The Buffalo Sabres come into tonight’s action sitting 8th in the Eastern Conference, just a single point up on the 10th place Senators. The Sabres have struggled on home ice this season but are still one of the league’s tougher teams on the road, posting an impressive 8-4- record. Marcus Foligno, brother of Nick, has been recalled by the Sabres and is expected to be in their line up tonight.
Plenty of hype around this one as it will be the first for Kyle Turris in an Ottawa Senators uniform. This is a guy that has played more than 100 games in the NHL but you have to think he’ll have the butterflies of a rookie when he takes the ice at SBP for the first time. Turris will wear #7 and centre a line with Nick Foligno and Erik Condra to start.
Here is how the Sens lined up at the morning skate.
Greening-Spezza-Alfredsson
Foligno-Turris-Condra
Smith-Regin-Neil
Daugavins-Konopka-Winchester
Kuba-Karlsson
Cowen-Gonchar
Phillips-Carkner
Anderson
The Sens will get a boost from the return of a couple of veteran defenceman. Both Filip Kuba and Sergei Gonchar will return to the line up tonight. Both players should help what has been a struggling power play. After hovering around the top 5 for most of the season, the Ottawa power play has slipped to 18th in the NHL at 16.7%.
Brian Lee and Bobby Butler are the healthy scratches.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:30 PM tonight with all the action available on TSN and TVA Sports. Still tickets to be had for this one so as always, contact Mike McCarthy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to get yours.
- Good start for Sens prospect Mark Stone in the first exhibition game for Team Canada. He scored the winning goal against Team Finland on a play where he had his initial shot stopped but was able to cash in on his own rebound. You can catch the TSN game highlights here.
- Milan Michalek was back on the ice this morning, working out before the rest of the team. Great to see Michalek making progress the past few days. Definitely won't rush him back but it’s clear Michalek is getting closer to a return.
Looking forward to seeing Turris on the power play, I think his shot will open up even more space for Spezza and Karlson to work their magic.
Go Sens Go!
Still really not a fan of this trade, but willing to give it a bit of time before forming my final opinion. Would rather see Daugavins with more skill than Konopka/Winches ter.
Lets see if Turris gets more than 2 games on the second line...he will officially have been given a bigger chance than Filatov(who I still seriously hope is back next season and at the very least given a solid shot).
Ohh and I will add my every game comment of how Lee gets the shit end of the stick by this club day in and day out....I am truly shocked that this hasn't become a bigger issue for him/the club.
I that it was a glitch about the runblad thing lol cuz I had two also. As for Turris you are right in nhl12 you had to give up way more than what Bryan Murray had to
Well of course not. Just a wee joke is all it was!
Kinda adds to then fun seeing if you can pull off the same move as the real world gm
If you thought anyone was serious, you need to figure it out lol NO ONE was saying it was relevant in real life scenarios.
#NHLoh12
#GamesAreReal
Stop hating. I've been trying to trade for Turris in the game for a few days now... impossible.
I don't think anyone is expecting a game like crosby's return, especially because we're playing Miller and the Sabres not some goalie playing his first NHL game and the Islanders.
I'm extremely excited to see this kid in action, I still have my worries about the trade but with the Stache's confidence in the kid and his excitement to be playing for us really helps ease those worries.
MacLean on Michalek: "If it's tomorrow when he can practice and we play on Friday and he says he can go - we'll probably let him play,"
If you think hockey video game related posts are the most ridiculous things posted here you have a better filter than I do.
Tonight vs. Buffalo
Scary looking lines!! I love it!! This will be entertaining game and with Gonchar and Kuba back... Buffalo is going to have their hands full!! All we have to do is somehow injure D. Roy... he's a Sens killer! Perhaps we can rub Miller too... set him off!?
I am feeling our first big win of the season!!
GO SENS GO! GO TURRIS GO! GO SPEZZA GO! GO K65 GO!
http://youtu.be/RNl6b9Hpaz4
Still have a bad feeling about the Turris deal. I can only see tonight going two ways. He either lights it up and has a great game, or sucks worse than Butler out there.
Really need a strong game from Foligno to help get Turris going
Many posters are saying that Miller is starting in goal ??
Thought that Enroth was given the start,due to bad games?
Can you confirm that Enroth is the starter ??
You should be able to get him for less then that. There's 2 Rundblad's because he's half as good as we originally thought haha
Miller starts.
Eight goals in two games. Yeah, they've been struggling.
So you are going to judge the trade on what happens tonight? Spezza is finally getting some love from most of the fans (haters will always be haters) and it's only been 9 years!
Let's give the guy some time before we run him out of town.
Are you talking about Rec League hockey of the NHL? This guy is paid $850K to eat right, do off-ice workouts, practice hard, study tape, and play to the best of his ability when he is asked to play.
The hard-cold reality of being an NHL player is that if you aren't on of the top 6 defencemen on your team, you either ride the pines or you play in the minors.
The coaching staff are expected to put out the best combination of players for each game. That doesn't necessarily mean the most skilled. Based on the record so far (considering what they have), in Mac I trust!
Yeah it sucks for Lee ... but he is paid good money to be a "good soldier". That's his job.
Wow,
Gotta believe, that we will hopefully blast him out of the goal and see Enroth !!
Seriously dude! Chill. I bet a high percentage of the Readers on this board play NHL version X , and would find Chirp's comment funny.
That's a good use of time :).
Only in rare circumstances does chemistry work right off the bat, so not expecting anything from him tonight except a solid effort. If he scores, it's gravy. Main thing is Sens capitalize on a frazzled Sabres team for the 2pts.
Was at the game against Pitt, and it was awesome. Hope they can keep it going.
KJ
The last topic was titled "Filatov reaches deal in KHL" what additional information do you need?
Will he be back in Ottawa this year? No.
Will he come back to Ottawa next year? Maybe.
Does Ottawa retain his rights? Yes.
How long is the contract in the KHL? One year.
haha found that out last night! I was, however, able to trade Gonchar for Nugent-Hopkins.
come on Murray, get it done!!!!
Defence
Erik Karlsson Defense OTT 486,171
Dion Phaneuf Defense TOR 453,986
Kris Letang Defense PIT 365,090
Nicklas Lidstrom Defense DET 349,770
Zdeno Chara Defense BOS 322,282
Forwards
Phil Kessel Forward TOR 529,659
Daniel Alfredsson Forward OTT 445,213
Sidney Crosby Forward PIT 434,762
Jason Spezza Forward OTT 396,864
Joffrey Lupul Forward TOR 379,437
Milan Michalek Forward OTT 366,873
Claude Giroux Forward PHI 272,152
Goalie
James Reimer Goalie TOR 360,061
Tim Thomas Goalie BOS 342,792
Marc-Andre Fleury Goalie PIT 320,401
Carey Price Goalie MTL 192,755
they shit the bed at every turn like Columbus these American teams just let prospects die on the vine or trade them away
In my opinion had Chicago taken Turris first insted of Kane we would see a very different player this year ,maybe not as good as Kane probably better than Van Riemsdyke ,Just my opinion,and like every Sens hater out there right or wrong I'm allowed to express it,as far as losing Rundblad I don't know the whole story ,regarding going to the AHL or being given less than 10 minutes a game I do know that he made the same mistake every game he played in and yes rookies make mistakes but in his case it was the same one over and over and truthfully I don't want to wait 3 years to see him become a super star ,the rest of the team are on a shorter learning curve than him ,I think he's in Sweden before April
he'll die in the desert.......GO SENSGO
That's crazy... where's Brian Elliott -- he should be #1.
pretty sure st louis play in the west
At this rate Brian Elliot will make in into the All-Star game based on merit, unlike a certain James Reimer...
agreed but I don't think anyone will offer a first and i think that's what the organisation would need to move him
i dont agree that neil is worth more than kelly, but I believe the organisation see Spezza, Phillips, Karlsson and Neil as the players who were here before the rebuild was decreed that will still be here when it's over
I agree with two of those players being here, partially agree on Neil and the other one is called Chris Phillips.
Doesn't Reimer have 5 wins this year? He should be in the ASG.
I love Neil and hope in a way we don't move him...I suspect he wont be here afterwards though. How many years are left on his contract?? This one +1 more right?
I think Phillips was signed because he's a calming presence in the locker room and a decent community guy. There is a a place for that I guess but the 3rd year is a killer, especially when he plays like he is at the moment. There is no way his play alone during his last contract warranted an extension of the kind he signed.
I believe Murray thought he would be able to move Kuba a lot more easily than it's proven to be and I'm not convinced that he thought Cowen would be this good, this fast. He has made huge strides since his last appearance at the WJC for instance.
quote]
Sorry did not realize this was only the East... my bad..
I think he is exactly the type of player Vancouver will attempt to land at the deadline. I wouldn't be surprised if Washington made a pitch for him and they would probably be willing to give up their own 1st rounder as they already have Colorado's 1st, and the road to the cup in the East goes through Boston. Toughness will be at a premium this trade deadline.
He has more than proven he can play, and right now I see him as playing better than Philips.
Keep Karlsson and Cowen in,
and let the other 5 rotate in and out so that they only sit once every 5 games.
Yes Kuba is playing better, but he is gone after this year, and we need to let Lee play so that he can reach his potential, he is a big body who skates extremely well, and was starting to build up some confidence, and then boom is is sitting again.
Like someone has already said before, I am very surprised that this has not come to a impass.
I will assure you he would be top 6 on most other NHL teams, so if I were his agent, I would dare/force them to put him on waivers, just speaks to what a character guy this kid is.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing how Turris does in his first game, and can really see us having a good game tonight,
Go Sens Go
Quoting The Apostle:
It's not only for the East... Lidstrom plays in the West...
We will be trying to move Kuba at the deadline, we are unlikely to maximise our return for him by having him sit in the press box until March. Gonchar is better with the puck. Carkner is tougher.
Sitting a veteran like Phillips for an extended period of time in favour of a relatively inexperienced player is a sure fire way of making a franchise look like the last place you would want to come play hockey. Players notice these things.
Personally I would like to see Phillips gone from the organisation but as that isn't going to happen he is going to play. I would rotate Lee with Carkner as and when.
It's not like Lee is a superstar in waiting, he knew the situation when he signed his contract, if he didn't like it he shouldn't have picked up the pen.
good point. arse.
League intervention, are u kidding me. The Leafs fans are doing it on purpose, grow some balls and deal with it. Hell it guarantees a goalie we can hate/blame. You're quite the whiner these days.
Let's hope Enroth finishes!
Yes.
If the league cared about avoiding this sort of thing they wouldn't allow fan based voting in the first place.
The league care about getting the public interested in the ASG. That's it.
Crosby concerns me more. What if he gets voted in as a starter after having played what? 4 games this year?
He shouldn't even be on the list IMO.
Reimer
Elliott
Khabibulin
Howard
Thomas
Lundquist
Aside from the last two how funny is that list for an Allstar game, honorable mentiones to Quick and Smith
Really happy to see him so happy to be a SEN.
I hope we win again tonight.
The Rundblad trade locks Gonchar in until his contract is over, not that he was going anywhere. (no trade clause)
Also going to enjoy seeing the Foligno brothers play each other, very cool to happen in Ottawa
Wings in the oven. (Buffalo of course.) $12
48 in. HD screen. $700
Wife out for a girls night out. Priceless.
Can you ask her to call MY wife?
Consider it done Boom. Just remember to hide her credit card first!
What a joke. Reimer and Phaneuf are complete trash. Reimer is likely the most over-rated goalie in the entire NHL and his numbers this year show that. His stats arent even in the top 30 this year. EVERYONE VOTE THOMAS OR FLEURY FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME!
Fleury sucks dick, I'd take andy over him...Timmy ftw!
http://www.senstown.com/2011/12/conversation-with-arizona-republics.html#more
No one wants to see hack Leafs at the all star game
kessel? yeah. Those other chumps like James Riemer? helll no
I think they are just jealous cause we are hosting the All Star game. Blowing their money on texting in votes to spite us probably lol
im not sure what line prince is playing on but for sweden zibanejad is playing on the fist line RW rather than center. center probably being johan larsson (wild 2nd rounder, one year older than zib) or william karlsson (2nd rounder of the ducks). and for czech i assume culek is playing tonight too
EFFFF YOUUUU BUFFALO!
Go Sens!
~Peluso
Greening-Spezza-Alfredsson
Foligno-Turris-Regin
Condra-Smith-Neil
Daugavins-Konopka-Winchester
Source: Brent Wallace TSN
where?
On the Sens/Sabers Icechips video he said Regin will play on Turris wing tonight, so that means Regin and Condra are switching places, otherwise the rest of the lineup is good
It'll be fun to see Reimer picked last, then get lit up like a Christmas tree.
The only thing accomplished by having him voted in is making the Leaf fans look like tool bags.
And yeah, Reimer playing in the all-star game would be an even bigger joke but if it makes Leafs fans feel better about their downward spiral then let them go nuts haha
I had the same problem. I gave up wayyy too much to get turris, but he was an 87 overall in GM mode (3rd season). I ended up going back to my previosly saved file because I'm not good with right handers, 90% of my team is left handed lol..
Go Sens Go!
your right thats weird.....
Thanks!
no its only a live game night blog
GO SENS GO !!!!!!!!!!
http://www.sportlemon.tv/v-2/14/58/v-345974.html
But you must have Veetle player.. For those of you who do not know what veetle player is, it is amazing and safe to download.
Turris seems like he is determined to make a strong impression in his first game, i'll be surprised if he doesn't find his way onto the score sheet tonight.
The guy brings it every game, and finds a way onto the scoreboard
Jelousss
WTF share some of that shit...Turris seemed very tentative, but thats normal for a first game, hes not crosby.
I know it is a little bit off topic. What if the Senators are still the playoff hunt or are in the top eight when the trade deadline nears.The Devils decide to shop Zach Parise at the trade deadline I know it would cost allot would anybody like to see Murray make a offer to Lou for Parise?
Me personally I would not want see Murray try to trade for Parise.
Also I know I am nuts to even bring up his name and metion it and I know that Dustin Penner is having a very very bad year so far but what if Murray were to make a offer for Penner at the trade deadline I don't think it would cost that much I think it would cost a bag of pucks to get Dustin Penner what do you guys think?
Also what if Kuba keeps up his good play would any of you like to see Murray trade Kuba at the trade deadline?
Also I would like to see Murray trade for Drew Stafford.
On another note, Nick Foligno looks exactly like the power-forward that he was drafted to be.
That is all
THUMBS DOWN if you are an idiot and think that penalty was a good play....
Best prospects in hockey? If he was that good he wouldn't be a healthy scratch in Pheonix. Its the second period and you are already giving up on Turris? He has not produced offensively, but a centerman's needs to be good defensively and he has done that.
Good enough for me in his first game.
Some awful calls out there and missing the bad ones. Even the 1 penalty Buffalo got was a joke
YOUR A RETARD!
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/hockey_top_50_prospects/
Lost all credibility when they have Kadri ahead of Cowen, Hodgson, and Brett Connoly, who all by the way are playing in the NHL.
And I never said Runblad wasnt a good player, he certainly is, but we don't need defenseman, and we needed a center. Turris will be just fine.
hes been playin amazing!
Go away troll.
Hasnt done much, just got a shot which Condra banged in the rebound, been pretty much invisible. Expected.
Oh and he got a lazy penalty, hooking...
If the definition of nothing is passing your own rebound out of midair towards the middle of the crease where your linemate is that's exactly what he has done.
This. I don't know why we have to be so critical of the kid.
GROW UP!!!
I was being sarcastic towards Nookie. I thought it was a great play by Turris.
MOVE OVER TORONTO!
Yeah Miller has really fallen since his Vezina win, even he cant explain it, its not like Buf has gotten that much weaker on D. Shots going in on him that usually would be an afterthought.
Condra and Smith continue to be the biggest X-Factors on the team. Love those guys.
Nice assist by Turris on that one.
He'll do better once he gets Alfie on that line instead of Condra too.
What a play by Alfie. In the last 6-7 games he's looked very good. Good to see him bounce back from that concussion.
Good performance from Anderson too. He's been real bad lately so nice to see him get a convincing W
hahahaha lmao, announcers these days....it was daryn duchtysen
It goes both ways folks. Stop being sissies.
Let me clarify, I was agreeing with your post and stating that I didn't understand why people are being so hard on him.
Sometimes you can just be a complete idiot Tookie. He played very well defensively and even bailed out Gonchar in the first when he turned it over to a Sabre who was alone infront of the net. Also on his assist, Condra did not simply bang it in. Turris picked up his own rebound and then threw it across the crease. And on his penalty he was back-checking following a giveaway by the defensman and stop him from getting off a quality shot from the slot. By no means was he the best player but he was far from being invisible. Stop being such a deuche!
Yeah they missed a call that knocked Winchester out for god knows how long, and karlsson held a guy up, tit for tat sissies
Oh yeah, if any of you sissies need me, I'll be at the gym taking roids
I was complaining about all of the reffing, not just calls against the Sens. And really, it's been bad all over the league, that Offside goal against Toronto last night was brutal and I would never defend those blue and white assholes...
no it really doesnt. we are 3rd most penalised team in the league.
nice win by the whole team
GOSENSGO
- excellent pass for an assist on the winning goal
- plus two for the night
- wins 7 of 9 faceoffs
I'm just sayin'
Anyways, I digress....Good win for the boys in Red tonight! Karlsson is going to be asking for quite a lot of money when his contract is up haha
And we've got the cap space to do it so it's all good
If he's going to be a high level player in this league he needs to develop a better feel for where to be on the ice and when to be there. Spezza regularly gets the puck when moving at a high rate of speed with open ice in front of him. Turris on the other hand often seems to be bogged down by opposing forwards whilst trying to escape the defensive zone and doesn't move into a position to get the puck in the offensive zone. He's just sort of there. Credit that mostly to being in a new system. There are going to be some growing pains but I certainly didn't notice any elite presence of knowing where to be on the ice and when he had space to make a move the way Rundblad did quite effortlessly.
http://twitter.com/#!/SeguinSports/status/149337193318580224
You made this comment before the game was over. You're ready to pass judgment on this player 2 periods into his career with your team all because you're upset about your boyfriend getting traded.
Then he goes and sets up the game winner.
I want you to take this to heart, because I truly mean it. You know nothing about hockey. You're all emotional because the player you had a crush on got traded for a superior player. Do everyone a favor, finish your temper tantrum somewhere else and come back once you've managed to tuck that lip back in.
You, sir, never have anything good to say. Back in the summer, you told me that this team would be in last place, and I told you they would be competing for a playoff spot. You told me I was stupid.
At this point, I would like to point out that you are the worst kind of human that walks this planet. You come trolling around here trying to get a rise out of people you don't know for the lulz, and it works every single time you do it.
You know NOTHING about this sport, and you're simply here to be a contrarian and an antagonist. Do the world a favor and go crawl back up your moms's ass, or whatever stink hole it was that you were spawned in.
That comment is worth getting banned for. Have a nice life.
Why would you get banned for that? nothing wrong with your comment, I've seen much worse, the only problem with it is it was a tad lame. but thats expected.
Your all happy because we are struggling to stay in 8th at the 30 game mark, LOL, ok...
When its all said and done we will be where we are expected to be, 12th to 15th in the East and 23rd to 28th overall.
Senschirp you really need to get rid of Tookie19.
This board is WAY BETTER when he isn't sround.
This is the internet after all, if you can't handle people posting things you don't agree with perhaps it isn't the place for you.
Please...... I need sane, insightful post-game commentary.... Mostly fact-based with a bit of opinion and plenty of Sens bias. Reading the comments section is making me dumber.
P.s. For the love of god people.... ignore the trolls!!! Replying to their posts only increases their power meter!!!!
E
E
I felt that the Sens lost their focus through the back half of the 2nd and it took some grinding from Neal to wake everyone up. It could have turned out badly for them and they were very lucky that Buffalo was just as sleepy as Ottawa.
I was happy to see the Sens get some spark in the third and pull it off.
They have to be careful with the 2nd period coasting as it has cost them a few games already.
I think you mean Neil buddy. Last time i checked we're not the Pittsburgh Penguins
Sorry, getting in from the game a little late. Kind of surprised by the tone of the comment section because it certainly doesn't represent the mood coming out of SBP tonight.
Solid games again by Spezza, Karlsson, Cowen, Condra, Smith, Foligno and Neil. Alfie played a decent game but he was falling all over the place tonight.
Turris' debut was what I expected it to be. Nothing spectacular but it was a good performance and he showed glimpses off what he can bring to this team. I'm definitely excited aboutthe potential he has and I can't wait to see him play with someone who can get him the puck like Alfie.
I can't wait for Milan to come back so we can see what this team looks like when they're healthy again. Hopefully Winnie is okay. He didn't look so good after that hit.
The sens are slipping down the line in All-Star votes. We need to start voting more right now!! It would mean a lot to Alfie if we could get him voted in. He’s said publicly that he would love to be a part of it.
We can’t let Leaf fans ruin the All-Star game for us!!!