Auld out. LeClaire and Elliott will be the duo

Ladies and gentlemen, we have our goaltending tandem.

Alex Auld, after a solid season backing up, then overtaking (as usual) Martin Gerber, has been traded to the Dallas Stars for a 2010 sixth-round draft pick.

Not only does this move mean that Brian Elliott will be staying in the big leagues (a well deserved permanent promotion) to back-up Pascal Leclaire, but it also frees up a bit of the salary room needed to accommodate Dany Heatley, should he return for next season (I can hear the daily newspapers salivating).

It should be noted that Elliott has to be re-signed as he is a restricted free agent at the moment.

After removing Auld's $1-million salary, the Senators still need to free themselves of approximately $2-million (or one Dany Heatley) to get under the salary cap for next season. If Heatley can't be moved, it's likely that a prospect or an expendable part will be traded. I would wager that Shean Donovan or Jesse Winchester (PS: I know, I know, we all love Winchester) will be moved if Heatley isn't.

I just want to add that I salute Auld for his consistent play while here in Ottawa. I always preferred to see him in net over Gerber. Enjoy the sun, Alex!

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?

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.

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.

All The Way Home: Avs 3, Sens 2 (OT)

Wow. The Senators had 15 points on the road in their first 25 road games, but got nine on this five-game road trip. Says a lot about how this team's been playing of late, and for anyone to get 90 per cent of points available on such a disjointed road trip has to come (all the way) home feeling pretty darn good about their trip.

Ryan Shannon made this game for the Sens. He scored the Sens' two goals, one on a sneaky shot and the other a top-corner wrister from the point. He looks a little unusual playing the point on the powerplay, but it worked tonight. Shannon didn't make much of an impact in his first stint, but his recent seven-game stint under Cory Clouston has re-energized his line with Mike Fisher and Nick Foligno, and his speed is lethal.

In nets, Alex Auld made some big saves tonight, and was one of the main reasons the Sens walked out of the game with even one point. He stopped 24 of 27, including one terrific chance Ryan Smyth had in alone after a lucky home-ice bounce off the back boards.

For obvious reasons, ice time was pretty evenly distributed amongst the players tonight. It's a pretty important coaching tactic when playing the second game of a back-to-back, particularly in the mile-high city of Denver. No one had less ice time than Jesse Winchester's 10:52 (and he still had three shots), and Mike Fisher led the forwards with 18:28 on the night.

Could Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza have been more invisible on the night? Apparently Heatley had three shots, but they couldn't have been very good scoring chances, and the only moments I noticed Spezza were when he looked for an open pass with futility, eventually to lose the puck to an Avalanche player--such as what happened on Colorado's second goal, when Spezza lost the puck and then offered absolutely no defensive coverage when backchecking. They had one shift with any semblance of intensity, and that was with five minutes left in the third; and it didn't even generate a shot on net, as Heatley sent his one chance wide. But then Spezza's inability to get the puck in deep and severely lacking defensive coverage were the chief reasons for Wojtek Wolski's overtime winner. Need more offence than that from these guys, especially in such a difficult game.

In his 1,000th career NHL game, Jason Smith played an effective game. He had 18:11 of ice time, usually with Alex Picard, and he bailed out his younger defence partner a couple of times. And he even had a couple shots on net. As for Picard, I`ll give the guy a break because it was his first game in quite a while, but he didn`t look very good on the whole.

Got to laugh about Chris Kelly's continued offensive drought. The guy doesn't have a goal in 13 games including the Colorado game, and only has six on the year. He had Ottawa's best chance to go up 3-2 with about 80 seconds left in the third, but his clean shot from the slot went high and wide. Coupled with his empty-net post-clanger last night against Nashville, the guy's got to be damn frustrated.

So now it`s back home for a game against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Should be a good game, as both teams are pretty hot right now.

Around the boards: Game-used tutu, and Redden's legacy

See? Sens fans have a sense of humour. This, a hilarious fake-hockey-card from Puck Daddy's ongoing fake-hockey-card contest, is funny. Funny because Daniel Alfredsson isn't afraid to dress up as a ballerina for Hallowe'en. And funny because Alfie is among the least 'pansified' elite players in the league (to borrow a term from Mike Milbury). Pre-tire number 11 already.

*****

There were a couple lineup changes for tonight's game against the Colorado Avalanche. First off, Brendan Bell will be dropped from the lineup to give Alex Picard a slot on defence. Not sure how one sort-of-bad-game means that Bell's four or five preceding good games weren't good enough, but it should be good to get some fresh legs in the lineup tonight. It wouldn't be right to keep Bell out for too long, he's earned a spot on the powerplay.

Secondly, Alex Auld is going to make the start. He had a shutout last night against Nashville, and a couple periods of shutout hockey a couple nights before in Minnesota--he's earned a start. It's a bit strange to have him playing back-to-back in difficult circumstances (time zone change, air quality/elevation in Colorado), but we'll see how it goes. If I had to bet, though, I'd wager that Brian Elliott will still get most starts for the remainder of the season.

*****

It would be unfortunate if the legacy of Wade Redden becomes that of an overpaid and underperforming New York Ranger who plays out his contract in the AHL, rather than remembering the success that the former Senators defenceman had earlier in his career. But that seems to be just what Larry Brooks of the New York Post, who called the Redden signing "the worst in the history of the NHL, if not in the history of hard-cap pro sports," seems to think. From Brooks' column:

"It's bad enough that the only way out for Sather is if he can muster the courage to 'fess up to Jim Dolan and explain that, sorry, but the Garden is going to have to pay Redden $31M to play minor-league hockey in Hartford the next five years in order to remove him from the cap - think Sather will still have a job for life following that hypothetical conversation? - but it's worse that this albatross has become Tom Renney's Folly, as well.

"There may not have been more of a downer this season than seeing the head coach send Redden out to the point to start the power play in Florida Friday night with the score tied 1-1 and 4:05 to go in regulation. Redden had no business being on the ice in that situation. He lacks decisiveness and vision. His shot is weak. It bangs off teammates' bodies 35 feet away from the net more often than it gets through."

It was certainly a terrible signing, and it was based on such ridiculous optimism that Redden could return to his old form that it's laughable. Calling it the worst signing in the history of the NHL may be hyperbole (Remember Alexei Yashin's 10-year, $90M contract with the New York Islanders?), but it certainly makes the Senators look good for bowing out of the bidding war (despite the need for a puck-mover of some sort) instead of making a crippling long-term decision.

The worst part is that no one can blame Redden for accepting the 6-year, $39M contract--but he's going to have to live with the fact that he's not living up to the unfounded expectations unless by some miracle his play turns around.

*****

A five-game winning streak, and the Sens have made up two points and one spot in the push for the playoff spot. Then again, I guess no one said it would be easy.

But maybe with Montréal resorting to old friends (Mathieu Schneider) and benching or demoting current players (Alex Kovalev and Sergei Kositsyn, respectively), maybe their free-fall is far from over. Not that I'm trying to rub it in, or anything. We understand your frustration, Habs fans; we're (hopefully) coming off of a calendar year of it. Plus Toronto will be selling soon, Pittsburgh's a basket case, and Buffalo's without Thomas Vanek for a month, so we'll see how it goes.

I'm not going to get my hopes up for a playoff spot, but hopefully the Sens make it one hell of a ride. Even if they finish ninth or something, with the reported depth of this year's draft class, the Sens could get a pretty darn good prospect with their own pick, and maybe a half-decent one if Bryan Murray holds onto the San Jose Sharks' first-rounder that was acquired in the Andrej Meszaros deal.

The Rising: Sens 2, Preds 0

Hey Alex Auld is back! The Alex Auld that helped Ottawa string together some points in late November and early December of 2008. As effective as the Sens' up-tempo forecheck was tonight, we would have seen a completely different result if Auld didn't play as well as he could. Auld faced some bona fide scoring chances from the Predators, and was right up to task. I don't want to say he stole the game, but he was definitely accessory to the crime. He got his shutout (despite TSN's Gord Miller's best attempts to jinx his goose egg), and the Sens walked out of Nashville with two more points on their fifth consecutive win.

The suddenly sizzling Nick Foligno scored the game-winning goal off a great read and great pass from Mike Fisher (and a terrible giveaway by Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne). Since Cory Clouston took over as head coach, Foligno's been given a greater role, and has responded very well: He has five points (4G, 1A) in the seven games under Clouston, compared to 13 (6G, 7A) in the previous 48 games. This is the Nick Foligno who I signed to a lifetime contract in NHL2K9, and who Sens brass (and fans) want to see every night.

Dany Heatley has similarly stepped up his game of late, and he scored the Sens' second goal with a snipe-job in tight short side off a clean pass from Jason Spezza. He also had seven shots on the night, and had a half-decent open-ice hit early in the game. Heater's got four goals and five points in the last three games since being 'encouraged' (or gently called out) by Clouston. Nice to see the assistant captain step up and show some leadership-by-example as the Senators continue to put together a last-ditch playoff push.

Something of note that was brought up in TSN's commentary was the body language of the Senators, on the ice and on the bench. Obviously the increased intensity on the ice is well-known, but shots of the bench showed a confident group that appeared to have plenty of respect for one another, and good communication. It was in heavy contrast to the Nashville bench about half-way through the game, which was panned across by the camera and appeared completely silent with no one looking at each other, let alone talking to each other. The Sens look like a group that's maybe having fun playing the game again, which they haven't looked like for quite a while.

Penalty killers have to be given credit once again. They killed off all four fairly effectively, although Auld had a big hand in that. Antoine Vermette had a great chance short-handed when he snapped a shot at Rinne and almost tucked the rebound in, and Fisher had a short-handed breakaway in the second but got robbed by a great glove save by Rinne. One notably intimidating penalty-killing defensive pairing was Anton Volchenkov and Jason Smith; needless to say, the Predators didn't get a shot on goal during the time those two were on the ice.

On Nashville's side of the ice, Jordin Tootoo was a freakin' monster tonight. He had a game-high five hits, including a couple devastating ones, and even got or made a few good scoring chances. I didn't like seeing him head-hunting, but he does one hell of a good job within his role, and even adds in some offensive flair to boot.

Can I ask that we stop ragging Fisher about Carrie Underwood? Enough with the questions. Enough with the 'investigative reporting' of Underwood being at Spezza's Christmas party. Enough with the camera shots of her trying to hide from cameras at the hockey game. Let's just be happy for two seemingly nice people who've become friends. They obviously don't want to talk about it, so fuck off already.

No Surrender: Sens 5, Wild 3

(That sure would have been a nice game to have on TV; thanks a lot, CBC. You're real champs. One of these days, I ought to check one of the the live streams available for untelevised games, such as those regularly on The Senate Committee. Oh well, not many games this season have been worth it. Live and learn.)

Does everyone else remember this team? You know, the one from late 2006-07 that was exciting to watch, and--even after going down 3-0 to a defensive juggernaut like the Minnesota Wild--didn't stop pushing and used their offensive firepower to bully their way back into the game and win it? I remember this team now, although I'd almost forgotten it. I remember how much fun it is to follow.

On Saturday, the Sens went down 3-0 in the first period as Brian Elliott allowed all three goals on 12 shots, and was yanked in favour of Alex Auld. The first goal was a bit weak, the second was likely stoppable, but the third was a complete defensive breakdown and Elliott had little to no chance. Still, he was yanked--probably to wake up the team as much as in reflection of his play--and Auld was solid stopping all 17 shots he faced for the rest of the night.

On the offensive side: Five different goal scorers; Hello, secondary scoring. Two goals from defencemen; Hello, offence from the defence. Brian Lee started the comeback with a wrister from the point, Antoine Vermette brought the Sens within one thanks to a pass from Chris Kelly, and Chris Phillips scored the nicest goal of his freakin' career on a short-handed two-on-one rush. Streaking down the left side with Daniel Alfredsson carrying the puck on his right, Phillips received the pass around the hash marks, cut in front of Niklas Backstrom, and tucked a backhander between Backstrom's legs. I'm pretty sure Backstrom thought he was going to shoot all the way, just like everyone else did--but Phillips surprised us all and, according to post-game interviews, surprised himself too.

It was a tie game going into the third, and Jarkko Ruutu took an early interference penalty to give Minnesota a chance to go ahead. Instead, Ottawa parlayed another short-handed two-on-one with Alfredsson and Mike Fisher coming onto Backstrom, and this time the captain elected to shoot and, although Backstrom got a piece of the shot, it trickled in anyway. Dany Heatley got his thrid goal in two games into an empty net.

We've also got Vermette on a run right now, with 5 points (3G, 2A) in that last four games, for nine goals on the season. It's nowhere near the 20+ goals and 50+ points that was expected of him, but it's a needed and appreciated approvement from the point of view of Sens fans.

Anyway, wow. I saw the Sens were down 3-0 early on a scoreboard ticker, and I figured that the Cory Clouston bubble had burst; it was fun, but not going to last. Then the team had their most impressive comeback of the season, and ended up winning their fourth in a row, the first time they've strung together such a streak in over a year. It sure is nice to look forward to reflecting on a game, rather than dreading it.

On a completely unrelated note, has anyone ever watched Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi on Rogers 401? What a fun thing to do. I recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity next time it's available, even (especially?) if you don't understand Punjabi.

(EDIT: Oh yeah, and anyone who's keeping track of the Bruce Springsteen song-title contest between this blog and Black Aces, you've now seen the following: No Surrender, Workin' on a Dream, and Prove it all Night here with Jeremy countering with Hungry Heart, Glory Days, and Radio Nowhere. Good times. Any song requests? I hope Springsteen writes a song called 'Sens win the Stanley Cup' soon so we can both use it.)

Outgunned: Caps 7, Sens 4

Although captain Daniel Alfredsson came out to play in his 900th NHL game, scoring two goals in the process, his teammates didn't give the same consistent effort. As a result, despite a third-period comeback attempt, the Senators fell short of the Washington Capitals, losing 7-4.

I hope that Brian Elliott realizes that him being pulled half-way through the game wasn't a shot at him, but was a mercy pull to get his teammates to wake up. It's never easy for a goalie to get pulled, and four goals against on 16 shots doesn't look good, but Elliott didn't have much of a chance on the goals: Two early powerplay goals off wicked shots that resulted directly from lost defensive-zone faceoffs, a scramble-goal where Elliott had about a half-dozen guys on top of him, and a strong wrist-shot goal by Alex Ovechkin with Filip Kuba screening Elliott cleanly.

In a statistical peculiarity, Alex Auld will get tagged with the loss because he allowed the game-winning goal. Doesn't seem fair, but whatever.

I think it's safe to say that Kuba's season has hit its low point. (Not to say it can't get lower, but I hope it doesn't.) He came back from the All-Star Game without the comfort and confidence he had at the start of the season, and it showed up tonight. A couple weeks ago in the last game against Washington, Kuba was given the assignment of shutting down Ovechkin, and he did an admirable job. Tonight, though, he gave Ovechkin too much time and space to do his work. So Ovie got a hat trick.

On the plus side, the CASH Line actually looked pretty good overall. Especially Alfredsson, obviously, with his two goals, but Jason Spezza had some good "compete" in his game--finished with one assist, four shots, a hit, and three takeaways to only one giveaway--and Dany Heatley was pretty consistent in his effort, and his one goal was because he didn't give up on a play--he knocked the puck of Caps d-man Tom Poti's stick right into the net, also had an assist, three shots, and actually blocked a couple of shots (although he did take a stupid penalty in the first period that the Sens paid for).

Antoine Vermette scored the Senators' other goal, almost midway through the third off a nice set-up from Chris Kelly.

Chris Neil had a not-so-good game. He took a really stupid penalty to quickly end a Senators powerplay opportunity, couldn't reel in the puck on a break after his penalty, and just didn't look sharp on the night. He can rebound, but it wasn't among his better showings this season.

It's time to shit or get off the pot on the Brendan Bell situation. If we're going to play him in Ottawa, we need to play him--he might not have changed the game tonight, but he certainly would have helped the Sens one-for-six powerplay get a few more shots on net. And if we're just going to keep scratching him, well, we might as well send him to Binghamton and let him dominate down there.

And, I don't know how much longer we'll be able to say it, but we're not playing as poorly as the eight-losses-in-a-row Vancouver Canucks.

Le sigh: Jackets 1, Sens 0

The Columbus Blue Jackets shut out the Senators.

Did you know Mike Peca still plays in the NHL? Well, he does. And he assisted on the one goal of the game. Jakub Voracek scored the goal.

It's not easy to develop any momentum when you're part of a steady stream to the penalty box, as the Senators were last night: Columbus had six powerplays, and the Sens had 39 minutes in penalties overall. That said, the Sens had 5 powerplay opportunities (although one was about 20 seconds), and still couldn't muster anything.

With a struggling powerplay, maybe Brendan Bell should be a part of the defensive roster. Say what you will about his even-strength play, he's got great puck control skills, good vision, and an ability to drop down into openings that pop up. But, according to radio reports, Brian Lee had a great game, so it makes the decision of who to keep and who to send to Binghamton very difficult.

Alex Auld stopped 25 of 26 shots, but still lost.

Unpretty.

Sens play Washington on Sunday at 12:30. Game's on Sportsnet.

Elliott to start Thursday, Auld on Friday

According to Sportsnet, Brian Elliott will make his seventh consecutive start on Thursday against the St. Louis Blues, while Alex Auld will make his first start since Jan. 6, a span of seven games (really?) the following night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Less goalies, mo problems

Signing Alex Auld to a two-year deal was a smart idea on the part of Bryan Murray. Auld is a capable backup (and sometimes starter) who will anchor the Senators' goaltending duo for the next two years at least.

The other half of the duo, however, is yet to be resolved. Brian Elliot is riding a wave of enthusiam at the moment, but is likely not the answer to the Sens' goalie question next season. Elliot has done well, but has not excelled in the AHL. He was drafted in the 9th round, and is not exactly a blue-chip prospect. That's not to say he won't do well in the NHL, but splitting a full season with Auld in the 2009-10 season would be a burden for Elliot. The 23 year-old goalie is dancing for his dinner right now, as his contract expires and he'll become a restricted free agent at the end of this season.

Martin Gerber, who has been twice demoted to backup by more consistent teammates, is highly unlikely to return to Ottawa. (In a more crass post, I like likely say "awwww-hells-no"). The real question is whether or not he will return with ANY NHL team next season.

That leaves the Sens with free agency, and it's slim pickings this off season.

Biron, Martin 31 PHI G UFA 3.500 3.500
Ramo, Karri 22 TBL G RFA 0.658 0.725
Roloson, Dwayne 39 EDM G UFA 3.667 3.000
Khabibulin, Nikolai \ 36 CHI G UFA 6.750 6.750
Lehtonen, Kari\ 25 ATL G RFA 3.000 3.000
Fernandez, Manny\ 34 BOS G UFA 4.333 4.750
Thomas, Tim \ 35 BOS G UFA 1.100 1.100

(Thanks to a Leafs forum for the goalie options. I know, it's sad, we're in the same situation.)

With either Fernandez or Thomas to be re-signed by Boston, and half of the others to find new homes at the trade deadline and then be signed, there's no long-term options out there for the Senators. Khahibulin (which would be a bitch to spell out daily) has redeemed himself this season after a shaky 2008-09, and might sign for less (gasp) than $6-million because of his inconsistancy.

There's much more to be said before the trade deadline, and eventually, free agency. This is simply the opening of the discussion. Where can the Sens go from here?

Edit: Yow. Shit. Thanks, TSN.ca player profile. Elliot is18-8-1 this year in Bingo.
He's doing 'aight :P

Puck + net = happy fans: Thrashers 4, Sens 1

What... is... going... on? How can this team be so different from night to night? I've almost come to accept that the Senators aren't as good as I hoped they would be. But how can they beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-1 one week, and then lose to them 4-1 the next week? It doesn't make any sense to me.

I guess 4-1 score aside, though, the game was actually pretty close. A powerplay goal by Vyacheslav Kozlov on an iffy delay-of-game penalty (the play-by-play folks though it hit the glass and then went out) was all that separated the Sens from the Thrashers until the start of the third period. Then all hell broke lose, as Dany Heatley took a lazy hooking and Colby Armstrong scored on the powerplay, and then Armstrong scored again 31 seconds later. Chris Kelly--after hitting the cross bar earlier in the third--scored off a sweet pass from Chris Phillips with Nick Foligno screening Atlanta goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. But then Todd White scored an empty-netter one the powerplay and the game was over for realsies.

Special teams was the difference. Atlanta went 3-for-6 on the powerplay, and Ottawa was 0-for-4. Same old story for Ottawa: Their only goals at the start of the year came on the powerplay, but it's cooled off to absolute zero and the team is now 19th in the league with a 16.7 per cent efficiency rating.

The onus lies on the CASH Line to get their play going for the team's powerplay--and overall success--to improve. Daniel Alfredsson needs to realize that, as valuable as he is in the defensive zone, he's more valuable in the offensive zone; I love to see a player backcheck, but it's not unusual to see Alfie behind the defensive goal line--causing turnovers and taking control of the puck, granted, but his true value lies in creating turnovers in the offensive zone. Heatley is obviously showing his frustration, but he needs to channel it into positively creating chances and maybe skating a bit more quickly into the offensive zone. And Jason Spezza needs to keep playing with the hustle he is playing with, but start taking his own shots on net and stop cutting back to look out for the Heatley pass. Score a goal, no matter how it happens or who gets credit.

On defence, I've got to give loads of credit to Alex Picard. He played over 20 minutes, and he looked to have the poise combined with physicality that Bryan Murray expected when the deal was made. If his play continues this way, the deal could be a steal for Ottawa, because on this night Picard looked better than Andrej Meszaros did on many nights last season. And Brian Lee, who scored an assist, played with the confidence he was lacking earlier in the season.

Kudos also goes to Ottawa's pests, Chris Neil and Jarkko Ruutu. Although I still believe that Neil has been improperly slotted into a third-line role, he did a number on Atlanta's Bryan Little in--make no mistake--a completely clean open-ice hit, and Little (after being shaken up) appeared to get out of it without an injury. His hit did what Neil has to do: Use his physicality to turn the tide, and get the Sens going. And Ruutu, the shift after Neil's hit, stood up to the Thrashers' Jim Slater and really took it to him. It looked their actions had changed the momentum, but the Sens couldn't cash in on it in time.

I hate to say it, but Shean Donovan is going to take the fall for the Thrashers' first goal. It was his first--and may be his last--penalty killing shift in quite a while, and he was over-committal and too aggressive. In the end, when Ron Hainsey had the puck at the point on Donovan's side, Shean Don was in front of the net, checking no one, screening Martin Gerber. Donovan was great with Foligno and Ruutu on the fourth line, but he needs to settle down on the PK.

And that brings me to Gerber. He was screened on the first goal, the second was a wrap-around that squeaked in, and the third was after Heatley lost his check and then the puck hit Armstrong, dropped right down and towards the open net. Darth Gerber only stopped 21 of 24, but the fault on the goals shouldn't lie on his shoulders. Still, go back to Alex Auld next game, because he's earned the start.

Sigh... callers on the Senators' post game show are proposing the Sens acquire players like Sean Avery and Alexei Yashin in order to help add some scoring depth. The only thing more disturbing than that fact is that--because they won't likely cost much in a trade or signing--I almost think there's some merit to the ideas.

Gerber to play again Tuesday

According to the Sens' official website, Martin Gerber will get his third start in four games tomorrow, after going more than a month between starts. It means, obviously, that previously de facto starter Alex Auld will play the role of back-up for the third time in four games, despite being eighth in GAA (2.21) and twelfth in save percentage (.919) in the NHL (Gerber's GAA is 3.40 and his SP is .880).

Despite struggling at the start of the season, you can't say anything bad about Gerber's play in the last three games. He's allowed three goals in those starts, which include his 2-0 shutout win over Tampa Bay on Saturday and two losses: 2-0 to Chicago (with an empty-netter) and 2-1 to Carolina. So you can't make any complaints about his play of late.

The peculiar thing about Craig Hartsburg's decision, though, is that you can't really complain about Auld's play at all this season. He has allowed nine goal in his last two games played, but his team hadn't given him much help--particularly in the 5-1 loss to Washington (which, for the record, never happened). Still, it's rare for a goaltender to lose the starting role without actually playing poorly to justify that loss.

Plus, there's what I've taken to calling "The Gerber Effect." It seems whenever Darth Gerber is given something to lose, he overthinks his job, gets nervous, and loses it. At the start of 2006-07, he played terribly and lost the position to Ray Emery. He played well to begin 2007-08 (when Emery was injured and there was no one to challenge him), but once Emery came back, he started playing poorly again--and, in the playoffs, the team was so bad that he really had nothing to lose, anyway, which explains his solid play against Pittsburgh. And then again, at the start of this season when he was announced the unchallenged number one, he spoiled somewhat good goaltending with absolutely abysmally weak goals. His solid wins in the supporting role have been because he's fighting from a weaker position, and he's got nothing to lose.

Then again, this may simply be a way for Hartsburg to get both goaltenders in form and yet also well-rested for the upcoming extended road trip. From Dec. 23 (partially interrupted by the Christmas and New Year's breaks), the team embarks upon an eight-game, 17-night road trip through Philly, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, back to Ontario (Toronto) and then three games in the northeastern United States--and both goalies will most certainly be used on this road trip.

However, let's not forget the game on Tuesday is against the Atlanta Thrashers. Not that Ottawa--25th in the league right now, five points ahead of last-place Tampa Bay--is in much of a position to take any opponent lightly, but there is really no excuse for a loss to Atlanta. And if Hartsburg decides to use his backup (or at least 1B goaltender) for such a game, it might be a good decision.

I guess we'll have to wait and see how this thing works out. I don't want to call it a goaltending controversy yet, and I don't think that either goaltender will complain publicly enough to turn it into a bona fide controversy, anyway. But Auld hasn't played himself out of starter's position yet, and I--after defending Gerber at the start of the year--am not quite ready to put my weight behind him again. Twice bitten, third time shy, I guess.

The Game That Never Happened: Sens 1, Caps 5

This photo was constructed in Photoshop. There was no game in which it could have been taken.

Let's just pretend that there was no 5-1 loss last night. It will be easy for me because I didn't watch the game that didn't happen, so we'll just act like the Sens only play 81 games this regular season. Awesome.

We can still give statistical credit to the players who took part in The Game That Never Happened, though; Jesse Winchester scored his third goal of the season, because he needs it, and Nick Foligno and Alex Picard still notched assists.

There is, however, the unfortunate incident of trying to explain Anton Volchenkov's fluke injury. It's easy, really; he was using his snowblower on the outdoor rink, and when he ran over a puck it shot it out--but Volchenkov jumped in front of it, out of habit, and suffered an injury. For that reason, Brian Lee has been recalled from Binghamton. Even though Brendan Bell is already here, as is Christoph Schubert. But whatever.

Ilya Zubov was also called up from Bingo today, probably because Craig Hartsburg is going to scratch a forward in an effort to wake up his team. Will it work? Nothing's made them smarten up yet, but that doesn't mean it's not worth a try. I'm not sure, at this point, which player will be out of the lineup. Nor am I sure whether or not Dean McAmmond is ready to play, but I don't think he is.

And Martin Gerber will start tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning? That might be a can of worms you would rather leave closed, Hartsburg. Alex Auld is not the problem here. Hopefully it's just giving Auld another break.

To be honest, I can't believe a trade hasn't happened yet. I would say one is inevitable, but I've thought that trades were inevitable at many points this season and last season, and they just didn't happen.

Newsflash: Auld's a bargain: ESPN

Scott Burnside of ESPN ranked Alex Auld as the league's fifth-best bargain in terms of contributions versus cap hit. First place was Tim Thomas, followed in order by Joe Pavelski, Jiri Hudler, Kyle Quincey, and Auld. Here's what Burnside had to say:

"It didn't seem like much of a bargain when the Sens signed Auld, a journeyman netminder with an uneven track record, to a two-year deal worth $2 million this past offseason. But when Martin Gerber couldn't deliver the goods -- again -- the Sens turned to Auld, who has provided yeoman service in building a 9-6-4 record with a 2.06 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. He is one of the main reasons the Sens are in the playoff hunt and not languishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings."

Got to say, it's pretty amazing that Auld is second in the league in goals-against average (2.06) and eighth in save percentage (.924) on a team that is below .500. Especially for $1M a year.

Gerber gets game against Chicago

Craig Hartsburg announced today that, with the team playing four games in six nights this week, Martin Gerber will get his first start in over a month on Wednesday against Chicago. Gerber's 1-4-1 record isn't pretty, and his play so far this season hasn't been, either, but he was going to get an opportunity to get back on the horse at some point soon.

Anyone who interprets this move as a result of Alex Auld's play last night against Florida is wrong. Auld has earned the number one position, and although he didnt' have his best game Monday, he's still the far-and-away number one going forward--regardless of what happens in the game on Wednesday. However, the fatigue that would come with playing 11 consecutive games, as Auld has done, may be a reason why he didn't play so well last night, and therefore why he's getting a rest on Wednesday.

It was also announced that Dean McAmmond didn't make the mini road-trip with the team, as he hasn't been able to shake the throat infection that has kept him out of the lineup since Nov. 22. Which is too bad, because--as fun as it is to watch Cody Bass play--the fourth line could really D-Mac's speed.

For anyone who hasn't got TSN2, there are (somewhat illegitimate) ways you can watch the game, anyway: Live streaming online. It doesn't appear to be available on that old standby, myP2P.eu, but the folks at The Senate Committee are saying they're going to have the streamcast available on their blog, so check it out.

In other, more immediate news, Montréal is playing Calgary tonight. No Habs No!

Win for the refs: Panthers 4, Sens 3 (OT)

Alright, Sens fans. I don't usually like doing this. It's not usually justified, and when I'm blogging I try to be as non-Homer-ish as possible. When I'm in the stands it's a different story, but I try to at least be reasonable when I'm writing. So I say this without hesitation: The Senators would have won Monday night's game if the referees were better. And I don't mean if the referees were better for Ottawa; if they were remotely equitable, Ottawa would have won the game in regulation.

For instance: One bogus hooking call on Anton Volchenkov. It was a weak call, and you could see the refs discussing it afterwards. But hey, sometimes mistakes happen, and you've just got to make up for it by calling one the other way. But instead of 'evening it up', the refs handed Volchenkov another chintzy call --this one for boarding. And then when Volchenkov steps out of the box Gregory Campbell hooks and trips him on his way to a 3-on-2, giving the refs an easy-peasy even-up call, and they decide not to call it. Nor do they call a trip on Jason Spezza later, nor did they call a slash on Daniel Alfredsson that knocked the stick right out of his hands. I'm not just a bitter fan. Yes, Ottawa had a 5-on-3 for 90 seconds, but those were easy calls, and the way the Sens play on 5-on-3s you'd almost rather have them not call the second penalty. It was a terribly-refereed game.

With that said, though, the Sens weren't their best on the night. Far from it. They started the game ridiculously slow, and were being worked in the defensive end most of the night. The Panthers were missing nine regulars from the lineup, and aren't a great team to begin with. Although Chris Kelly scored what the referee proclaimed a "good hockey goal" to get the Sens the lead, they blew it. Dany Heatley scored an unassisted goal (although Filip Kuba made it happen), restoring the Sens' lead, but they blew it again. So Jason Spezza scored a pretty goal (five in three games now) to make the score 3-2 for the Sens, but--thanks in some part to a weak hooking call on Alex Picard--Jay Bouwmeester scored a powerplay goal to tie the game. The game-winner was a result of a neutral-zone turnover that somehow ended up on Stephen Weiss' stick, and then in the Sens' net. It was a boring first period, but the teams started exchanging chances in the second and third.

Overtime was all Ottawa, but there was no beating Florida 'keeper Craig Anderson. Highlight of the period was a sick cross-ice pass from Alfredsson to Mike Fisher, but the pass--and Fisher's shot--were outshined only by Anderson's post-to-post save.

I was impressed with Volchenkov on the night. He took two penalties, but--as I said--I question the validity of the calls. Oddly enough, as solid as his defensive play was, I actually thought he had a really good game offensively. I never really thought I'd say that about Volchenkov, but I've noticed this year he's joined (occassionally led) the offensive rush, and he's not afraid to take a shot from the point. All without getting caught out of position. Plus he threw an awesome bodycheck on Radek Dvorak.

Although Alex Auld didn't have his best game, he didn't play poorly. He made some great saves, and starting eating rebounds when it became apparent that the Sens' defence couldn't clear the puck to save their lives. And in the end, he stopped a respectable 36 of 40 shots he faced.

Ice-time disparity watch: It was actually pretty equitable. Although the bench was short in the third period, the ice time was somewhat well spread out. Despite that, Alfredsson played 24:29, but he earned every second, and Cody Bass only played 6:22. But the fourth line had a rough game on the night. I think, on a night like tonight with a team as fast as the Panthers were, that line really missed Dean McAmmond. Sure, Jarkko Ruutu is fast and has some skill, but he can't do anything with Chris Neil and Bass along with him.

Strange note: With three unassisted goals in total tonight, there were only 13 of a possible 21 points scored by players. I don't know what that means, but I think it's a little weird.

Sigh. Well, another game lost to a team that Ottawa has the ability to outplay. And they're back at it on Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks, a game which--for some reason, despite being the only meeting between two skilled teams--is only televised on TSN2. I don't even know if I get that channel. Anyone know if it's available on Rogers Digital Cable basic package something-something?

10-10-4 -- play those lottery numbers now!

The Senators rode the wave of Jason Spezza's second career hat trick to a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon. There are a lot of positives and a few negatives to take away from this game.

Positives:

• Daniel Alfredsson continues to play heroically, he kills penalties with or without his stick. His hockey intelligence (a portion of the IQ test created and imposed on the world by Pierre McGuire) is off the chart. Example 1: Penalty kill sans stick. Example 2: making the Sabourin cover the puck without even having to touch it. These examples serve only to reenforce the Pretire #11 campaign (click on post tag for more info).
  
• Jesse Winchester may not have fit into the first line, but his recent mean streak has complimented the second line with Nick Foligno and Chris Kelly very well. J-Win's hit on Hal Gill in the third period inexplicably stunned the giant second-year penguin. Gill could barely skate for the rest of his shift.
  
• Chris Neil proves he can still fight... but what was the point of that gentlemanly tilt anyway? They called it off themselves after a few punches.
  
• Spezza collects what will probably be the easiest hat trick of his career. On his second goal, the puck came right to him; only the hockey gods can explain number three.
• Alex Auld continues to be cool as a cucumber while under pressure. His shoulder save late in the third period displayed more balls than Martin Gerber has ever mustered in a Sens uniform.
• There were points when Alfredsson, Spezza, and Heatley were schooling the Penguins in puck control and persuit.
• Whenever Crosby doesn't score a goal (especially considering the streak he's on, you know you're doing something right on defence).
  

Negatives:

• Someone really should have jumped on the Penguins defender (name anyone?) that rode Spezza into the glass divider in the second period. Some would say that the hit wasn't on purpose. I think that if Spezza had got concussed at that time, it's the only thing we'd be talking about.
• Antoine Vermette did a terrible job in the defensive end, especially on Staal's goal. Vermette lost his assignment and was out of position when Crosby's pass went directly to Staal in slot.
• Brendan Bell's giveaway for Malkin's goal may have looked terrible, but the Bingo call-up has been very consistent for the Senators and is making a strong case for staying with the big club. He's on the first PP unit, and is second only to Kuba on the Sens in puck-moving skills among defenders.
• Garey Galley and Dean Brown (and their producers, I presume) made a big deal out of the fact that the Speatfredsson averages more than a point per game against the Penguins. Where the hell was that during last year's playoffs?! Also, why didn't they mention that series at all during the broadcast?

The wrap:

The injury-depleted Penguins are a good measuring stick for the Senators at this time. You could see the dominance of the first line, and some solid checking from the other three. Auld continues to prove his worth in net. Are the Senators on the rise? I'd say give it another 3 games before we make any dramatic announcements.