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.

Let's Check Out the Defence, Ya Dig?

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.

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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?

Game Day Preview: Battle of Capitals

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?

Roll Call - Sens vs. Panthers

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.

How about a healthy debate?

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?