An asshole is born; Sharks beat Sens

Great series of comics called Itch (Danieldraws.com) really seem to sum up my feelings this morning... because I totally called it.

The Sens got torn up by the Sharks last night. Dany Heatley got 2 assists and Patrick Marleau had two goals. So, you know who's really responsible for this loss, don't you? That's right! Wade Redden! (Who nixed a trade for Marleau a few years ago with his NTC).

...and why is Mike Brodeur in net? Man... a lot went on last night. Off to work!

Feeling snarky and sharky

I'm sorry to prediction this one guys, but the Sharks are the best team in the NHL right now.

Sharks 5 - Senators 1

Though the Senators appear to be on the on the right tracks recently, facing the Sharks won't be just another game that requires 'grit' or 'lucky bounces' for Ottawa to pull off a win. San Jose has dominated this season with a hot goalie and potent offence. With almost 100 goals in less than 30 games, they're miles ahead of most teams in the NHL - and that includes the Sens. I would also like to predict that Dany Heatley is a jerk.

Who's going to be staying up late to watch the game? I'll just be catching the highlights. Got to wake up early and go to work. So sue me.

Rid of bad eggs, Senators flourishing

Could it be that Bryan Murray's master plan is working?

The Senators rushed goaltender Pascal Leclaire following their win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, looking every bit the gelling unit that they're meant to be at this point of the season.

Things are coming together nicely right now. Leclaire was coming off another solid game; Alex Kovalev gave Habs fans every reason to want him back; The past couple of games, the Sens increased depth has given the team a new dimension.

Getting rid of a few so-called bad eggs has apparently done wonders for the club.

I've never been a subscriber to the notion that players like Ray Emery or Dany Heatley can single-handedly bring about the downfall of a hockey team. Especially considering the fact that, in both cases, main-stream journalists have been reluctant to explicitly state the reason for their departure (moreso for Emery, but I'm sure there's another story for Heatley). Emery can't be blamed for the inconsistent play of Martin Gerber, and Heatley can't be blamed for the Senators only having one line capable of scoring.

But rather than dwelling on the past, Murray looked forward.

There are no stories about Sens players running amok in Hummers these days. It's all about hockey. And that's exactly the way that Murray planned it. The team is playing well, and the players seem to be focused on winning each game.

The Sens are a long, long way from Stanley Cup contenders these days, but at least we're hearing more about the team and less about the troubles of individual players. And apparently, that leads to wins.

Sens make me look like an ass, beat Bolts

During tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, TSN took a sick pleasure in pointing out to Ottawa Senators fans that while our new crop of forwards were struggling to score, Dany Heatley was tearing up the Western Conference. (Where's the love Duthie? You're an Ottawa boy!)

Dave Hodge's mailbag question was "Should the Senators have handled the Dany Heatley situation differently?"

Going into the game, all signs pointed to the Sens being a sinking ship, in need of a shake-up. Well, I guess it's time to find a new angle. The Sens won the game 7-1, and made me look like a total ass for all the internet to behold.

Milan Michalek scored a trio of pretty goals, thanks in no small part to a few long-time Senators. Jason Spezza maintained (yes, I've been praising him despite his lack of points for some time now) his strong play, and set up Milan a few times, Daniel Alfredsson collected three assists (all in a day's work for Alfie), and Chris Kelly's hard work in the PK not only kept up the Sens' excellent penalty-killing stats, but set up two short-handed goals.

So what's the score now TSN?

Dany Heatley 5G, 5A (No points in two games, btw)

Milan Michalek 4G 0A
Jonathan Cheechoo 0G 2A

Not looking so bad now (would be looking even better if Cheechoo were anything more than a salary dump. Ouch... too soon?). Next time, I'm picking the game winner using some sort of hockey tarot cards.

Karlsson? Oh yeah, that guy...

After a win tonight, and a game on Saturday night against the Habs, you won't find bored hockey writers speculating about the future of Erik Karlsson. I think Bryan Murray will do what he thinks is best, and with modern free agency rules, he's probably going to the minors (or back to Sweden) no matter how well/poorly he plays. Probably.

Are two lines better than one? You do the math

Does 25+25 = 50?

Ottawa Senators fans have been doing the math for the past few weeks, trying to determine if having two second-line players contribute 25 goals each would make up for the loss of Dany Heatley's expected 40-50 goals.

Well, Sens fans and mathematicians everywhere can rest easy, because TSN.ca says it does. Today, they released their point-projections for the upcoming season (mostly for the purposes of fantasy drafting and pure, amusing speculation) and the results are pleasing.

Dany Heatley - 47 goals, 41 assists, 88 points

A definite improvement over last season. TSN obviously expects Thornton to play a large role in Heatley's resurgence.

Now for our new guys...

Alex Kovalev - 26 goals, 38 assists, 64 points

$5-million is a steep price to pay for less than 30 goals, but the fact is that's 64 more points than the Sens would have had this year. That could translate into five more wins this year--and possibly a playoff spot.

Milan Michalek - 26 goals, 36 assists, 62 points

Jonathan Cheechoo - 24 goals, 22 assists, 46 points

There's your 50 goals. This would make a serious turnaround for Cheechoo, and just about meet expectations for Michalek for this season - his contract ($4.3-million until 2014) would indicate that hopes are high for the future (or that his agent is as good as Fisher's).

The upside of having two goal-scorers though, as many have suggested, is to keep the pressure on the opposing team, rather than having them focus on a single trio of scorers. Definitely a departure from the Pizza Line philosophy of yesteryear.

Let's hope it has the intended effect.

PS: Spezza and Alfredsson are expected to match last year's performances... but we all know they both have the talent to surprise.

Where did our team go?

Somewhere between the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals and Saturday's Dany Heatley trade, the Senators lost nearly everything that made them perennial contenders for half a dozen years.

Last season, a streak of twelve consecutive playoff seasons came to an end. Building towards a championship ended, expectations changed, and the term 'rebuilding' somehow entered fans' vocabularies.

Victim of circumstance?

No matter what you think of his philosophy, or skills as a manager, you must admit that Bryan Murray has been in an unenviable situation. It seems that every trade he's made since 2007-08 has not been in order to make the Sens better, but rather, to minimize the damage of some impending catastrophe.

And the free agency has only made things worse:

Joe Corvo - File under: demanded trade, locker-room poison
Andre Meszaros - File under: impending free agent
Dany Heatley - File under: demanded trade, locker-room poison
Ray Emery - File under: locker-room poison
Tom Preissing - File under: left as free agent (maybe for the better, that one)
Wade Redden - File under: bad at hockey

...and let's not even get into Chara and Havlat--failures of past administrations.

Being proactive

Only rarely has Murray been to make a move to to improve the team (Vermette for Leclaire is the only one I can think of at the moment). Free agency, in fact, has been a boon, rather than a detriment, to the Senators for the first time in recent memory (see: Alex Kovalev, forget: Martin Gerber). Except for Kovalev and Pascal Leclaire, Murray has always been reactive, rather than proactive.

Turning assets like Heatley or Emery into returns for the team has not been easy, and in many ways (such as wins!) Murray has failed conclusively. For Corvo: Nothing. For Emery: Nothing. For Heatley... give it a season, but his record is not good.

As the image illustrates, little remains of the team that entered the 2007-08 season, and no one is more responsible for the success or failure of the team--especially in the upcoming season--more than Bryan Murray. He took an excellent team and made it into a mediocre one--receiving little in return for the bounty of talent he was handed. Now his task is to make that mediocre team good again.

He has molded the team in his image, there can now be no doubt of that. If this year, the team is a success, then the corner truly has been turned. If the team is a failure, then bring me Murray's head on a platter--I think he's done enough damage already.

Cheechoo and Michalek for Heatley - deal confirmed

Deal was reported by TSN.ca around 2:30 p.m.

Senators get Jonathan Cheechoo, Milan Michalek, and a second-round pick for Dany Heatley and a fifth-round pick. It's a done deal reported as completed by many media outlets. Bryan Murray has spoken publicly about the trade.

We knew things were getting down to business after ESPN reported that a deal with San Jose and Los Angeles was actually completed... although it didn't actually happen.

Senators fans should be excited about the result of this trade: Cheechoo is a former Rocket Richard trophy winner, though last season was his worst in many years - only 29 points.

In Michalek, the Senators get a young forward with tremendous potential. The 2003 draft pick had 23 goals and 57 points last season.

The trade certainly marks the end of an era for the Senators, who had Heatley on the path to becoming the team's next captain. The Ottawa Senators that exist now are a far cry from the team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007 - in terms of players, offensive and defensive styles, and coaching, it's all new.

Most importantly, we can stop talking about this whole damned situation.

More info and analysis to come...

Update: Looking at it from a cap situation, Cheechoo has two more years at $3-million (not a bad deal if he can return to any kind of form) and Michalek is the longer deal until 2013-14 at $4.3-million.

Looks like the deal is about equal for both teams, cap wise.

Update: Senators official press release on trade.

Update: Learned it's pronounced - 'mo-hall-lek' and he likes scoring goals.

Triple trouble for Heatley trade

Dany Heatley has been traded to the San Jose Sharks!!!! ....right?

"It's simply not true," Murray told ESPN.com Thursday night.

Lombardi told ESPN.com via text message: "It is complete bull."

"It is an absolute fabrication," Wilson told ESPN.com via text message Thursday night.

Soooo.... all three GMs involved in supposed three-way deal that would bring Alex Frolov and Jarrett Stoll to Ottawa say it isn't going to happen.

That's not to say that it won't happen this week. This preliminary report seems promising. Especially since it's ESPN reporting, and not Bruce Garrioch or Hockeybuzz.

Dany Heatley speculation article template

Have you noticed that the stories about Dany Heatley have become boring, repetitive and pointlessly speculative of late? Well that's because I wrote them all. That's right kids, I sold this template to numerous media outlets weeks ago, and they've been milking it ever since.

Are you an Ottawa sports writer in midst of the dead of summer? Nothing to report on other than golf? Then you might like to order the "Dany Heatley trade speculation template" too! Why write a story with the same old spin, when you could just fill in the blanks sell it to the Sun or Citizen for $100? Here's a free sample:


It's been ___ days since Dany Heatley requested a trade out of Ottawa, and GM Bryan Murray is still having trouble.

"It's been ________ (synonym for frustrating) trying to trade Dany, but my phone is still ________," (synonym for 'totally untouched since Edmonton called') Murray said today.

__________ (Western Conference team) is reportedly interested in the troubled winger, but salary cap issues have prevented the move.

_________ (Western conference team) would like to unload the __ -million dollar salary of underperforming winger _____________ (one of Dustin Penner, Patrick Marleau, or you fill in the blank), but in order for the deal to work under the cap, the Senators would also have to accept _________ (absolutely horrible player) as part of the package.

"We're looking at all our options," Murray said today.

The deadline that Murray has imposed on trading Heatley is only ___ days away, and Senators teammates are beginning to wonder what it will be like having the _________ (synonym for disgruntled) player back in the fold.

"It won't be a distraction," said _____________, (the only Senator player willing to answer this same stupid question again today). "He'll have to compete like anyone else."

__________________ (first 300 words of the first article you wrote about Dany Heatley wanting to be traded in May).

_________________ (first 100 words of Dany Heatley rejecting trade to Edmonton story).

Done! Send it to the printers!
Also available: "Ray Emery on cocaine? Maybe!" template - Now 20% off!
"Sens looking to make splash in trade market this year... for serious this time!" template "Remember when young people respected their elders? by Earl McRae" template
"O-train to be completed by June 20__" template

Does a deadline matter?

The Dany Heatley saga is at a deadlock and a stalemate. It's going nowhere fast.

In a recent conference call with fans (an excellent idea, IMO, so kudos to the organization for that), Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray said that he would impose a deadline on Heatley to accept a trade. If he doesn't comply, Heater would risk spending the whole season with the Sens.

"I probably would be wise to (set) a deadline within a day or so and then stop trying. But I've got to at least do what's best for the organization and that is continue to work at it," Murray said.

But I think the past few months have made it abundantly clear that nothing is going to happen before training camp. And we know that if Murray was happy with any trade offer he was receiving for Heatley, he would present the offer to the former 39-goal man (yeah, I'm turning on you, Heater).

Lord knows that Murray would trade Heatley in the second period of opening night, if he could.

So what's the point of the deadline? I'm kind of baffled.

Is it to soothe the mind of season ticket holders? They would probably trade in all their tickets to kick Dany in the nuts 41 times.

Is it calling Heatley's bluff? He's already stated that he would return to the team and "try" his "best" (and not in those words).

...it's a weird thing to say, because it's toothless. Do you, loyal reader, believe that Murray would impose a deadline on himself? I bet he's just tired of calling 29 GMs everyday.

Heatley says things you already knew

It was a pure telephone conference, in a tightly controlled environment, but the reporters finally got their questions in. And the result? Nada.

On reason for trade: Role was diminished and "I feel I'm a player that can play in a lot of different situations."

On trade to Edmonton: "I wasn't ready to make a decision at that time" ... "It has everything to do with the options. That's the bottom line" ... "I know there's more options out there".

On fans in Ottawa: "I think, first of all, I love the fans in ottawa, I think it's a great city." ... ""I have nothing against the fans in Ottawa."

So what did we learn kiddies?

Well, we already learned it yesterday: Heatley will report to Sens training camp in a few weeks, and will not hold out.

I guess we'll wait for the real press conference. Thanks to Hockey Capital for posting the Heatley comments.

Update: Heatley says he didn't leak the trade to the media because he didn't want to cause a circus. I wouldn't be surprised if Bryan Murray was actually the one who did it in order to create this wave of resentment against Heatley, and force him to accept whatever trade (edit: the best one, whatever team) he could get.

Live blogs all the rage today at noon

No, I'm not hosting one.

But if you're interested, James Duthie will be discussing Team Canada at noon today for CTV/TSN -- CTV Olympics.

And the Ottawa Citizen's Hockey Capital blog will be weeding out the screamers and crazies at 12:45 pm, when the Dany Heatley press conference kicks off. -- Ottawa Citizen

Expect lots of CAPS LOCK from the latter. Enjoy!

No way, (San) Jose

A few days ago, I came across this excellent piece of rebuttal from the National Post's Noah Love. Not one to be caught up in hype, Love predicted and dismissed the recently reported Dany Heatley-to-San Jose a full two weeks ago.

Yeah sure, the Canadiens could somehow be involved, adding another forward to the package, but Love's points remain: the deal just doesn't fit under the cap.

Getting back to the speculated San Jose/Ottawa deal, it's worth pointing out that it makes almost no sense for the Senators either. The Sens are pushing $2-million over the cap at the moment, and the suggestion that Ottawa takes back more than one player — say Marleau and Cheechoo — is absurd for both sides.

For the Senators, it puts them even further over the cap and gives them an expensive forward who produces little for the money (Cheechoo). For the Sharks, they take back a player whose salary — $1.2-million more than Marleau's — still takes a bite out of their cap number and leaves them short yet another forward.

In the magical scenario proposed by the Sun, the Sens would receive Cheechoo and defenceman Christian Erhoff (a combined 6.1 million in salary). Taking back Heatley's salary (7.5-million for the next five years) still adds to the Shark's cap woes, rather than relieving them.

So if you're wondering why San Jose GM Doug Wilson has been so reluctant to discuss his interest in such a deal, it's probably because he has none.

End of story.

Senators better with Heatley

Speaking purely in terms of talent (and not in the made-up categories of 'heart' or 'commitment', invented by Bryan Murray in 2006), the Ottawa Senators are a better team with Dany Heatley on the roster.

Sure, he's gone and spoiled his reputation with the Sens fans, the team's management, and parts of Western Canada, but there's no doubting the man's ability to put pucks in the net. There's a reason why the Oilers wanted Dany: because he's a great goal scorer, and such players are special. A whole team of second-line players will not win games against the NHL's best clubs.

This whole situation is Heatley's fault, and it's unforgivable. He has spoiled his own reputation, and tainted the image of the Senators in the eyes of fans and other NHL teams... but that doesn't make him a less talented player.

Mediocrity is the ultimate sin in the NHL. You don't get a shot at the Stanley Cup and you don't get high draft picks - just ask the Maple Leafs. When Heatley and the Senators do accept a trade (this season or whenever), they are back on the path of mediocrity. The talent and goals received will not equal what Heatley added to the team.

The Senators have acknowledged all of the above. By signing Alex Kovalev, Murray conceded that you need a collection of special players to be a winning team in the NHL. Murray is taking a chance on Kovalev because mediocrity doesn't satisfy Eugene Melnyk or fans of the Ottawa Senators. Adding Kovalev to the mix finally breaks the Senators out of the mentality that the top line can provide all the goal-scoring. It's a combination that could prove over-powering for opponents, and Heatley's as big a part of the recipe as the other three.

I suspect that Heatley is looking at the upcoming season like an oncoming train, and he's tied himself to the tracks with his illogical demands. With every passing day, it becomes more likely that Heatley will have to swallow his pride and face the fans, the media, and his teammates. At the same time, fans will have to accept that when Heatley scores goals, he's helping the team win. Who's going to boo that?

As an added bonus, if Heatley doesn't have the season of his life, he'll never get out of Ottawa. How do you like them apples Heater?

Ultimately, if the team is winning, and Heatley's the one scoring, I'll be cheering. I hope other fans can swallow their pride and cheer along too.

PS: Last article on this situation until training camp or a trade, I promise you (and I promise myself).

Kovalev now a Senator

Sens fans have to be excited that Alex Kovalev is coming to Ottawa. Dany Heatley saga aside, this adds some serious secondary (or dare I say more PRIMARY!) scoring to the Ottawa lineup. The recently announced contract is for two years, and the salary has not yet been revealed. (Update: TSN says the contract is with $10-million.)

Kovalev's scoring abilities are the definition of streaky. He was loved in Montreal when he was having a good season, and loathed for being moody and selfish when he wasn't putting the puck in the net. He's bounced between 40 and 80 points per season over the last few with Montreal.

From a historical standpoint, this is the largest free agent signing the Senators have ever made. The only other one that pops into my head is Petr Bondra, and that was just a playoff addition (and a disaster, sorry to bring it up).

I believe the recent Heatley hatred has diverted a lot of attention off Bryan Murray. While the city's been busy advertising $4-million salads (seriously Ottawa Sun? Isn't there something about our mayor's trial you could be putting on the front page?), we seem to have forgotten a lot of the anger toward Murray for handicapping this team over the past few seasons. Though I am not his largest critic, stats don't lie, and Murray had to do something to shake up this team.

Holy crap! The Sens have four scorers now! Can we make Kovalev play defence and put them all on the same line?! Imagine the possibilities! (That's sarcasm, btw... Although we'll probably see that on the powerplay.)

Is Dany Heatley traded yet?

No.

Edit: Everyone's got to stop acting like the $4-million bucks is coming out of the fans' pockets. It's not, so just chill out about this self-imposed deadline. Melnyk's pocketbook is the least of my worries, and I bet it's the least of his worries too.

Despite my previous defence of Mr. Heatley, I must say that this Oilers saga has certainly revealed the devil in the details. What sort of guy asks to be traded and then... refuses to be traded? That's the most anger you'll get out of me.

In any case, we can glean some insight into Bryan Murray's opinion of his own team from this almost-deal what would have landed the Sens Dustin Penner, Ladislav Smid, and Andrew Cogliano:

#1: He doesn't think too highly of his offence overall. Secondary scoring has been a problem for the Sens for a number of years, and obviously Murray has learned not to count on Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly, or uh.... (searching through Senators roster for goal-scorer not named Spezza or Alfredsson...) Nick Foligno (?!). Even Dustin Penner's albatross of a contract seemed like an acceptable compromise to add about 35-40 goals (Penner's 17 from last year and Cogliano's 18) to the Senators roster.

#2: The Senators are getting too old and slow. The players that would have come from the Oilers are 23 (Smid), 26 (Penner), and 22 (Cogliano). No doubt an attempt to inject some new blood into the organization after a couple years where Murray attempted to transplant some bullshit Pierre McGuire-esque "intangibles" to the team like "toughness", "grit", and "leadership". The Sens have been sacrificing youth and talent for big, stupid bodies for too long, and I believe this was an attempt to reverse a failed policy.

With the above in mind, I cannot imagine why the Sens decided to re-sign Chris Neil. I understand that he's the only player on the team that drops the gloves on a regular basis, but with Jason Smith still on the roster (and awaiting buy-out, I presume), the Sens have more than enough penalty minutes-in-waiting. Much like Smith following last season, before the end of the first year of his new contract, Neil will be on the trade block.

PS: How was Canada Day for everyone? Jeez, I wish they would get a rock band to play on Parliament Hill. Sarah McLaughlin? She hasn't been on the radio in 10 years! Bah!

Don't hate the Heat

The Ottawa Sun recently filled two complete pages with comments from their website and letters from readers likening the recently condemned Dany Heatley to some sort of treasonous turn-coat. The resentment for Heatley is palpable in the papers and online, where many anonymous so-called fans unleash their narrow-minded and reactionary vitriol.

I, for one, don't even dislike the guy. In fact, I think Heatley's handling of his apparent dislike for the Ottawa Senators organization, and recently reported trade request, has been commendable. Any likening to Alexei Yashin is entirely unwarranted, and here's why:

He waited until the offseason to leak to the media his intentions. Such a story in the middle of a season would have knocked the Sens entirely off track to recovery. A truly classless individual would have announced his preference to be traded as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

A couple seasons ago, Heatley was one of a small group of players whose character was unquestioned during the Ray Emery Crisis (copyrighted term). He was, until a week ago, seen as a possible future captain of the team.

Heatley did not go directly to the media and attempt to sway public opinion in his favour by attempting to place blame on the GM, coaches, or teammates. Offering such a conversation to any daily newspaper would have spared him of this sort of mean-spirited attack, in exchange for a juicy story. (Seriously... Brennan, did he break into your house and punch your wife in the face or something? Direct the anger at the therapist-perscribed life-sized facimile of your father.)

Yashin held out for an entire season because he wanted more money. Heatley's situation is entirely different and has nothing to do with greed at this time (he already got the big contract). He wants out because he's unhappy. Heatley probably has personal problems and attitudes that we shouldn't attempt to boil into one paragraph. Hockey players are complete people that have feelings, relationships, and families to take care of.

If Heatley wants out of town because he's on the second power-play unit, let him go. If the answer is so simple, then let him walk and accept whatever is gained through the trade. If he has no heart (a possibly fatal medical condition which Heatley didn't seem to suffer from before this trade request), it's better to get rid of him now than to have him lounge around for another five seasons.

Finally, it's unlikely that Heatley will reach the heights of goal-scoring that he did with the Ottawa Senators at any other organization. He gave his best years to the Sens and their fans, and for the time he has spent here has never been anything but a model NHL player and community contributor.

On another note:

Here's what I've been up to so far this summer: I finished my degree at the University of Ottawa, organized a trip to Europe with my friends, executed said trip, had my convocation ceremony and am re-settling into my apartment with some new life priorities, including finding a career. I would rather be a fair-weather blogger than a fair-weather human. Any commentor who would like to personally sponsor the Sens Army Blog daily updates should send me an email.

Thanks to everyone who has commented constructively to figuring this Heatley situation out. I would love to get somebody like Phaneuf and a 1st-round draft pick in return. The draft's not far away, and I'm looking forward to seeing what moves Murray will make now that the farm team's loaded with (what's that catch phrase?) puck-moving defencemen.

Peace!

So, if the Sens can beat the Bruins...

How the hell does this work?

Somehow, the Senators have established that they're superior to the Montreal Canadiens and (on one occasion) the Boston Bruins, and yet they're not going to the playoffs. Just goes to demonstrate how little enthusiasm the Sens had at the beginning of the season.

As a commentor pointed out in the last post, this enthusiasm is most evident in Dany Heatley. It seems to me he just woke up mid-way through this season. He's got 4 points in his past three games. 38 goals on the year. Is it fair to expect 50 from him every season? 40 ain't bad... He could have hit 50 if he played like this all year.

You know who I'm really excited about? Ryan Shannon. This young guy is so fast, plays an energetic style, and can score. We haven't seen a guy like this since Martin Havlat... I hope I didn't just curse Shannon.

The 30 saves from Alex Auld makes a great case for Brian 'excellent but inconsistent' Elliot to be sent to the minors next season. Won't happen. Contract year.

This win set a franchise record for most consecutive wins at home, with nine. The last few times the Sens have played the Bruins, they've been close games, so we shouldn't be surprised that Ottawa pulled off the win here. Tim Thomas was usually the difference, and Fernandez did his best but didn't play like a mad-man, as Thomas usually does.

Can we start the 2009-10 season now?

If I should fall behind: Habs 5, Sens 3

The Senators had every reason to come out strong on Saturday afternoon. Ever-decreasing opportunities to make up ground in a playoff race. A chance to make up two points on a team that the Senators' would likely have to bypass. Their captain, Daniel Alfredsson, making a heroic return from a broken jaw. But it was all for nothing, and the Canadiens' Alex Kovalev--also returning to the lineup, but for an altogether different reason than Alfie--took over the game in the first, getting three points on four goals in the game's first 27 minutes.

The Habs came out strong in the first, and it didn't help that the Sens gave them three powerplay opportunities in that period--and Montreal capitalized on two of 'em, with goals from Tomas Plekanec and Mathieu Schneider. Their even-strength goal came from Kovalev, off a turnover from Chris Kelly, weak coverage by Chris Phillips, and poor positioning on the part of Brian Elliott. Ells was pulled after the third goal in favour of Alex Auld.

Shean Donovan tried to get his team going with a fight early in the second, but it didn't quite have the desired effect. On their fourth powerplay, Patrice Brisebois scored to put the Habs up 4-0. It would turn out to be the game-winning goal.

Jarkko Ruutu scored a minute after Brisebois, and a couple minutes after that Dany Heatley scored his first of the game--it looked like the Senators may have been on their way back into the game. But Mathieu Dandenault scored off a juicy Auld rebound late in the second, and not even another Heatley goal in the third could get the Sens back into it.

Special teams were the story. Montreal's powerplay went 3-for-4, and their penalty kill was 6-for-7. That, in the end, did the Senators in on the night. Ottawa outshot the Canadiens 47-32, including a game-high seven from Heatley as well as five from each of Filip Kuba and the recently-reacquired Mike Comrie, but Jaroslav Halak was up to the task for the Canadiens. As good as Kovalev was, Halak was the Habs' best player on the night.

Another disturbing stat? Ottawa had 16 giveaways (Jason Smith had a team-high four of them), and only five takeaways. Tough to balance those numbers.

The good news for the Senators is that both Comrie and Chris Campoli played very well in their debuts. Campoli, obviously, had the more notable first game with a couple of assists, and he was one of only four Senators on the plus side of the ledger (only Heatley, Alfredsson, and Jason Spezza were also pluses). But Comrie played with plenty of intensity and made some chances, and looked pretty good as well.

Ottawa's got two more shots at the Canadiens this season. Although the nails are about as close to hammered into Ottawa's coffin as they can be right now, it would be nice to play spoiler a little bit more.

Alfie out at least a week

NOOOOOOOO! Thanks a lot, Dany Heatley. Because of your snapshot to Daniel Alfredsson's jaw, the captain is expected to miss at least 7-10 days before having another x-ray to determine the status of his injury. Way to go; I'm calling on you personally to step it up in Alfie's absence.

Josh Hennessy was recalled from Binghamton to fill out the roster, and Chris Kelly will play right wing on the top line with Heatley and Jason Spezza.

The Sens have five games over the next 10 days, so if Alfie stays out that whole time it's a pretty big blow to the Sens' last-ditch playoff push. But hey, what can you do?

Now, back to the 36-hour Obamathon...