As bad as the Senators looked on Friday night, they looked every bit as impressive against the Penguins. And while Ottawa obviously took advantage of a back up goalie, the outburst of offence was a welcome change for a team that has struggled to score goals.
Alfie scored two and Spezza, Michalek, Gonchar, Turris, Greening and Phillips each chipped in with one.
And while he wasn't one of the goal scorers, Nick Foligno picked up three assists and looked fantastic on a line with Alfie and Turris. Here's hoping that's a trio MacLean sticks with down the stretch.
I mentioned this on Twitter but I was blown away by just how aggressive the Pens were in this game. They always seemed to be attacking with four guys in the offensive zone and were cheating all over the ice. The result was a seemingly unlimited dose of odd man rushes for the Senators. I haven't watched enough of the Penguins to know if this is their normal approach but I can't imagine any team playing like that come playoff time.
With a huge two points against the Penguins, the Sens continue to hold down the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference, three points back of the division leading Boston Bruins. Here is how the standings look after Sunday's action.
Panthers 87 (7)- @Mtl, @Min, @Clb, @Det, WPG, @Wsh, CAR
Devils 90 (6)- CHI, TBL, @Car, NYI, @Det, OTT
Senators 86 (6)- @Wpg, @Phi, @Nyi, CAR, BOS, @Nj
Capitals 84 (6)- BUF, @Bos, MTL, @Tbl, FLA, @Nyr
Sabres 84 (6)- @Wsh, PIT, @Tor, TOR, @Phi, @Bos
The Sens now travel to Winnipeg with a chance to extinguish the Jets fading playoff hopes on Monday night.
- It wasn't all good news for the Senators as last night's starter, Ben Bishop, left the game with a lower body injury. The club is expected to provide an update on his status at some point this afternoon.
Greg Millen was talking about how the Sens, including last night have 7 games left in the regular season. If they take it as a "7 game playoff seies" you have to win 4 games anyway to win the series.
With four being the magic number to get us in, it really kinda of eased my mind and put things into perspective.
We're "winning" the series 1-0 as of last night's game.
Game 2 Monday.
Go Sens Go!!!!!!!!!
Foligno played the best hockey of his career earlier this season when he was playing a regular shift with Alfie on the second line, so I sure as hell hope he stays there the rest of the season.
I would just like to remind people to watch Tiger Woods win/complete the improbable comeback today.
I realize this is golf I'm talking about and not hockey however...Tiger is simply the greatest athlete of all time. No single athlete has ever done even close to as much for a sport. If you don't appreciate him...well, you should. Enjoy him now before he turns old and frail. Some day we will all tell our kids we saw the "Great Tiger Woods" play.
We have six games left and most people are saying we need 3 wins out of those 6 games to secure a playoff spot, but I think we'll need to win 4 of those games.
Buffalo just keeps on winning and I can't see them slowing down now. They're finally healthy and Miller has returned to his old self as one of the best tenders in the world. The Sabres massively underachieved in the first half of the season. All ya gotta do is look at that roster to see that they're a very good team, especially when Miller is at his best.
Washington is also playing pretty well. Ovechkin looks completely rejuvenated right now and he seems to be in total beast mode.
So yeah, I'm not quite sure that winning only 3 of our final 6 will be enough with the way the Caps and Sabres are playing.
WOW - you actually want to talk about GOLF on a Hockey forum ??????!!!!!
During an NHL play off race no less ?????!!!!
Aren't there like a zillion golf blogs you could be hanging out in ?
Tiger has done a lot for golf, within his own generation. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones...etc. made the game great long before Tiger. Palmer did more for international golf in the early 1960's than any other player. If not for Palmer, the British Open and Ryder Cup would have nowhere the prestige that they now enjoy.
Tiger has done a lot for golf.
Gretzky did a lot for hockey.
Jordan did a lot for basketball.
Tiger Woods = SCUMBAG !
Nothing to admire there.
As far as no athlete having done so much for a sport, I disagree totally. Jackie Robinson totally transformed baseball by breaking the color barrier. Wayne Gretzky was a huge part of selling the NHL in California, a huge market in the US. Michael Jordan was in large part the reason the NBA exploded in popularity.
Maybe Woods is the greatest golfer of all time, but to call him the greatest athlete of all time is ridiculous exaggeration.
And the Sens had an awesome bounce back game after that disaster at the Bell Centre. I applaud the coaching staff for their ability to come up with a great game plan for the Pens.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/penguins-senators-endure-measha-brueggergosman-unintentionally-hilarious-canadian-002334024.html
The "greatest athletes of all time" would include Bobby Orr,
Jim Brown, Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth.
Woods plays an old man's pass time.
His athlete peers would include Minnesota Fats.
foligno needs to stay on that second line, i know he was demoted for all the bad penalties he was taking but the upside is worth more than the downside imho.
Safe to say the nerves are running and pretty excited. First game with the Bsens today in Adirondack @derekmathers better be in the liney
Is there any way to get a stream of these games?
Buffalo is red hot, I think they might pass us but I believe we can hold down 8th....
ill look arround, i usually can find a stream when its a some what important bingo game like today .
side note: just realised that zibanejad is officailly just above the 200lbs mark now(this may have been true for several months, i just never realised until today).
I'd say keep him in bingo. Anderson is gunna start every play off game regardless, so auld wont see the ice. if bingo's season is done then of course bring him up.
You just need to look at the callups who have done alright from the forward ranks. Everybody had Jimmy O written of as a bust. can't skate, not tough enough, can't finish. He has not looked out of place. These dmen seem to have been written of without a chance to prove or disprove their skill in the bigs. Hopefully they don't get good(3 have NHL potential) and come back to haunt us with another team. Many bolted from this organization and said SYANARA to Bingo at the end of last season and they had call-ups.
3 and Line 4!
Defense pairings are playing well,and I can see Gilroy and Carkner alternating.
Anderson needs to start the last 6 games, and thus be ready
to start in Playoffs !!
GO SENS GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Moe, I'll do the same. Having a great lazy Sunday so far and would love to catch Puempel's first game in Bingo before the Caps game @ 5! Let's go Bingo and Wild!
(with apologies to: Steve Goodman)
PART 1
By the shores of old Lake Ontario
Where the north wind blows so cold
An old Leafs fan lay dying
In his midnight hour that had tolled
Round his bed, his friends had all gathered
They knew his time was short
And on his head they put this dark blue cap
From his all-time favourite sport
He told them - "it's late
and it's getting dark in here
And I know it's time to go
But before I leave the lineup
Boys, there's just one thing I'd like to know
"Will they still whine the blues in Toronto
When the playoff season rolls around ?
When the snow melts away,
Will the Leafies still play
In their tear covered burial ground ?"
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave, the land in the North
And the National Hockey League"
He told his friends "You know the law of averages says:
Anything will happen that can. - That's what it says."
But the last time the Leafs won a Stanley Cup banner
Was the year we hosted the Expo 67 World Fair
The Leafs made me a criminal
They sent me down a wayward path
They stole my youth from me
and that's the truth
I'd get a ticket by selling my new shoes
and sit in the Garden's End Blues
In flagrant truancy
and one thing led to another
and soon I'd discovered alcohol - gambling - dope -
football - baseball - lacrosse - tennis
But what do you expect,
When you raise up a young boy's hopes
And then just crush them like so many plastic beer cups.
Year after year after year after year,
after year, after year, after year, after year
Until those hopes are just so much popcorn
for the pigeons beneath the CN Tower to eat"
He said "You know I'll never see the ACC,
any more before my eternal rest
So if you have your pencils and your score cards ready,
I'll read you my last request"
"Give me a double overtime funeral at Centre Ice
on some snowy weekend day (no lights)
Have the organ play the National Anthem
and then a little "na, na, na, na, hey hey, hey, Goodbye"
Have six league scorekeepers carry my coffin
Have six Zamboni drivers clear my path
Have the referees throw me out with all their holy wrath
Get Ward Cornell to come back,
and conduct just one more interview
Have the 67 Leafs skate out into the middle of the rink,
but have Eddie Shack race right on by
Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty beer
And I'll be ready to die
Build a big fire in the parking lot out of old hockey sticks,
And toss my coffin in
Let my ashes float into the beautiful snow
With help from the 40 mile an hour north west wind
The dying man's friends told him to cut it out
They said stop it - that's an awful shame
He whispered, "Don't Cry, we'll meet by and by
at the Heavenly Hall of Fame"
He said, "I've got season's tickets to watch the Rocket now,
So that's just what I'm going to do
but you the living, you're stuck here with the Leafs,
So it's me that feels sorry for you!"
And he said, "Ahh - please, play that lonesome losers' tune,
That's the one I like the best
And he closed his eyes, and slipped away
What we got is the Dying Leafs Fan's Last Request
And here it is
"Will they still whine the blues in Toronto
When the playoff season rolls around
When the snow melts away,
Will the Leafies still play
In their tear covered burial ground
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave, the land in the North
And the National Hockey League"
Was wondering if anyone would catch that ;)
Travel day for the Sens so no update from the team. Not sure if Bishop made the trip either.
Caps need to lose this game...they have their AHL goalie Holtby in the net for pete's sake. Come on Superstar!!
It was an easy night to get drunk with happiness.
Watching the MIN-WSH game right now.. If I were NYR, I think I'd much rather want the Sabres in the first round as opposed to the Caps. Ovie looks like he's on a roll and has taken his game back up to where it was.
It'd be real nice if the Bruins dropped the ball in Anaheim tonight and the Panthers win.. would rather face them in the first round.
Bullshit! I've hated that pouty-faced mother fucker ever since I first saw him...He's a piece of shit human being and don't you ever tell me to "appreciate him"...
Oh, and Go Sens Go.
Losses to Buffalo and Washington
The legacy of Dany Heatley continues...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecr2-Ikf-WY&list=UUbrOpxWGY5sJ5Eh1xXFwQlA&index=1&feature=plcp
Hilarious
The ones after the anthem with burke were priceless.
Burke talking about Cherry was a great laugh.
I look forward to seeing the boys beat down the Jets tomorrow. Look for me in the front row, I'll be in a Sens jersey with a "The Spezza Network" sign. LOL
I don't mind losses when they show heart or effort. Prior 6 or so games reminded me way too much of last year. Not much effort against teams below them. Playing down to the level of the opposition. They don't give a shit about Mtl or T.O. and they paid for it with losses (& I gueess I paid to watch sub-standard play).
I just hope that they've shaken off those late winter blahs and are ready to show what they can do from here on.
Go Sens
green, spezz, milo
smith, turris, alfie
foligno, jimbo, neil
daug, zk28, con
typical d
anderson, auld
@ Merchaholic,
Just to put your mind at ease, I post the Projected Lineup
on the Senators Website in a section called SensTalk.
Every game, I check the Ottawa Sun lineup, and very rarely
does the Sun have the correct line combinations.
I then check Senschirp for his Game Day post, and it is very
often a different lineup, but the correct lineup at puck drop.
Therefore, I sincerely believe that Foligno will still be on Line 2 ( Foligno - Turris - Alfredsson ) They contributed a total of 3 goals and 6 assists = 9 points !!
So, wait until around noon, and you will see the correct lineup according to Senschirp. It should be the same lineup that beat the Penguins. The starting goalie will be Anderson, with Auld as the backup, since Bishop has a lower body injury !
GO SENS GO !!!!!!!!!!!!
thanks! I don't know why the sun always has messed lines.
Would be shocked if Foligno didn't start on that second line tonight.
Well the only reason Spezza was ever any good was because he was supported by Heatly for all those years (/sarcasm). What some "Sens Fans" sometime say (facepalm in tookie's direction) :P.
Huge games tonight...COME ON SENS!!!! PLEASE!!! MY HEART CONDITION CAN'T TAKE THE STRESS ANYMORE!!!
You would tend to assume that the guy who posts the lineup in the Ottawa Sun, would go with the lineup Sens had vs the Penguins ??????????
This is exactly why, I wait till Senschirp posts his lineup around mid-day for every game.
I then post it on Game Day Thread on Senators Website.
GO SENS GO !!!!!!!!!!!!
Hard to believe that after tonight we're not back in action until Saturday.... so yeah sitting idle this week and watching the other teams will be nerve wracking no matter what, but we really need to start off with two points tonight.
Still looking for word on Bishop, I hope he's ok. Looks like Lehner will stay in Bingo and we'll ride Auld as the backup now that Andy is back. Still not a good thing to see happen, we don't have much luck in those situations. Tried to find a history on him, see if he had any old problems with knee's, etc.. nothing I could find. I hope it's more about precaution and we see him back after the road trip.
For anyone in Kanata tonight, Twackle reports the following:
NHL_Sens The #Sens are in WPG tonight for an 8:30 puckdrop. Great prizes being given out at #BostonPizza Kanata, the official #SensRoadGamePa rty HQ.
Yeah, I was crunching the numbers a little, I don't know if it's fair enough to say that winning 4 of the last 7 is enough. We have the 2 point cushion, which is nice. But I'd be more inclinded to say 5 wins out of 7 to confirm our position. Considering how hot both Buffalo and Washington have been. Mind you, they do play against one another tomorrow, all eyes will be on that. I just hope it's not a 3 point game, that's the worst case scenario.
I am also very nervous about not making it. 9th is the worst spot to finish by far. But the boys can do it. we've always had great success against the Thrashers.... Jets.... Winnipeg.
They should be without Little tonight as well
I just think it is dangerous if this team has the mentality that losing 3 games of 6 is okay. A win tonight and I think we keep pace while we are off the rest of the week and still find ourselves in on Saturday. A loss though and we are on the outside looking in come Saturday. It is a must win tonight! Go Sens Go!
Hope they come out just as hard and win just as convincingly as against the Pens though...will be a huge turn around.
Seriously hope Foligno plays like he did last game to shut me up too
You know you could say the same about our team.. The Sabres looked like the team they were projected to be at the start of the season.. I really think Marcus Foligno has provided them with a strong boost, and Miller is playing like he never had a concussion! I just can't see them tanking the next few games.. It's going to come down to the last day, no doubt. Neither Washington or Buffalo are conceding. And like I just said, they both look real good now.
IF, a big IF, we don't make it, I agree finishing 9th is horrible. Because I really don't think the Jets will pass us.. so should we not make the playoffs.. it'll be a 9th place finish most likely..
But here's to hoping we finish 7th, or 6th. GO SENS GO!
Well if Washington finishes 7th and we tied 8th with Buffalo we win with a better ROW. But if it's reversed and we are tied in 8th with Washington they win, cause they have a better ROW. We need to stay in 7th to ensure we make it, because playing around with 8th is a bigger gamble.
@ madpajamma
Why not mentally "want to win all 6 games", and move up, in lieu of hoping to win 4 out of 7, but only win 3 and finish 9th !
Winning all 6 might give us 98 points, Division Title and home ice advantage in playoffs . Now, that would be sweet !!!!!!!!!
GO SENS GO !!!!!!!!!!!
Why not mentally "want to win all 6 games", and move up, in lieu of hoping to win 4 out of 7, but only win 3 and finish 9th !
Winning all 6 might give us 98 points, Division Title and home ice advantage in playoffs . Now, that would be sweet !!!!!!!!!
GO SENS GO !!!!!!!!!!!
Hell, mentally I'm game for winning the next 6, that's what I think they need to do. But we have to be realistic, odds of it happening are not high. So my thoughts are only based on what I think the odds of win to lose ratio would need to be, adding in the factor of the two teams behind us.
Don't forget we are only 1 pt behind Florida as well, so lets say washington keep up this hot pace, they will most likely pass Florida into 3rd, brining Florida down into our mix.
I see Florida as a team that is in real danger of potentially finishing 9th
Good luck in the Fantasy Pool Finals this week. I'm hoping my Snatch Attack can play underdog spoiler and steal the victory from you.
Go Sens Go!
Toews practicing on a line with Kane and Hossa today. :)
Yeah, tough break with Toews. I've been lucky with my lack of injuries... and my goalies. Is there a prize? Or are we just playing for Fantasy Bragging Rights?
SensChirp - Wiser Club Seats to the winner???
Have not identified the prize yet but there will be one. Likely have to be tickets for next year considering there aren't many home games left.
Hahaha
The bruins have a tough final 7 games (Tampa, washington, NYI, rangers, pens, the sens and buffalo) which gives me hope they could take the division.
Panthers have, in theory, an easy schedule (MTL, wild, CBJ, Carolina and the jets) but two tough games against detroit and washington.
The sabres play 4 playoff teams (washington, pitts, philly and boston) but have a home and home against the Laughs...
washington will have their work cut out for them playing buffalo, bruins, habs, lightning, florida, NYR.
ottawa unfortunately closes out the season with a tough final six games, winnipeg, flyers, islanders, hurricanes, bruins and the devils. luckily they've proven they can compete with the 'elite' teams of the east and this team has shown that when they're hungry they're a force to be reckoned with.
As long as when the teams we're in competition with don't have overtime games I feel pretty comfortable with this schedule.
Perhaps a one-year premium SensChirp membership!
Or a Sens heritage jersey with "SensChirp" on the back... lol!
I had probably the worst week in the entire SensChirp Hockey Two pool last week, lol. Frontenac kicked my butt 8 - 1. So it looks like I'm playing for 3rd. Here is hoping my guys bring it this week. Good luck Young Guns!!
Actually Chirp, you should take the top 4 from each of your pools and do a 8 team playoff challenge!!