Judging by the poll posted a couple weeks back the hatred is still there for the provincial rivals so a win tonight would be big for a fan base that has been on edge as of late. I would hate to see the comment section around here should the Senators lose to the lowly Leafs.
Puck drop is at 7:30 PM at Scotiabank Place. (Sportsnet). Sounds like there are still some tickets left for this one so go out and grab 'em. Get your tickets here.
It looks like Jesse Winchester will come back into the line up tonight in the place of Peter Regin. Regin had a strong start to the season but has faded a little bit as of late. Watching a game from the press box might be good for him.
The lines will look something like this...
Michalek-Spezza-Alfredsson
Foligno-Fisher-Kovalev
Cheechoo-Winchester-Neil
Ruutu-Kelly-Donovan Scratches: Shannon, Regin
Pascal Leclaire will be back in net for the Sens.
Talking with a couple of different people this morning it seems as though there may be a little desperation on Murray's part to shore up his back end a little. Murray did mention the other day that he may be looking to add a forward but a defenceman seems to be the priority at this point.
The Senators should get some help on that front with the return of Volchenkov but would still like to add an all around blueliner who can take a shift on the power play. Obviously their options are pretty limited right now but Murray is looking.
52 comments:
Always on time with the 11:00am Game Day Blog entry!
Keep it up Chirp!
I'm interested to see if Winnie can display some poise with the puck tonight... He reminds me of Schaefer as a winger with his great puckhandling along the boards... let see what he can do at centre.
GO SENS GO!
Good call to bench Regin. He's been invisible lately.
Don't like the line combos. I'd like to see Fish back with Alfie, they produced being on the same line and Fish has struggled since Alfie was moved. I think Spez should see if he can find chemistry with Kovalev.
With Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Washington coming up, this is the easy part of their homestand so anything less than two points is a failure.
Bryan murray should consider getting some defensemen from Chicago.
Chicago is right against the cap and will have difficulty managing their team with the eminent return of Marian Hossa.
Getting either Seabrook or Campbell for a draft pick and say Picard or Kelly would work well.
Let me know your thoughts on this one SensChirp!
Regin was suppose to be a bright spot this year...another disappointment, add him to the list with Shannon and Cheechoo.
I think it would be incredible for Murray to go after Brent Burns. If I were him, I would offer up Karlsson, Foligno/Cheechoo and a 1st. WE NEED A LEGIT #1 DMAN, and I think Burns is the perfect guy to get. He can QB the PP, is physical and very good in his own end...Imagine a Burns-Cowen pairing! Both at 6'5 and over 220! That would be monstrous! Before anyone goes crazy about trading Karlsson, you have to give up something good to get something better. It may be a bit of an overpayment, but it's going to take an overpayment to get someone like Burns. Plus Murray tried to get him over the summer, and with Minnesota slumping, they could use the blue chip prospect and 1st rounder to start the rebuild. GETR DONE BM
Schaefer was 10x better than Winchester...go back and watch the vids, Schaefer, hardly lost 1on1 battles along the boards
Ugh, Foligno should not be on the second line.
This is becoming like Hartsburg all over again. :(
clouston said " we have had good breakouts to start the season" in reference to breaking out of their own zone.
while i won't dispute the fact that the senators transition game is really good this year. they need to lock it in with jam offensive zone plays, where they disturb the opposing goalie with traffic, put more shots on net, and learn to get shots through traffic.
these guys can do it. he just needs to get the right combination of lines. seriously, this team is good for midpack in the top 8 in the east, it just has to be directed that way. and yea, just keep campoli off the ice mostly lol.
Still think that Clouston will start Elliott, in order to rest Leclaire for Thursday game against the Penguins !!
Lineup is very surprising, but hey, Clouston is still looking for right combinations !!
Glad they got their mind off Forsberg, who is a great player, but Murray is now leaning more toward a top defenseman, if someone might be available via trade of excess Sens forwards !!
Should have picked up Francis Bouillon long time ago, when he was a free agent and available !!
Robert Cyr
Im kind of in a hard place, I am a Sens fan but not a Murray fan, So I kind of hope we lose tonight, a loss would surly help us kick BM butt out of town,
Would have preferred Elliott getting the nod, and go back to Leclaire for Pits. Very Glad to see Donovan still in, hopefully he stays there.
I am getting tired of the line juggling, we have to just pick something and go with it, chemistry is not going to develop with all this flip flopping.
I agree that any less than 2 points in this game is a failure, this should be by far the easiest game of the home stand.
For a forward what about picking up shanahan?? As far as an all around d-man goes I dont know anyone good enough to help us out unless we trade for someone.
I humbly appologize for my suggestion of trading Alfie. He confirmed today that he would prefer to stay in Ottawa his whole carrear. This is awesome newa.
Also I would really like to get someone like Burns as well. But didn't Minnesota convert him from forward to defenceman? I don't think we have any forwards that can make the same transition if we ever tried taht experiment.
What ever happened to trying to get Horton out of Florida? Maybe trade Pickard and SJ's 2nd for him? Maybe have to add a forward prospect as well.
anon @ 11:26: that trade would be mindblowing. but to convince minny to give up the main guy on their D while they want to build around him might be a stretch.
Burns is absolutely bomb on the back end though. nashville might be a better place to pick from: hamhuis, suter and weber. ofcourse weber is untouchable over there, but maybe hamhuis and then a much lesser chance for suter. although i wont offer karlsson for that trade. just ship kelly, campoli and whatever else is not of use here lol.
someone said in the previous blog post comment section that Filatov has been a scratch for the past few games, and i think its true. and people have been quiet about him too. he doesnt have great numbers for a 6th overall pick too.
Murray needs to, absolutely needs to get another top notch D man. Karlsson and Cowen alone won't cut it. not until a few years atleast. plus, i think personally, Karlsson has only one defect in his whole game: his body. he might be too small and too light. if he can just bulk up a little, get close to 200lbs. this guy can be great.
also dont completely agree with the regin benching. there are other players on this team who deserve a benching before regin. starting with campoli/picard and then moving to kelly or if you really want to...kovalev lol...although the last one is debatable.
i think clouston's constant line juggling is going to prove troublesome for this team. he needs to mess with the backend of this team more than the forwards. since its the back end costing us games, not the forwards.
Regin sitting-out is a mistake, try sitting Foligno, who's done nothing. Regin is a wonderful two-way player that is only going to get better. He sets up a few good scoring chances a game, finishes his checks, skates better than 95% of the team... I do agree with getting Winnie in the line-up, but not at the expense of Peter, unless he's injured, bad move!
Murray needs to find a home for Kelly and Shannon, so Winnie could settle in as our 4th line centre.
To Carolina: Kelly, Shannon
To Ottawa: Erik Cole
@ hq- Kelly? How could you possibly think Kelly would be a scratch before Regin, Kelly- Ruutu- Donovan have been one of the few bright spots with this hockey club this season. Too bad players like Regin and Shannon aren't as physical as the 3 players on the 4th line tonight then maybe they would have some success. Ottawa's 4th line is among the best in the league. I agree with Regin being sent to the press box, I wasn't keen on the idea of Ottawa keeping him after training camp. I don't like the idea of Ottawa bringing in another forward because they already have 2 forwards too many. A move on the back-end would be welcomed.
Regin hasn't been as good of late but that is in part due to the linemates. Nobody ever creates much with Neil on the wing. The guy is useless. I think taking Regin's speed and defensive skill out of the lineup is a downgrade bigtime compared to Winchester and it's not close. This is just a one game sit to give Winny a shot and re-amp Regin's enthusiasm. Sometimes you can see things a bit more clearly from up top.
Still hate our first line. No points for Spezza in 4 games and Clouston still can't admit there is no chemisty there. Put Cheech in where Alfie is and play Alfie with Kovy and Fisher. He keeps overloading that first line with our best hardest working producing players and now we have no balance again. I do not like it.
Bejamin1
Anon 11:44. You have to understand that teams aren't going to take our garbage for a legit dman. They don't want our 4th line and 3rd pairing scrubs. They'd either want a top 4 dman, top 6 forward, top draft pick or top prospect OR a combination of the above. If you want Hamhuis or Suter, or Burns, you have to give up something of substantial value because of what those guys mean to their respective teams. Kelly, Picard, Campoli will not get you anything but a borderline top 4 dman at best
I just dont get why clouston would risk getting all the fans on his back and getting fired. Put kovalev with spezza, and put back alffy with fisher, its that simple. Just try it is all im saying, instead of wasting games away with the crappy lines we have right now that have no chemistry.
I don't understand why people keep saying that Kovalev should be put with better linemates. Fisher is a great linemate. Alfredsson seems to be able to work well with him. So why can't Kovalev? If he's such a great player then he should be able to make any of his linemates look like a superstar. Instead he's just been floating around by the blueline most of the game waiting for his teammates to pass it to him.
I really think that Clouston should've benched Kovalev for tonight's game instead of Regin. That way Regin could play with Fisher.
I like the idea of having Foligno on the 2nd line. Fisher and him very well together.
As for the idea that was suggested about trading away Karlsson for Burns. Yes it would be nice to get Burns on our D. But trading away Karlsson is something that we would regret in the long run. Seabrook or Hamhuis or even Suter seems like a more realistic option to me.
Anyway, here's hoping for a win tonight. I'll be at the game cheering loud and proud wearing my Sens jersey with "LEAFS SUCK" on the back of it!
Thanks for your great blog Senschirp. Since the Blackhawks will be close to the cap, when Marian Hossa returns, I would suggest this trade:
To Chicago:
Shannon
Kelly
Picard
Lee
To Ottawa:
Keith
Sharp
Is that possible Senschirp? Thank you
How can these guys build any chemistry with Clouston frigging with the lines all the time; geez!
I think it is unrealistic to think that BM is going to pull a "top-notch" d-man from any where. Top end d-men are not easy to come across and therefore will be costly as the demand is high for these players. I think we need to look to second tier d-men in order to fill the void for now. BM should have devoted the money he used on the part-time player he bought in the summer, Kovalev, and shored up his blue line. I think a guy like Adrian Aucoin, or Ian White (yes Ian White - he's a serviceable d-man in both ends of the ice, he competes game in and game out, he has some offensive upside and is cheap - Oh and BTW I am one of the biggest Leaf haters out there so don't be chalkin' me up to a Leaf fan b/c I have said something positive about them) or a guy like Jovanovski...these guys would shore up the blue line but I will plead ignorance as I am unsure of what Jovanovski's or Aucoin's contracts are like.
This is a game the Sens have to win. With Toskala in net, if the Sens find a way to make him look good their will a legit reason for outrage on this site. Best case scenario Kovalev Spezza and Cheechoo all find a way on the score sheet tonight and get them rolling in a positve direction. Leclaire needs to have a solid game.
Can't wait to watch this one! Go Sens
Chirp, looking at the talent level on this Sens team I would say that they are more "lowly" than the leafs. At least they (leafs) have an excuse for sucking. Anyways, T-dot will find a way to win this one because we suck too much right now. When all is said and done this game could turn out to be bottom of the barrel for this Sens team. After this there can only be one way and that is UP!
6-2 Leafs
Sorry :(
wow anon 12:51 i think its time for you to cheer for another team we would be better off without you anywawys
12:51pm, another Leaf troll jackass!
can we please stop with all the trade proposals?
NO ONE, is going to make a trade like three suggested here:
Keith,Sharp for Shannon,Picard,Lee,Kelly
Erik Cole for Kelly, Shannon
Seabrooke / Campbell for Picard & pick
Please, put some thought into these proposals. No one trades star players for borderline NHL players plus throw ins. Come on people!
i thought SC you filtered comments. how come leaf's $$$suckers find their way onto here?
wilsy: BeJamin said it right as to why Regin should not be sat. and for why kelly should be : BECAUSE KELLY WONT SHOOT EVEN IF a) the goalie had no pads,equipment and was a midget (no offense to midgets) b) the net was as wide as the rink c) if the net was empty (and yea that one has happened quite a few times).
regin makes good plays, skates fast, has nice hands and might be good enough to play on the second line.
kelly is losing the one-dimension that is most required: SCORING.
and whoever suggested kelly,picard,campoli and lee for seabrook and sharp.....you must be following the stats from 2006-2007 lol. haha.
Ovechkin for Campoli. About as possible as most of the trade suggestions posted here.
Hambrown x 2....the trades being proposed are completely laughable.
Some of these suggested trades wouldn't even happen in NHL 10...LOL...I dont know where you people come up with some of these ideas, my god people - WAKE UP! Don't even waste the SC's time with questions like this...
hambrown is right.. haha those predictions are absolutely laughable
look at murray's history with trades withe the sens and then see how much your expectations drop for him making a good deal for a defenceman
Anon @ 11:36, I'm with you.
Anything that gets Murray out of town is fine with me.
RR:
Alfie also said "never say never" to a trade (see the Ottawa Sun). If we miss the playoffs he might be open to it and it would speed us forward in the rebuild/reload.
Lastly, BEAT THE LEAFS.
I don't care if we lose to Pittsburgh, but BEAT THE LEAFS and soundly!
Losing to a team with that little talent would be embarrassing!
Doug
Seriously, Amen anon 1:25pm
Keith, Shrp for Shannon, Picard, Lee and Kelly was the funniest thing i've heard in weeks.
Some people have to grasp of reality.
Prob the same people who want BM fired for not getting a trade like that done.
Cloutson is sitting regin to protect him, regin is a target to hit by other teams, we don't need him hurt and with toronto's school yard bullying we need to put our big kids on the playground to fight back.
Hey SC,
How about the Sens making a play for Filatov? Or is he being viewed as a Russian bust? The BJ's leant him to the KHL for the season. Do you think he can be had in a trade?
Maybe for Kelly?
Hambone,
Carolina is looking to move Cole, who is no where near a "star" player as you've put it. To suggest Kelly and Shannon for Cole is laughable is completely laughable in and of itself. Its a hockey trade with a Carolina team that is in need of bodies upfront.
Cole's stats:
2008-09 Edmonton Oilers
NHL 63 16 11 27
2008-09 Carolina Hurricanes
NHL 17 2 13 15
2009-10 Carolina Hurricanes
NHL 9 1 0 1
these are his stats over the past 2years, honestly atleast know what youre talking about before bashing people. Oh and he had 5 assists and no goals in the 18 games Carolina played in the playoffs last year.
Cole's salary is 2.9 for the next 2years, Kelly is making 2.125 and Shannon is making 600,000. The numbers work. Yadda yadda yadda, add future considerations if you want, but Carolina isn't getting any more than that for Cole.
Well done!
19 year old 6th overal pick, would any 1st round picks that got sent back to juniors Kadri, Schenn Glennie, Eberle be traded for Kelly? NO! so stfu with theese reatarted trade proposals
I love how when people make trade proposals in this comment section they say things like "Is that possible SC?" as if he is the GM of the sens and all he has to do is put in a phone call or something.
No, i'm schorree, I cannot do that tradscha, its too exschensif!
Derrick your trade proposal - and most of them on here is subject to a fatal flaw. You fail to consider the needs of both teams. Sure perhaps Cole might be a good forward to have in Ottawa if he could stay healthy.
Why does Carolina have any interest in acquiring Kelly and Shannon?
How does it make them better?
How does it even move them sideways?
At least Cole has the potential to score 20-30 goals, 60 points, and be a consistent threat to score in this league. Even if he hasn't doen it lately! Cole also has history and chemistry with Stall who has been out with injury for a while now. If he gets fully healthy and they find their former magic watch out.
Kelly has shown he is a reliable defensive forward. Shannon has shown he is an AHL forward who can contribute in a very small way at the NHL level at best if he can stay healthy.
Carolina can find a cheap defensive forward body for less than 2M I guarantee it. Shannons are a dime a dozen you can't throw a rock in the AHL without hitting one.
Offering our trash and spare parts for a player that has potential to be a regular in the top 6 is hardly a fair trade for Carolina. Especially considering none of the offer you just suggested would be of any use to them.
The only way we could get Cole for the price you suggest is if Carolina was straight up dumping him to get the salary off the books. In which case acquiring Kelly's long term 2M overpaid contract wouldn't be favourable.
Bejamin1
hahahaha
anon@4:08
real nice lol
haha....its been quite some time someone poked good fun at BM's lisp. not since the buffalo-ottawa brawl lol.
hq- Kelly is doing if not what is expected then more of a 4th line center. Regin hasn't done anything to be given a chance to play on the second line. Regin would be best suited with a year in the minors and then possibly having a chance at the second line spot on the big club. Him playing on the third line is not good for his development because he doesn't play like a third or fourth line player and likely never will he just doesn't want to be physical enough. Yet I don't feel he is good enough to be on the second line of this hockey club this year. I think the year would do wonders for him and he could come back next season as good or better then a Foligno.
I agree with Bejamin1's post, it is a dumb trade, and I don't know if you watch hockey Derrick, but Cole has always been pretty good when playing with Carolina, but sucked when he was on Edmonton, hence why he was traded back to Carolina. It's called a tough start to the season, Eric Staal out hurts the 'Canes too.
NOONE is going to give us a good player for "kelly and shannon". It's like your neighbour giving you his HD 40" TV and letting him sift through your garbage for anything he wants. NO THANK YOU
Cole was good-ish with Carolina 3 years ago, this isnt 2007-2008.
Benjamin, Kelly improves Carolina's chances of keeping the puck out of their net as he is a premier pk-er, and defensive centre in the league. Shannon has proved he's more than a call-up, and isnt playing in Ottawa because they have too many of his "type" player.
Carolina isnt firing Maurice this year and a trade...even if lateral would go a long way in trying to shake them out of 30th place in the NHL.
It's funny how you talk of potential with a 31 year-old forward who's only scored 30 goals once in his NHL career, and that was in 2005-2006. His goal/point totals have fallen dramatically each year. What information do you use to form your opinions? Are you watching NHL classic games from '05-'06 on the NHL network?
Oh and Jacob, yes I watch hockey...so much so that I was scouting for McKeen's hockey until I moved to Alberta this year...
Man do I hope the Sens are not in the mix
http://hendrickshockey.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1207:marek-malik-getting-offers&catid=40:the-rumors&Itemid=86
Ottawa needs a D man, not another forward.
Check that....a GOOD D man. Not another 6th or 7th type.
Honestly, good for you Derrick, I take back my comment; I'm sorry.
I still don't like Cole anywhere but Carolina
lets get zidlicky
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