The Ottawa Senators came to battle tonight and it showed. Cory Clouston's team fought right to the final horn and were rewarded with a 2-1 victory over the rival Maple Leafs. This was pretty much a picture perfect road game from the Senators.
Ottawa got goals from Donovan and Alfredsson but the offence was not the story in this one. A very impressive effort by the Senators defensively led to the W, especially considering Kuba was out of the line up.
Phillips and Volchenkov were awesome for the Senators and were double shifted late in the game. I'll admit I have thought at times it might make sense to separate these two but their effort tonight was very very impressive.
Leclaire was sharp when he had to be and made a couple big saves for this team late. Also liked the game of the Foligno-Fisher-Kovalev line and thought Matt Carkner did a great job, particularly in the third period.
Good to get the first win out of the way as they get set to return home for the Scotiabank opener on Thursday.
GO SENS GO!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
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Hang on Snoopy, Snoopy hang on
Hang on Snoopy, Snoopy hang on
Snoopy played in a very tough part of town
and the Leafies, tried to put our Snoopy down
Snoopy we don't care, what your daddy do
Cuz you know Snoopy, we're all in love with you
and so I say now
Hang on Snoopy, Snoopy hang on
Hang on Snoopy, Snoopy hang on
Nice work by our team. Way better defensive game and overall structure by our squad!
GO SENS GO!
Way better. I thought the team had more of an identity tonight. Kovalev gradually showed up and if he can find his groove he'll set up a whole lot of goals... A few defensive blunders at the end almost gave me heart attacks, but really solid game. Pumped!!!
(and not, I wasn't one of the people who blasted the team after last game)
VERY ugly win, but one that the team should be proud of.
To a man, I think that the team looked better than they did on Saturday. They took fewer penalties, they were more responsible both ways, and Leclaire was great. Mind you, the Leafs are not as strong as the Rangers, but a good win to build on.
Long home stand coming up with lots of tough games. I think the most important thing for the Senators now should be that they don't take any team lightly. The effort level from tonight, combined with the continued evolution of the players in developing some line chemistry, and the Senators could do some damage.
They better keep the kovalev-fisher-foligno line and call it our first line because the spezza line spend too much time on their zone.
go sens go 1-1
Donovan+hardwork+determinition= Success
did anyone else notice alfie didnt get booed as much as previous games in toronto?? i only heard boos on the penalty shot
Haha. Well done "One Gun Mitty"!!
With Clouston sitting Karlsson and Picard late in the game I had a few "revelations" that I wanted to share.
1. Clouston has a real good FEEL for the game and seems to make real good decisions during a game.
2. Picard won't be on this team long as he is by far our weakest defenceman.
3. Matt Carkner is going to a real solid 4-5 shutdown guy in this league and kudos to him for working so hard to achieve his dream. Keep it up!
4. Finally I had a moment where I wondered why Karlsson wasn't in Bingo but then something occurred to me...I was being short-sighted. Suppose next year that Karlsson, Cowen and Wiercioch are all ready for the NHL. Are we REALLY going to put 3 rookies in the lineup? Not a chance... This experience is invaluable to Karlsson and I am willing to bet that he will be better than Preissing was in 06/07 by mid-season (if he isn't already :)). He is just so gifted you can see it everytime he touches the puck.
That's it for me. Go SENS!!
-kw
Was Carkner our #3 dman tonight?
It sure looked like it in the 3rd period. Way to go Matt!
We really need two of Karlsson/Campoli/Picardor even Brian Lee to step up.
A win is a win Go Sens Go .. lets grab some wins at home cant wait till thursday already got my tickets .
Puh-LEEZE can someone get Kovalev on a line with guys that can finish? He made some ridiculous plays tonight and both Fisher and Foligno bungled them. Don't get me wrong I love them both but they are not gifted with soft hands.......Kovy should be up with Spezza and Alffy with these guys. IMHO.
Nice game to build on though.
Donovan deserves a full-time spot on the team. He's the heart and soul of the team. (apart from Alfie)
Anon at 10:05, I could not agree more about Donovan.
Donovan looked like a man out to prove that he belongs in the line up full time. He puts 100% effort in all the time and I thought that he made the 'energy' line click tonight!
looked like 2 non playoff teams battling it out for 5th and 6th pick in the draft. Boring game
how is donovan not a full time fourth liner??? tonnes of energy and speed from him tonight
karlsson looked very off tonight, he should not be playing with campoli, maybe carkner, he was absolutely awesome tonight, he's a good second pair guy
i like michalek too, even if he's not scoring he causes all types of chances and is always a threat
spezza's coming around defensively, but doesn't look like an elite offensive player anymore
and... alfie absolutely pwned gustavsson on that penalty shot
I would like Cloustin to conduct a chemsitry experiment and put Kovy on a line with Spezz and Alfie. I totally agree that he has the ability to make other players around him better, but I have a feeling that once the 3 of them 'gel' it will be a thing of beauty.....just not sure about throwing all our eggs in one basket
I'm very pleased with the effort the Sens put in tonight!
Beating a hungry Leafs team was a good stepping stone and you could really see it come together following the big A-Train hit in the 2nd period.
I think the biggest difference so far is that our players aren't giving up on plays...100% every shift is what I witnessed tonight.
What I am most excited about is that this team is still working out a few chinks in their armour. I can't wait to see our team playing as 1 unit full steam ahead.
Congrats Sens on your first win of many this year!
Lets keep if rolling Thursday night in the home opener!
GO SENS GO!!!
I like how Ruutu almost destroyed Komisarek's profile with his shoulder... Komi looked all misty eye'd on the bench after... Cheechoo is starting to worry me, he hasn't been a factor in any preseason/regular game yet.... Phillips and Volchenkov look really good back in their role as shut down physical d-guys... scoring is still an issue though, can't figure out why... they got lots of talent... is it second effort needed or more guts required to drive to the net?... I trust Coach Clouston will figure it out... Senschirp, any word in the rumour mills these days?... Shane O'Brien was talked about a week or so ago... still think the Sens could use another physical d-man to slow down the forecheck, keep the bad guys honest, and clear the crap from our zone... I saw those TO guys push our d on top of LeClaire two or three times after the play was called dead... anyways, I'm tired and starting to rant... ciao.
Anon 10:18 PM:
I think that once Milan-Spezza-Alfie start clicking, putting Kovalev on the top line will be an after thought. Teams aren't going to know what to do defensively to contain a lights out spezza line & Kovalev line. Give the guys more time to gel before we top heavy the top line.
Just my 2 cents...
I agree - Kovalev is a better fit with Alfie and Spezza - more of a puck control player like them and also a sniper
Michalek is a better fit with Fisher and Regin because of his speed and size and willigness to grind
Cheechoo was largely invisible but Donovan was great
Leclaire stood up more and was the difference in the game
Carkner played a great game as did Volchenkov and Phillips
Karlsson and Campoli are a scary combo but that was because Kuba was out and usually plays with Karlsson
Picard is a goner - how is Lee doing down on the farm?
Ottawa is back to playing the flex trap - forecheck when you can and when you can't drop back into the trap and clog the middle - Toronto couldn't use their speed down the middle and of course the Sens defense could stand up at the blueline and deliver some ferocious checks
3 Stars of the game:
1- Leclaire
2- Volchenkov
3- Donavon
Honourable mention to Carkner and the Fisher line.
Good gritty win tonight boys! Keep it up!
Regin is awesome it is only so long before he hit his grove and starts scoring... i really see him as an alfredsson type player but with the potential of being a little bigger... he really drives to the net and has GREAT puck control... once he gets some confidence he will be a great player for us.
i really like karlsson too... maybe not AS ready as regin at this point but i think he will get there... every game he is getting better...
kovalev and cheechoo really are not impressing me.... i think that cheechoo needs to be in a second line with kovalev and regin as center then re-unite the fisher shannon foligno line when shannon comes back
trade ruutu as much as i love the guy... i really do i like donovan more as he is cheaper and he is awesome.
Nice to see the Sens get the win. Excellent bench management by Clouston during the last 5 minutes. A little concerning that Campoli couldn’t be trusted to help close the door. Murray better resign Volchenkov to an extension soon before the price gets out of reach. It might be time to shuffle the lines again, why not try putting a shooter like Chechoo with Spezza or Kovalev we need more finishers and less sand paper on our 2nd line. With all the lineup changes I don’t know why the Sens only played 6 pre-seasons games, chemistry requires time and experimentation. Wouldn’t it be better to take advantage of games that don’t affect your chances of making the playoffs?
thoughts:
really liked the fourth line, they always had a presence, if not a menacing presenece in the leafs zone.
sometimes campoli and picard give me the biggest near-heart-attacks. campoli needs to toughen up a little and look more responsible than karlsson, otherwise, he is useless. picard is just very unpredictable in his own zone.
kovalev seems to be working out the kinks honestly. its understandable. but he did seem to have an altogether different kind fo swagger in the third.
really like how michalek somehow manages to be in position for breakaways. the guy has great speed. if only spezza, alfie and him can work their chemistry just a tad bit faster. they seemed to be a more cohesive unit near the end of the game. also on that note, only the fourth line seemed like it didnt need anymore chemistry lol....those three guys always knew where each other was. good effective responsible game by that fourth line. really liked it.
leclaire was great and i like how he is totally flying under the radar with the media. they need to keep drinking the "monster" koolaid and keep pushing panic in leafland. cant as for a better situation.
lastly, phillips and volchenkov proved in one single game today why they never ever should have been separated. Murray should make sure Volchenkov is a senator for life. those two guys, each time they were on the ice brought back memories of the 2007 Stanley Cup final run. punishingly physical in their own zone and responsibly adventurous in the leafs end. volchenkov loves to hit. as a sens fan he is absolutely the best thing to watch on the team for me.
they should never separate these two guys, they win us games. plain and simple. those two will help leclaire ease in and get his numbers lookin good.
great game. like how gradually with the game the chemistry started to catch with the lines. i think its just a matter of getting dirty lame goals, but goals indeed and dirty wins and then these guys will loosen up and score like nuts.
imma real happy for you burkie, and imma let you finish out of the playoffs this year....but andrew raycroft was the best leafs goalie of ALL TIME!! OF ALL TIME!!!
go sens go
Anon@10:01:
100% agree about pushing Karlsson this year so we don't have 2 (or 3) rookies next year.
To those who criticized Carkner against NYR, eat it. He has looked SOLID both games and plays a simple, but confident game. I like him so far!
Michalek looks like Vermette. Anyone else see his speed and hands of stone? I think Spezza is going to start campaign for Kovy to join him soon :)
Great road win, boys. Let's get some momentum by defeating Tavares.
CM
Good game, elevates Ottawa to Eastern Conference favourites for sure.
BM PLEASE TRADE PICARD!! PLEASE!
I must say, I'm getting a little tired of the Cheechoo bashing, especially after tonight. He had some good scoring chances and hustled to cause several turnovers in the offensive zone. J. Cheech is going to be fine.
I'll sum this up:
Donovan was ALL energy.
Carkner was a brick wall.
We finally have a goalie.
Kovalev needs to play with guys who can finish (Alfie or Heatl... nevermind).
Fisher was a monster.
A-train hurts people.
gutsy win by the sens.but that hit by the atrain was awesome the sports websites are full of crying leaf fans calling it a dirty head shot i love it
GO SENS GO
i really hope the leafs get a really high draft pick this year, that would just be the ultimate burn
i don't understand why everybody is saying the lines need to be shuffled. we have a lot of new players up front and it takes time to build chemistry. if we keep shuffling the lines it will take even longer to build that chemistry. so what if the offense isn't producing a lot right now. as history has shown its much better to struggle early and be scoring at the end of the season heading towards playoffs as opposed to starting hot and sputtering near the end. lets give them some time here.
LEAFS SUCK!!!!!!!
Glad the Sens won but it was a boring game. I hope we'll get more exciting hockey as the season goes on.
I only saw the final ten minutes, and was really surprised that despite the one goal lead, I wasn't panicking like I was last year in the same situation. Michalek looked shaken up cause of the injury, hope he'll be ok. I was really impressed with Carkner, Phillips and Volchenkov. Once Karlsson, Kuba and Campoli get their offensive game together it's gonna be huge. Imagine these pairings next year (assuming Campoli, Picard are let go and Volchenkov resigns):
Phillips (3.5)-Volchenkov(3.2)
Kuba(3.7)-Cowen(900k)
Karlsson(900k)-Carkner(500k)
Not a bad blue line for 12.7 mil, an average of 2.12 mil per d-man.
And those of you critical of Cheechoo, lay off, he'll earn his money, and though his footspeed isn't great, he has great awareness and will be huge in the second half if sharks fans reports are anything to go on.
can someone please correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't TB going to put an offer sheet together for Mezaros in the summer of 08?
If so, that would of meant Ottawa would of gotten a 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick. Which also means that the 1st round pick would of been Victor Hedman?
Yet they settled for Kuba, Picard and a 1st rounder which I believe then they traded away?
Yikes...
Anyways.....I don't think there should be any panic regarding the offense on this team. Offense like in any sport takes time to gel. We have 4 out of 12 forwards that are litterally new to the forward position. Michalek, Kovi, Cheech and Peter R...it takes time to gel.
We'll see the true sens in December. If we can just hover above 500 by then, we will be in really good shape. We cannot put Kovalev up with Alfie and Spezza...We need to solidify 2 effective lines right from the get go so we don't get into that rutt later on where we panic and throw on the top 3 all the time and essentially come up against a solid tandem on D and do absolutely nothing.
I really think coulston will stay away from it as much as possible because of that.
I did solidify something tonight and that is that the leafs are absolutely garbage. A little forecheck and they couldn't come out of the zone.
Is it just me or has everyone gotten away from the 'take a deep breath' feeling when there is a shot on our own goal now.
Leclaire is solid and consistent...thank god
Gotta believe
Go Sens Go
Reading some of the comments on here, it seems like some of us think we are SO much better than the Leafs!
That was a brutal hockey game(I was there) and to quote..."thats not the Battle of Ontario" - RON WILSON is an accurate statement
We are still having serious chemistry problems on this team which is understandable, only reason we were in this game was that our veterans stepped up, Alfie, Phillps, Volch, and Donovan.
The rest of the team looked lost...
guys like Cheechoo, Foligno, Neil seem to have hands of stone...all grit no finish...
Overall Grades:
A - Alfie, Volch, Phillips, Leclaire(great game), Donovan, Michalek
B - Kelly, Fisher, Carkner
C - Karlsson, Cheechoo, Campoli, Kovalev(right now he looks old and slow), Spezza(still giving away the puck)
D - Picard, Ruttu, Regin(where was this guy tonight)
That was the most boring i've seen between Ottawa and Toronto in 5 seasons.
Close to listening to Mark Messier talk about helmets in the season opener in NY.
Looked like both teams, just wanted to go home and sleep.
Sens won in a gritty game
They deserve the win even though Toronto didn't put up much of a fight
Neither team wanted to be the first to make a mistake in the first
They tested the waters till the first intermission
A hard nosed crashing of the net by our lower decks yielded a controversial goal
Even I think it was too high but either way it worked
A horrible breakaway led to a pitch hit penalty shot for our captain
Sheer experience got the sens their final goal of the game
The third period was tense with a bit of fire under Toronto
They got a very nice goal but Leclair just wouldn't let them put in the second
Great defence from Philips and Volchenkov
Solid goaltending
and our bottom lines almost showed up our first
P.S. Did Neil not look better then he did all last season?
i really have not seen kovalev do anything and i thought we would have by now
i really have not seen kovalev do anything and i thought we would have by now
A good early season road game.
Why do people keep talking about Cheechoo? He's doing exactly what they expect him to do. He just doesn't have the speed anymore to keep up with Top 6 forwards and he's never really had elite sniper skills. His role is to be a third line checker and ensure he's not a defensive liability. Maybe he'll get some goals too...and fill in elsewhere every now and then. He's a good guy, doing the best he can.
The top line is (Michalek-Spezza-Alfie) will be fine with more time together. I don't undertstand why so many people keep wanting Kovalev and Spezza on the same line. These two are the least compatible on the team...they are both puck control specialists who like to use creativity to set-up their linemates. I'm sure it won't be something Clouston will do for extended periods at even strength.
The most surprising thing about Carkner is his reliability, both at even-strength and short-handed. We knew he was tough and threw big body checks...and is a great fighter. I guess the fact that he's been a pro for 8 years means he doesn't have a lot of those rookie issues. Everyone thought his speed (or lack of) would be an issue, but his positioning has been very good and he's made great decisions under pressure. What remains to be seen is if he'll still be able to do this against faster and more talented forwards. We'll see that against Boston, Philly, Pitt, Washington, etc.
I agree with all those that say Donovan's gotta play. Even aside from his awesome ugly goal, he's exactly what the team needs. I think when someone like Shannon is out with an injury, Donovan should be the 3rd liner and we should leave our 4th line of Biter-Plugger-Scrapper (credit to Oman) alone. If poor Plugger (Kelly) wasn't the only centre of the bunch he'd likely be moved up more often.
Clouston seems to have a very good read as to who's going well on any given night and makes good mid-game adjustments. Certainly doesn't seem to coach like an NHL rookie!
Go Sens Go! Blue Team Elimination Watch!
great game...everyone is settling in pretty good. where's the haters? only player im disappointed in right now is cheechoo. where is cheechoo? it's almost like he's invisible.
Why do I feel like we are not using Kovalev's skill set to our advantage? Game one had him trying to park in the blue paint most of the time, last night he was dishing out hits and (at least) trying to set up goals from behind the net, usually playing on the left never carrying in the puck and dishing out his laser shot from the point.
Gutsy win last night for sure. I wonder though how long until we juggle the lines around a bit more to try find more offense.
The "agitation-of-the-night" once again was trying to clear the puck out of our own zone. This haunted us last year and I hope we can work to rectify that.
Great showing by Pascal, great penalty shot by Alfie!
Realy ugly, and boring game last night..
I'm really glad that they pulled out the W though...
Here's hoping to a better Thursday night!
intense game cant wait to go to the opener thursday
To Anon @ 11:46:
I believe that TB threatened to put in an offer sheet but know one really knows what was discussed but Brian Lawton and Bryan Murray. To say an offer sheet was absolutely going to happen isn't true but the threat of one was definitely there.
Also that late 1st rounder was traded for Campoli who was one of our top 4 d-men last night. Do you know how any of Jordan Caron, Kyle Palmieri, Dylan Olsen or Philippe Paradis will turn out (we don't know who Ottawa would have taken but this is the range). Not really and Bryan took something that could help us now. I can't blame him for that...this team still has too much talent yet to throw in the towel and begin a full rebuild.
-kw
Two things I noticed this game:
1. Spezza is really trying to be a better two way player. He actually hit some people last night, and he's backchecking now...I'm impressed.
2. I love Nick Foligno. That guy just digs pucks out and forechecks like a madman.
If we can continue to play this well defensively, I don't care how well michalek and cheechoo (man he looks bad) play offensively, we'll still have improved by losing Dany's defensive liability.
Just my two cents.
anon 11:46
Offer sheet rumours are nothing more than rumours. You can't cry over situations which likely were nothing more than Ek rumblings. We can play that game over and over.
Why didn't we trade Heatley for a rumoured Crowe, Mihalek, Erhoff, Couture deal? Why didn't we trade Heatley for Thornton? Because they were just rumours and San Jose obviously didn't offer them. Same goes for the LA or Chicago or Vancouver or New York rumours.
You can't worry about why we didn't take a deal that was never going to happen. We turned Mez into Kuba, Picard and Campoli (via trade of san jose pick we got from Tampa to NYI). We didn't want to pay Mez what he wanted and he has not been healthy for them nor has he been very good (4 or 5th dman at times).
A win is a win and I'll take all the wins we can get!
anyone have a problem with our breakout, its practically non existant and I dont see any sign of change in Clouston in trying to fix it, This is our breakout, Defense rips it up the boards to the winger who chips it off the boards and out of the zone to the the other team! everytime!!! We are relying on the other team to mis play it in the neutral zone and against T.O it work to some extaent cuz they are so crappy but agaisnt good teams this wont fly.
Why not pass it to the centre who is curling in the middle. Every NHL team has a breakout, even the Leafs did a better job of breaking out of thier zone!
SM
Good game all in all. As I was watching the game though, I did notice it really felt slow. I attribute lots of that to the fact that Ottawa was "managing" the game and trapping effectively, but there certainly wasn't a lot of hustle out there by either team, except for short bursts. Oh well, one can't expect playoff-caliber speed for the second game of the season. Kovalev doesn't skate hardly at all, but man he is precise with that puck - just made some ridiculous passes.
As one commenter noted in another post, if we can keep up .500 hockey for the first ~20 games while we hit our stride, I will be satisfied. Of course, that's the exact same goal of most other teams, so we just need to find a better stride than them!
I'm kind of surprised no one is mentioning Michalek. I thought he looked awesome in the first part of the game until his front teeth got ruined. It was because of him that Alfie got the chance on the penalty shot. It's really nice to see him playing so well considering Cheechoo looks like a skating brick.
I now understand the frustration with watching Kovalev - looked amazing at times and was floating at others.
It was kind of a boring game compared to the Caps/Flyers game, but not every game can be a barn burner.
Cheechoo played really well in the little amount of time he was given. I thought he hustled (looked faster than usual), had a couple scoring chances and was always in the play. He will come around. I'm actually a little more worried about Foligno right now. He is the one Sens player that I think is so far playing below last year's level. He will come around, too, especially if he continues getting the minutes he gets.
Still working on chemistry, but that's okay as long as we play as well defensively as we did.
Not sure what others were watching, but I thought Picard played a decent first game. I would definitely still keep him above Lee on the depth chart (and not just because Lee is two-way contract and in Bingo).
Fire Murray, Fire Clouston...we didn't cream them like alot of you thought!!
-Doom and Gloom;)
Good win by the lads. I LOVE not having that butterfly feeling in my stomach that we had with Gerber, Auld and even Emery. Haven't felt comfortable when the other team has a 3 on 2 since Hasek. Good to see.
On another note, for someone 6-1, I have never seen a softer player than Campoli. He looks like Redden 07-08 (everytime he goes to get the puck he is on his arse).
Nobody booos Alfie anymore because the rivalry is dead. The Leafs' total lack of passion says it all - even the players aren't passionate about the so-called Battle of Ontario. No more Neil vs Domi, no more hate...
This game was painful and boring, as far as I'm concerned, and is exactly the type of hockey we will see from both these teams.
Kovalev continues to be invisible and will likely remain that way on most nights. I disagree that Cheechoo was good, or that he looked faster. Yawn.
The Sens' heart and soul will come from the lesser players, that go out and give 110% every night, like Donovan did last night. I also like Fisher's edge so far. It would be nice to see Foligno get going though. Maybe he's not 100% for some reason.
Pascal Leclaire is also a breath of fresh air. Even if he does not turn out to be another Brodeur, he won't have our team playing fearful of allowing a shot or two either. That will free them up.
We'll take the wins anyway we can, but... Sadly, I still think that an unconvincing 2-1 win over the shitty Leafs, via a penalty shot and a high stick, says more about what we are not than reflects on what we are.
I think a line that would work
Cheechoo
Ruttu
Kovalev
Cheechoo has soft hands like AK and Cheechoo can shoot, and when Ruttu is on the ice they always have an eye on him they never know what he is going to do. it would be a hard line to defend it would buy AK some set up time.
I agree and reiterate, get Kovy some people to play with. Even Cheech would help. He doesn't have to keep up with Kovalev, just go to the net and wait for kovy to hit your tape. That may get them both going a bit. I think if Shannon was healthy he could center them and give a little speed. I like Fisher and Foligno as a third line, give them Donovan or Ruutu and that would be a great third.
Cheechoo will continue to play like a 3rd liner as long as he is on the 3rd line, what can you expect with linemates like Kelly and Neil!!
Michalek is alright, his reputation is proceeding him, he cant finish, 3 breakaways in 2 games, atleast a 12 chances in close and he still has 0 goals!
I truly believe Kovy should be on the top line and put Alfie with Fisher and Regin.
SM
They should try regin centering kovy and foligno...fisher is best on the third line with shannon and cheechoo.
It was a good game to watch. I'm glad Kovalev started playing better as the game went on. He really looked like he wasn't interested in the first part of the game.
Did anyone else notice that the broadcasting was very much revolving around Toronto? I would normally not expect that from Pierre McGuire.
That was a pretty boring game. It was an improvement in Sens play over the last game and I hope Sens continue on that trend. All-in-all though, niether team played very well. It is actually frustrating how the Sens couldn't finish. That should have been a 4 or 5-1 game.
Leafs fans are whining about high stick goals and penalty shots, but Sens clearly out played them. Leafs deserved a loss.
I was pleasantly surprised by Philips. I hope he picks up on some of that fire we saw in him last night and brings that to every game.
Karlsson, looked better. Give him 5-10 games and he will be playing those last 5 minutes of the game. Carkner is doing what he is expected to do and a little bit more, good job to him.
EH_Matt:
Didn't even cross my mind that Pierre was focusing on the Leafs.
He talked a ton about Carkner and his toughness, Regin being more of a Swedish player than Danish in that he what brought up through the same system as Zetterberg, Leclaire being by far the best pure goalie we've had in Sens modern day history, Kovy's super human puck control, Michalek's speed, the Phillips/Volchenkov deadly duo and how Phillips has only ever had 2 defensive partners (A-Train and Chara)...I could go on.
Other than talking about The monster and Matt Stajan having a breakout year so far. I'd say he focused more on the sens.
Anon 10:15 AM:
That would be intriguing to see...however, would that be our 2nd or 3rd line? I'm not sure what we'd do with other lines though in that scenerio.
Michalek-Spezza-Alfie
Foligno-Regin-Fisher
Cheechoo-Ruutu-Kovalev
Neil-Kelly-Shannon
Now that I think about it...that wouldn't work at all.
You'd have Shannon (not a fourth liner) and Kelly who are both play up the middle on the fourth line and neither Cheechoo, Ruttu nor Kovalev play centre on the 2nd or 3th line.
I'll stick with what we've got so far.
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Campoli has been beyond terrible for a 4 year veteran? Bad turnovers (see NYR), very soft physically (see TOR), very limited offensive displays etc... It just seems like every times he touches the puck I cringe in anticipation.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this.
To Sensible Mac,
Actually its "Matty" Stajan now.
tbag:
unfortunately, Campoli is struggling so far. I am not overly considered though because I remember how he played when he arrived in February. I'm confident he, along with several others, will take flight soon enough.
SC:
HAHA, my bad. "Matty" Stajan it is.
Great job with your blog by the way. I'm so glad I discovered this site in the summer. I don't know how I would have made it through without all the sens talk!
Anyone else notice how the seats right behind the benches were less than 75% full?
Campoli is the new Commodore (i.e. lost and confused). I hope he can turn it around.
Funny how if you scan these comments you can find every player bashed at least twice and every player praised at least twice.
I think the team will be very good, but it will take some time and a few tweaks to the lineup.
The only thing I'll say about line combos etc is that Kovy and Spezz both like to carry the puck and that won't work if they're on the same line. Unless they try to turn Spezza into a shooter maybe. I like Kov-Spez-Alfie for a late-game spark line, but not permanent. Agree though that they need to get someone to finish for Kovy - Cheech, Foligno, Alfie - someone.
Go Sens Go
Standings (not that it really matters at this stage... but):
The league shows Florida in 8th and Ottawa in 9th with equivalent records. With Ottawa having given up one less goal against, shouldn't the Sens be in 8th?
My quick review of the tie breaking rules supports my opinion yet even after all of yesterday's games have been logged, the standings are what they are.
As I drifted off to sleep last night, it occurred to me that I felt the same way last night as I did when Jacques Martin first took over as Sens coach.
The game was a pretty boring, low-scoring affair, but we played a pretty solid defensive game, with a few big defensive lapses that fortunately didn't cost us the game. And so in the end, we beat a team we were supposed to beat.
I initially thought that the difference between then and now was that we have a much better goaltender now (Go Snoopy! :-)), but then I remembered that Sens goalies like Patrick Lalime and Ron Tugnut were pretty good too, during the regular season.
So, I loved the result -- a win against the Laffs!!! But the realist in me says that last night's game is a good indication of how far the Sens have fallen since their heyday a few years ago, and how far they still have to go before they can be considered one of the elite teams again.
But I also can't lose sight of the fact that as boring as last night's game was, we now have a better record now than Detroit (0-2) and San Jose (1-2), two 'elite' teams from last year. :-).
Heatley scoring 50 goals, but the Sharks missing the playoffs, and the Sens making the playoffs would be, well, karma, wouldn't it? :-).
TK:
It appears that they are listing the rankings alphabetically for teams that have the same record (ignoring goals for and against). If I recall from years past, they will use this ranking system up until the end of the season when it really matters before they look at the goals for and against.
i disagree i think kovy and spezz will be a match made in heaven when they are put together later this year....remember , in his junior years spezza was a big goal scorer, i think switching kovy and alffy (not right now but later) will teach spezza to shoot alot more.... as for now im loving the alfy style of game being played by spezza... even more so as it was always being bashed in previous years , now hes got alot of ppl with feet in thier mouths....keep it up spezz!!!!
Anon 11:44
That's because the ushers won't let folks back in while play is on going. At the start of the periods, the zone behing the benches is a ghost town and within 5-10 minutes of play, it was full again.
The ACC is a really crappy facility in my opinion; all the halls area and bathrooms are narrow and over crowded so you can't get back to your seat in a timely manner.
It's only when you see really bad facilities that you appreciate all that's really well designed about SBP.
Update from practice today. Kuba, Shannon and Spezza all did not skate.
Winchester skated with the team.
anon 1146
TBL didn't have the draft pics to sign Meszaros to an offer sheet because they had already traded away their 3rd for the rights to Ryan Malone.
ANON 11:44 - those are the "bunker" seats. Kind of like suite seats where the people who have them are likely in the bunker on the leather couches watching their team suck. But yeah, it looks bad on TV.
Really, the Sens didn't play a whole lot better than game 1. But a little better and that's all I'm askin' at this point - gradually get better each game/week.
And yeah, Dono deserves to play, but not over any of the "top 12" IMO. He's an awesome 13th man. Not sure where Whinnie fits in though as he's not going to mature in the press box.
Every time I think Ruutu, Kelly or Neil are overpaid something happens like Ruutu nailing Komaserik, Kelly killing half a penalty or Neil being Neil.
I know Neil's contract it too big on paper - but to me it's a $2M investment that says "this is how we reward guys who give their all". Hopefully guys like Foligno, Volchenkov, Shannon etc look at Neil vs Heatley and try to follow Neil's example.
Great job as always 'chirp. Would love to see a "black and blue" report the day after a game as to who's banged up and who's not etc.
Yikes! Spezza not skating is a cause for concern. It's not like they played back to back games and he needs a break. Lets hope it's just a precautionary thing.
i wonder why spezza didn't practice... strange that clue but winchester on the first line...
what we need is our blueline to be able to hit the damn net and then we will be fine
Good win, I guess. Wasn't pretty. Still looked sloppy offensively. Defensively very sound, keep the Leafs on the perimeter most of the night. Campoli has to be better. He was terrible tonight. The only guy I was not pleased with.
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