Just a huge win tonight for the Ottawa Senators over a team that was nipping at their heels in the Eastern Conference.
The Sens rode a stellar goaltending performance from Pascal Leclaire on route to a 4-2 victory in front of a rowdy SBP sell out.
Certainly wasn't the start Clouston's bunch was hoping for as they got down by a couple in the opening frame. Full credit to the coaching staff though as they made some good adjustments after 20 and got things settled down a little bit.
A lo of the talk in this one is about the "no goal" late in the second period. Chris Neil was ruled to be too deep in the crease. Am I crazy or did the NHL not remove this rule over a decade ago? There was zero contact between Neil and Halak making this a good goal in my books.
Despite what the Sportsnet guys said, this is not a rule that is being called in this league right now. Fraser should come out and explain this one because it really was baffling.
Anyway, just a very solid outing tonight from the home town Senators and a first rate performance from Pascal Leclaire! Hang on Snoopy indeed!
Until tomorrow...
GO SENS GO!!
44 comments:
Awesome game. Leclaire won that for us. Glad the sens shut down all " ole ole" songs tonight. Thank you snoopy and co.
Go Sens Go!
p.s. Wow you got this blog up quick after the liveblog! Nice.
Glad that terrible call didn't effect the end result of tonight's game. Team is really pulling together without #19, #11, & #71.
Go Sens GO.
As stoked as I am over the victory, it also reminded me that this is, by FAR, the worst year for officiating I have ever seen. It's embarrassing. I have never seen so many blatant, and BRUTAL non-calls in any other season, even going back prior to the so called "crackdown" revolution. It's nice when they go in my team's favor, but that is simple bias. Full credit to the Habs for not bitching and whining about it, they just kept playing. Five power plays to zero. Wow.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! And the Sens go marching on!! Nice blue collar effort, not a damn thing boring to watch about this team. I LOVE the work ethic. Ohh man, Brian Murray and his just awwwful trades... I mean c'mon Leclaire??? Attta Boy Snoopy!! Shannon, Neil, Kovy were all really solid, I could pretty much put the entire team on that list. Picard had one of his better defensive games of the season. All this crap about Murray making bad trades is just that, absolute crap. He's traded away overpaid underachievers for high draft picks and for the most part, lower salary, reliable, hard working players and the proof was in tonights effort. GO SENS GO!!!
Great to see them snatch a win from the Cockaroaches. That was a huge two points that we got tonight.
I hope everyone will start referring to them as Cockroaches on this site from now on.
Riaz
Unfortunately Fraser was correct according to the rule book. According to Rule 69
"Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal;...."
Don't remember it ever being called before though.
Kovalev looked like a pylon again tonight. I couldn't help but scream 'Shooooooot' at my TV when he was all alone in front.
Leclaire looked like a peewee goalie on the two that went in... at least he settled down and got the win.
Since I'm on a roll here... I wasn't sure which team the refs had money on. The no goal looked like they had money on the habs... the lack of penalty calls on the Sens makes me think they otherwise.
The issue you I have with the goal as it pertains to this particular case is that Halak made no effort to come out of his net.
Thats usualy how you can tell because there is contact with the goalie.
In this case he was content to stay on the goal line so how can we say he was unable to move freely?
@ Riaz... Although cockroaches is good, the Smurfs are better.
If you don't know what a Smurf is, then I'm way too old.
Again by the letter of the law in the book it says
"If, after any contact by a goalkeeper who is attempting to establish position in his goal crease, the attacking player does not immediately vacate his current position in the goal crease (i.e. give ground to the goalkeeper), and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed."
Halak did push Niel and he did not move.
A chintzy cakll but technically legit.
It all worked out but will be interested to see if this is a new standard or just Fraser being Fraser.
Yes Smurfs are funny... but the problem is that I liked watching the Smurfs while I was a kid. I want to stomp on cockroaches.
What's the point on Kovalev shooting when he's point blank with the goalie locked onto him, no angle and no holes? His patience almost ended up with the puck in the net. If you think he's a pylon, then we weren't watching the same game or player. When are some of you going to realize that there is a lot more to hockey then putting points on the board? Kovalev adds a HUGE dynamic of puck possession, beating players one on one, and the ability to rush the puck deep into the offensive zone almost evertime he's on the ice. Like Murray said when he signed him, we know what we're getting, and we have enough guys to grind it out game in and game out. In other words, they got Kovalev to be a playoff gamebreaker like he's been throughout his entire career, not to grind out 82 games. I could give a rats ass if he get 40 pts. in the reg. season, as long as he does what he's capable of when it comes to playoff time, which I'm quite confident he'll do. Quite obviously I have no doubt this team will make the playoffs.
You've got to admire the way the team is stepping up....
Good on them!
GO Sens Go!
ive never actually thought fisher would make team canada, ive wanted him too but im a biased sens fan. his play hasn't slid at all... the guy might really have a chance
Great game by Leclaire! This could have been a very ugly affair had the Habs capitalized on their numerous scoring chances!
It feels good to know you have a goalie that can bail out the defense when they screw up, great stuff!
BIG WIN, it's great when they win because the negitivity slows right down, I'm a die hard sens fan, who can be quite critical of bad play or effotless losses, but a solid win keeps us happy!!
we can catch the sabres enter the playoffs and make some noise GO SENS GO
Steve C - wow dude, you were not watching or you don't understand the game AT ALL. Kovalev played his second best game of the year and was in full control all night long.
(take this post to dumper its a long one)
Crazy Canuck
Great Post!
I've posted similar rants in the past regarding Kovalev.
I'm not sure what 'Steve C' was watching tonight but c'mon man?
I thought he was one of the best players on the ice tonight. I will reiterate what Crazy Canuck has said....HE'S A PUCK POSSESSION PLAYER.....you think that Mike Fisher just took a perscribed pill over the summer that taught him to score goals all of a sudden? He's playing with one of the most 'feared' players in the league with Kovalev, who usually draws to defenders when in the offensive zone. The nice compliment Fisher has is his quick release.
BTW if anyone had any doubt Mike Fisher wouldn't make Team Canada, think again...he's on that roster and well deserving. Moreso than Mike Richards. He's bigger and faster which is perfect for the role he is going to be slaughted for. (re Gary Galley's comment tonight)
Back to Kovy....that's 2 games now without 'Spezza and Alfie' and his picked it up. Perhaps he likes the pressure....
I've stated this before....this team was missing 1 thing as we approach the half way point of the season........CHEMISTRY.....and it seems to be coming along.
How do we know this?
They are working for one another and supporting one another...that's what good teams do when the stars are out of the line up.
I'm not saying that's all they need cause I think this team is another top 4 defender away from being a contender but they are on the right track
I will also say this.....a little adversity never hurt anyone!
In summary:
-Get off the Kovalev bashing, he's not going to be your knight and shining armour every night but if he shows the effort he showed tonight, this team has a chance every night
-get off the Cheechoo bashing, he's not going to score 50. Probably not even 20. But I will say this...his heart is contagious. He and Ruttu battle like a mother FU$&^##*. They win battles on the boards, draws penalties and are a part of one of the hardest working lines out there. We have no idea what its like to play against an oppenent at the elite level that has so much puck possession as these 2 guys bring to the table.
-this team stayed right in the hunt when they lost their number one goaltender and one of their leading scorers...pretty impressive don't you think?
And oh ya, he's not a bad goalie as he showed tonight...huge key to this team...huuuuugggggeeeee
-mark my words...The Penguins will get what they deserve....this is a different team from the past.
So everyone take a deep breath.
I'll ask the classic question 'if I told you that at the begining of the year the Sens would sit 6th in the East, 6 points out of 1st in their division?'
So deep breath, and enjoy the ride.
It's going to be a riot.
To Anonymous @10:39
Halak pushed him prior to being in the crease when they were facing towards the corner.
Halak never made an attempt to move out prior to the shot, he was content to stay back in the crease (by the looks of it)
There was no impediment and there was no interference, it was a bogus call
IF that was NO GOAL - then every single goal Holmstrom and Ryan Smythe have ever scored or screened a goalie on must have been called no goal too right? OH WAIT...NO, NOT AT ALL.
THAT WAS A GOOD NHL GOAL.
-jay
Sens24.. very well said!
But seriously though Chirp, who is this "HANS" guy, and why are MTL fans cheering for him? haha.. great live blog!
This game sure showed me how slow our defence is.. carkner had a very bad start, but adjusted later on.
Leclaire is fantastic.. those two goals allowed werent "peewee" goals. you have to come out and cut the angle down for the shooter, and hope that your defender is positioned well to block a cross ice pass.. He still made incredible saves, and I know there will be many more performances like this one yet to come..
GO SENS GO!!
It was a bad 'no-goal' call by Fraser. No doubt about it. He does not have the advantage that I do of course, as I slowed the goal down on the PVR. Neil does not actually move into the paint until the puck is actually coming into Halak, and by the time his right skate is full into the paint, the puck is in. However, at full speed, I can see how the misktake may have been made.
Chirp, I agree with you. The no harm/no foul has been in affect for at least a decade or more now. Not sure if it is actually in black and white, or just officiated that way.
Galley on sportsnet was saying they thought the ref called contact from Neil, but he clearly did not touch or interfere with Halak. Halak actually shoved Niel by the replay. Halak was so deep in his crease and in the butterfly stance, there isn't any possioble way he could have come out further to challange the shot by the time it was taken.
Anywho, good game. LeClaire was outstanding tonight, and saved the day for the Sens.
KJ
awesome game, leclaire could be a top 5 goalie in the league if he tightened up a little, his quickness is unbelievable!!!
and yeah, kovalev is just ridiculous haha, what a player to watch, there is definitely no other player like him in the nhl for better or worse
it's just hilarious to watch him, you can tell he knows what he's doing but he also drives you nuts
i like him, and i hate him at the same time, imagine kovalev on a line with a real sniper??? yikes!!
was also impressed with shannon tonight, his goal was nothing special, but the guy is clearly very skilled with the puck, and the goals should start comin for him
fisher was a real leader tonight too, that's a hard lineup to win with but they pulled it off! good job boys!
...neil was his usual awesome self too btw, nice hit by kelly too
2 - 0 !
Da woist lead in Hockey !
Good game overall by the sens, Leclaire was awesome, Fisher too (that move to get to the net on the sen's third goal was phenomenal) and it seems as though we will be in good shape heading into the new year. Mtl scored on us twice using the same set play, markov seam passing it to the far side winger in the slot, to the open player at centre for a one timer/tap in. Pouliot's goal was nice, but would have been scored on the set play if Gionta hadn't flubbed the one timer. This has been their pp strategy lately, and it seems the habs are not a one line team, but a one play team. It was strangely similar to how martin coached the sens, with alfie and hossa scoring similar goals from the same spot. If this continues, I have no fear of meeting the habs in the playoffs as there's no diversity to their strategies.
I thought it was a great game, and I like the way the guys came back after getting down early. The goal by Fish should of stood, but sometimes those are the breaks. Even though the team really need Neils goal, there was a slight part of me that wanted it to be called back just so we could watch Clouston lose it. I think if that goal would of been disallowed he would of just went off and sometimes it good to see that kind of uncontrolled emotion from a coach, especially one like ours that seems to be rather a control freak.
Great comeback and great effort by the team tonight.
It is my understanding that referee's are allowed to be questioned by the press post match.
I think the Ottawa media should start doing this, to find out why the call on the ice was different to the explanation given during intermission.
First call was interference, then to deep in the crease! Officials must be made responsible for their calls.
BREAKING NEWS: Detroit Red Wings' Stanley Cup victories being recalled! All Western Conference teams who lost to Detroit in the playoffs over the years are being entered into tournaments to determine finalists to play the Eastern team that lost to Detroit in those years. The history books are being rewritten, just so Fraser can sleep at night knowing he made the right call.
MORE BREAKING NEWS: Daly and Bettman have recalled the recall now that they realized that this call went against the Senators, which makes it the right call.
I figured out how we won last night!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qHmQ3BxxjI
Watch the woman at the glass bottom left.....
PS: GO SENS GO!!
Love the fact that Habs' fans were victims of "Ole Karma" again tonight. 10 mins into a game is too early to start that crap. It was awesome to see their smugness gradually dissipate as the game wore on.
Great game by the Sens last night. Leclaire was awesome, Kelly had his best game of the year and an overall great performance by the Sens. As Chris Neil said in his post game interview, the players have said since day one of training camp, the team is more important than one individual. Go Sens Go!!!
obviosly we don't need spezza or alfie, what should we do with the 12 million??
Kovalev skating right into Halak's crease and just ... waiting.
SO. AWESOME. If only it had resulted in a goal.
Ole that b----es!! If BM can work a trade for Ladd the cup is ours!!!!!
Great game to watch. The pace of the game was possibly at a season high for the Sens. We've taken 4 points from Buffalo and the Habs in our last 2 games... no complaints!
The annoyance that I have with Kovalev are his marathon in length shifts! I just checked up on NHL.com and his average shift length was 1:02 for last night's game, including 1:49 to end the 2nd and a 2:17 to start the third! That's ludicrous considering the average NHL is shift is 0:45.
Hopefully he's not trying to do too much because of the injuries.
Let's all make a new years resolution to lay off kovalev. Let's not forget who Mike "current god of sens nation" Fisher has spent playing a major part of the year with. Think it's just a coincidence that fish is having a career year?
I was at the game last night and want to give a huge congratulations to the Sens fans.
We were down by two and the Montreal fans began the Ole chant but the Sens fans didn't just sit on their hands. They rallied and were easily the noisiest in the building on this night.
I was worried at first when chants of 'Go Habs Go' drown out the Sens fans but we rallied and really drown them out after that. Way to go and great to see the passion back in the building. Keep it up Sens fans!
GO SENS GO!
kgv
One other thing. Regin and Shannon were absolutely phenomenal last night. These guys must have lost a ton of weight (which they can't afford) with how they were moving around the ice last night. They almost single-handedly caused the Montreal defence to hurry the play and caused many turnovers.
GO SENS GO!
kgv
I thought I saw that bird lift up her shirt as well!! But I thought I was seeing things.
Go Sens Go.
Spendzza
The Sens grinding out these wins is very inspiring. I can't wait to see Snoopy's save percentage climb at least over .900, though.
As for the officiating, it's a disgrace. Like I (and many others) have often said, there are a bunch of zebras like Fraser and McCreary that are very concerned with player reputations (Neil, Ruutu, etc.), sending messages to teams (stop whining, etc.) and managing games (even-uppers, etc.)
That would have been a goal in almost any other situation (other team, other player.) And anyone who thinks the Sens played "penalty free" is a big fat liar. It seems like two veteran refs who knew they were ones being accused of not making calls against Sens opponents were trying to prove a point and even out some lopsided stats a bit.
This is a disgrace and on par with refs influencing games for betting purposes. The league really needs to be vocal about stepping in and getting refs to call the games without bias towards teams or players...just call 'em as you see 'em. Reasonable fans know that perfect officiating is impossible and blown calls are a part of every game. All we can ask for is zebras that do their best to get it right every game, staying consistent and letting the chips fall where they may. For the amount of money fans contribute to keep the enterprise going, it's the least we deserve. With 4 trained officials monitoring 12 players on a small ice surface, this expectation is very reasonable.
This was a 5-2 victory as far as I'm concerned.
Bad showing from arguably the three most experienced referees in the league (McCreary, Fraser and Champoux).
Yet, once again, the story for me remains the first period Ole Ole chants from the dumbest (Yes, dumber than Leaf fans), most arrogant fans in the whole league.
If they were even a bit smarter than a dung beetle, they would realize that this backfires on them at least 70% of the time.
Sens fans, a favor: Please take the time to rub this victory in the face of any Habs fan you know has uttered that very gay chant at one point or another.
Go Sens!
Great game. I'm not a Kovy fan, but he was awesome. Outstanding play from Leclair, Shannon, Fisher, Neil, Volchy, Phillips, Regin & Michalek. A clear effort from everyone else as well. Oh yea -- Clouston: luv how you're coaching these guys!
Great team effort by the Senators tonight, Snoopy earned that W for us!
I must admit, the Sens fans impressed me during this game. They were loud, constant and rowdy, I wish I had been able to make that game... Best home record in the East baby!
Go Sens go!
Post a Comment