Two in a row! Man, that was a great game to watch. And the SensTV HD feed didn't even cut out! They're starting to spoil us! Actually, I guess to spoil us they shouldn't charge $12.99 to watch a game, but whatever.Best game for the Sens in quite a while. Although it didn't really take much given the way this team had been playing.
The game started off interestingly enough. After Dallas' resident cretin Steve Ott ran Ray Emery (and received a subesequent facewash) and then hit Dany Heatley after the whistle despite the fact that Heater didn't even touch the puck, he lined up with Chris Neil at the faceoff dot, agreed to fight, then turtled when the puck was dropped. Plays like that will get you in trouble sometimes.
Also, plays like that make me wish John Paddock had played Brian McGrattan, even if only for that one shift; if he had challened Ott, you can be guaranteed Ott would have dropped the gloves or been punished a lot worse than the love-taps Neil threw at him. Seriosuly, you couldn't even give Grats one freakin' shift? What the hell! I'm going to post another entry about the value that McGrattan has, but I'll keep this to a game review.
Also in the first period was a great play by Christoph Schubert to offer puck-support, carry the puck in, protect it, and just shoot the puck on net when he couldn't make a play. He was rewarded with a goal, and he's probably got as many points as a defenceman as a forward. Maybe not yet, but it's getting close.
And Antoine Vermette had an incredible goal. I guess once a year he'll score something that makes you wonder how it is even possible... last year's through-the-legs-from-behind-the-goal-line goal, and now this. Wrapping the puck around the defenceman, jumping around him on the other side, losing the puck but then kicking it back up to your stick, and tapping it in five-hole. One of a few consecutive games he's played well, and last night he single-handedly turned his line with Chris Kelly and Neil into a scoring threat.
Emery played well. He only faced 25 shots, but he made some big saves at key times, and wasn't going to take any shit from that hack Ott.
Nick Foligno had another great game, that line with him and Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher is really looking like a great combination. Speaking of Fisher, he scored a great goal with a rocket of a wrist-shot that had the play-by-play guys on SensTV drooling on the mics. It was a little awkward.
Now we get to wait a few days for the continuation of this discontinuous road trip, which will happen in Carolina on Wednesday. I think Emery should start, although last year Martin Gerber played well against the 'Canes. We'll see what Paddock does.
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