's game is meant for the dance) and likely Foligno (who's cycle game will be good for the playoffs). The Third line has Cullen (cup winner), Michalek (one of the only Sharks who didnt TOTALLY suck it in the postseason) and probably Shannon (let's face it, I'm not sold on him in the playoffs). The Fourth line is made up of grizzled vets who get it, and who will help us win at least one series (as the internet junkies say... book it).

Much has also been made about the fact that neither Spazzy or our Saviour Elliott have ever even sniffed the playoffs.

But NOBODY, and I mean nobody, is talking about the fact that outside of Volchy and Phillips, CHRIS CAMPOLI IS THE MOST EXPERIENCED POSTSEASON D-MAN ON THE TEAM.

....

.......

Have you wiped the mess you just made on your seat up yet?

Good. Now, let's chat.

Assuming Filip Kuba really IS out for the year (and it's looking like that) the D will look like this in the playoffs

Chris Phillips: 91 postseason games, cup finalist, general badass. I'm not worried about the rig. He is having a career year and I expect him to do his thing and step up as he always does come mid-april.

Android Volchenkov: 55 playoff games, cup finalist, russian cyborg. Again, not worried about our Russian bear. These may be the last games he plays in a colour that will hide the blood from he blocked shots, but he is having a career year too, expect him to amp it in the playoffs to ensure he cashes in hard this summer.

Chris Campoli: 5 games postseason play, first round exit, floundering midget. When confident and determined, as in the last few games, Campoli is actually kind of a useful player. When he gets complacent and assumes he has a roster spot, he shits the bed. Right now he is fighting for a contract. Let's pray he gives us good third pairing minutes and some quality PP time.

Mount Sutton: 4 playoff games, first round sweep, literally looks like bigfoot. I would never say this to his face, but as awesome as Sutton is, he is as big a question mark as anyone else that comes after him on this list. However, it can be argued (and possibly rightly, I know I would) that his game suits the playoffs, and that, at 35, he should be hungry to give all he's got in his chance at the dance.

The Kid: (Yes! HIMYM reference!) 0 playoff games, only 57 regular season games, awe-inspiring rookie. King Karlsson was rightly fellated on this site for his play recently and rewarded me by putting in two huge goals to secure the playoffs the next game. However, upon my boasting, he shit the bed last game. He is just a rookie and he has played well, but he can either help the Sens win a game (like Thursday) or he can serve up some turnovers (like Saturday). Jury is out, but for the Sens to have success, the Kid must be the King.

Carks: 0 playoff games, only 78 games regular season, one ear. So this should be interesting. I think that even though at the beginning of the year Carks was a feel good story, his first year in the NHL, and that many fights and PK minutes took a toll on him and he seems tired. He would be my bet should Kuba make a return to come out, but to spot in should the series require some toughness.

So there you have it, hope I haven't scared you too much. As much as this is an unknown group, I have confidence. You have to start somewhere right?

Which playoff virgin (or at least prude) are you most interested in seeing in playoff action?

Post Game - Canes

2010-04-02T13:07:00.005-04:00

Rookie Bobby celebrates his first game in the NHL on the streets of downtown Ottawa.

Another impressive performance as the Ottawa Senators take down one of the leagues best since January. Despite a couple of lucky goals from the Canes, Ottawa persevered with a late goal from the King himself and an amazing shootout winner from Spezza.

I had the pleasure of going to the game as I am home from Kingston for Easter and I must say it did not disappoint. I don't know if it was just me, but the building seemed very loud and the few people that didn't leave early to beat the traffic went into a frenzy when Karl potted the late goal. I must hand it to Young as he wrote a great article on why we should all hail the King. The arguments he made were only confirmed by the play of the 20 year-old as he has tallied 7 points in the last 3 games...let the hailing begin. If you think that is impressive look no further to Spezza, who has 11 points in the last four games. Not only has Spezza been unreal, his infamous giggle has also returned. The post game interview on this mornings Sportscenter provoked the best one yet as Jason recalled his new shootout move.

The collegiate player out of New Hampshire also has a great game. He played half decent minutes and even drew an important penalty with little time remaining. He surely would have scored a goal on a 2 on 1 if Foligno could have hit him with the pass.

LASTLY, welcome to the playoffs!!! It was tough last year when we were not invited to the big dance, but I like our chances to bring the home the prettiest girl... or at least her hot friend.

New Jersey or Pitt ? Who would you rather face?

GO SENS GO

All Hail the King

2010-03-31T23:23:00.005-04:00

Sorry for the late post here today folks. Taking the time to watch the Sens game last night left me rather behind on my studying. I have some time now, so let's talk some puck.

First, thanks to everyone who has started to take some time to visit this little site. We are really enjoying it, and love your feedback.

Instead of doing the traditional postgame summary, which you undoubtably don't need due to the abundance of excellent ones (short and sweet? The Sixth Sens.... in depth and beautiful? Silver Seven).

Instead, I hope that each game inspires me to write a blog that you will enjoy and that will illicit your viewing and opinions!

Last night's game, and the game before that, lead me to want to write about my man-crush... Erik Karlsson. Or as he is affectionately known as... King Karlsson.

Karlsson, who turned 20 today, is a 5'11 175 lbs defenceman drafted 15th overall by the Senators in 2008 (I WAS THERE WHEN THEY TRADED UP FOR HIM!).

And this kid, he's a beauty. With two more assists against the Capitals, and a whopping twenty-four and a half minutes on ice, Karlsson is quickly becoming the integral cog to this team that everyone only could have hoped he would be. The two assists last night (as one was rightly given back to the Captain... more on him in a minute) give him 23 points on the year with several other great chances and posts.

But the most impressive feat? How about the 11 points in 14 games since the Olympic break? Yea, you read that correctly. 11 in 14 games to go along with his 33 shots over that period. That's nearly a point-per-game for a 19 year old toothpick of a defenceman.

Talk about filling the role of top offensive d-man nicely for this team. In addition to the 23 points, (which puts him second on the team in points for a defenceman) he has scored 14 of those points in the third period, to go with another two in overtime. Talk about clutch.

But its not just the kid's stats that are turning heads. With his play he could easily have more points than that this year. Its Karlsson's swagger. Its his guts. Its his instincts.

That is why, going forward, with all of this talk of signing A-Train to a massive new contract, I think that Erik Karlsson is the Senators most important player. Period.

On a team starved for a legit puck moving d-man since the days Wade Redden gave a shit, Erik fills that role. But more importantly, he provides that spunk, that creativity, that flair for the dramatic that you can argue the Sens have never had in a defenceman. That sort of thing cannot be taught, and it certainly cannot be underestimated. Think about it, even as a 19 year old, undersized player, I can think of at least three games where he has made plays, brilliant, unreal plays, that have won the game

Exhibit A:

As stated in the video it was an amazing move by Fisher, but without that perfect pass... that might be a game the Sens do not win.

Exhibit B:

That heads up play for an easy one occurs with ONE minute left in a tied, divisional game.

Exhibit C:

Of Course this was just last night, and again, that creativity is essential in yet another win.

I'm looking forward to many years with the young King, and as Sens fans, I think you should too.

Hopefully he continues on his current path and before we know it, is a

star in this league, because another Swede we like won't be around forever.

Question: Honest opinion, what did you expect from Karlsson going into training camp this year?

Game Day Preview: Battle of Capitals

2010-03-30T16:43:00.003-04:00

After a couple exciting days in Sens Land, the boys are back to playing that "hockey" thing. The opponent; a bunch of noname losers.

Or was that Saturday?

All jokes aside, we have ourselves a big one tonight! Sens play in Washington in a battle of the Capitals, and face one of the more terrifying teams in the league in Ovie and his band of Merry Men (who themselves are pretty scary).

The Sens come into this one feeling groovy; 4-0-0 in their last 4 (let's not mention before that), goalie being named first star of the week, young blood being infused into the system and a playoff spot all but locked up.

The Caps come into this one snarly. They got boo'd the other night in their own building losing to the struggling Flames, and lost the game before that in Carolina. Expect their best tonight.

I would break it down the way we usually do, but the Caps, being the top team in the NHL, top the Sens in all categories. That is, except for Ottawa's outstanding penalty kill which dominates the Caps powerplay this year (Caps are 0-8 this year against the Sens). This will take a toll without Volchy, but let's cling to something right?

Players to Watch:

Ottawa: The Kids are alright! This gives me hope for the new kids from this week. Regin and Karlsson are my players to watch tonight. With Volchy out, expect Sutton to get BIG minutes. If thats the case, King K will also end up with a lot of icetime against the leagues best offensive team. Look for him to see if he can keep up his excellent play of late. Regin seems to be getting more and more comfortable in 9MM's spot and should be a threat again tonight.

Washington: Is this even a question? Alex Ovechkin, in my opinion, if the best player in the game today. Watch him, please. Nick Backstrom is having an incredible season as well. As always, watch Mike Green and let's hope the Corvo-Curse is over now that he has been traded out of Carolina.

CONSENSUS PREDICTIONS

Young: On paper, this should be a win for Washington. But with the Sens good play of late, Washington's "struggles" and the fact that I'm not sold on the goaltending for the Caps, I think the Sens can win this. Finally, add that I'm a homer and that the Sens are currently leading the season series (and might be sweeping it if not for some tough goals...looking at you Pazzy....). Mix all these ingredients you get:

3-2 Sens

Oakes: I don't want to pick against the Sens. So I won't.

5-4 Sens

SO CLEARLY WE ARE HOMERS, WHAT ARE YOUR PREDICTIONS?

Other Players Bryan Murray has Signed out of College

2010-03-29T19:53:00.004-04:00

As all of you probably already know Bryan Murray has signed highly touted NCAA prospect, Bobby Butler, to a two year contract. Butler led the NCAA with 29 goals this season while adding 24 assists. Despite his stats, there is no sure way to know if he will turn out.

We can however look at the stats of other free agents Murray has signed out of college.

Chris Kunitz

30 years old, left wing, 6ft, 198 lbs
Attended Ferris University
Senior year - scored 35g and 44a
Signed with the ducks in 2003
Had the best year of his career with the Ducks in 2006-07 tallying 60pts in 81gp
Has won TWO cups.

Dustin Penner

27 years old, left wing, 6ft 4in, 245 lbs
Attended the University of Maine
Only played one year in college tallying 11 g and 12 apples
Signed with the Ducks in 2004
After stints in the AHL, his first year with the big club in 2006-07 he recorded - 29g and 16a and won a Stanley cup

Jesse Winchester

26 years old, Centre, 6ft 1in, 215lbs
Colgate University
Jesse scored 37 points in each of his last two years of college
Signed with the Senators in 2008
In his rookie campaign he scored 3 goals and 15 assists

I am too young to remember any players Murray signed when GM of Detroit and Florida, so please let me know if I am missing anyone. All players mentioned above have been very successful in their own way. Penner, massive power forward with great hands, Kunitz, 32 points in 48 games this season and Winchester, a fourth line grinder that adds depth during playoff time.

I do not want to get too excited about Butler as I have not yet seen him play. One can only hope that Butler turns into a player similar to Chris Kunitz, their size and point production at the college level are very similar.

What are your predictions for the Ottawa Senators newest prospect Bobby Butler?

Career AHLer, 4th liner, 3rd liner etc..?

Where in the World Is Carmen San Diego? (AKA The Story of L'Enigma) UPDATED

2010-03-28T13:31:00.011-04:00

****UPDATE: SENS SIGN RW BOBBY BUTLER (read about him here) WOULDN'T IT BE NICE TO SEE HIM TAKE KOVY'S PLACE ON THE RIGHT SIDE SO KOVY CAN REST FOR THE PLAYOFFS?****

That is the big question in Ottawa right now. And since you provided such excellent feedback the last time we created a debate, I thought we'd try and bring you all out of hiding again.

Alex Kovalev; 6'1 215lbs and 37 years old from Togliatti Russia. He signed a 2 year 10 million dollar contract on July 6th 2009.

And to be honest, we knew what we were getting. While the Montreal fans called him L'Artiste for having some of the most spectacular hands in the game, the buzz word that came with the Kovy signing wasn't "skill" or "dangles".

It was "enigma"

For those of you not familiar with the word it means "to describe something or someone as an enigma, you mean they are mysterious or difficult to understand". The reason this was used by analysts, columnists and bloggers alike was because some nights Kovy can be the best player on the ice, and some nights he can be invisible. There is no rhyme or reason for it.

Or is there? Let's have a closer look at the first season of AK27 in a Sens uniform.

In 72 games this year Alex has 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists), good for third on the team. However lets look at how these stats break down.

October	12	4	1	5	-5	10	0	1	0	17	.235
November	9	0	6	6	3	2	0	2	0	14	.000
December	17	3	8	11	6	12	1	1	1	38	.079
January	15	7	10	17	2	18	0	4	2	47	.149
February	7	3	5	8	1	4	2	2	1	18	.167
March	12	0	0	0	-10	8	0	0	0	21	.000

Courtesy of Yahoo Sports

Now, looking at these stats, let us look at it in portions. The first twelve games of the season, the Sens went 6-3-3 (fancy way of saying 6-6), and they amassed 37 goals, about 3 per game. Of these, stats-wise Kovy contributed to 14%. This can maybe be written off perhaps as a new player learning a new system.

After putting up semi-respectable numbers in November and December, on the 3rd of January, in a wild 7-4 win against the Flyers in which he scored 4 goals and 1 assist", Kovy dropped this line on the fans

"I had an injury. I couldn't even shoot right. I tried to pass, in general. But lately I have started feeling more or less better." Puck Daddy

That was the beginning of January. From that point to the end of the Olympic break, Alex put up 25 points in 22 games. Better than a point a game over the same stretch that his linemate Mike Fisher put up only 5 goals! Keep in mind most of this is done on the second line! Not bad for a 37 year old.

Add this in to the fact that Kovalev sat out the game on Friday in Buffalo, and a strong case begins to be made that Alex Kovalev is hurt, and has been playing hurt for most of the post-olympic break.

He is not a young man anymore. An injury at his age would make (and evidently in the early part of the year DID make) a huge difference. This doesn't mean he is without fault. He should be sitting out and resting for the playoffs if he is hurt.

One thing that Sens fans, especially those calling for him to be sent to the minors (seriously?), don't seem to realize is this last bit of information:

In wins		38	16	21	37	25	22	3	8	0	0	4	93	.172
In losses		34	1	9	10	-28	32	0	2	0	0	0	62	.016

Winning	N/A	5	4	9	N/A	16	1	2	1	N/A	N/A
Losing	N/A	4	12	16	N/A	24	1	3	0	N/A	N/A
Tied	N/A	8	14	22	N/A	14	1	5	3	N/A	N/A
Clutch	N/A	3	2	5	N/A	4	1	0	1	N/A	N/A
Blowouts	N/A	1	1	2	N/A	0	0	1	0	N/A	N/A
Last 5 Min	N/A	4	7	11	N/A	18	2	2	1	N/A	N/A

What this says to me is that we NEED Kovalev. When he is on (37 points) we win. When he isn't (10 points) we lose. And when those games in the postseason are tight, 81% of his points have come when we are losing or tied.

I'm not trying to make an excuses for Alex

I'm just trying to explain The Enigma.

What do you guys think?

Roll Call - Sens vs. Panthers

2010-03-27T22:03:00.003-04:00

Great game for the boys as they win their fourth straight. No points were gained on the division leading Buffalo Sabres as they slaughtered the Tampa Bay Lightening this evening.

King K - Looked really strong all game. Unreal pass to Spezza for Regin's goal. Three assists... not bad you?

Chris Phillips - A couple of outstanding breakout passes and a diving play to prevent a breakaway all in a days work.

Campoli - Solid game! Making a strong case to stay in the line up when Kuba comes back.

Alfredsson - Destroyed that puck from the point.

Sutts - Absolutely railroaded Volchy.

Volchy - I really hope he is not too badly hurt as he is crucial for playoffs. If a player like that goes to the hospital you know something is wrong.

Ells - Steady game. Made the saves he should make and didn't let in the weak one.

Stop by tomorrow as we will have a look into a couple of theories of what is wrong with Alex Kovalev.

Game Day Preview: Ottawa at TGI Friday's

2010-03-26T14:45:00.004-04:00

Man, that Emery quote was awesome.

It's time folks, time for some good old division rivalry. I won't lie, with the decline of Toronto and the fact that Montreal is a bunch of midgets, I am starting to look forward to these Ottawa-Buffalo games more than any others.

Or maybe that's just because we routinely kick their asses?

OFFENSE: The Sabres are technically 11th in the league with 2.76 goals per game while the Sens are 19th with 2.62. Thomas Vanek leads the team with 23 goals, and Tim Connolly leads their team with 65 points. Neither however strike fear in me. In 33 games against Ottawa lifetime, Vanek has 24 points, this year 2 goals in 4 games, no assists. The Sens are missing top left wingers Milan Michalek (22 goals) and Alex Kovalev (47 points). Never thought I'd say it, but slight edge SABRES.

DEFENCE: The Sabres have given up less goals this year than Ottawa, but that is more a result of Ryan Miller than fantastic Sabre defence. The way the Sens D are playing (especially Sutton, Phillips and Volchy) and the fact that outside of Tyler Myers they really have no one, this is a win for the SENS.

GOALTENDING: Ya, ok. I don't care that B-Ells has been good the last two games or that against the Sens Ryan Miller's GAA is 0.10 higher than it is against the rest of the league. He's the best goalie in the world. EDGE: SABRES

SPECIAL TEAMS: Both teams struggle on the power play, being in the bottom third of the league in the category, and with 7 minutes the other night the Sens mustered 2 posts and no goals. Buffalo's penalty kill is actually better than the Senators, 2nd in the league! Again, your goalie has to be your best Penalty killer and well.. he is the best goalie. EDGE: SABRES

Players to watch:

Ottawa: With Kovalev now joining Michalek on the sidelines, look for big games from Matt Cullen and Peter Regin, both who have been given chances to play up on the top two lines recently. However, the Captain has 76 points in 74 career games against Buffalo. Simply put; they are his bitch. As always watch how angry Buffalo gets at Ruutu and Neil.

Buffaslugs: I'm not sure there is a player in the league that hates Ottawa more than Adam Mair, as evidenced by his 133 career penalty minutes against Ottawa (4.03 per game!). Jason Pomminville constantly puts up points in Buffalo and his 20 in 30 games against the Sens is reason enough to watch him. Tyler Myers and Ryan Miller are really the only two players to watch however.

CONSENSUS PREDICTIONS:

Young: I know I wrote edge to Sabres more than edge to Senators, and the numbers will have you believe that. However, the intangibles are that the Sens have owned the Sabres winning 8 in a row and I hope to see that continue. In the immortal words of Mark Christopher F Buffalo.

3-1 Ottawa

Oakes: When your most offensive players have a) gotten their face broken by an anton Volchenkov shot b) been concussed by Peter Schaefer.. we at Ottawa's Consensus consider you a walk in the park... but who walks in the park in buffalo.. it is a shit hole. So Ottawa will keep this close.

3-2 Ottawa

How about a healthy debate?

2010-03-25T13:02:00.002-04:00

Really intense game Tuesday night, a real playoff set-up. I thought the team played well, and played extremely hard (except one person...I'm looking at you big 27). I thought the defence won us the game and that instead of doing a normal recap, I would put up a debate containing in my mind, two of the three best Sens in Tuesday's win (the other was Phillips), to inspire some thought and (hopefully) some responses.

For the few of you that read this (thank you housemates!!), you may not believe me when I say that, sitting in class today, I came up with a sweet idea for a blog. Why not compare the pros and cons to keeping Anton Volchenkov over Andy Sutton. Why might you not believe this? Because when I came home, I found that at 11:43, Senschirp put up a blog about the very same idea. You can believe me or not, but fact is, while chirp posted the question, I planned to look into it deeper. And, because I don't want to do homework, that's exactly what I'm still going to do! So let's break it down shall we?

PHYSICAL

Sutton: 6'6, 245lbs and 35 years of age. 175 hits this year, which translates into 2.8 hits per game.

Volchy: 6'1, 226lbs and 28 years of age. 140 hits this year, which translates into 2.4 hits per game.

Thoughts: This is basically a DRAW. Sutton hits more, and his huge frame is quite an attractive asset because you cannot teach size. In addition, Sutton will occasionally drop the gloves, which takes some of the pressure off Carks and Neil. Now Volchy on the other hand has never had a problem with his size, and he is 7 years younger, which cannot be underestimated. Guys tend to lose a step in their late 30's.

DEFENCE

Sutton: Rated #1 Defensive defenseman in the league by CBS sports. This is because of his aforementioned 175 hits combined with his 172 blocked shots (2.77 per game) and only -8 rating despite playing on the Islanders for most of the year.

Volchy: Rated #3 on the same rating scale, he has blocked 157 shots (2.75 per game) this season while having a +3 on the season.

Thoughts: as far as defensive d-men go, these are two of the leagues best. Cannot really find much difference except in the plus-minus but that can be explained by a poor Islander season and possibly because Volchenkov has a very reliable defensive partner. DRAW.

OFFENSE

Sutton: Sutton has shown he like to jump up in the rush, and his hands aren't too bad. He handles the puck well for a man his size. 5 goals and 13 points this year puts him at 0.21 ppg for the year and 0.24 ppg for his career. He doesn't see regular powerplay time but does have a cannon for a shot.

Volchy: Handles the puck like a hand grenade. Sometimes forgets he is Russian. Needs to watch Kovy's puck handling DVD. 3 goals (almost a career high) and 13 points gives him 0.22 ppg this year and has 0.22 ppg for his career.

Thoughts: The numbers surprise me, but remember, Sutton has only ever played on one playoff bound team and Anton played on some very high scoring Ottawa clubs. Looking outside the numbers, just the way they handle the puck, I give this to SUTTON.

INTANGIBLES

Sutton: Well, he is the new guy, so you would think Anton should clean up here. However, he has played very well and shown some good chemistry with Erik Karlsson. This is no small thing. Going forward, King K will likely be our top d-man. In addition, Karlsson's biggest detractor is his size, and Sutton more than makes up for that, and can stand up for the kid (as shown on Tuesday) once the league realizes they have to run him to shut him down.

Volchy: It is hard to look past Volchy's 7 years of nearly sterling service and 4-5 years of Philchenkov chemistry that will be disrupted if/when he leaves. Trouble is, with the style he plays, how much longer can he keep it up. In addition, will Philchenkov (our top d-pair for years) be our top d-pair going forward? With the emergence of young guys in the pipeline, will it make sense to pay Volchy top dollar to play second fiddle to King K and the other new kids?In addition, Phillips has shown he can play with young guys and make them look good when Volchy is hurt (See: Brian Lee, Karlsson) and maybe he helps Cowen into the league over the next few years.

CONTRACT

Sutton: He is making 3.0 million this year, it the last year of a 3 year deal that I believe payed him an average of 3.5 million per. He has had a very good season, but I cannot see him getting more than 3.5 on the open market, and at his age, probably not more than another 3 years. This is just my opinion of course.

Volchy: This is a lose for Volchy (in this debate. A win for his bank account). Career year, in the media a ton, value is extremely high and is coming off a contract where he took a discount. Look for him to pick up (on the open market) as high as 4.5 million over 4-5 years. That is high and long term based on how we've broken this down.

YOUNG"S FINAL THOUGHTS

If I'm Brian Murray (which I'm not) and these guesses at numbers are correct. I re-sign Sutton to 3.5 (maybe a little less) for 3 years, pat Anton on the back, thank him for his services and wish him luck. Pair King K and Sutton next year, Pair Phillips with either Kuba or Cowen, and have Carkner, Campoli (resigned at minimum raise for RFA) and Lee fight it out for the remaining spots.

IF YOU WERE BRYAN MURRAY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Game Day Preview: Senators vs. Flyers

2010-03-23T14:37:00.009-04:00

Another important game! Brian Elliott gets the start after putting in a solid performance agains the Habs. Lets hope he can keep the ball rolling and the Sens can pick up a much needed two points.

Players to watch tonight!

Ottawa

Erik Karlsson - After a great game yesterday expect the kid to start right where he left off.

Peter Regin - Getting another chance on the top line. The Prince never lets his people down.

Suts - I cannot wait to see who he will victimize tonight.

Cullen - I really liked his game last night, he is getting so many chances it is just a matter of time until he buries one.

A-Train - What does he have in store? Highlight reel save or another breakaway?

Philadelphia

Chris Pronger - Actually don't watch him, it will frustrate you beyond belief as he will get away with more interference penalties than the number of porn stars Mike Richards calls "friends"

Boucher - if history holds true the the Flyers would be better off playing with six skaters. Appearing in 9 career games against Ottawa posting a 1-6-0 record and 3.43 GAA Boucher has been miles short of spectacular.

Carrot Top - Only because you really can't miss him.

Lastly

Neil vs Carcillo - I hope Neil or Carks takes this moustache off his face.

After looking at this picture I am actually baffled he knows how to put his equipment on.

Predictions

Young - 4-3 Ottawa

With no Carter, no goalie and elbows(Pronger) getting slower by the game expect the Sens to take full advantage of a depleted Flyer line-up in an important four point matchup.

Oakes 5 -2 Ottawa

Boucher gets lit up as the Sens regain their scoring touch. With no Jeff Carter who will provide offence for Philly?... Aaron Asham? Surprisingly yes, 5g 2a in 13 career games at Scotiabank Place.

A WIN!!!!

2010-03-22T22:01:00.004-04:00

Hello to our lovely readers!! (all three of you!) What a glorious day it is! Who doesn't love ending losing ways by soundly beating the Canadians from Montreal? I must say, some of the lack of blogging around here needs to be addressed, and I for one have a confession to make.

It was dark times, the boys had lost several in a row when Oakes and I looked at each other and said, "Shit, they haven't won since we started the blog!". Being superstitious people we are (AKA sports fans) we naturally assumed these two phenomena were connected! Hence the hesitance from us to put up blogs recently! But now the curse is broken! It isn't our fault anymore! Now hopefully you guys can stop by for more than just game day previews! (Lets face it, they are informative, but boring!)

So without further ado, let's give some food for thought to maybe illicit a comment!

#5 Big Sutt's: What a MONSTER game from this goodlooking gentleman tonight. He and his diminutive partner were lit up in Dallas but he bounced back well. Blocked shots, joining the rush and of course, BONE CRUSHING HITS. This game is why we brought him on!!

#7 Matt Cullen: This man is also impressive. He is constantly creating offensive chances. However, as a new guy, if you want to endear yourself to new team mates, lay it all on the line and make the kind of hustle defensive play he made to break up that 2-on-0. Beauty.

#14 Chris Campoli: He occasionally shows why we went out and traded for him last year. Amazing pass to Volchy and generally creating offense. He is making a strong case to stay in the line-up when everyone is healthy.

#19 Spezza: He is stepping up at the right time, showing serious hustle and leadership. It's a pleasure to see you growing up giggles.

#24 Volchy: You seem to sometimes forget you are Russian, and don't seem to be gifted with the hands of your countrymen. (As my dad says, handles the puck like it's a hand grenade). But man, that save you made, changed this game, so I wouldn't have it any other way.

#27 L'Artiste: Come on buddy. Come on. I won't go as far as others on the interweb, but come on.

#30 B-Ells: I'm going to put this out there, but I don't think you played spectacularly. In my opinion, this shutout was a TEAM shutout, not a Brian Elliott shutout. There. I said it. Have at it.

#39 Carks: I'm sorry, but Campoli is doing more to stick in the line-up. Simplify, do your thing. But every time there was a break-down tonight, I felt like you were out there.

#43 The Danish Prince: Simply amazing game tonight, you were flying. It seems like you really fit with the big boys tonight, which is good news considering Milan looks like he'll be out a while. You've got the tools, good to see you using them again.

#65 King Karlsson: Sweet bounce back game kid. SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU REWARDED WITH SOME POINTS. The future is bright with you kid, the future is bright.

Seriously great game by the boys, they had trouble not capitalizing on their chances and with not getting the calls, but they stuck with it, played MUCH better team defence (similar to their streak) and the game ended with me feeling much more positive about the team!

Back at it tomorrow, and another big game. Let's see if the boys can string some together and look strong down the stretch!

Game Day Preview: Ottawa at Montreal

2010-03-22T15:45:00.005-04:00

Hello everyone, sorry for the lack of recaps it has been pretty tough to write about a team that keeps losing. Stop by after the game tonight win or lose, and we will talk about what is going on with the team. Now for tonight, I hate to say that tonights game is a must win...but it really feels that way.

We are a little pressed for time this afternoon so we are just going to do our predictions and the players to watch features.

Players to Watch - Ottawa

Jason Spezza - Absolutely unreal game against the Stars if he puts in half the performance he did on saturday I am sure there will be some very happy Sens fans.

Alex Kovalev - If he is going to break out of his slump this will be the game for him to do it. Alex always seems to excel against his former teams and this is a time he really needs to step up.

Mike Fisher - I have a feeling this will be a close game and with a team leading 6 game winning goals Mike Fisher will factor in on the outcome.

Zack Smith - He should come out flying! I was very impressed with his game(two periods) against the leafs. Lets hope he can score another one of these.

Players to Watch - Montreal

Thomas Plekanec - With 6 points against Ottawa this year the Ottawa defence must be aware when he is on the ice.

Halak - Posting a 6 - 0 - 1 record in his last seven starts is definitely something to take note of. Ottawa must get lots of shots on him early and not let him take over the game.

Predictions

Oakes

3-2 Ottawa - For the Sens to break out of this slump they are going to have to win a tough character building game. Look for Smith to give the guys a boost being a new face in the line up. This is a huge game! The division might be out of reach, but fifth place certainly isn't. Go Sens Go.

Young

2-1 Ottawa. I still don't think that Ottawa's struggles offensively will be solved in a couple games, and I think, for the psyche of the team, they need to win a hard fought, close game. That will come in handy in about 10 games. I too think Smith will (hopefully) impact this game in a positive way.

Game Day Preview: Sens in Dallas

2010-03-20T11:20:00.004-04:00

I apologize to the few of you who have been reading the blog on the lack of post game blogs. To be honest, there is enough negativity out there, and the last few games haven't given me anything positive to say. As my mother always said, if you don't have ANYTHING nice to say...

Anyways. Let's see how the boys stack up against the Stars shall we?

FORWARDS: The Sens managed to get 3 goals the other day (woohoo!!!) and much of that had to do with finally getting the 4th line back together. With the injury to Michalek (who was having a good game at the time) that might be disrupted again. I know we have Winchester and Dono on the side, but I'd like to see Zach Smith called up now, but maybe that's just me. Same old story for Ottawa, need Spezza, Alfie and Kovalev to step up. Dallas on the other hand spanked the Sharks 8-2 two games ago, and have an offense that is averaging 2.80 goals per game, good for 10th in the league. Brad Richards is finally earning that huge contract and is 9th in the league with 77 points. Dallas has been inconsistent this year, but I still think they have the upper hand in the offensive zone.

DEFENCE: Looks like Cory will stick with the defensive line-up from last game, I guess because he will get more offense out of Campoli than Carkner. Uncharacteristic giveaways by Phillips in recent games will hopefully be erased. More interestingly, hopefully Sutton doesn't become afraid to hit after that game changing penalty for a clean hit last game. Karlsson will hopefully return to his pre-injury form soon, because the Sens need that. Dallas is anchored by Stepane Robidas who very well could have made the Canadian Olympic team. After that they have Trevor Daley who is basically a better version of Campoli. After that, there aren't too many names I recognize. This might explain why they are 25th in the league with 3.06 goals against per game. I'll give Ottawa the edge, assuming they can play to what they are capable of.

Goaltending: Ahhh. the hot topic of Ottawa

Leclaire vs Lehtonen: Soo... the mirror image of each other? Let's see, Leclaire drafted 8th overall to expansion Columbus, Lehtonen 2nd overall (the next year) to Atlanta. Both goalies have shown incredible promise, both putting up one amazing year in their respective hockey holes while sustaining enough injuries to fill an entire anatomy course. Now have both been traded to teams looking at them as a high risk/high reward goaltending solution. I guess if they are the same I have to call this a draw?

Special Teams:

Powerplay: Ok we get it, this is getting redundant. The Sens cannot score on the powerplay to save their lives, so it matters not that the Stars have only the 15th ranked powerplay in the league. They are by default better. Guns like Robidas, Richards, Eriksson and Neal make for a solid unit.

Penalty Kill: Again. Redundant. The Sens have a sick penalty kill (thank GOD) and Dallas has a worse penalty kill than Edmonton. Seriously. So I think again this is a win for Ottawa, meaning a draw overall on special teams.

Players to Watch

Ottawa: Peter Regin. Might have the chance to play on the top line. He excels when playing with better players, but hopefully he doesn't have Shannon-itis (over passing when on with Spezza)

Dallas: I am a big James Neal fan, as well as Jamie Benn. I'll be watching these two young guns today, but Neal is the real deal (wow rhymes) as a budding power forward. 25 goals might get added to today.

Consensus Predictions

Young: Man. I was right in that we would lose last game, but today I'd rather put some faith in the boys. I don't know how they'll do it, but I guess if Leclaire plays like he did in Vancouver, the Sens have a great shot. 4-2 Sens

Oakes: This has to be over. We all know what happened when Ottawa broke the last 5 game losing streak. Will Chris Campoli score another late goal like he did against the rangers?.. probably not. Hopefully with Pascal getting the start it will be similar to the goalie switch up Mike Brodeur gave to the Senators when he got his first shutout(and broke the first streak). The Senators haven't lost to the stars since 2005 why should they now...

4 - 0 Sens

(Pascal takes the reins)

Game Day Preview: Ottawa at Atlanta

2010-03-18T13:25:00.007-04:00

Apologies for the lack of Post-Game Roll Call after the battle of Ontario. It was a depressing game, and yesterday Oakes and I celebrated the Irish Culture a little too hard, so no Post game could be done then either.

Upon reading our battle of Ontario preview we decided it might be a touch too long... so I'll cut it down a bit this time, and maybe you guys can tell us what you prefer.

Without further ado... Let's see how our Sens match up against the Thrashers

FORWARDS

Thrashers: Since the departure of their superstar, the Thrashers have found that they can have a much more balanced attack. Their top two lines don't boast any big names, but Afinogenov-Antropov-Bergfors has played very well as of late, and Bergfors may help keep Don Waddell his job with 11 points in 14 games with the Thrashers. Don't underestimate the Thrashers offense however, because at 2.9 goals per game, they crack the top ten in the NHL

Senators: Much has been made about the Sens inability to find the back of the net since the Olympic break. The Sens offense is struggling right now, and confidence may be an issue. With Nick Foligno coming back last game and providing a spark and Mike Fisher possibly making a return, the Sens have a strong looking line-up that should find the net. Hopefully they are able to build confidence tonight.

OVERALL EDGE IN FORWARDS: Thrashers (due to confidence issues)

DEFENCE

Thrashers: Again, the Thrashers have a defensive core whose names don't inspire fear in opponents, but this is largely due to the fact they are younger players. Oduya, Bogosian and especially Enstrom are young, exciting players who in the next few years should give the Thrashers stability. Kubina and Hainsey provide some veteran leadership to this group. The only knock is that they really don't have a "shut-down" pair, which has resulted in them being 28th in the league for goals-against at 3.16 per game.

Senators: The (hopeful) return of Filip Kuba should help young Erik Karlsson get back to doing what he does best, without having to over-extend himself. Andy Sutton will be looking to prove something after being out of position on the second and third goals against Toronto on Tuesday. Philchenkov as always anchors the group and they will be charged with shutting down the solid Thrashers offense.

OVERALL EDGE IN DEFENCE: Senators

SPECIAL TEAMS

Powerplay: Ottawa's powerplay is ICE cold right now, but the return of Filip Kuba (hopefully) should help. While Ottawa has struggled, they remain at 15.5%, and the Thrashers are at 16.5% on the year. Now, without Kovalchuk on the left point, their powerplay doesn't strike much fear in opponents. This is a draw for me.

Penalty Kill: As stated in the last post, Ottawa's strong penalty kill has been a major reason for their position in the standings. Atlanta on the other hand is sitting in 22nd overall at 80.2%. Without question, Ottawa gets the edge here.

EDGE OVERALL IN SPECIAL TEAMS: Senators

Goaltending

Elliott vs Hedberg: Brian Elliott clearly has the confidence of coach Cory Clouston and hopefully he is right. I don't know if I'm sold. Regardless Hedberg has lost 4 of his last 5 starts, and his numbers have been poor (sub 900 save percentage). Neither team has goaltending as a strength.

EDGE OVERALL IN GOAL: Neither. It's a draw.

Players to Watch

Ottawa: I'm watching Nick Foligno. He looked excited to be in the line-up against the Buds, but looked a little rusty with the puck. Look for him to have a strong game.

Atlanta: For me, the return on Kovalchuk, Nick Bergfors, is the player to watch. He is coming into his own in this league and can put a couple in the back of the net if left unchecked.

Consensus Predictions:

Young: The boys haven't given me a reason to think they will win this game, and Atlanta is making their final push to the playoffs. Add in the fact that this is a road game, and this is a recipe for a sad night.

4-3 (SO) Atlanta

Oakes: Breakout game.... I hope. After the comments in the media the last few days I truly believe that they will come out flying and not let up. If Kuba comes back this is an Ottawa win hands down. People under estimate the stability he brings to the back end.

3-0 Ottawa
We will score 1 pp goal.
Greg Carvel will do a cart wheel on the bench.
Kovalev will break out of his mini slump
Sen's fans will rejoice.
Little will fake illness to avoid a repeat of this

Game Day Preview: Battle of Ontario #6

2010-03-16T12:44:00.003-04:00

We have decided the best way to do pregame blogs is to see how the two teams match up in each facet of the game.

FORWARDS:

Line 1: MM-Spezza-Foligno vs Kulemin-Bozak-Kessel.

Give the edge in overall skill to the Sens as Spezza has more goals than any Leaf except Kessel despite playing 47 games and having an off year. However Kessel seems to love to be a sens killer with 5 goals already this year.

Line 2a: Shannon-Regin-Kovalev vs Caputi-Grabovski-Stalberg

Its hard to count Kovalev out of any game, and Caputi was in the AHL two weeks ago. Not to mention Stalberg still is afraid of the thought of crossing the Sens blueline.... Give this one to the Sens as it has been one of the better lines all year.

Line 2b: Kelly-Cullen-Alfie vs Hanson-Lundmark-Mitchell

Hansons playing better each game, and against the Oilers Mitchell looked strong. Cullen has played well, but Shannon is in a bit of a slump. The difference will be Alfie who is better than any of these players. If he gels with the Sens this will be a big Sens win.

Line 4: Ruutu-Winchester-Neil vs Orr-Primeau-Wallin

Wallin may one day be a strong defensive forward for the Leafs, but I think Ruutu and Neil are stronger than Primeau and Orr. Don't forget Ruutu has 10 goals. Not bad for a 4th liner with no powerplay time.

NOTE: Mike Fisher is doubtful for tonight, but I think he might play, so that would give a resounding win to the Sens on all lines

FORWARDS EDGE: Sens

DEFENCE:

Pair One: Philchenkov vs Beauchemin-Phaneuf

Apples to Oranges. One shuts down, the other is built for offence. We'll call this a draw

Pair Two: Karlsson-Sutton vs Kaberle-Schenn

You will learn we have huge man-crushes on Karlsson. That said, if you (as a Sens fan) respect only one Leaf, it's Thomas Kaberle. He gets the edge over Sutton, but I think in the battle of 19 year old blueliners, Karlsson is currently playing better. This pair is a draw as well. However, observe Suts tagging Lundmark below.

Pair Three: Carkner-Campoli vs Finger-Gunnarsson

Finger is struggling to find his game at the NHL level, but Gunnarsson has been a slightly more pleasant surprise than Matty Carkner for the Leafs. If it was still Carkner-Lee, this would be a slight win for the Leafs, but depending how well Campoli comes back from injury, this is either a Sens win or a draw. We'll call it a draw.

DEFENCE OVERALL: DRAW

SPECIAL TEAMS

Powerplay: While the Sens have been ripped all year for their struggling powerplay, at 15.7%, they basically score as often on the powerplay as the Leafs at 16%. The Sens powerplay has been cold as ice the last few games, but the Leafs penalty kill doesn't provide much resistance. I'll call this one a draw.

Penalty Kill: No comparison here. One of the reasons the Senators have found themselves in the position they are in in the east is their 7th ranked 84% penalty kill, which until Saturday had killed off 24 straight. The Leafs, it is well documented, have the worst kill in the league.

OVERALL SPECIAL TEAMS: Sens

GOALTENDING:

Brian Elliott vs Jonas Gustavsson: Battle of two goalies who weren't expected to carry the load this year. Jonas had more hype coming in to this year, but Elliott has proven he can get wins while playing for the team. Gustavsson cannot say the same. We'll give the slight edge to the Sens.

OVERALL GOALTENDING: Sens

Players to watch:

Ottawa: Jason Spezza. There was a time when he owned the Blue and White with 46 points in 40 career games, but this year he has but 1 goal and 1 assist in 5 games. After last games highlight reel goal, my eyes are going to be on our best offensive player to get us out of this slump.

Toronto: Who else? Phil Kessel has 5 goals and 1 assist against the Sens this year and 17 points in 24 career games. He's a gamebreaker, and the Sens need to figure him out!

Consensus Predictions:

Oakes:

I am picking with the heart on this one. Ignoring the line up on paper, the Senators have given us no reason to believe that they will win tonight. However, the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won the season series against the Ottawa Senators was ... last year. They are on a three game winning streak against the Nations's Capital, but when is the last time the leafs have one four straight facing the Sens...2007- 2008. These stats may not be promising, but I will not be able to stand talking to leaf fans that night and the next morning who think Luca Caputi will be a thirty goal scorer. So the Senators will win. Just because they have to.

4 -2 Ottawa

Young:

The Sens have played poorly recently, and the Leafs (especially their top line) are coming together around the same time of year as they always do. I think the return of Foligno and Campoli makes this team significantly better, and Foligno will provide some spark. Also I look at Cullen-Alfie and I see some good potential. I think I just need to convince myself the boys will take this one, but thats called being a fan.

3-1 Ottawa

Mike Hoffman - Game on Sportsnet Ontario

2010-03-14T19:10:00.006-04:00

Taken 130rd overall Ottawa Senators prospect Mike "don't call me Matt" Hoffman is enjoying an outstanding year with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. The 6 foot 175 pound prospect could put on a few more pounds but that has not affected his scoring ability. Hoffman has tallied 46 goals and 85 points in 55 games.

Once I got over the fact that his team's name was the Sea Dogs I was able to watch them face a red hot Moncton team in a battle of the Q's best this afternoon. I am going to be honest, for the best two teams in the QMJHL it was quite boring and sloppy, with a final score of 5-2 in favour of Moncton. Moncton dominated the whole game until they took a 5 minute major penalty for a head shot that mirrored the one delivered by Cookie on Savard. On that powerplay the Sea Dogs scored once and allowed a shorthanded goal. It also provided us with the opportunity to see Hoffman man the point for a full three minutes.

Even though Hoffman did not end up with his name on the scoresheet he was a factor on both of the Sea Dogs goals. He went 7 - 5 in the face of dot and looked like one of the quicker players on the ice. It was very hard to judge him on this game because as a whole the Sea Dogs had a very rough game. We also had the pleasure of watching Gabriel Bourque score a dirty penalty shot goal for Moncton when Penguins first round pick Simon Despres slashed him on a breakaway.

If you want to learn more about this Sens prospect with great upside check out this interview done by the guys at Silver Seven.

Stop by Tuesday morning for the our Game Day Preview!

Roll Call Volume 2: Canucks 5, Ottawa 1

2010-03-13T22:06:00.003-05:00

Another tough road loss leads us to our second roll call... so without further ado...

#4 Chris Phillips: After a very strong game in Calgary, Phillips made some very rare mistakes. Look for him to rebound nicely against the Leafs.

#5 Andy Sutton: Amazing presence of mind to take a puck off the goal-line to help out Snoopy in the first period, that came at a key moment.

#7 Matt Cullen: I don't know if it's just me, but Cullen seems to be very strong in the face-off dot. Still love the way he looks on the pk, but I'm excited to see if he gels with Foligno 5-on-5

#10 SheanDon: I feel like this was a game where his particular skills would have been very helpful, but maybe that's just me having a soft spot for a guy with 3 teeth.

#12 Mike Fisher: would have been nice to see him knock out Luuu tonight with one of those shots. But at least he didn't hurt Pascal?

#19 Jason Spezza: What else is there to say but WOW. That goal should be the highlight of the night. An unbelievably skilled play, and I was glad to see him put one in tonight. For a guy that missed significant time, he will put up 20 this year.

#22 Chris Kelly: Not sure why he was out last game, but I'm not sure I like him with Cullen. I know he struggles at faceoffs, but he is a natural centre, and I think he should be on that fourth line with Neil and Ruutu. We miss that chemistry.

#24 Volchy: How many more shots is this guy going to block? That shot off the hand takes courage. Now if he'd only take a contract extension.....

#26 Ryan Shannon: His speed was on full display tonight against his former team. I just feel he is under-utilized playing with Winchester and Ruutu. I think the speed would be pretty cool with him and Cullen.

#27 Alexei Kovalev: Not much was going right for the big Russian bear tonight. The refs weren't giving him much love (the two roughing penalties...really?) especially when he got dropped in the offensive zone in the third and there should have been a penalty. There wasn't, and he stopped skating the rest of the shift. I know it's been a tough couple games for him (chances that just won't go) but I'd like to see him stick with it

#33 Pascal Leclaire: 5 goals or 2 goals, does not matter. He is the reason the Senators won't be front page for record number of goals against. 17 saves in the FIRST PERIOD... many of them highlight reel. You can't ask much more from your goalie than that. Him not playing the puck on that SH goal to me is a lack of confidence, and the 5th goal he couldn't see around Sutton. Bottom line: your goalie needs to give you a chance to win. After the first period, he had done that. But you can't win if you don't score. (PS that save on Kesler was UNREAL)

#39 Matt Carkner: Would have liked to see him beat Mason Raymond's pretty face in if he was going to get a penalty anyways... but whatever. Wishful thinking.

#55 Brian Lee: Mason Raymond....erased. Who knew Lee could hit like that?

#65 Kid Karlsson: The king title drops for a game, as our boy had an uncharacteristically rough one. I think Kuba coming back soon will take some of the offensive pressure off him, and hopefully he will go back to amazing us in the near future. (PS I just want to see him score! I missed his only goal ever!)

The boys had a tough one today, but they are back home in their happy place (and NOT vomiting) to play the Leafs at home. Stop by here for our new-look preview as we break down the matchup.

PS one more for the roll call

Scott Oake: interview fail. "well I got one on him in the end" "when?" "...the goal?"

Game Day: Vancouver

2010-03-12T17:22:00.006-05:00

Tonights game is on CBC at 10:00 pm eastern time.

Look for the Canucks to come out absolutely flying after being away from GM place for 14 games. Luongold will get a standing ovation of obscene proportions that will rival the delay two nights ago by the Saddledome glass crew. Here is hoping that his catching arm gets tired from all the waving and he lets a couple in high glove. For the Senators to be successful they must shut down the Sedin line like they did in their last meeting. In their last game against Vancouver the Senators faced Andrew Raycroft winning 3 -1 and getting goals from Spezza, Michalek and Kelly. I like the move to give Pascal the start as he looked good in the game against the leafs. Lets hope he has finally regained his form after repeated pucks to the head from Fisher.

Prediction

Another Ottawa win --- 3-1 . The Sedin line will once again be held pointless and Karlsson will get his second goal of the year.

Roll Call Volume 1: Flames 2 Sens 0

2010-03-12T00:11:00.009-05:00

A friend of ours suggested that we try a roll call as a way to do post-game write-ups. There are a few too many guys to do everyone without instilling boredom, but here are some of my thoughts from last nights game.....

#5 Andy Sutton: This may have been the first game in a sens uni that I got the impression Sutton's footspeed wasn't up to par. He did have a sweet dangle that drew a penalty... so that's something?

#7 Matt Cullen: The other new sen. Something about Neil on his wing doesn't give me the feeling he's being given the best opportunity... but I DO like the way he looks on the right point on the powerplay (in all it's useless glory).

#9 Milan Michalek: In the immortal words of Oakes "For a twenty goal scorer, he sure has trouble taking a pass". Five seconds in, him scoring might have changed this game just a tad. I still think his goal should have counted. Mmm Bitterness.

#14 Camper: Dude, I never thought I'd say this, but come back. Brian Lee needs to go.

#17 Filip Kuba: Some things in life you can be sure of. One of those is that Filip Kuba will do something to upset you when he plays. Right now though, we need him back. Again, Brian Lee NEEDS TO GO.

#18 Jesse Winchester: He had some extra jump tonight, but fact is, he is the odd man out when Foligno comes back unless he proves otherwise. Right now, I don't think he's doing enough.

#22 Chris Kelly: Why didn't you play? I mean... I didn't miss you. I'm just curious.

#24 The Android: Congrats on 1000 blocked shots Anton. Now, if you will kindly sign on this dotted line for a reasonable amount and THEN learn how to handle the puck, I may die of utter happiness.

#25 Chris Neil: Did you do something to get Western Canada mad at you? You have taken a serious beat-down the last two games. I can't wait til Foligno comes back so you can go back to your happy place with Kells and Ruutu, you look lost on a scoring line.

#27 L'Artiste: Buddy, did you and Jason get together over the break, get drunk because neither of you made your Olympic teams and decide that to stick it to the man, neither of you would ever score again? Because that is TERRIBLE LOGIC. Glad I could point this out. Go back to getting points now?

#30 B-Ells: You looked shaky tonight, and while the second goal might have gone off something, that first goal was bad. You are frustrating. You aren't a bad goalie, but we need you to steal some games if we are to go anywhere.

#39 Matty Carkner: I'm sorry man, you know I'm a fan. But rough game. Every time you and that Alien looking kid were on the ice, I cringed. When you get a decent partner back I'm sure you will be fine, but with big Sutt's in town now, you have to prove you are a better option than Campoli. Tonight you didn't do that.

# 43 Peter Regin: I don't know what to say to you. Just... no. It hurts too much right now. You should have had two tonight. Just... score a goal again already? Thanks.

#55 Brian Lee: I have nothing to say to you. Just brag to your friends about the money you are stealing from the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club.

#65 King K: This kid maybe the most talented player in the history of the NHL to have only scored 1 goal. Credited with 3 shots ON goal, and probably 10 more wide or blocked, it is obvious he is our only threat offensively from the back end right now. He is playing well, but he can't do it himself.

So there it is. So many players. So many thoughts. An overall lackluster game from the boys. I just want to see them score goals again. You know, against an NHL team (Edmonton doesn't count).

Here's hoping for more against Luuuuuuu and the Generous Twins in Van City.

PS- One more to add to the rolecall

#00 The Saddledome Icecrew: Broken glass....fix it. No, I get it, its not your fault. Why would you have a replacement for something that regularly breaks?

The start of a new Consensus in Ottawa (hopefully)

2010-03-11T00:42:00.002-05:00

What up.....

Over the last two years my friend and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the Ottawa Senator Blogs. From Senschirp, which I discovered when curious as to if Andrej Meszaros was going to going to resign or not, to the Sixth Sens, who make us laugh daily with their witty analysis. More recently, we have become big fans of the boys on SB nation, SilverSevenSens after the late Sens Army blog reached it's end.

We are students at Queen's University, we are nineteen, we love watching hockey and even more so love talking it. We are actual life time Senator fans who look forward to talking hockey with anyone who will listen.

We don't have contacts. We don't have insider information. We have an opinion, and hopefully some insight that you find interesting. One of us is even kind of funny. Hopefully you find us here and like what you read. If you do, stop by every now and then, and give US something to think about.

Our boys are starting their stretch drive, so let's get to this.

Oakes and Young.