(UPDATE 4:35 PM)- The Ottawa Senators Twitter feed has posted the game notes for tonight against Tampa. Not sure if any of you have seen these before but its basically 26 pages of everything you want to know about these two teams.
Finally there's an actual hockey game to talk about! This early season schedule has been down right bizarre. It's something the Senators will be paying for with a busier month of November followed by an absolutely insane December.
Ottawa will be looking for a much better outing tonight when they host Stamkos and the Bolts.
The Sens have been off since Saturday and should be well rested while Tampa Bay has already played twice this week including an ugly loss in Philly and an OT victory over the Leafs on Tuesday.
The Senators are expected to have Jason Spezza back in the line up after a two game absense. He tested his back injury yesterday at practice and will be good to go tonight.
The lines are as follows according to Brent Wallace from TSN...
Michalek-Spezza-Alfredsson
Kovalev-Fisher-Shannon
Foligno-Regin-Neil
Ruutu-Kelly-Cheechoo
Shean Donovan and Jesse Winchester will both sit the game out. Pascal Leclaire will start for Ottawa.
79 comments:
Why does Donovan have to sit again?! He's the best bottom 6 player we've got - and plays with the most heart of any one of the Senators.
It's a shame they don't bench Chris "Hands of Stone" Kelly - send a message....man o' man that guy sucks.
And seriously, Shannon on the 2nd line?! Eff that. This team has flipped upside down again.
Pretty intereseting lineup. I'm excited to see what the top line will be able to produce. That was way too long of a break. Oh and so much about Spezza being out for a week. Hope he's not coming back too quickly. GO SENS GO!
I dont hink we've tried:
Michalek-Spezza-Alfredsson
Foligno-Fisher-Kovalev
Ruutu-Regin-Neil
Shannon-Kelly-Cheechoo
Any thoughts??
Ruutu has played well thus far and buried a few goals... why not give him more ice time until Cheechoo warms up?
...Hopefully soon!
i dunno about you SC.
but i think Clouston juggles the lines too frequently.
I think he needs to let cheechoo stick with spezza and let it cure.
or he needs to stick cheechoo with alfie who can basically spark any line on this team.
but then again, its not like cheechoo and kovalev are not getting chances. its just about burying them, dont know if line juggling really cures that.
i think alfie with spezza makes tilts it a little towards top heavy.
we need to win this game, we have two to three games in hand on every team right now. and are still eighth in the conference, with only buffalo being our stronger divisional rival.
so clouston's line juggles better turn into a scoring explosion just like the last time these guys played TB here.
and how effing strong is the atlantic division JEEZE
the whole friggin division is in the TOP EIGHT
Should be a good game. Expect Neil to fight tonight.
Ottawa should take this 4-2.
I agree when it comes to Cheechoo. It doesnt do anyone any good to put him on the 4th line.
It disrupts a 4th line that was playing well and doesn't really give Cheechoo much of a chance to get out of his funk.
Burying him on the 4th line doesn't benefit anyone at this point.
Thanks for the update Senschirp. Donovan should be in tonight instead of Shannon. Go Sens Go!!!
Totally disagree with you SC, as
I believe this line juggling, is to send a message to Cheechoo !
In past 12 games, all he has to show are 2 assists!! ??
Ruutu has 4 goals and 3 assist,and plays on 4th line !! Ruutu does not earn what Cheechoo does, but Cheechoo has to ramp it up, or be downgraded until he gets going again !
I'm positive that Clouston will have his 4 lines set up by game 15 ,and will go with these for balance of season, excluding when injuries occur, which this year seems vert often !!
Robert Cyr
i hate to speak this doubt SC. but i think Clouston might have a bias towards players on this team that he has coached in the AHL already: e.g. Shannon. while shannon has great speed, and good game sight, he is not a consistent scoring forward. And i have no idea why Clouston, based on just one game's worth of good performance by Shannon would already bump him to the second line.
Shannon is good on the third line with Foligno and Regin. but then you have Neil over there, and he provides the perfect cycle game on that line also.
however, i wouldnt mind putting Neil in place of Dono on the fourth and then just let him ruutu and kelly wreak havoc in the offensive zone. I think Neil on our fourth line in place of Dono upgrades our fourth line, without degrading our third with Shannon over there.
i don't know, but i think clouston's line choices are questionable from the top line down to the fourth.
again, he needs a strategist to complement him. i think Clouston is a very good system's coach and motivational coach, but maybe not really savvy in strategizing and line matching. Rick Tocchet kinda exposed that in Tampa very subtly by overmatching his fourth against our defense pairings and forward lines. and that was partly the factor we lost the game.
bah....too much ranting lol
still....lets see how it plays out. lets give him a chance. however cheechoo on the fourth line is just...i dont know...it doesnt look,sound,feel right. the guy is a really hard worker, and he needs to be given a proper chance to become a 30 goal scorer, not a fringe fourth liner. Clouston needs to get over his AHL bias.
Yet Shannon is consistently rewarded? He has zero points...
Cheechoo is coming off his best game of the season against Atlanta...
I dont get it. I also would have liked to see Alfredsson stay with Fisher and Kovalev play with Spezza and Michalek.
I would trade Alfie to a cup contender but only to a cup contender!
Ideally I would trade him to Boston for Toronto's 2 1st round picks and Lucic. I would also give them Lee to sweeten the deal for them.
I want to see Alfie win the cup and even though I hate Boston I would get to see him come to Ottawa 3 times a year.
Anyone think that's fair?
RR
ur a boston fan clearly seeing this season as a bust already considering boston's future top centreman Krejci just went down to the swine flu
and no, alfie is untradeable. this team, cup or no cup, wants to hang a banner from the rafters. and this guy is the first one who will get it.
plus, the GM who tries to trade alfie, will get fired before he pulls that trigger.
I think it would be a good idea if you posted a monthly scehdule of the Sens games somewhere on this page. CHeers!
I agree about wanting Alfie and Fisher to stay together. the thing is both of them are hot right now so perhaps it's a way to spread the two hottest players out onto two different lines so as to make the opposition have to choose who they'll try to shut down. It's dangerous because you may end up rendering both lines ineffective due to chemistry issues.
I am hoping cheechoo drags down kelly then will next game be
ruutu-winchester-donovan
-the line that was great to finish last season
-and winnie rocks at the faceoff dot
- where as Chris'hands of stone' Kelly gets embarassed
Anon 11:25am
Are you for real? You think Boston is going to give up their young Stud Lucic and 2 or TORONTO's first rounders (top 5 picks no doubt) for Alfredsson (who is great, no doubt) but with a couple years left at best and "lee to sweeten the deal" LOL Get real.
RR - you're insane - please stop trying to trade Alfie.
I don't trust Wallace's lines. Cheechoo on the 4th makes zero sense. Shannon with Kovalev makes zero sense unless Kovie lobbied for it or something.
I'll wait to see (or I guess hear since the game isn't on TV???) what really happens tonight.
And to Robert Cyr - Have you watched Cheechoo this year? With the exception of a couple of questionable penalty calls against him he's been busting his ass all year. He doesn't need a "message", he needs a lucky bounce or two and he'll be off and running.
That is one expensive 4th line! I know Cheechoo hasn't done much to be on the top lines, but he just makes too much to be on that line plus he will never do anything without some offensive linemates.
As for Shannon, I agree Clousten has some bias with him, he really isn't a NHL player IMO and is just to small and injury prone.
I remember before the season started I proposed we trade him and I got blasted in here for suggesting it.
I am no Boston fan.
I am a long term thinking Ottawa fan. Alfie only has 2-3 years left before he will want to hang'em up. Let's give him a great shot at the cup adn set ourselves up for a very strong team in a few years.
Let's not fall into the trap that the Leafs have done in the past few years and finish just out of the playoffs and not had a great draft pick. Let's get some awesome tools to rebuild our franchise.
RR more like Ricco Retardo, stfu about trading Alfie. He has devoted himself to the Sens and has chosen to finish with us win or loose. That's part of his value to the organization. What's to say the Sens won't win the cup before he retires? Go suck Chara's 6'9 knob.
RR
YOu don't trade away your heart, no matter what it might get you.
Hey SensChirp, can you give us the defensive line-up please !!
Robert Cyr
Anon 11:44,
Best chirp on Sens Chirp of all time!
Couldn't have said it better myself.
3-1 Sens win tonite, Chech/spezz wityh their first!
Go Sens!
To Hax,
Hey I like Cheechoo, but he seems to not play the way he does in 1st half of a season, compared to 2nd half, where he scores in bunches !!
That's why Clouston is the Coach, and even though we have our ideas and line matchups, we are not the Coach.
Hope he gets going in 1st half of season , which is 30% gone already !!
To the guy that wants to trade Alfie, he has signed for balance of his career, which ends in 2 to maybe 3 years from now !
At his age, he stands out a lot more than Kovalev who is earning as much as Alfie !!
Robert Cyr
The game is on tsn2.
I think Shannon, despite having zero points, makes things happen offensively with his speed. He also has a quick shot. He'll get on the board soon. Cheechoo, I hope he gets going but it seems unlikely. Even if he scores a goal, why is that going to suddenly open the floodgates for him. More likely he'll go another 8-10 games before he gets another. Yes, he works his a*s off. However, despite being told to go to the net and get a garbage goal, he is ALWAYS doing the same thing, circling in the high slot, unsuccessfully trying to get open for a one-timer. He can grind down low ok but you aren't scoring many goals from the corner with your head down and back to the net.
I feel for Clouston I sure he would love to bench a guy like Cheechoo, but BM would be ran out of this town, same with Kov if he was benched we would be calling for Murrays head,
If Clouston truly wanted to bench Cheechoo/Kovalev in favour of Donovan/Winchester (he doesnt) then I think it would be Cory who would be run out of town.
Robert - totally agree about Clouston having all the info and us not knowing his long term plan. I'm just saying that putting Cheech on the fourth line can't be a message to "work harder" since he's been working as hard as anyone. If it's about Cheech not following specific instructions we don't know about (like "go to the net more" or something) then fine.
But really, the lines change mid-game all the time anyway so I'm not going to get too bunched up about it.
I do wonder about Shannon on the #1PP and on the second line etc - I like him but not that much. But again, who knows what the reasoning is. I trust Clousty to know what he's doing though.
Glad the game is on TSN2 - I get to watch and listen to Dean and Gord (since I rigged my TV so that TSN and TSN2 never have volume so I don't have to suffer through McGuire or Cuthbert .... *shudder* )
Defensive pairings for the one who asked (according to tsn ice chips):
Phillips Lee
Kuba Campoli
Picard Carkner
Hey SensChirp, so where is the line-up of our defense ??
Sent you a message on this, an hour or so ago !!
Robert Cyr
Yeah honeslty, is that just the same dude every time with the "Murray run out of town" BS?
If Clouston wanted to bench someone he would bench someone. Benching Cheech or Kovy right now would be nuts but if it becomes necessary then he'll do it and nobody gets run out of town.
And if Cheech clicks on the fourth line or our team is at its best with him there, who the fark cares how much he makes? We don't pay his salary. I'd rather everyone play the lines/minutes/roles that help us win rather than forcing some guy onto a top line because of his paycheck. All this talk about "that's too much to pay our fourth line" is stupidity. I agree 100% it means that they are contracts you'd like to unload since you can get guys like Dono to play that line cheaper - but when you're filling out the line combos before a game you don't give a rats ass what the players make.
Haha sorry Rob.
Take a look one post up from your complaint and you will find that which you seek.
A few comments:
Kovalev should be playing on the 1st line with Spezza and Michalek, along with the 1st PP unit. This is not rocket science.
Shannon should sit and Donovan should be in the line-up. Shannon is very, very soft, while Donovan is all heart and grinds every shift.
The Sens are lacking chemistry right now, and the only way to get it is to play around with the lines, and use players such as Donovan to grind one out.
Hey Hax,
Thanks so much for line-up of our defensemen, as you beat out SC whom I wrote 2 times about it !!
Hope Cheechoo get's in front of the net, and nails his first goal as a Senator !!
Robert Cyr
2009-2010 McDonalds Hockey Cards are out, and they have the following Sens:
Jason Spezza
Daniel Alfredsson
and.....wait for it...
Dany Heatley
Brutal..just brutal.
only ottawa would pay someone $3.5 mill to play on the 4th line. Why is Murray still employed by Ottawa again?
Hey Chirp, I want to know what Regin had for breakfast, I've messaged you 3 times about it now!!
We really don't know much. With Winchester coming back there must be a trade of some sort in the works. I wouldn't be surprised in Shannon is a potential piece of that trade and is being put on the powerplay and 2nd line for that reason. I just have a feeling that the lineups have something to do with impending trades right now.
Lines at practice aren't always lines at game time. I'm surprised not to see Michalek Spezza Cheechoo together. They have a good thing going.
Shannon on the 2nd line is just pitiful. The guy has been moving his feet a little better sure, but he doesn't have NHL finish and its not going to just come out of nowhere. He's a 3rd/4th line grinder and maybe MAYBE 2nd line PP at best. I know Clouston likes him but he really needs to drop the man-crush and do what's best for the team here. Shannon on the 2nd line is ridiculous. Zero points in 8 games and he's getting rewarded? Cheechoo has at least been a factor in other ways. When Shannon doesn't score he's useless.
-Bejamin1
Also if Clouston puts Shannon on the PP point again tonight I'm gonna lose my shit.
Zzzzzz on the Murray comments....Please get rid of anonymous SC, I beg of you!
Why are you still hiding under 'Anonymous' you retard ?
He knows his hockey more then you do. Deal with it.
Re: Poll question
I think that it's important to distinguish between most hated team and most hated fans of another team.
I hate seeing the Sens loose to Buffalo but I detest Montreal fans and absolutely abhor Toronto fans.
Hey Hutch - how's Starsky doing?
Anyway, on to your Spezza with Kovalev theory. How many pucks do they use at once in the NHL these days? Haven't watched a game since Saturday but I think it's still just one right?
I agree Kovie should be on the #1 PP and even with Spezza late in the game at times, but full time? No way. I think unless both players were to beg for it you'd just be making sure two puck-luggers are equally unhappy about having to share the puck.
The Cheech-Spezza-Mickhaulass line is clicking. So's the Kovie-Fisher-Alfie line. Not sure why they're not sticking with that but who knows what goes on at 4 days of practice.
In all honesty, even if Cheech plays himself into the press box I still will say we won that trade. We gave up a selfish one-way douche who didn't want to play here and got back a solid two-way warrior in Michalek who makes almost half the salary. If I had to do that trade one-for-one today I'd do it in a second.
Not that Dany won't get 40 goals this year, but I'd still take Michalek plus the $3M of extra cap room (which, yes, Cheech is currently using up). Michalek is almost like Volchenkov in his mentality out there. Love the guy!
Donovan out again? What does he have to do to stick in the lineup? It's ridiculous! Shannon on the second line? The best line on this team right now is the 4th line and yet, Donovan sits. This is a .500 hockey team trending in the wrong direction, again!
wow some of you guys just looove to whine eh... the reason shannon is on the second line is because clouston liked what he saw from him in the atlanta game... no he didnt score, but he had a lot of great scoring opportunities and will probably start gettin some points soon, and NO i don't have a source to back this up so don't bother jumpin on me about it
I wouldn't be surprised to see Cheechoo moved up beside Spezza and Michalek if the game goes on and Ottawa is behind.
I still, however, want to see Kovalev with Spezza and Michalek. It boggles my mind that with all of the damned combos Clouston has thrown together he still hasn't tried that one. Alfie and Fisher have chemistry and breaking that up seems silly right now, especially with Fisher surging. Put Kovalev back on the RW, where he has played his best hockey during his career, with a guy that can feed him the puck but also can take a puck and shoot it.
I like Clouston but he confuses me sometimes...
I feel like Cheechoo on the fourth line is a mistake. It's not that he's not trying, but he's not a fourth line type of player. Considering that the 4th line with Donovan over the past few games has been absolutely awesome, I probably would have left Dono back there, put Cheechoo up on one of the top 2 lines and sat Shannon down. Just my opinion of course, but I really think that the management and coaches don't really know what to do with Cheechoo. Hard to blame them. He tries really hard, but he's just so slow. Maybe they should try parking him in Heatley's old spot beside the front of the net...
Hax - from all accounts Starsky is doing well.
I stand by the fact that Kovalev and Spezza would work really well together. And yah, one puck is fine for them...Spezza would be the dangler while Kovalev would be the dangler and shooter and Michalek would play the role of the grinder and shooter. I would love to see that line.
I wonder if there is some meat in the theory about playing Shannon to display him. With Winchester back, he is expendable.
I wonder what the Sens could land for Shannon, Kelly and Picard....hmmm....maybe the Carolina Hurrican's would be interested in making a roster suffle with their 10 game losing streak.
Ray Whitney and Joni Pikanen????
I wonder if there is some meat in the theory about playing Shannon to display him. With Winchester back, he is expendable.
I wonder what the Sens could land for Shannon, Kelly and Picard....hmmm....maybe the Carolina Hurrican's would be interested in making a roster suffle with their 10 game losing streak.
Ray Whitney and Joni Pikanen????
the black terror:
....or conversely they don't know what to do with shannon and kelly.
i dont know, they will have to make some decisions soon. Cheechoo is not tradeable-even though he does not warrant a trade right now. Winchester is a more reliable 4th line centreman than Kelly, at a much cheaper price with probably better shooting skill and faceoff skill. Shannon is not second line materal, so trying to put him there at cheechoo's expense....is at best experimental with no base theory.
the way i see the pieces falling soon with winchester getting healthy: two guys from the forward group are going to get traded-take your pick from shannon, kelly and dono.
ditto for d-men, if lee starts clicking, murray will have reason to look at picard and campoli and start thinking trade. more so when volchki comes back.
OR....maybe clouston put cheech on the fourth line because that will commit him to going to the net more than he has done, maybe planting himself there and get the rebound garbage goal. because clearly, even though ruutu can go to the net, the result won't be a goal, it would be the opposing team's d-man taking ruutu out of the game with himself lol
he there just my opinion but putting cheechoo after his best game and clouston even said that its only a matter of time that he will score to the fourth line is not a smart move but its ottawa nothing makes sense anyway somehow
Shannon has no place on this team; nothing more than an undersized speedster which the sens have another two like him in the ahl in st.pierre and keller.
Hopefully shannon still has some value for a trade.
This team still lacks toughness, they need more guys who hit a lot and consistently. Winchester should help and hopefully yabo gets called up since they play the flyers, rangers and leafs pretty soon, but he is still inured and suffering from back spasms.
also, props to neiler for leading the league in hits with 59 in 12 games, i think the second best was jf jacques with 51 in 14 games.
With Spezza and Volchie out and Lee and Winchester possibly in the lineup I expect a loss tonight.
Hope i'm wrong
For those that suggested trading Alife...shame on you...like it or not he IS the Ottawa Senators.
This team would be a shell of itself without him.
Looks to me that TSN2 is not on Rogers cable channel lineup? Ch 30 TSN will be showing the Habs-Bruins instead????
Hopefully with Spezz back we will can finally see the PP get going.
The Bolts took a ton of penalties against the Leafs hopefully the Sens can draw as many, not holding my breath.
Should see Neil/Konopka go and hopefully Carkner can find a dance partner tonight. Pissed I don't have tsn2.
tsn2 is a subscription channel
well at least on bell it is ,,,, so glad I upgraded my programming to get it all and HD to boot
ANON 3:30 - might want to read the paper today - Spezza's expected to play. Or you could read SensChirp for that matter.
Anywhooooo ....
Rogers does carry TSN2 if you have digital - don't think it's on the basic service though as I don't get it unless I'm on the TV with the box.
If you can find it, expect low-D and the B broadcast team (which is better than McGuywhosucksuptoeveryteam.
I think fisher and Alfie have chemistry thanks to Alfie. Fisher's played well this year but i think some of it is the two guys on either side of him. To me he's a 3rd liner who's doing enough to stay on the 2nd line. I agree cheech/michalek/spezza have looked good. I think Kovy and Alfy need a shooter in between them.
Hey Chirp, can you add a counter beside everyone's name so it's easy to find your spot in comments if you're like me and check back multiple times a day?
I'm with Willy J - I'd love some sort of bookmark or something to find my spot easily.
Either that or some sort of "I'm addicted to SensChirp and haven't got any work done all day" support group.
Cassie not to say it's a terrible idea but. Kovalev/Spezza/Michalek over the past 3 years have all had about twice as many assists as goals :). Also Kovy and Spezza both like to hold onto and control the puck after they cross the redline. Alfie is a good fit as a shooter with Kovy. Spezza is a good fit with Cheechoo and Michalek because those two used to play with a little playmaker named Joe Thornton, I'd much prefer that line stay together. Regin makes our 3rd line kick some ass.
-Bejamin1
Hax and Willy J,
I am by no means a blogger or web design expert.
Anyone know how that feature can be added? I too think it would be nice addition.
Hey SensChirp,
Tried to open your link to Twitter and on 2 attempts, my computer just stood still, and could not open same !!
Robert Cyr
Shannon on the second line?????Give me a freaking break. This coach really has a hard on for this guy!!!!!!!!!
Hey senschirp, really like ur site!! its by far better than any other sens site, keep it up! anyway, on the cheechoo note. since the 4th line has been ciclying well and had generated many chances, i think its a good idea to try him there, sslap in a tap in or something like that. i see it as a good move. thoughts?
I would love that idea...I could ask a friend of mine who runs a site, that takes you to where your last post is, what language for the site do you use?
Bejamin1
They had chemistry in the one preseason game they played together. Michalek scored a PP goal and they generated a ton of chances when they were kept together for the rest of the game.
Michalek is a shooter. Spezza is good at saucer passes, passes from behind the net, etc. Kovalev has a deadly shot on the right half boards. I'm sure both Kovalev and Spezza could hand Michalek sick passes and take some awesome shots of their own.
Besides, I'm sure that players alter their games slightly depending on who their linemates are - elite players anyway. That's why they're elite - they make the guys around them better.
Michalek-Spezza-Kovalev, if that one preseason game was any indication, could be deadly.
Where can you watch this game on-line if you don't get TSN@?
Can anyone tell me where, if anywhere, this game is being streamed? It seems ATDHE won't work again.
TSN2 is BS... doesnt even work, and it says it's a boxing match anyways... Im sick of not having these games televised, WTF
someone find me a link...
any online streams
Best part of the game so far?
Neil's hit on Hedman.
Huge.
Go Sens Go.
Spendzza
Props to Spezz for the three points.
Oh, and props to Hedman for keeping his head down. :P
TSN2 is on at 98 on Rogers Digital
That Neil hit was HUGE
Post a Comment