Eat It Experts

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

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.

Game Day Preview: Ottawa at Atlanta

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