Through forty minutes, the Sens were down and out. They could not muster up any offence against a stingy Tampa defence and it looked like yet another shutout on home ice. But then with a little under ten minutes to go in the hockey game, the Sens flicked the switch.
Erik Condra hit Ryan Shannon with a perfect pass and the UFA to be scored what had to be the nicest goal of the Sens season. In all alone Shannon showed terrific patience, caught Roloson over committing and with that the home side was on the board.
From that point, until the final buzzer, the Sens were absolutely relentless. They came in waves and a Tampa team that had dominated to that point, were suddenly on their heels.
Foligno got the tying goal on a fortunate bounce and in overtime Spezza sent the raucous crowd home happy, sliding the puck between Roloson's pads.
Curtis McElhinney was a stand out for the second straight game and is making a strong case for a contract next season. Erik Karlsson, who has been much better down the stretch, was fantastic in the third period and overtime.
There is a whole lot to look forward to for fans of the Ottawa Senators.
The draft pick stuff will take care of itself. The Sens are almost certainly going to have a top 3 selection when it's all said and done and are going to get a player that will contribute to this team moving forward.
In the meantime, it's impossible not to appreciate the effort this team is putting forward on a nightly basis.
GO SENS GO!
Wasn't all good news for the home side as defenceman Sergei Gonchar left the game with what the club is calling a concussion. No timetable for his return.
Also, I thought Gonchar was an upper body. (Torso area)
I was at the game tonight and really enjoyed the second half which was stupendous! Spezza and Special K were awesome all game. McElhinney however I didnt think was as good as the radio and the blog made him out to be. I thought he fought the puck on many occasions throughout the night but did however make the saves. Unless he is willing to take a 2-way deal I don't think we need him back. Always like to give the SENS a compliment sandwich so I'll end off with saying Colin Greening was VERY good aswell tonight and was robbed of the tying glory by Roloson on a one timer that was perfect, just moments before Foligno tied it up.
C-Mac
What most don't realize is that we don't change the outcome from our living rooms so may as well cheer for our boys. It makes me laugh when people "hope" the Sens lose, like they are more cerebral then the rest of us.
Here's hoping for more great games!
Also by the looks of things The sens will be drafting at number 3. Most rumours seem to say the Oilers and Avs will take the two swedes and a latest rankings have Coutier way down the list. Is RNH worth the high risk that comes with him. Most accounts have him as a skilled PP guy but he lacks any defensive awareness and he's well behind many in terms of 5 on 5 points. Any ideas who they might pick at number 3 if Landeskog is gone?
If Gonchar is out a few games I wonder who will be summoned here? Gryba perhaps? I know Mark Borowiecki is now playing in Binghamton as they have been dressing 11 forwards and 7 defenseman. In any event, very spirited effort by the boys tonight.
Definately agree that Anderson/McElhi nney are a nice 1-2 punch and it would serve Lehner well to have a full season at the AHL level. I wonder if they are high enough on Strome that he would be the first guy we pick if Landeskog gets selected earlier?
Tonight wasn't about Greening. It was Condra to Shannon and Smith to Foligno. Nice plays. And McElhinney too. Spezza's goal was nice but after losing it off his stick it had no right going in to be honest.
From that perspective, yes, you are right. But he did lose it.
Had a front row seat for the furious third period come back, including that OT winner. They were fortunate on a couple of plays but also missed on some close calls.
Sens play an amazing TEAM game.
Then Colorado beats Edmonton in OT! Brian Elliott was stellar for them.
Good post again tonight. Really appreciate your work.
Im trying to help out with tweaking the little things on the new site, and I cam across something.
From the home page, the upper left body of the page show us the 'Feature Story' where I see the first couple lines from your post. Great idea. However, I then see:
"Written on Saturday, 19 March 2011 21:45
Be the first to comment! Read 512 times"
I know its not a big deal, but clearly I'm not the first to comment anymore. Just thought you may want to know that that line could read something like '35 Comments' (or whatever the number is) instead?
I'm not trying to nitpick, overall the site is great, I just wanted you to be aware.
Go sens Go! Really glad to see the Avs and Oilers play a 3-point game tonight!
I'm very sad to say i missed the third period of the game, but I was lucky enough to catch the overtime. I wish I hadn't given my ticket to my uncle tonight. Oh well, lesson learned!!
Hopefully EDM will draft RNH first overall and Colorado will draft Larsson next. Unfortunately I don't think it will work out that way.
Probably due to the new concussion protocols that came in to place on wednesday.
Don't get me wrong, I think winning is also important for all the young guys that we have currently playing, but to say our draft position isn't important(possi bly most important at this point) is outright stupid and very much a view of "we played well last night so our team is fine". EVERYONE I spoke to within the last month has been excited for a top 2 pick....the fact that we are/have likely played ourselves out of that pick and if we keep going how we are possibly even out of the top 3 is horrible. If we are going to start winning and actually putting in a full effort then start next season at game #1 and do it for the other 81 games as well.
Today I'll be doing the draw for the pair vs. the Capital. Anyone that is registered for an account on the new site will get into that draw.
But still, everyone who is freaking out probably have their sights on Lendeskog, and it seems like he and Larsson will be 1 & 2 in some order given the needs of the teams that will be picking. I want "The Skog" too. But the sky isn't falling in that regard like some seem to suggest. Sens have one more point than Colorado but have played one more game. They are in a dead-heat for #2. Then there is the lottery. Landeskog seems like the perfect fit, but the only way to assure that is to finish 30th. That's not going to happen. So just enjoy the ride and see what you get after the lottery.
1. RNH
2. Larsson
3. Landeskog
4. Couturier
5. Strome
I don't know about anyone else, but my opinion is that ANY of those players has about an equal chance to become a superstar. Does it really matter that much which is picked? A great winger for Spezza? A (2nd) elite Centre? A #1 Defenseman?
I do have a question for those who are more knowledgeable. How versatile are those forwards? Can RNH, Couturier, or Strome play wing as well? If so, that's the guy I want. Centre the 2nd line and move up to play with Spezza late in the 3rd when down by a goal.
for the past 3 days I've been having trounble with the comments section (internet explorer, newest version).
when I post something, it doesn't load on to the comments right away, to the point where I'm not sure I clicked 'send' so I resend it, nothing, and then reload the page and voila, i have accidentally posted it twice!
this wasnt a problem 3 days ago.. not sure what happened
also, switching from page 1-2-3-4 isnt working too well. sometimes it will load up, but other times I will click next page, and it "load", but still be on the same page I was on before
again, this wasnt a problem last week...
I've gotta disagree with some of your thoughts chirp. "the sens were down and out for the first 40"
NO! they were waiting.
lets be honest, this team is in no position whatsoever to try and dominate a full 60 minutes. What they can do, is play a solid defensive game for 40, and try to score some goals when the other team isnt looking (see:ryan shannon's goal). My roommate walked into my room yesterday during the 3rd period and said "looks like tampa doesnt even care anymore"
EXACTLY!
Ottawa's a young team with lots of energy all of a sudden. these guys can skate for 60 minutes no problem. so why not wait until it looks like the other team has forgotten, and capitalize while their defenses are down? it's pretty much been the game plan for the past 3 weeks. Dump and chase in the first. Neutral zone play in the 2nd. and by the 3rd the opponents have forgotten we exist.
I'm sorry, but wheres the bad news? hopefully its carreer ending. Gonchar has been attrocious, and he's only going to get worse. 5.5 a year? let the insurance company pay him.
Might feel different if I was a season ticket holder going to a lot of games, but I'm not. I don't even live in Ottawa.
It was nice to see Karlsson's skills in the third period - skating and puck handling his way into the offensive zone and his sweet saucer pass to Spezza in OT. I think he responded the best after Shannon's goal.
1) If you're in the draft lottery, you can still move up to pick 1st overall. Ottawa is going to be in the draft lottery. So, while winning now does lower those chances, the chance still does exist.
2) Since they'll be a top-5 pick, it doesn't matter all that much WHO they pick. Regardless of where they end up, 1 through to 5 are absolute blue-chip prospects, and any one of them would end up being the best prospect in the Senators system.
In short, don't worry about how the team is going to turn out, they should be trying to win every game and taking the best player they can at the draft when it's their turn to pick. It's disingenuous to the fans for the team to tank it.
While playing as a top 6 liner for the first time this season, Shannon has 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in the last 16 games, second only to Spezza. He has verified Clouston's high praise for his play.
At a salary of $625,000 (compared to $8,000,000 for Spezza) he is quite the bargain. I think it would be a real loss if the Sens did not offer him a raise and a 2-3 year contract.
Unlike many high draft picks who never pan out, he is a proven performer.
I'm someone who is all for drafting Landeskog, but at the same time a player like RNH would seriously address our need to find and cultivate a Top 6 center...and then there's Strome. It's not hard to get excited at the prospect of drafting him. Right now we are in the #3rd spot and any one of those guys would be great in a Sens uni.
The point is, at least one of the three players listed above will be in a Sens uni this june, which is pretty exciting.