It has been a long time since the Battle of Ontario actually had much significance in the standings but that was definitely the case tonight.
The Sens rode a stellar performance by Craig Anderson, got a game winner from Kyle Turris and picked up a huge 3-2 victory at the ACC. With the win, Ottawa is now 9 points clear of the Leafs in the Eastern Conference standings.
Craig Anderson has been sharp for the Senators on their recent run but for the second straight game, the first shot found its way to the back of the net. Gotta love the response by Anderson though as he played lights out the rest of the way.
With the first period winding down and not much going right for the Sens, MacLean shuffled the deck and put Michalek on a line with Turris and Alfredsson. The move paid off in a hurry as Alfredsson's 15th goal of the season beat Reimer and gave the Sens life to close out the opening frame.
The Sens were sloppy in the first and did not look much better in the second. If not for some big stops by Craig Anderson, this game could have turned ugly in a hurry. A garbage goal credited to Jason Spezza tied the game up heading into the final period.
Kyle Turris is new to the Battle of Ontario but he made himself right at home in the third period, ripping a snap shot that beat a stunned James Reimer, giving the Sens a lead they would not relinquish.
Considering how bad they looked against the Jets, this was a fantastic response from Paul MacLean's group. The Sens now have 58 points, giving them a nine point cushion over the 9th place Leafs.
Next up for the Ottawa Senators is a four game West Coast swing leading up to the NHL All Star Game. The Sens take on the Sharks on Thursday night.
- In the second period, Nick Foligno caught Leaf Captain Dion Phaneuf with a hip check that sent the league's most overrated player flying through the air. In the aftermath, some were discussing the possibility of a suspension but to me it looked like he made contact with the thigh rather than Phaneuf's knees. To add to Foligno's defence, it looked like Phaneuf was guilty of trying to jump over the hit, making it look much worse than it actually was. The two settled the score in a spirited tilt later in the second period.
- Keep booing him Leafs fans, doesn't seem to bother him one bit. Alfredsson picked up a goal and an assist in just under 19 minutes of ice time. Would expect MacLean to go back to the trio of Michalek-Turris-Alfredsson on Thursday.
NICE SHOT KYLE TURRIS!!!
Lovely comeback.
i am so happy the sens won but these Toronto commentators were pissing me off all night.
Andy is incredible. Turris is SICK.
GO SENS GO.
Kyle Turris for the game winner.
Bring on Petersson and Borwecki
Leaf fans can only wish they had a team with as much heart as our Sens.
Not only that but we are starting to put some distance between us and the rest of the pack.
We may need the distance when other teams catch up in games played.
Good call man.
The thing I love about playing more games, is that the Sens have WON those extra games. This in turn puts more pressure on the teams catching up to win.
i would rather my team play more games and win them, and then sit back and wait for the teams catching up to lose one or two and then it's all over for them. A la Leafs.
Thanks for the heads up. Did I miss any other mistakes? Clearly too excited after a big win :)
He was bringing it all night!
That's what I said. :)
Love seeing Spezza and Alfie throw the body around - LOVE THIS SENS SQUAD
Go Sens!
Yeah. I thought I heard the comentators refer to erik condra as shannon a few times. Did any one else notice. Also I saw spezza take a run at phaneuf and the announcer said "the two captians go after each other."
Made me laugh more than anything.Ignora nt Toronto sports media.
Hes sick?! tell him to get well soon! ;)
haha jk, great win tonight boys!
To top it off Foligno got some good ones in when they fought.
Sens can compete with any team in the NHL, but they have to play a more 60 minute game and not allow Andy to hang out and dry.
And also, I know he's still a rookie and will undoubtedly get better, but Cowen needs to continue to add more polish to his game. He looked panicky and made some bad risks the past little while. I know it comes with experience, but he definitely has the ability to improve.
I just wish we had a backup that could give Andy a break. The guy's been busting his ass playing every night and must be tired.
Auld's been terrible this season. Wouldn't mind if Murray could add a good backup for a possible post season to help Andy out a bit.
Acquiring Vets is a big gamble, because they have too much experience and their own opinions and most of make the big coin. Gettting young guys, you have a chance to mentor to your way of thinking.
So, some vets work out, and some don't. Cullen was an example of a good vet aquisition at the trade deadline IMHO, and Pascal Leclaire an example of one that didn't unfortunately (thank goodness there was the 2nd rounder in that deal).
The thing is at the time of the trades, they can look good on paper.
There is no doubt about Turris' talent though, and so far it looks like Murray made a good deal there. We finally see Turris' "elite" wrist shot the Sens have been talking about. I'd say that was a beaut. Reimer had no idea it went in.
KJ
MASSIVE.
I also like to think Murray outbid Burke for the kid, so great night for BMurr as well I bet.
"That guy never takes a day off and he's just a great role model for everybody else."
Hearing people behind me ask "Why do we boo Alfredsson?" was priceless :)
PRAISE ALFIE
LOL @ all the LAughs fans whining over the goalie interference tonight when Spezza was OUTSIDE the crease when contact was made
Anyways, so glad we got all these road wins ahead of the Western trip because I fear it wont be pretty. Cant see us beating the Sharks or Kings but would be nice to get a win over the Ducks.
love his game right now and based on what I've seen, he's suprising alot of guys with his ability to stand in and trade blows... by the way, recieved confirmation from a reliable source that Foligno did in fact punch Heatley in the mouth at none other than the Heart and Crown.
well done Nick.
What can you say about this Turris kid, he seems to be getting better every game. not too many people questioning the trade these days....
last thought; when your stars are your stars you win more than you lose.
Care to shine a little bit more light on these story? It sounds hilarious.
I still can't believe how incredibly well this team is doing. I knew they weren't going to be a bottom feeder, but couldn't see The Sens battling for a top spot in the east. Such an entertaining team to watch, I can't wait for playoffs to begin. I think they could easily surprise a lot of people and make it through the first round with their level of intensity and 'Never Say Die' mentality.
Puempel, Spezza, Zibanejad, Michalek, Turris, Noesen, Karlsson, Stone, etc. How on earth are we going to be able to retain these guys? If some are going to be traded to be under the cap much like the Hawks then we had better win the cup soon!
Still?!
TURRIS ALL THE WAY!
I'm loving Foligno's game. That's how you show dump the NHL's most over-rated player. I hope Elisha Cuthbert was watching.
You did say Thursday in the original statement, but in the last paragraph you say this "Would expect MacLean to go back to the trio of Michalek-Turris -Alfredsson on Wednesday night". I believe shamarke was pointing that out.
I agree that he could benefit from more size but its hardly hurting him. He wins way more battles along the boards than he loses, is a great fore-checker who turns over a lot of pucks. Watch him play and you'll see what I mean. The biggest surprise about Turris is how strong he is at
winning board battles for pucks.
The crazies really come out here during a game. Reading the real-time comments during the games are hilarious. One guy wanted to get rid of Cowen after one bad period. Good thing the trade didnt go through cause he was awesome in the third. Pretty sure coach PM knows what he is doing, he did have Cowen and Gonchar against the Kessel line all night, he must have some faith in them, maybe the crazies should too? we did win eh?
Yikes. Get it together, SensChirp.
And Potvin (whom I usually like) was at his homer worst last night - saying that Phaneuf jumped over him and that there should have been no penalty. He also criticized Phaneuf for fighting - pathetic.
I don't know I'd go as far as calling the Foligno hit dirty, but it was most certainly a penalty. The refs got the call right with the 2 minute minor. Maclean said himself that he thought the hit was a penalty and that he had no problem with the way he thought Phaneuf handle the situation by fighting Foligno later on. Listen to Macleans postgame comments, they were great.
Denis Potvin is the absolute worst. Can't stand Dean Brown or Gordie Wilson either. What an annoying trio those guys are. Ian Mendes is good though.
Phaneuf did jump before the hit, if he didn't it would have been hip to hip contact. Phaneuf was quoted earlier in the year saying "If I throw a clean hit, I shouldnt be forced to fight because of it". Then he goes out and does that to Foligno? Potvin was right to criticize him for fighting foligno.
Does anyone use the Score Mobile app on the iPhone? I was looking at all the stats after the game when I noticed they have a section for bloggers, within each game you review, it's the last option when you slide all the way over to the right. I started reading and it's all Toronto based and very one sided, much like TSN, etc. It was funny to read all the opening comments, how good the Leafs are, how the Sens suck. Then you started to see the tides turn when Alfie scored. And the frustration really set in when they were not able to solve Anderson after the 1st period. It wasn't long before every Leaf fan wanted Reimers head on a post. They actually were asking to have him pulled, in place of Gustavsson. What really amazed me is how much they criticise guys like Alfie and Neil. All that aside, it was a funny read, you should check it out.
Like everyone else, I'm very pumped about Turris and what he's been able to bring to the table. You can't deny he's getting better and more confident with each game. Ottawa's stats since he arrived are proof alone, 10-2-2 I believe. He is a bonafide 2nd C on our team and I'm expecting Ottawa will lock him up for many years to come after this seasons performance. Great steal BM, kudos to you and the rest of the staff involved.
Expecting a tough West Coast swing, regardless of what happens, it's sure to be exicting.
Go Sens Go!!!
Nice Fix!!
OTT: 39
TOR: 24
and brian burke wants his team to have pugnacity and truculence? maybe he should get a mentoring assignment under bryan murray lol.
Face-Offs
OTT: 28/54 (52%)
TOR: 26/54 (48%)
Face-Off Leaders -Min. 10 opportunities
OTT: Jason Spezza - 14/23 (61%)
TOR: David Steckel - 6/12 (50%)
in the end, i know the game looked super lopsided via the shots stat, but my assessment is that the leafs chances were of the perimeter variety except probably for the lupul deflecttion hitting the net. the way anderson is playing, perimeter shots will not beat him unless complete flukes. the lombardi goal was a super fluke (thank you btw chris phillips) and the lupul goal was a bad cowen pinch and a bad gonchar defensive play. but still i think that the sens created better offensive zone plays and possessed the puck better when they were in the leafs zone, and the sens neutral zone plays and picks in the 3rd was just exceptional (not a surprise though because this team really kicks it up in the third). i think it was a textbook game for the sens with alfredsson and anderson clearly leading the charge.
Have you heard Ray Whitney's name as possible deadline pick up ??
L|W... 14 goals 24 assits +13
Like how you but Whitney in there lol
Greening-Spezza-Peterssen
Michalek-Turris-Alfie
Foligno-Smith-Butler
Condra-Konopka(Winnie)-Neil
Would look OK going into the Playoffs if Peterssen is the real deal.
but a regin trade would not hurt the sens either. i just would like to see the guy get a proper chance under Maclean.
Regin was finished the second we brought in Turris, even if his shoulder got better he would've been traded, now we probably can't even trade him...Thanks for nothing Regin, you will forever be a blip in the history of the Ottawa Senators...
I know that's harsh but come on, he's done nothing but be injured and produce little to never offensively...
I agree i'm all for AP playing great!! In pre season he reminded me of Martin St louis with his size and skill and speed ..Im excited too see him play
He scored a few pretty goals and played well in the playoff series against Pitts. But yeah, it's too bad.
Philips could bring a whole new meaning of a stay at home defencemen and just STAY HOME !!!
He realized that Foligno shouldn't have gotten a penalty on the clean hit that 'noof tried to jump over so he valiantly got himself an extra two when he volunteered to let Foligno hit him a few times.
Class act.
I was dying for Foligno to get one more shot in after he lost the elbow pad. Oh well.
Smith skates into Kessel and nudges him, Kessel falls over, Smith carries on skating as if nothing happened
next clip
Kessel skates into Smith and nudges him, Kessel falls over, Smith carries on skating as if nothing happened
About Regin, I think it would be a mistake to trade him or drop him. His value can't go much lower because of his injuries. I think BM should sign him, tell him to get surgery, rehab, etc... and come back next year and kill it. You'll be able to sign him cheap and he'll be confident getting surgery because he knows he has work for next year. Then, maybe he can be traded for something of more value. Either way, he's a top 9 forward and he shouldn't be given up for (next to) nothing.
Looked around and it's doesn't seem to be an easy addition with this comment format. May require a little more work than I was hoping for :)
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2012/01/18/sens_deadline/
i also wont care if we let the poor guy just walk.
Agreed - they should talk now and see what he'd sign for now. If the price is good, follow the plan you outlined. If he (or his agent) feels he's due a raise or something then wish him luck in his future endeavors.
blaming everything from Brian Burke down to the equipment guy. the blame is being pasted on Burke, Wilson, the forwards, the defense, the goalies, the goalie coach lol
they are close to hitting the melting point, its already boiling pretty good lol, few more losses for the leafs and it should filibuster pretty nicely.
Great comeback, sick goal by Turris!! I am truly glad to see the composure of the team and the confidence that many are exuding. Would like to see something more from Daug.
Foligno vs. Phagoof
Beautiful! First he flips him arse over tea kettle then lands a couple of decent shots in there!
Anderson
He's back!! And a fantasy superstar according to NHL.com
Regin
Would love to have him back, has potential... but since his first injury, has never regained form. Not sure what to do with him... but IF we trade him, make sure it's to the West, 'cuz if he regains form, could be dangerous.
Non-Sens Related
Hall
Hope he has a speedy recovery on such a fluke accident!
first off you cant trade regin when he is injured
and secondly, why would any team give a top 6 player to the sens for the sens castoffs that bring nothing to the table.
teams are not interested in making the sens better for no reason......som e people
Okay - I'll continue ignoring the Big Rig haters and their circle of friends on my own then. ;)
Lee is also injured BTW. So two injured guys for a top 6? Sure - sign me up!
*shakes head*
Carolina and Phoenix are teams that will be looking for cheap depth players with potential in any trade. They are both budget teams and Lee and Regin are both RFA's that could help fill out their rosters moving forward. As far as trading an injured player, didn't Jersey move an injured Russian Dman to San Jose a few years back just to dump salary?
I thought Yip was pretty decent last season, weird move.
he's been very useless this year, injured all year and no points in i think 10 games
WHAA WHAA WHAA interference this, clipping that, refs missed this call, our coach wanted us to lose.
Shutup and accept the loss - YOU SUCK.
Sorry people, I'm done venting, have a good hump day.
Sens beat the Laffs, in a statement game, to keep them out of the playoffs!
I will be very happy to admit that I was very wrong about the Turris trade.
I did not know much about him, but he is very much a 200ft player, ala Red Wing type, like a Zetterberg.
Even if Rundblad pans out as I am sure he will, we did not need what he brought, as we have Karlsson already in the fold.
But what a very pleasant surprise Turris has been for me, and as someone already noted, it is very easy to forget he is our youngest forward on the team... WoW to think of what his peak might be!!!
But have to say we really need to give some better support to Anderson...he is exaclty what I expected him to be, and if we had him 8 years ago we would probably have a couple of cups by now.
I know that there are some Philips die hards on this forum, and he really is more than a reputable character, and great person, but the reality is, so is Chirp, but he is not making 3 mil, to play lousy Defense.
Philips best days are 3 years removed, he is getting worse every year, and unfortunatley does not have the mobility to keep up to todays speedy forwards, he is a liability now, so please pass the stick on to Brian Lee, who is younger, faster and better the Philips right now. IMHO of course
the only difference is that we are still above them in the standings!