The Sens come into this afternoon's match up with the Ducks having picked up points in 11 straight road games, a stretch that dates back all the way to the start of December.
Meanwhile, the Ducks sit 13th in the Western Conference with 39 points but have been playing much better of late. They've picked up six wins in their last 10 games and have scored 31 goals in their last 7 games. That number is even more impressive when you consider they were shut out in one of those games.
Stephane Da Costa was recalled from Binghamton of the AHL yesterday but based on practice yesterday, it doesn't sound like he'll play. There was some concern that Zack Smith and Kaspars Daugavins would both be out for this one but to the surprise of many, both skated at yesterday's practice.
Greening-Spezza-Michalek
Condra-Turris-Alfredsson
Foligno-Smith-Neil
Daugavins-Konopka-Petersson
Kuba-Karlsson
Cowen-Gonchar
Phillips-Carkner
Craig Anderson left practice early yesterday but will start for the Senators. This will be his one millionth consecutive start in the Ottawa goal. Anderson is 10-1-1 in his last 12 starts.
Remember puck drop is at 4:00 PM today. The game can be seen on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
GO SENS GO
on another note, the alternate captains for the allstar game were named today, henrik lundqvist was named alfie's alternate, and lupul was named the alternate to chara's team. I dont know about you guys, but i feel that this is disrespecting our organization, how crazy wouldve ppl went if it was spezza or michalek who was an assistant to phaneuf in an allstar game in toronto? idk why i dont like this decision
So hopefully the training staff and coaches agree and feel it's fine for him to play this often. I would assume that in the last couple of weeks of the season they'll get him a bit more rest to be ready for the playoffs (hopefully with Lehner called up).
I don't mind this so much.
The Lupul pick does two things the NHL wants:
1) Ensures Kessel won't be last again
2) Helps build up the Battle of Ontario side story they were looking for
Lundqvist on Alfie's team fits too IMO and helps ensure Chara can pick Thomas.
I love Spezza and MM9 as much as any Sens fan, but neither deserve the A more than Lundqvist does. Plus the league likes to spread things around anyway. Just be glad we got Alfie as captain and that we have 5 of our boys taking part.
oh okk thanks, good points there, praise alfie !!
"Two lineup changes for Sens today in Anaheim: Andre Petersson will make his NHL debut. Butler scratched. Borowiecki out; Carkner back in."
I wonder what line Petersson will be on. It would be sweet to see him with Spezza right of the bat, I can't wait for the game!!
Hey always try firstrowsports. tv always had great streams of all the games! When I had no cable
awesome, thank you to you and the other person that posted them to try...atdhe.me has failed me the last few times...stream freezes or there is not one at all.
4-3 Sens win!
Butler had a poor start and still hasn't reached where he seemed to be at the end of last year, but I do think he's been improving steadily. Hard to make huge strides with the ice time (and linemates) he's getting but I think we should make sure he doesn't sit too much - I think by season's end he could be back to where we expected him to be all year. Which would be great to have him in the mix for top 9.
Not saying he'll start there or play most of the game there, but I'd be very surprised if he doesn't at least get a few shifts with #19.
GO SENS
Please!
Read the convo above
Couldnt help but laugh that they pulled it off
Do they really think Michalek is going to jump and go "OMG - there are people right there! Yikes!"
Idiots.
glad to hear some respect.
Go Sens go!
Spendzza
1st rounder for Ryan potulny
Um no we don't this is still a rebuild year? Whatever the sens do is a bonus without giving up picks or prospects
Haha relax I was just joking, we need to keep our first rounder even if we trade for a star like Bobby Ryan
you do realize he's sarcastic right?
Thanks Karlsson.
Ducks clogging up the neutral zone and we've got no answer for it at all
We're not going to win EVERY game...Plus, we still have the third period...
Please remember we are rebuilding and what we were expecting to achieve at the start of the season (hint: it wasn't the President's Trophy...)
*thumbs up*
They may be the 2nd worse team in the league in the standings.. but they have a record of 7 wins in the last 10 games. They have been playing very well.
Sens just can't get going in this game... Are they wearing out? or is it a 3rd period comeback... it will be very tough against these guys though.
Go Sens GO!
Spendzza
Got to learn to play 60 min fellas..
Get some rest.. onto LA.
ps. lets win the Phoenix game on Tuesday for Turris!
Why don't they try Foligno on that line? Put Condra down with Smith.
Agreed... they were not going to win every game from here on out... The West Coast trip is usually not a good one for them.. but if they can win one in either LA or Phoenix.. that would be great... Being .500 on this trip before the break... is okay.
id leave folingo with Smith and Neil thats a perfect grind line with finish ...
We need either LW with Turris or 1st line RW with Spezza depending on where you put Milo ...I think Milo is better with Turris and Alfie
I personally think the Sens need to bring in D not forward. The forwards have done very well so far.. but they are not going to win every game..
Maybe get BoroCop in next game against LA... see what happens.
Anaheim is a tough team.. 7-2-1 in their last 10 games as well. I think they can make a run at the playoffs. 10 pts out of 9th where Minny is.. and Dallas, Calgary & Phoenix in between... They stand a good chance if they can keep it up...
Who carea about the Ducks ...We are talking about the Sens..Sens def need a top 6 as well as 3rd pair dmen..
So because they're our team, we should just discredit the other NHL teams? Are you for real? How do you think we're going to make the playoffs? Oh wait, BY BEATING OTHER TEAMS. And not every team is going to be a cake walk. Sandy makes a perfectly valid point. The ducks are playing some good hockey right now, and unfortunately came out as the better of two very good teams on top, and with 2 points.
Damn Homers.
What are you talking about ..Do you think the Sens come in thinking wow the ducks are 7-2-1..hmmm NO !! What im saying is we need to add some pieces ..
Sens had there chances on pp didnt cash..Wanting them too get better isnt being a Homer its being a fan of the Sens ...
LOL.
Trade:
To LA
Foligno
1st rd pick
Lee
Hoffman
To Ottawa
J Johnson
Penner
2nd rd pick
Ottawa gets it's playoff pkg without sacrificing too much of the future, LA gets a good semi rebuilding pkg/ salary cap relief.
Calculated risk on penner for us, Murray likes him and worst case if he doesn't work....we part ways in the off season.
Johnson is young and would real good in a top four role on d for years.
And the Sens arent playing good hockey ? Are you for Real ?
I think we are going to make the Playoffs does that make me a Homer ... Sens havent had a "cake walk" at all this season ..
Oh well, shit happens.
Hoping for a win Monday night!
Are You High??
next.
Sens lost today, big deal. In what was being called the toughest 10 game stretch the Sens are 5-2. Even if they lose the next three or win just one, they have put themselves in a great position.
Penner will be a sen....book it!
Agreed... we all looked at the games with Philly, Pitts, Rangers, and the Western road trip with fear... but a record of 5-2 is damn good for this team. We seem to all have lost sight of this re-build and expect them to win every game. They are playing way above all expectations and against some very good teams. Let's just enjoy the ride.. and they end up where they end up when the regular season is over.
I don't know why so many are dishing on Karlsson.. he is human after all... not every player is absolutely perfect.. they do have off games.. and the Ducks game plan was to go after him... and it worked... so what.
I don't know how many of you heard this.. but between periods 2 & 3 on CBC -- Freedman mentioned that McLean commented that the refs said the reason why a tripping call was not made on the Ducks near the end of the game on Karlsson.... is because Karlsson is a diver... Can you believe that? What a bunch of crock?
Boring hockey but they will continue to win games.
Bad timing on Ottawa's part to be facing this team although I still think the Sens are a much more talented team.
Looks like Nabokov has hit his stride with the NYI. Would love to see Murray pick him up before the trade deadline. Although if NYI keep on winning it could get interesting for that 8th and final playoff spot.
without this guy.. yikes, I really don't want to imagine.
On another note. With all due respect Dennis Potvin, you're turning out to be quite the homer commentator. You were a great player, but I wouldn't mind if you're not broadcasting the sens next season.
Tonight, some of our skaters displayed the "No Movement Clause". Literally , no one wanted to move their feet (besides a select few) . But I understand, it was a road game, a loud building, and an extrmely physical team and the Sanjose game had taken a lot of energy.
Not gonna win every game, but there some positives for sure!(kyle, my man)
Should be interesting playoff race indeed. I believe I heard Leaf fans say they play NYI twice next week? Wouldn't it be sweet to see 2 Leaf losses.
You should read some of the comments on TSN by Leaf fans tonight after their loss to the Habs. They are pissed. So confident they were that the Leafs were going to bury the Habs tonight...
Can you imagine adding 2 more losses against the Isles?
Hunter's got some good size and can score. He'd definitely add some scoring depth on the third and fourth line.
And at 600K comes cheap.
Foligno Smith Hunter
It would be nice to see the Leafs miss out on the playoffs by one point again this year. That would be so awesome!!
Can't stand Burke!
Our first regulation loss since the Turris trade!
he sucked/ get rid of that guy/ trade,Trade,TRADE!
were sinking everyone get to the boats!
Seriously What The Fuck!
Every team dives every so often but to publicly label a player is poor form.
What annoys me on the play in question is that Karlsson didn't even fall down, in fact he stayed on his feet when it would have been much easier to have hit the ice. If he's that much of a diver he's pretty bad at it.
"The Leafs. Embarrassing English Canada Since 1967."
“It seemed like there was six goaltenders out there at times,” MacLean said.
However, MacLean was incensed that the Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf wasn’t penalized when he tripped Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson in the closing minutes and that referee Dan ORourke explained he wasn’t making the call because Karlsson was a diver.
“The referee informed us that (Karlsson) was a diver,” MacLean said. “We were a little bit disappointed.
“Erik Karlsson leads the league in points by a defenceman, he’s an elite skater in the league, and, to this point in time, I can never remember him taking a dive.
“If it’s not a penalty, it’s not a penalty, but I don’t think you should be accusing someone of being a diver. That’s a pretty serious accusation, isn’t it?”
Bullshit. Karlsson is not and has never been a diver. Ottawa gets no respect from the Refs.
@ rsidoli,
Do not recall seeing you on this SensChirp site too often.
Your comment was right to the point, and most of these fans
that are calling for trades, go for this guy or that guy, are simply the "young fan base" who give up too easily .
This team has performed at 200%, and is having fun!!
Losing the odd game, is a good reality check, and shows they are never perfect !!
Bring on the LA Kings !!!!!!!!!
They also shtdown our 2 top lines from scoring, even as hard
as both lines tried to get past Hiller.
The 3rd line got our only goal ( Neil on set up by Foligno )
Erik Karlsson tried to clear puck in mid-air, and it turned towards the net over Anderson's shoulder, off his back and into the net, for the winning goal by Visnovsky.
Michalek needs to up his game, and he will never close his
hand on a puck again !!
I don't get angry or upset at all the trade banter, I like the talk and suggestions more than anything. We all know how hard it is to make a significant deal at this time of the year, more teams are pushing to get better, than to just sell. So nobody is really expecting BM to land some top 6 player before the deadline. I think most of us just like thinking about the possibility of it. It's fun to imagine the line combos.
I mentioned the deal the devils made yesterday for Pony, not significant by any stretch of the imagination but just what the Dr ordered in Jersey, scoring a goal for them yesterday too. IF Ottawa does anything it would be something to that extent, for a depth player, not a blockbuster in my opinion.
Bring on LA, cant wait to see that game!!!!
No your right i very fairly post comments i like coming on and reading chirp and the other comments... i am a die hard sens fan and have been for years...yesterd ay I felt that i needed to expose some of my feelings on the site to show ppl like tookie (who is know is a crazy shit starter) and others that this is a team that was suppose to finish last and are exceeding epectations over 200% ... so instead of throwing them under the bus... have faith ... saw this video not sure how i came across it but who ever made it did an amazing job thought i would post it to remind ppl that lol we are in the playoff push again we were suppose to be last lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRZmVTUKhfA
We lost a game to a very talented Anaheim team. There's no way the Ducks record is any indication of how good that team actually is. We're not going to win every game, so big deal.
You say we need a top six forward and a top 4 dman. Well of course we do but as an organization we're in no place to be dealing away the kind of assets it would take to land 2 players like that. We're either going to sink or swim with the roster we have.
@ AFM11,
Boy you sure hit the "Nail" on the head with your statement !
I don't see how people can be praising them so much. The Ducks are a one line team with inconsistent goaltending and no depth.
But let's not sugar coat the loss though. I love the kid as much as the next fan, but let's be honest, Erik Karlsson WAS directly responsible for both of the goals against. Anybody that disagrees obviously didnt watch the game. It was a rare bad game, but a bad game nonetheless.
We like this sens team, No complaints here.
Also, have you ever known him to stand pat?
People often seem to forget that it's going to happen with a young D like NO.65. Doesn't mean we're going to let up on him though. If you look at our 15 something losses this year, few have been blowouts, the rest were quite honestly, due to brutal mental lapses by either Chris Phillips or Erik Karlsson. Games where we lost by 2 or 3 goals due to costly mistakes in our own end.
Obviously we're past that first month where all hell kind of broke loose, and as analyst predicted, were that team slated to end up at the bottom. There's still 30+ games to play, and the games aren't going to get any easier so buckle up folks, it's going to be quite the ride until April.
You can bet the refs will be mad. Will the Sens even get a PP at all in the next couple of games? Will there be a constant parade for the Sens to the penalty box?
If that does happen... I will really question the integrity of this league.
For O'Rourke to explain that non-call the way he did.. he owes Karlsson a big apology.. but we know that will never happen.
Sorry Sandy but I had to thumbs down this comment. I don't think anything will come from Maclean's comments. I don't buy into the idea of the refs and league conspiring against the Sens. The fact is, the fanbase of pretty much every team thinks the refs have it out for them haha. If you read the post game comments on TSN articles, which I know you do (SandySensFan), you'll see that pretty much everyone blames the refs for a loss.
The funny thing is pretty much every hockey player is a "diver". They're all taught to embellish a hook or slash or high-stick. It's all part of the game. Some players are just overly dramatic divers. Did you see Kadri's divs last night? That guy is a clown.
He also mentioned the non-call on Marleau when he elbowed Karlsson in the face during the SJ game and was not given a penalty. So because they think Karlsson is a diver.. then will not call an elbow to the face?
So this tells me -- it's open season on Karlsson.. do anything you like against him... no penalty...
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2012/01/22/mendes_diving/
AFM11 -- I'm not sure I agree... I think the refs will be quite upset with McLean outing one of their own... I don't think the Sens will be given any benefit of a doubt for a little while.
he said that Senators are interested in Brenden Morrow!
I certainly hope not. Not a McLean type player.. I think they run with the young guys in Zibanejad & Silfverberg...
You're probably right....but he will trade for him first on feb 27th first...
I hope not I would go and shout at Murray if he did that!