First off, thanks to everyone who came out for the live blog last night. Wasn't the best result obviously but it was fun talkin puck with you guys and gals during the game.
As I'm sure you've all heard, Alex Kovalev and Jason Spezza were both absent at practice this morning. Spezza is doubtful for the game tomorrow but Kovalev is expected to dress tomorrow when the Senators host the Thrashers for a 2:00 PM start.
Spezza's injury is a little concerning considering Jason has had back problems throughout his career. Here's hoping a little time off helps Jason get back to 100%
By the sounds of things Pascal Leclaire is feeling better and is hopeful that he will be good to go tomorrow. I talked to a couple different people today and its sounds like there's some concern about a bit of a flu bug going around the Senators locker room lately.
Pascal Leclaire, Erik Karlsson and Peter Regin have all been absent at times and word is a couple other guys aren't feeling 100%. Seems like battling the flu is just going to be a reality teams have to deal with this season.
As many of you have pointed out, Brian Lee struggled last night in his season debut. With Volchenkov expected to miss at least three weeks, Murray may have to look around and see if there are any stopgap solutions out there to help this team for the next month or so.
With the standings expected to be so tight this season, Ottawa cant afford to slip with Volchenkov out of the line up.
38 comments:
i was here
Cheechoo has easily been the Sens most consistent player.
Hahahaha @ Anon 4:42!
Any inside news on Spezza? If he goes down, we are in trouble!(as well as my pool! LOL)
Come on Cheechoo should be sent to bingo and every one knows it. It's all over the media, I hope Cheechoo helps put an end to Murray in Ottawa, If not I think AK 27 will.
yeah....consistently bad
lol
Bring Karlsson back up to play with kuba and the back end will be set
i cant believe how bad cheechoo is..did murray ever watch him play before trading for him?
Sending Cheechoo to Binghamton is a ridiculous suggestion.
We knew what we were getting when Murray traded for the guy. We need to be patient with him.
Hes always been a guy who scores in bunches although obviously the bunches will be smaller than a few seasons ago.
Just be patient with the guy...
He's going to get his goals however if you expect more than 20 from him you are obviously going to be disappointed.
Cheechoo needs to clear waiver before playing in Binghampton. Also, as SC says, It's a stupid idea!
I really do appreciate everyone that comes to the site but the negativity on here has been over the top the last 24 hours.
Take a deep breath people...
I agree that people need to chillax.
kovalev is kovalev. You are not going to change him at 35. He does not play in a system, and plays every 4th game or so. Not a shocker. That is what was expected.
Lee sucked in his FIRST game of the year, a game where the entire team sucked. Wait a few game for the Lee bashing.
Cheechoo is not scoring, I see that. He had 12 last year, so he's not going to get 100 this year. All the players say he is a good teammate. So at least he is not a cancer. He will score eventually (although now would be a good time)
PL
Pierre McGuire is a leaf homer/sens bashing douchebag. All in favor say aye.
p.s. I actually heard him rave about how "well" Stempniak dumped in the puck the other night. What a goof.
I love you SC but if people want to vent get over it.
Agree with what the last poster said about Lee. Give him some time and I think he'll play better. No need to panic.
Let's also remember that this is not an elite team especially with Spezza out. But even elite teams play bad games especially on the second night of back to backs because the season is just too long to play well every game. No need for all the negativity. Getting off to a good start spoiled the fans and led people to believe that this team would be a cup contender. While I do think the Sens are a playoff team, they're not as strong as the Pittsburghs or the Philadelphias.
Just cheer for a team that works hard every night and that should get us back to the playoffs.
Cheechoo's skating when he has the puck is painful - he has to give the puck to the center and go to the net to get some ugly goals
I thought the Spezza-Michalek-Foligno line was dominant - unfortunately it only lasted one game
losing Volchenkov is painful - but a lot teams are facing injuries - give Lee a chance and hopefully he and Phillips can develop chemistry
You have to concede that Stamkos' goal (and toe drag around Phillips) was sick!!
To Anon at 5:52 PM,
You know you're probably right. I think it was just the two or three word posts saying. "Cheechoo sucks", "Picard is terrible" or "Kovalev is lazy" comments that were getting to me.
Like you said, I should probably just let people rant but two word posts like that really dont contribute anything to the discussion.
What people need to realize is that BM didn't trade for Cheechoo...he was forced to take him. Don't blame Murray for him being here because the fact is if he wasn't, Heatley would be. Everyone just remember how great Michalek is and count the days until Cheechoos 3 million comes off the book. Until then we're stuck with him so get used to it.
how true SC little is heard when little is said. I tend to resolve myself to the reality that back to back with flu in your dressing room and some key players missing with no adapt time plus lack of sleep (easy to do on roadtrips) all these factors and lets not forgety ottawa has seldom been a back to back winner even when they were at thier hight.
Hockey is not a sport for the individual its team and when all pistons are not sparking this can go piss poor. Pre lockout all you needed to fend off the enemy was a couple a lugs on your defense to back pull and hook the chances away...not now. oh and for the record 4 non calls by the refs helps.
I agree with you SC....I expect some negativity, but some constructive conversation to go along with it would be nice. Other than Lee so far(and it was his first game up so cutting some slack) everyone has had some upside.
I look at the Heatley trade as predominantly for Michalek...and don't we still have a pick from the trade as well?
How about this .. Pure speculation on my part.. Frolov and Handzus for Kovalev and Lee ? Sens get a forward back and a bit of security at centre .. LA gets a guy under contract for another year and a young defenseman to replace Quincy
Hi everyone, hi JC.
I would first like to say that I enjoy this blog immensely. I visit every day and I find that the quality of the posts and information in here is excellent. So cheers to you Chirpy for a great place to share thoughts and updates on the team.
I have posted as Anonymous a few times and felt that I should have an identity instead. Much more fun that way.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow's game and am sort of glad it's on at 2 since I won't have to wait an entire day to see our team come back from an unfortunate performance in TB.
Does anyone know if it will be broadcast in HD?
Humans are funny creatures. They complain when things are going bad, and they complain when things are going well. Seems like we're never pleased with anything, I'm sure if the Sens won the Cup this year, some fans would still find something to complain about like "oh we won it in 7 games we should've had it in 5"...... It just never stops.
So the puck isn't going in for Cheechoo yet, give him a break!!!!
Am I the only one who sees him work hard at both ends of the ice? I've seen him backcheck as hard as any other player on the team and he has made some nice defensive plays.
I used to think that this blog had a lot of objective and knowledgeable fans but lately it seems like a bunch of 15 year old school girls who come here to bitch and whine about players while they don't know shit about hockey.
Same goes for people who don't see that Kovalev is trying. Not every player is a north-south crash and bang player. In case you hadn't noticed, when he's on the ice he draws opposing players towards him which has given alfie and fischer some room. I think he's doing fine.
If anyone is interesting in following Bingo to check out the guys down there
http://atdhe.net
this website broadcast all kinds of sports event and they have Bingo games usually
check it out
-Joel-
Lee needs to be let go it's obvious he just isn't a NHL player. Muckler passed on Mark Staal and took this guy it's a good reason Muckler is doing something other than GM in Ottawa.
I agree with most posters who say give Cheechoo some time. He is obviously not here to score 50 goals, neither is Kovalev for that matter.
Cheechoo is working hard, playing gritty and is the first to go into the corners. Unfortunately, he seems to be making dumb penalties every game, probably because of frustration from lack of scoring. He won't be sent to Bingo so just throw that one out the window fellas...
PATIENCE! PLEASE!
On the other hand, having 24 and 19 out of the lineup is going to hopefully push some of the guys to play better. I expect Shannon and Regin to step it up. The 11/12/27 line has been pretty dominant the past 3 games, hopefully that continues vs ATL tomorrow. Otherwise I want to see Foligno and Neil and Cheechoo just fight for their space, battle in the corners and do what they do.
I also think the 4th line of 10/22/73 has been rocking the opponents every game they've been together. You'll notice the other teams have to put down their 3rd and 2nd lines vs them otherwise they get smoked! Because of that we have some stronger 3rd periods since they roll 3 lines...
Anyways, as long as this team keeps working hard like they have, I don't mind losing a few along the way. We can't win them all, so hard work is all we can expect in losing games.
Here's hoping for a strong outing tomorrow
I agree with most Sens fans who are a little disappointed in Kovalev's slow start, but I always like to remember why we got him: The Playoffs.
Did you know Kovalev is a phenomenally rare player in that his career PPG is BETTER in the playoffs than it is in the regular season? When most guys see their point production shrink like my boys in a cold Ontario lake in March, Kovalev finds like 3 or 4 gears that you really never see in the regular season.
I'm not suggesting we all start planning Kovalev's jersey retirement at SBP, but let's all please remember why we brought Kovalev in:
1) he is a proven playoff scorer.
2) we needed a top-6 offensive player knowing we were going to lose Dany Douchebag.
3) the OTHER guy we could have signed was Alex Tanguay, who is doing far worse than Kovalev I would say.
Remember guys: Kovalev didn't cost us anything but money, we didn't lose a player/prospect/pick to bring him in. He has played the past 5 years in a FAR different system than the one Clouston employs here in Ottawa. Let's see how he's doing after 30 games before starting the riots.
yes i think we are a little hard, i do agree that Lee was a bad 9th pick but you never really know how they would turn out, Cheechoo was part of the deal Murray did not want but had no choice SJ needed to clear some cap to take on heatley, i think we only have 2 more years with his contract. I would be looking more at putting Ruutu on the top line he maybe the jewel ?
I read that clouston wasn't too impressed with brian lee last game; he said he was incosistent and he pointed out that lee is not going to be a high end offensive guy.
what about a deal that revolved around
Ott Brian Lee
for Tampa Bay Matt Smaby
Smaby is 6'4 240 lbs and he can apparently skate very well as per hockeysfuture.com, he is more of a stay at home defenseman but he is very physcial, kind of like Matt Walker. He is in a similar situation to brian lee because he is not playing due to the numbers game.
would be good for our D in the future I think
Cowen Karlsson
Weircoch Smaby
Anyone who thinks Cheechoo's results should spell the end of Murray has got it wrong on so many levels.
Cheechoo wasn't Murray's choice, he was forced on the Sens because of the situation created by Whinypants. Everyone knows Cheechoo could have been on waivers...even on re-entry waivers, and no-one in the league would have taken him.
As for Murray, we'd better hope he sticks around for a while because he's got it right. He's had issues with coach hiring and managing young immature players, but has compensated on both counts. His record on drafting, trades and signings is excellent. He took over a team that barely survived the Muckler years and was paper thin. There are no quick-fixes in the cap era and he's done so many good things.
Too many observers say "He should have got this guy....Why did he do that?" and they don't even know what is really happening. Not every media rumour is true, not every player is available and no team can build a 20-man all-star roster in the cap era.
People look at the success of teams like the Pens and the Wings and don't realize the real stars are Shero and Holland. We have a good one, let's let him continue doing a great job.
So Spezza isn't dressing today, is his back shot again? Is this more serious than a DTD injury?
I hear SC is sexy.
I agree that Kovalev is frustrating to watch. Fisher and Alfredsson work hard to get the puck in the opponents end, and often Kovalev turns it over. Still the team is much more balanced than in recent years.
Team is looking great under Clouston team.
Last year 19-11-4
This year 6-3-2
Total 25-14-6
Not too shabby!
Clouston mentioned to the media yesterday that if this was the playoffs Spezza would be playing.
The Senators are off until Thursday after this afternoon's game so they are hoping the time off will help him get to 100%
"Lee needs to be let go it's obvious he just isn't a NHL player. Muckler passed on Mark Staal and took this guy it's a good reason Muckler is doing something other than GM in Ottawa."
Get over it, you should be pissed off that we didn't pick up Zetterberg or Datsyuk...7 & 6 rounds,
Time to let it go!
Brian Lee, ok so the last game was his First in the NHL this year...
He was recalled from Bingo in the afternoon and didn't practise with the team or with his partner.
Be realistic people!
After two more game and a week with the team on the pratise ice...
then go to town on this guy,
I'll give him a mulligan for game one!
I agree with you 'chirp that the negative posts can be painful to wade through while looking for something relevant to read. But I respect that you don't seem to block them and let people vent. But I don't think anyone would have a problem if you skipped the 2-3 word posts. If people need to vent, then vent, don't just act like a leaf troll.
Lee needs a few games before we know what he'll bring this year and he did a decent job last year. Cheechoo is working hard - anyone who can't see that isn't paying attention. Kovalev will never work hard every shift - anyone who expects that is naive.
Cheechoo and Kovalev won't be traded or sent down - it's not EA Sports kids. It's been 11 games - let these guys play for a bit. We've already got more points than most "experts" thought we'd have in 20 games.
Get well soon Spezza and Volchenkov!!!
Post a Comment