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.

....

.......

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

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

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?

A WIN!!!!

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

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

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: Battle of Ontario #6

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

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 1: Flames 2 Sens 0

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)

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.