Holy something: Sens 4, 'Canes 2

Ouch, Carolina. Those would have been a pretty big two points for you guys, eh? Too bad the Senators picked this time to start playing good hockey. You've been spoiled, suckas. Ottawa responded to the challenge from their coach to come out of the gates strong, scoring three goals and taking a 3-1 lead in the first period, and they didn't look back.

These new guys look pretty good so far, don't they? Chris Campoli is a heck of a player on the powerplay, and had his third assist in two games so far in a Sens uniform. His mobility is great, and even if he's not going to throw a big hit, he's usually able to get in the way of an approaching forward. And after a great (albeit point-free) start to his second stint with the Senators, Mike Comrie scored a beauty in his second game that turned out to be the game-winner. He froze Cam Ward with a fake slapshot, and then moved up on him and slip the puck five-hole. I could get used to this secondary scoring thing again.

Two assists for Daniel Alfredsson, and the guy is playing with a broken freakin' jaw. You can see some hesitation from the captain when he's faced with really physical play, but it hasn't negatively affected his performance; he's just using vision and positioning instead of muscle and strength to win battles. Playing smarter, instead of just harder--although he still works like an ox. Antoine Vermette had a couple assists on the night, as well, and was an incredible 72% in the faceoff circle (13/18). Although Vermette's fifth in the league with a season-average 57.5 faceoff percentage, he was going up against a guy like Rod Brind'Amour, long known as a strong faceoff man and second overall this season at 61.7% (Brind'Amour was only 43% in the circle on the night). Possibly interesting note: Former Sen Radek Bonk leads the league in faceoff winning percentage at 62%.

Jeremy Milks at Black Aces described Cory Clouston's smart decision to start Alex Auld instead of Brian Elliott tonight, despite the possible perceptions or political remifications of such a decisio. Elliott's been a good goaltender for the Sens since he came up, but he's been fighting the puck recently. With a capable supporting 'tender and little on the line for his team, Elliott is in a good position to learn about the mental side of the game--he may simply have to settle down before he gets back in the net. Or he may have to wait for Auld to falter, the way cueball has been playing.

Anyone else notice a physical edge from Brian Lee tonight? He was credited with one hit (it was a good one, but holy shit Mike Fisher had eight hits), but he was also roughing a 'Canes player up a bit in front of his net after the whistle. He had an assist, too, but it's good to see a young guy who's obviously learning parts of the game begin to learn the disciplined physical side that many good defencemen need to know to be effective.

Carolina outshot the Senators 43-22 on the night, so kudos to Auld, of course. But the 'Canes got 43 shots through, and had another seven blocked by Anton Volchenkov. I don't know how Android gets pucks to hit him so much; maybe he's got some crazy Soviet ionized-equipment technology that attracts vulcanized rubber to his shin pads. Yeah, that must be it.

Other notes, I guess: Sick pass from Alfie and sick release from Dany Heatley on the Sens' first goal, and Heater's now got 30 goals on the year; Great response by Vermette and Chris Kelly to restore the Sens' lead seconds after Carolina tied the game; Nice powerplay goal for Jason Spezza to put the game out of reach early in the second period.

Auld to start against the 'Canes

According to the Ottawa Sun, Alex Auld is going to get the start tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes.

In his last four appearances--two of which were in relief of Brian Elliott--Auld is 2-1-1 with a GAA of 1.48 and a SP of .940--stats that would lead the league if they reflected his play all season.

Ottawa is 1-1 against the 'Canes this season, with the one win a 5-1 victory in which Dean McAmmond scored the game winner. I miss him already.

Bizarro Senators: Sens 5, 'Canes 1

It's funny, almost a year ago to the day from today's 5-1 victory over Carolina, I described an uncannily unusual win by the Ottawa Senators as reminiscent of the Bizarro World in Superman. When I saw Chris Neil control the puck to make a play to Antoine Vermette, who actually scored a goal, while Dany Heatley was wreaking havoc in front of the Hurricanes net, I thought: Who are these people, what have they done with the Senators, and how can I get them to stick around for the second half of the season?

So we saw Heatley score his first goal in nine games (bizarre), we saw Dean McAmmond score his first goal in 22 games which was only his second of the season (bizarrer), we saw Vermette score his second goal and third and fourth points in the last three games (bizarrer-er, considering his season so far), we saw Mike Fisher score his first goal in 20 games and fourth of the season after not panicking with an empty net in front of him (bizarrer-er-er), and then we saw Chris Phillips score his fourth goal in the last ten games (bizarrest). But I'm not complaining.

We also saw some of the most promising reasoned, on-the-fly coaching from Craig Hartsburg going into and during the game. Upon noticing the unsuccessful perimeter play when the CASH Line is together on the powerplay, he bumped Heatley down to the second unit and shifted Fisher to forward on the first unit. For the first unit, it meant that Fisher trashed it up in front of the net while Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson set up plays with the defencemen. For the second unit, it meant Heatley was put in a position of leadership and trusted to be a powerplay quarterback, something he did very well. I'm thinking of one moment in particular, after Brian Lee rushed a shot from the point, Heatley went back and let him know that he can settle it down a bit before firing the puck on net. Although the Sens weren't credited with a powerplay goal, Vermette and Fisher's goals were both shortly after and a direct result of solid powerplay work. The Sens had 14 powerplay shots-on-goal in the end, and had control of the puck in the offensive zone for most of their powerplay time.

The other demonstration of good coaching came on the penalty kill. After Fisher lost his coverage of Joe Corvo--the 'Canes most lethal offensive weapon on the powerplay when left unchecked--on Carolina's second powerplay, they adapted: On the next Sens' penalty kill, McAmmond covered Corvo like RDS would cover Vincent Lecavalier buying a house in Montréal. For the rest of the game, Corvo was covered similarly, and that--combined with, no doubt, the boos raining down on him hurting his feelings--turned him into a non-threat for the rest of the game. (Although he did provide a great screen of 'Canes netminder Cam Ward on Phillips' goal.)

In nets, Brian Elliott sealed the fate of Martin Gerber. He only faced 24 shots, but he did have to make some terrific saves, and the one goal Ells allowed would have went in on just about any goaltender in the NHL. He outplayed one-time Conn Smythe winner Ward, and might just do well with another 41 games in the NHL this season (plus playoffs)--as long as the team in front of him keeps up their effort level.

The Senators, however, weren't perfect. Spezza had two giveaways, and Heatley had one, too, although he didn't get tabbed for it on the scoresheet, and as a team Ottawa had 10 giveaways to Carolina's four. The difference tonight, though, was that the team used hard work to make up for mistakes they made. Good players have always and will always make mistakes; they are acceptable when those same players use hard work and good backchecking to make sure that the opposition doesn't capitalize on their mistakes. Spezza's M.O. is blind passes, which work sometimes and don't work other times; as long as he gets back to help out, though, the successful ones will seem to outnumber the unsuccessful ones.

All in all, a really great game for the Senators; one of, if not the best game of the season so far. All four lines saw plenty of ice time (Shean Donovan had the least at 8:51, the only skater under 10 minutes, largely because he doesn't see special-teams time), all but two of Ottawa's skaters were on the plus side of the +/- ledger (Jason Smith and Nick Foligno were both even), the CASH Line had four points while secondary scorers combined for the other eight, and the big three also had 18 shots as the Sens heavily outshot their opponents 40-24 and outscored them by a much more impressive margin. With the second half of the season set to start on Saturday against the Montréal Canadiens Wednesday against the Atlanta Thrashers, we've been reminded of what this team can do when they're playing with the right attitude. Although it's not likely at all, it sure would be nice to see the Senators finish out the season with some great effort towards making a push for the playoffs, even if it means we miss out on the John Tavares/Victor Hedman sweepstakes.

Bizarro Superman

Uh-Oh Corvo: 'Canes 2, Sens 1

You've made a cuckold out of me for the last time, Joe Corvo. It was bad enough when you scored a hat trick against the Senators last year, but Friday night's performance--in which Corvo had an assist and scored the game-winning goal--was the last straw. As if demanding a trade wasn't bad enough, you had to go and break my heart.

Despite a strong first period, the Sens didn't capitalize on enough of their chances--including three powerplays in the first alone. Although Mike Fisher gave the Sens a 1-0 lead late in the second, the Sens just couldn't withstand the pressure that Carolina put on them in the second and third periods. Ottawa was outshot 21-11 in the final two frames, and really wasn't playing as well as they had been in the past few games.

Fisher's line with Jesse Winchester and Daniel Alfredsson was the only one to get sustained pressure on the Hurricanes. Winchester looked a lot more confident after getting his first goal out of the way, was skating very fast, and finished with three shots on net. Alfie had three shots, too, and Fisher had two of them along with five hits on the night. Unfortunately the streak of wins-in-games-that-Fisher-had-a-point ends at two.

The one roster change from the last few games was in nets, as Martin Gerber drew in to give Alex Auld the night off. Gerber made some solid saves, and this loss certainly can't be pegged on him--the team just didn't play well enough in front of Darth Gerber. I'm not sure if it's because the team was tired after playing last night (Carolina did, too, so it's not much of an excuse) or whether they are subconsciously afraid when Gerber's in nets, but they're going to have to get over it because he will play at least a few more games this year.

I'm going to partially peg this loss on not properly utilizing the fourth line. Thursday night's win had a very minor ice time disparity, and the lowest was Shean Donovan with over nine minutes. In Friday's loss, however, Donovan had only 3:34 of ice time, and his linemates had little more than that. It probably had a lot to do with all the special teams play, but they could have used a few more shifts--and if they had, the other lines (notably the Jason Spezza-Dany Heatley-Antoine Vermette line) might have had a bit more steam in the third period. Rolling the lines to keep the tempo up against an injury-riddled team like Carolina could really have exposed some weaknesses--especially since both teams had played the night before. Or maybe I'm just talking out of my ass.

And it's a Senators-free weekend, since the next game isn't until Tuesday in Montreal. Which means I don't know what the hell I'm going to do to pass the time.

Retrospective: The Commodore/Stillman deal

It's been about a month and a week since the Sens traded Patrick Eaves and Joe Corvo to Carolina for Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore. Both teams were looking for different things in the trade, and all players involved serve different roles. I'll hold off on judging the winner of the trade until after the playoffs, and maybe even after another season, but it seems for now that all players are settling in well. Here are statistics since the trade:

• Corvo: 15GP, 6G, 9A, 15Pts +6, 4PIM
  
• Eaves: 9GP, 1G, 3A, 4Pts, -1, 2PIM
  
• Stillman: 17GP, 2G, 12A, 14Pts, -5, 8PIM
  
• Commodore: 17GP, 0G, 0A, 0Pts, -8, 20PIM

Right now, it looks like the 'Canes have won the trade. Especially after that embarassing 5-1 loss were Corvo scored thrice plus an assist and Eaves added a goal. Even before that, though; they have gone 10-3-1 since the deal, for a .670 winning percentage, and Corvo has made a huge impact on the powerplay. And, while Eaves missed some time due to injury, he appears to be assuming a role on the third or fourth line.

This trade wasn't made for "right now", though. We won't really know the true value of Stillman and Commodore until the playoffs. Stillman, while playing alongside Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher, helps form what many say is the best second line the Sens have ever had. When (or if) the going gets tought for the top line in the playoffs, he will be a valuable asset. As a point-man on the powerplay, he brings some offensive perspective and allows Alfredsson to play down low in the zone. His experience and presence in the dressing room are also intangibles people are giving a lot of value to, so I won't discount them.

Commodore, it is obvious, has struggled the most since the trade. When play tightens in the playoffs, though, his size will become that much more important, and his sluggishness will become less noticeable (or at least that's the hope). Most of all, his ability to throw a big check at some forwards gives Ottawa a nice complement to Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips.

Although time will tell, I'm hoping that the trade works out more for Ottawa than for Carolina. I wish Corvo and Eaves all the luck in the world, except when they're playing against the Sens.

Divisional seeding: stupid? Pointless? Counterproductive?

As of this morning, it is very realistic to imagine that, if not for divisional priority seating (where the winners of the Northeast, Southeast, and Atlantic divisions are seeded 1-2-3), not one team in the Southeast Division would make the playoffs.

Assuming that, since Buffalo has two games (and potentially four points) in hand over Carolina, the Southeast Division is very close to having no teams statistically qualifying for the playoffs. So why is there divisional priority seeding?

The traditional argument, as I understand it, is to give the divisions some raison d'être, some reason for even existing. But we're now questioning the existence of a measure that is in place to solidify the existence of something that is already questionable. Circular reasoning at its finest.

So why is divisional seeding there? Is it to guarantee that teams in southern U.S. markets are always in the playoffs, in the hopes of promoting the game? Or is there some other reason? I don't know. Maybe anyone who's reading this can enlighten me.

Done deal: Corvo, Eaves shipped out

I'll let TSN.ca do the legwork:

Sources say the Senators have acquired defenceman Mike Commodore and forward Cory Stillman in exchange for defenceman Joe Corvo and forward Patrick Eaves.

Commodore and Stillman are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Stillman had to agree to waive his no-trade clause to go to Ottawa.

Eaves is a restricted free agent at the end of this season. Corvo has two years remaining on his contract, paying him $2.75 million per year but with a salary cap hit of $2.625 million.

Seems like the Sens tried to accomplish two things with this deal: loading up on experience before the playoffs and dumping Corvo's salary. It often seemed like that guy was gone after his first season in Ottawa.

Good on Bryan Murray for having some balls and getting a deal done.

Skid stops at two: Sens 5 'Canes 1

Heck of an improvement on Thursday compared to the games Sunday and Tuesday, and the change in effort showed in the 5-1 margin of victory for the Sens.

Dany Heatley was out (obviously). When Daniel Alfredsson went down in the second, it scared the crap out of me. Imagine... Ottawa's first line of Shean Donovan-Jason Spezza-Randy Robitaille. It scares me, that's for sure. Spezza made the best out of it, though, and he hooked Cam Ward and reeled him in twice, the first time passing to Robitaille for an easy empty-netter and the second time keeping it himself. Alfie leaving the game was apparently a precautionary measure, we'll see if he's back against the Lightning on Saturday.

Once he realized that he'd have to fill the Sens' offensive void, Antoine Vermette had a solid game. His first goal was a little lucky (and a little plucky), and his second goal was great follow-up on his own shot. Even without scoring two per game, if he keeps his offensive game going as well as it was against the Hurricanes this team might be alright in the short-term.

Team defence was a significant improvement. Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov combined for NINE blocked shots (five and four, respectively). Puck support from forwards was much stronger. And Martin Gerber had a solid game, stopping all but one of the 37 shots he faced. Although he always seems strong against Carolina, hopefully The Gerber continues the strong play we saw at the start of the season.

Only two forwards had over 20 minutes of ice time for Ottawa, Mike Fisher and Jason Spezza. Four had between 15 and 20 minutes, and three were between 13 and 15. Could this be the beginning of John Paddock equalizing ice times? It may also be the result of so many injuries and the middling players sharing the load, but it is a step in the right direction in my opinion.

Live from the Locker Room: Listening to the Team 1200, Paddock seems pretty angry right now, which is weird. He is never hesitant to dish out criticism, but it takes a lot for him to give praise; "I think he did what he's supposed to do" about Vermette's great game tonight.

Spezza can hit?: Jason Spezza was number six on the NHL Hits of the Week ending Jan. 15 for his "bone-crunching" hit against Buffalo's Henrik Tallinder. Hey, Satan, watch out for that snowball coming your way. (Watch the top ten below.)

The Rumour Mill: Erik Cole

I came across an interesting rumour today. I would, however, like to preface it with the note that while it is from someone relatively close to the team, it remains simply an unproven rumour. So take it with a grain of salt.

The rumour is as follows: Ottawa sends Antoine Vermette and Joe Corvo to Carolina in exchange for 'Canes forward Erik Cole. Contrary to many rumours that you read online, this one actually seems possible and even realistic.

I'll start on the Sens' end. Cole is a top-six forward that GM Bryan Murray has been looking for, and hasn't been able to find within the system. He is also a pretty solid power-forward, something John Paddock and Murray would both certainly love to have--imagine him on a line with Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson.

However, Ottawa would be giving up some good assets. While there are some who aren't Corvo fans--his occasional defensive gaffs (standing out in my mind is the pass right to Alexander Semin in Ottawa's 4-2 loss Tuesday) being at the forefront of their concerns--the fact remains that he is a pretty significant part of our powerplay. One thing you might notice is Paddock experimenting with Alfie on the point with Wade Redden on the PP, and if that is a success than Corvo's value drops a little. Ottawa's d-corps has also shown Bingo's leading scorer Larry Nycholat to be a solid fifth- or sixth-ranked defenceman, so there would be a body to replace Corvo if he were moved.

The loss of Vermette would be a little different. For a couple of years now Vermette has been a vital part of our penalty kill, and his offensive skills come in handy some games. Without consistent point production, though, some question his worth. Ottawa also has penalty-killing depth in Dean McAmmond and Shean Donovan. Although neither of those two are quite as good on the PK as Vermette, it's possible that his loss could be offset.

From Carolina's perspective, it would solidify the team's depth at the cost of a top-line winger. However, it would be likely that Corvo would quickly climb the depth chart into the third- or fourth-ranked d-man, and Vermette is a natural centreman--something that team could use--and could also play left-wing on their second line.

In terms of salary, it is almost a non-issue. Cole is signed this season and next for $4M each, in real numbers and in cap hit. With the room saved due to Dany Heatley's injury, Ottawa should have no worries about breaking the cap this year. Corvo is making $2.5M this season and $2.75M in each of the next two, and Vermette is making just over $1M this season, but may be due for a pay raise even as a restricted free agent next season--offer sheets may be thrown his way, and he might be looking at between $2-2.5M per season. Factoring in a replacement defenceman (Nycholat) at $500k this season and $600k next year, Ottawa would actually be saving money.

It recently came about that Ottawa was close to acquiring Cole when Martin Havlat was being shopped around; it's not surprising his name has come up again. It remains a rumour, but it's always fun to look at hypotheticals; this is just playing around for now.

One game for Walker's headbutt

You've really got to wonder what goes on in the head of NHL disciplinary whatever Colin Campbell. He dishes out huge suspensions at the beginning of the season to set the tone, and then completely disregards that precedent when other stupid crap happens.

In the wake of Scott Walker's headbutt to the mouth of Mike Fisher, costing Fisher a tooth and a crown on another tooth, he received a 1-game suspension after a telephone call with Campbell. It's hardly even worth the call.

People might remember that at the start of the season, Philadelphia's Jesse Boulerice was given a 25-game suspension for cross-checking Vancouver's Ryan Kesler in the face. That was a good length, and certainly warranted. By handing only one game to Walker, Campbell is essentially saying that it is 25 worse to cross-check someone to the face than it is to head-butt them. How is that, exactly?

Some people (not Campbell) said that Fish deserved it, because he didn't remove his helmet and visor when the fight started. That's a ludicrous statement. First of all, nothing justifies a head-butt. Second of all, Fisher started shoving Walker after he ran over Martin Gerber; once Fisher shoved him, Walker dropped the gloves and started the fight. I guess Fisher should have allowed himself to take a few extra punches while removing his helmet before starting to throw his own haymakers? Give me a break.

What made it even worse is that the headbutt was with the fight ended and the linesmen had started to separate the two. And as if a head-butt wasn't enough, Walker threw an extra left for good measure. He was just pissed because he got smoked and wasn't expecting to have to pay the price for running a Senators' goaltender. Although it might seem an arbitrary number, he should have gotten at least five games, if not more.

What a game! Sens 6, Canes 0

Wow, that was a game that sent a message to the league that these guys are ready to play. And it probably simultaneously sent a message that Carolina is not as good as advertised.

Pretty strange game to watch, everything considered. We had a winning team switch goalies, a fight which included a head-butt, pucks bouncing beyond belief, and, at one time, a line which consisted of Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, and Brian McGrattan.

Obviously, Heatley and Spezza--with three points each--both had great games. They looked to be toying with the Hurricanes at times, and Spezza even got into it with Erik Cole at one point (and gave Cole some pretty good shots, too). Obviously, in a 6-0 game, a lot of players had great games. I'm going to focus on a few: McGrattan, Martin Gerber, Dean McAmmond, and Mike Fisher, all of whom played exceptionally well.

To start off with, Grats got some ice time. Coach John Paddock must have read this blog and realized that McGrattan is indeed useful in moderation, but useless when he's sitting on the bench. In just over five minutes of ice time, McGrattan scored an assist (albeit a lucky one) and, although shoddy NHL statistics don't show it, had a couple of hits and skated harder than I've ever seen him backchecking in the first period. At one point, as mentioned, he was alongside Spetzky and Heater, in my opinion to ensure no one took liberties with our top guns (Notable point: When Grats was up there, Randy Robitaille was demoted to the fourth line).

The goaltending situation was... interesting. While, as Ben pointed out, Ray Emery started the game, he had suffered some hip injury earlier in the week and decided after five minutes of Senators dominance that it wasn't worth the risk to stay in the net. The Gerber came in to relieve Rayzor, and played exceptionally--which was great to see, after his last few disappointing starts. He always seems to play his best against the Hurricanes, and if Emery is unable to start tomorrow night, hopefully The Gerber will be able to continue this against the Penguins. He stopped all 31 shots he faced, including some great saves, and--to demonstrate his confidence--scored an assist when he blockered the puck to Spezza, who knocked it to Heatley, who schooled Canes tender Cam Ward. For his efforts, though, The Gerber only receives a shared shutout; since Emery was on the ice for the game-winner, he gets the win, and they both get a shutout with an asterisk. If Emery isn't able to play, it's distinctly possible that Brian Elliott will be on his way from Binghamton tonight.

Deaner was back tonight. And, I'm not a doctor of hockeyology or anything, but I think it might have something to do with the fact that he logged over 10 minutes of ice time. M-C-Ammer notched a great assist by making Eric Staal (who skated right past the puck) look like an idiot and dishing the puck to Shean Donovan in the slot. Shean Don roofed it, and that made it 5-0. D-Mac (yes, that is a third nickname) also scored a goal, but it was a fluke that Ward directed into McAmmond's chest, and then it bounced in.

Finally... Mike Fisher. He was a beast, albeit a good-looking one (at least according to my sources, or every woman I know). The goal he scored was just pure determination, muscling past the Canes defender and lifting it over Ward in what probably was the defining point in the game. If that wasn't the defining point, though, it was Fish absolutely demolishing Scott Walker at the beginning of the second period. After Hartnell blatantly ran over The Gerber, Fish the Dish added a second dimension to his nickname and dished out some serious rights into the left side of Walker's face. Leaving Walker battered, bloody, and embarassed, Fisher was then headbutted and hit with a cheap left after the linesmen had broken up the fight. Real classy move, Walker. Have fun explaining that one to the disciplinary committee of the NHL.

All in all... the best game in a while, and of of the most exciting of the year. A great game to have on TSN, and Glenn Healy didn't even ruin it too badly.

Damned hurricanes.

Pretty impressive Carolina Hurricanes team last night, I'll tell you. They looked pretty darn good, the class of the Southeast Division for sure, and they'll probably be one of the best teams in the East overall.

Especially impressive; Erik Cole. Apparently one of few true powerforwards in the league today, he looked pretty powerful. Cam Ward looked alright, too.

The speed and transition of the 'Canes are really what killed the Sens, especially since Ottawa played six games in nine nights, including a game the night before in Atlanta.

Despite what Team 1200 host Glen Kulka seems to think, playing six games in eight nights will inevitably wear a team down, so they won't be playing their best on the final game. Kulka suggested that fatigue was merely an excuse;

"Excuses are likes butt-holes, everyone has them. But not everyone uses them."

-Glen Kulka, the Team 1200

Constipation aside, I think the Sens are entitled to use an excuse right now. After a 5-1 start, I'm not ready to call into the post-game show and call for heads to start rolling.

Despite the loss, Martin Gerber looked alright. His kryptonite was still rebounds, but once he makes the first save it's up the the guys around him to clear the front of the net.

The late-game comeback was also impressive. Although incomplete, those two quick goals--by Mike Fisher and Joe Corvo--late in the third had me pretty excited for a comeback. Although it's disappointing that we haven't yet seen a full sixty-minute effort from the team, it's nice to know we can stay in the game until the guys decide to start playing.

Daniel Alfredsson obviously had an awesome game again. Hart Trophy candidate, for sure. And Antoine Vermette for the Selke, too.

EDIT: For the record, even though I tagged this with 'Idiots in the media', I don't think Kulka's an idiot. He's a little irrational and sometimes he says cliches that are meaningless, entirely out of context, or he mixes metaphors, but he's not an idiot.