Sens lose game to Anaheim, Gerber to injury

Sorry for the delay in post-game coverage of the Friday night tilt against the Anaheim Ducks. Although it wasn't a terrible game for the Senators, they weren't able to score until the third period. The Ducks played their frustrating, get-in-the-lanes, shot-blocking and -deflecting game, and you could see a number of Senators--notably Daniel Alfredsson and Antoine Vermette--looked extremely frustrated with their inability to generate offence.

Speaking of Alfredsson and Vermette, they were two of the Senators' best players last night. Even though Dany Heatley was given second-star honours on the TEAM 1200, and scored three assists, he wasn't nearly as effective as he can be--he looked sluggish and disinterested. Jason Spezza, on the other hand, looked extremely into it for the second game in a row. If we could get Spezza and Heatley playing like they can on the same night, rather than apparently taking turns, then we'd be in good shape.

Other Senators' performances of note were Anton Volchenkov, who looked particularly solid and stepped up into a few rushes, and Chris Neil, who FINALLY got into a fight (and held his own against heavyweight George 'Stache' Parros) and popped in a goal for good measure. Although he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, Mike Fisher has a solid game--something will go his way soon enough. Filip Kuba tried the hitting game in the first and second period (he had two hits on the night, Brennan), and it didn't work out so well, so he went back to scoring points and got two assists in the third to continue his point-streak.

Luke Richardson looked bad, but I think it's more a result of Richardson trying to do too much to try and stay in the lineup. If he starts taking it easy and playing basic, positional hockey, his lack of speed won't be exposed as often. If he doesn't realize that, then he won't draw back into the lineup many more times.

Lowlight of the night: Having Jason Smith catch the puck in his chest, drop it, and watching Todd Marchant bat it out of mid-air and soar 45 feet into the net, while Alex Auld wasn't paying attention.

Highlight of the night: Alfredsson sort-of slew-footing Chris Pronger, forcing Prongs to slam into the corner boards in the fetal position. After that hit and previously firing a slapshot at the shins of Scott Niedermayer, you can tell Alfie really hates the Ducks. Like... really.

Onto a quick preview of tonight's game against Toronto: After Craig Hartsburg gave Auld the opportunity to steal a start from Martin Gerber, and Auld didn't quite shine (although the loss wasn't quite his fault), Gerber injured his leg in practice. As a result, Brian Elliott was recalled from Binghamton. Although I'm not certain, I imagine Auld will be starting.

Another roster change comes on defence Richardson is out, and Christoph Schubert will get his shot on defence. Although Schubert has a tendency to get out of position as much as Richardson, he's a lot more mobile, and he's got room to improve.

Fucking Ducks

Of all the games to fall asleep during, I had to miss the third period of this one.

I will just post some general notes, and hopefully come out with some more detailed retrospection tomorrow. Unless someone else managed to watch the whole game (Ben? Simon?).

From the get-go, Chris Pronger missed the game with a broken jaw. Apparently his wife saw him hitting on Hannah Montana, so she punched him. Good for her. The only bad thing is that Daniel Alfredsson didn't have the opportunity to take a slapshot at Pronger's shins, which I would have loved to see.

Speaking of Alfie, we can add one more building to the growing list that boos the captain whenever he touches the puck. It just means that we're going to cheer louder when he gets back, Ducks fans. Apparently Alfie went out with some injury mid-way through the game, which is scary for all Sens fans. It was some upper-body injury thanks to a slash from Francois 'asshole' Beauchemin. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

Two scary moments in the first when on consecutive shifts Sens defencemen left the game off dirty hits. Anton Volchenkov took a dangerous hit from behind from Rob Niedermayer, and Garry Galley lambasted the referees for letting it go. The next shift Andrej Meszaros was tripped up after he got past his check, and went hard into the corner boards. Both players returned for the second period, though, so that was a plus.

Then I fell asleep in the third. The most exciting period, where the Bryan Murray got a ten minute misconduct and was ejected for abuse of the officials?!?! GOOD! They deserved it! And this, according to the Ottawa Sun, is why he got kicked out:

“I just kept telling (Wes McCauley) it was a bullshit call. ‘That’s a bullshit call you made. He said, ‘Say it again and you’re gone,’ so I said it again,” said Murray.

Anaheim is the dirtiest team in the league, and their average of 18 minutes per game is probably lower than they should be getting. How does Ottawa only get three powerplays against the most penalized team in the NHL? I'm looking forward to seeing that video show up on YouTube. And Martin Gerber fought back against some of the Ducks? Awesome.

Speaking of The Gerber, he played a solid game. Three goals on 31 shots might not be the greatest, but he put up with a lot of shit and still made key saves in the second and third period. The guys on the Team 1200's post-game show said they'd be 'shocked' if he didn't start next game against San Jose, so good for him.

Statistics: I'm just looking at the ice time right now, and it's pretty amazing that Ottawa's lowest player in terms of ice time still had 10:02 (it was Shean Donovan). And Shean-Don was effective, that fourth line of him alongside Dean McAmmond and Christoph Schubert had some of Ottawa's best chances in the first two periods.

I can't wait until other teams realize that Anaheim doesn't play hockey; they play some hockey/UFC fusion sport where all that's illegal is fish-hooking. So give Corey Perry a few extra shots. Slash J-S Giguere when he makes a save. Use the oldest, moldiest gloves you have and give Mathieu Schneider a nice facewash. Smoke Randy Carlyle, aka the Penguin, aka Lobster Boy Grady Stiles Jr., with a snap shot into the bench. If the Sens meet Anaheim again in the playoffs, they'd better learn to step it up even more than was done tonight.

Play every period like it's your last first

I had to take some time to think before writing this blog. I have a very mixed reaction to this game.

First period - fantastic. They came out with a fire that has been absent in games 1 and 2, and we saw sparks of it in game 3. After 20 minutes I was very satisfied with the team's effort. Fisher was crashing and banging the Ducks, Heatley and Spezza were playing much better (probably in part due to the absence of Pronger), and the all the other lines were doing their thing with some success.

I think the late goal in the first was what sunk us. Yeah - strange indeed. How could a goal possibly lead to a team's demise? Well listen up Junior, and I will lecture you in the way of the human mind.

While Bryan Murray was congratulating his team for an excellent first period that gave the sens a slim lead, the Ducks' coach was giving his team enough bitching to last 3 periods. We let our foot off the gas, whereas the Ducks knew they had to play better - and they did for the rest of the game.

Look at the potential of the Senators, as exemplified by the first period. Could any team play any better?

But you know what happened next, the Sens let the game slip away. But unlike following game 2, I was proud of the Senators. We gave a good effort in this one, the results were the game as Game 2, but the way we got there was different. There was effort, there were scoring opportunities, there was heart.

We could not ask for a better goalie than Ray Emery. He is our MVP, no question in my mind.

The Sens are now facing elimination.
If we have to give these bastards our lives, we give them hell before we do!

A different team tonight

If you read back a few blogs, you'll know how disappointed I was with the Senators after Game 2. Tonight, an entirely different team showed up.

Following the CBC's lead, I will heap praise on Chris Neil. You could tell that he was inspired. He had to attend the birth of his first child last night - I guess the lack of sleep made him cranky. If I were Bryan Murray I would arrange for a few annoying phone calls on Sunday night to keep him in a pissy mood.

Who else can I praise? Hmmm... Fisher played an excellent game once again. He's playing with an edge that we don't normally see. Volchenkov was more offence-minded than most games, which obviously paid off for the sens tonight. Honourable mention should go to Mike Comrie for a gritty effort, we haven't seen this type of play from him since Round 2. And although he was overlooked in the play-by-play, I think Oleg Saprykin once again played a great game - he knows his role and plays it to perfection.

Ray Emery was as good as he had to be tonight. I believe Harry Neale said before the game that Emery would have to be near-perfect for the sens to win this one. I guess he proved that wrong.

Daniel Alfredsson's goal was questionable. I guess you gotta play well to be lucky. We should all thank the Hockey Gods for that one.

Slightly better game from Spezza and Heatley, but they've gotta pick up their games even more if the Senators are going to win this series.

The Senators always seem to play their best hockey after a goal, whether it is for or against them. This led to to say something that was simultaneously the most insightful and most retarded line in these playoffs: "If they scored more they'd be a better team." Yes, I am the hockey Buddha.

As I've said in other game recaps, you can tell what type of game the sens are bringing after the first period. During the intermission I said something that I hadn't said previously in this series: "I'm feeling good about this one." Whether they won or lost tonight I would have been proud of their effort. I'm looking forward to Game 4.

We need ideas people!

How would you solve the Senators scoring problems? Will they sort themselves out? It's just a few hours before game time, but I think we can get a few crazy suggestions to Bryan Murray before then.

My ideas:

1. Gerber starts in net, Emery plays left wing with Heatley and Spezza
2. The dramatic return of Alexei Yashin
3. If we're losing after 2 periods, Sens fans throw ducks onto the ice until the game is called off

So what do you think? Should we stay the course? I'll post the best answers on the front page.

Win Free Sens Tickets (100-Level)!

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"Le meilleur des mondes possibles"

We're all a little disappointed right now. Perhaps the more appropriate term is questioning. Watching the Senators in Games One and Two, I know that this is a better team than it looked like. Since the team is better than they appeared, I am going to assume there are a number of external factors that have led to Ottawa losing the first two games of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. I don't care if it's just the rose-coloured glasses talking, but I'm going to outline a number of factors that have resulted in the Senators losing their games:

1. Officiating

I can hear it now; everyone saying that it's useless to blame the referees, that the Sens have to adjust, and that it is the same ref for both teams. But you know what? To hell with all that. After the lockout, general managers in the NHL were instructed that there would be a crackdown on obstruction in an effort to increase goal scoring. This Ottawa Senators team was built around that guarantee, and now all of our hopes are being quashed by interference creeping back into the game.

As a few examples, watch out in Game Three for "incidental" contact away from the puck. The first coming to mind for me was Rob Neidermayer running interference on Daniel Alfredsson right off the faceoff in the first period, and then getting a scoring chance because Alfie couldn't get to the puck. A second was a so-called 'highlight reel' of Samuel Pahlsson which demonstrated four plays: a hook, a slash, an interference penalty, and then a shot on net. Want to know why he's been instrumental in shutting down the CASH line? It's because he's using tactics that are against the rules to slow them down. It shouldn't matter how many penalties have been called against the Ducks already, and it's unfortunate that it does affect how the game is called.

On the other side of the coin, what was the reasoning for a second-period penalty on Anton Volchenkov for finishing a bodycheck on Dustin Penner after Penner had turned his back to intentionally get hit from behind? Ridiculous. Perhaps an Ottawa Senator should keep an eye out for some Duck with his stick in the air, and then skate face-first into it to draw a high-sticking call. Another quizzical brainfart from the referees was blowing down the play to call a penalty on Anaheim when Alfredsson was in complete possession of the puck and about to take a shot from the high slot. What, did the rules change when I took a quick trip to the bathroom?

2. Greg Millen and Bob Cole

These guys are ridiculous. I am going to watch the rest of the games on NBC, and I don't care how many times they explain what an off-side is. It's not even enough to remember that they cut off an overtime game to show a pre-horse-race show, I don't care. Maybe it's Bob Cole commenting on Chris Kelly's beautiful hit on Antoine Vermette, or how he loves Sid the Kid Crosby so much that he brought his name randomly into the play-by-play, or Millen verbally blowing J-S Giguere, but there's something not right about these two.

I'm sure that the Senators, now composed of 61 per cent Canadian players (and 100% players playing in Canada), have heard new of the Canadian Broadcasting Network's representatives consistently sympathizing with whoever is playing against Ottawa, and that has definitely affected their play. I'm confident Ottawa can look past this indiscretion, however, and come out strong to turn every Canadian (except possibly Leafs fans) into a Sens Army recruit.

3. Ice conditions

Joe Corvo brought it up, and in Game Two I could really see what he was talking about. Bouncing pucks completely spoiling good scoring opportunities for the Sens, while the Ducks take advantage of their knowledge of the tendencies of vulcanized rubber on terrible ice surfaces. When the Sens return to Ottawa, and deal with decent ice conditions, we'll see what's what. Watch out, Anaheim.

4. The layoff

Before the series began, I didn't believe the layoff excuse. After Games One and Two, I'll take anything. In their neverending quest to appease American broadcasters and audiences (at the risk of disenfranchising Canadian ones), the NHL decided to wait a full week after the last semi-final ended to begin the finals. Players aren't used to that kind of crap, jackasses.

5. The game time

In the same way the NHL accomodated NBC for the layoff, they've also made every game at 8:00 EST. I guess that's just as much for the Eastern Canadian audiences, but it doesn't seem to be working, anyway. It results in messed pre-game rituals, and (as stated by Garry Galley) the presence of the dreaded Anaheim afternoon heat seeping through the doors and sullying the ice for the Senators.

6. TV time-outs

One time in the game, after the Ducks iced the puck, there was a TV timeout. If the purpose of penalizing a team by not allowing a change is to encourage defensive panic and to discourage a team from icing the puck to relieve pressure, there is no sense in going to a TV timeout. I'm positive the Senators would have scored off the ensuing faceoff had there been no break in play.

So I'll just wait for the bad luck to pass, remain hopeful that all of these factors--combining to form the reason behind Ottawa's two losses--will pass shortly, and assure myself that the Senators will win as soon as they do. In the meantime, I'm going to continue writing to CBC and demanding that they instate my NHL play-by-play dream-team, Galley and Jim Hughson.

Something's gone wrong

After the first period any sens fan could tell you that the Senators were not playing as if they wanted to win this game. Our best line in this game was Schubert - Saprykin - McAmmond... and that's not a good thing.

Where was Daniel Alfredsson? The man that we depend on, the man whom Ottawa has embraced as a city-wide hero was virtually absent from this game. Normally in these playoffs, Alfredsson at least bodychecks as much as possible; in this game, that aspect of his offense was missing... not to mention the passing and scoring.

Could it be that the Senators have relied on the Spalfedheat line so much that when they're missing, the rest of the team combined cannot muster a goal? I'm afraid it is the case.

From a fan's perspective I am extremely disappointed. There was more yelling and (angry!) cursing during this game than in any of the Senators previous playoff games. The Ducks were beating the Senators to the puck in nearly every situation, and, worse yet, the Senators were unable to strip them of the puck in the sens' end.

On a positive note, Ray Emery was outstanding and inserting Saprykin into the lineup was a stroke of genius by Bryan Murray. Despite these standouts the team as a whole did not show up for Game 2.

I said to my roommate during the second intermission that if the Senators did somehow win this game, they certainly wouldn't deserve it. Well they didn't win - so I guess they deserve that. From the way that they played, they set themselves up to lose the game. In order to win this series, something has to get this team out of the rut. Returning to Ottawa will help, of that I'm sure, but it will not cure the Sens problems.

There is no more 'laughing it off' anymore. There is a serious problem with the way the team is playing. Now, we only have 1 more opportunity to turn this series around. I didn't think this series would be easy, but the Senators are certainly making it alot harder for themselves.

Just laugh it off

Saw this on Scarlett Ice and I just had to post it. Is it just me or does this show rely on stereotypes?




Best post-game headline has to be awarded to the Ottawa Sun.

Let's not forget that this is just game 1. I thought after the game there would be a sense of calm... let's remember that the Senators are in it for the long haul, and that they haven't lost 2 games in a series in these playoffs. Still, the alarmists on the call-in shows and in the papers want to cruxify all the team members... *sigh* Haven't you been watching these playoffs? Just wait for Heatley et al to catch fire - don't forget they had to travel back in time to play in Anaheim - that's gotta mess with pre-game preparations.

Whether or not they win game 2, I think that returning to Ottawa is going to be a big boost for the club. There's a giant Daniel Alfredsson on the top of City Hall right now... just wait till he sees that!

The Sens are tough this year.

Game 2's time for them to get going.

Post Game 1 analysis: Ouch

The sens' top line failed to produce, and a lazy third period cost us the game. In my opinion, (you may disagree) Ray Emery could only be fauled for the second goal. Considering the other saves that he made, I think we can cut him some slack.

The sens' defenders have to do a better job of keeping the Ducks' forward away from the next, and not allowing them to hack at Emery's glove following the inital stop.

On the bright side, we came real close to tieing the game. If not for a great glove save by J.S. Giguere, I would still be sitting on the front lawn at City Hall, bathing in the smoke (cigar, cigarette and 'other') of people who want to take every opportunity to light up when in close proximity to others.

I will leave further analysis to the rest of the Sens Army team tomorrow. I'm sure they will have lots to say.

No party on Elgin tonight I guess. Monday's not really a party day anyway. We'll see what sort of shinanigans happen on Wednesday - it IS the new Friday, after all.

Last, but not least: the Anaheim Ducks

Alright folks, here's your Sens Army Official 2007 Stanley Cup Final Series Preview, so buckle up:

This series marks the first Stanley Cup Final between two 90s-era expansion teams, and it sure looks like it will be a battle of the titans. A lot of professionals (and amateurs, no doubt) picked one or both of these two teams to face-off in the Stanley Cup Final, and now it's finally happened. I'm still in disbelief this time has actually come, so maybe it's not the best time to go over the series, but I'm going to anyway.

The key to this series, for Anaheim, is shutting down Spalfredheat. That has also been the key for Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Buffalo, but they haven't been able to. The only game in which that line didn't score a goal was the Sens' Game-Five loss to Buffalo. So who know what will happen is Chris Pronger or Scott Niedermayer (whoever plays against them) can keep them quiet?

For Ottawa, the problem will be finding a way around the big D of Anaheim, and then beating Jean-Sebastien Giguere. It has been said that Giguere has trouble moving side-to-side, and so the Senators must use their speed and passing to take advantage of that. As for the a lot of the defencemen, Ottawa will have to play their game wherever possible. If Christoph Schubert and Chris Neil, to name a few, are able to punish the defence, and Ottawa forwards are able to use their speed against slower D (Pronger and Francois Beauchemin), there is automatically an advantage that will add to the short bench that Anaheim employs.

One thing is certain: special teams will play a key role in this series. They always do. And while Anaheim had better numbers on both powerplay and penalty-kill in the regular season, Ottawa's running away with the playoffs. The Sens have a 20 per cent success rate on the PP, compared to 15.3 for the Ducks, and Ottawa has killed off 88.6 per cent of short-handed situations, against 87.5 for Anaheim.

Another key factor, of course, is depth scoring. If somehow the Ducks do find a way to keep Spalfredheat quiet, then Ottawa second- and third-liners including Mike Fisher, Peter Schaefer, Mike Comrie, Antoine Vermette, and Neil will need to step it up. I'm going to highlight Schaefer and Comrie especially, for really having slowed down (although Comrie did have a good first round). I'm also going to exempt Chris Kelly from that call-out, because he has so many other contributions (penalty killing, peer-interviewee, empty-net-goal scoring) for the team. On the other side of the coin, Anaheim has been dipping into their second line for scoring all year, and that will half to continue.

Finally, what factor will fatigue play? Steve Simmons, of the Toronto Sun as well as TSN's The Reporters, called the Ducks' roster “the shortest bench in hockey”; will that have a cumulative effect after a long regular season and a couple of playoff rounds? Probably. Especially when it's combined with the fact that these teams will be so screwed up after all the time-zone changes.

Regular Season:

Anaheim finished second overall in the West, three points behind Detroit with a 48-20-14 record for 110 points. Ottawa finished fourth in the East (48W, 25L, 9OTL, 105P).

Playoffs:

Ottawa: 15GP, 12W, 3L, 48GF, 31GA
Emery: 15GP, 1.95GAA, 0.919SP, 3SO

1. Heatley: 15GP, 6G, 15A, 21P
2. Spezza: 15GP, 7G, 13A, 20P
3. Alfredsson: 15GP, 10G, 7A, 17P
4. Redden: 15GP, 2G, 6A, 8P
5. Corvo: 15GP, 2G, 6A, 8P

Anaheim: 16GP, 12W, 4L, 42GF, 34GA
Giguere: 13GP, 1.87GAA, 0.931SP, 0SO

1. Pronger: 15GP, 3G, 11A, 14P
2. Getzlaf: 16GP, 5G, 8A, 13P
3. Selanne: 16GP, 5G, 7A, 12P
4. Pahlsson: 16GP, 2G, 8A, 10P
5. Perry: 16GP, 4G, 5A, 9P

Better Know an Enemy: The Fightin' Ducks!

Our friendly enemies at The Battle of California agreed to answer a few questions for us ignorant East-coasters. This way, we will know how and why the Sens are kicking so much ass.

Sens Army:
Although the Ducks are well known for their defence, who is their most consistent scorer? Are you worried that your top scorer is a defenseman?

Battle of California:
Hmm, putting answers in my mouth already, eh? Among the forwards these playoffs, probably our most consistent scorers have been the PPG line, or the "kids" (Penner, Perry, Getzlaf). Not so much in that they actually score every game, but they can be absolute monsters along the offensive boards each and every game. Partially what explains this is that the Selanne line naturally draws the best defenders, and the kids get to go nuts against lighter competition. Among defensemen of course it's Pronger--he runs the power play with Scott, and he gets enough touches at even-strength to get on the scoreboard regularly. Am I bothered by Pronger scoring as a defenseman? Hell no! Remember, the Ducks played against this guy in the WCF last year, and the difference when he's on your side is enormous.

2. How would you compare Giguere's performance this year as opposed to his Conn Smythe-winning year?

No comparison. 2003 was a story that even on his best night can't be replicated. They should take that footage of Giguere in the first three rounds and show it in history classes--sure he was a big goalie but he was in the exact right spot for every shot. And there were a TON of shots. Critics I think focus too much on his pads and ignore his positioning, and that year he had both going to their fullest. I don't want to knock this year at all, though. He's been great, but he also has a better team in front of him than ever before. Long gone are the 40-save days of yore. The real benefit I think Giguere gets these days is his defense controlling his rebounds--the Ducks are much better at it this year than in any Mighty year. Still, he's absolutely money in critical situations and is a real stabilizing force on the ice; he still is in my opinion one of the top five goalies in the league. I'll say this: if I had to choose between re-signing Selanne or re-signing Giguere (and this is probably a real upcoming scenario), I'd have to take Giguere. He guarantees that you won't fall apart at your most critical position.

3. Other than Giguere, who's having an outstanding playoff this year? Who's underachieving?

The checking line (Pahlsson centering Rob Niedermayer and Moen) has been outstanding--they are having a better playoffs than regular season, and I was damn proud of them then. They are essentially shadows that will take all the hardest minutes at even-strength and short-handed. The Spezza trio will definitely be seeing a ton of these guys. Quite simply, they have the ability to make guys disappear from the scoresheet--not always, but they can do it for stretches. Their real knack is making opposing scorers play defense, and they have been producing. Pahlsson is a +6 and is fourth in team scoring. Underachieving would probably be the top line, mainly Andy McDonald. Ever since I threw my hat on the ice in G1 against Vancouver, Andy Mac has been extremely quiet on the scoresheet--1 goal and 1 assist in his last 10 games. Sure the top line is always getting the attention of the opposition's best stoppers (and don't get me wrong--that in itself is pretty huge), but in the regular season they were able to overcome it and score like crazy. Last year in the playoffs, McDonald went through a slump like this one and later it was revealed he was injured, but I'm not sure that's the case this time--the line looks good despite not producing as much as it could, but I'll credit some great defenses and some great goalies for holding Teemu and Andy Mac in check. The top line lost Chris Kunitz for the playoffs in G1 at Detroit to a broken hand, but Todd Marchant has filled in smoothly.

4. How do the Ducks intend to shut down the top-scoring line in the NHL playoffs?

Tons and tons of Pahlsson. The checking line has been doing this exact sort of assignment since game one of the season. Carlyle mixes his lines every once in a while, but one thing that he refuses to touch is Pahlsson-Moen-Niedermayer. They have played all 82 regular-season and all 16 playoff games together without any line-juggling and without any injury, and they know their roles to a T. On the back-end, I'm unsure which pairing Carlyle will prefer. If it were me, I'd put Pronger and O'Donnell out--they are goal deterrents also. Detroit didn't score a single power play goal or even-strength goal with Pronger out on the ice. Even so, Carlyle often declines my advice and uses Scotty Niedermayer and Frenchie Beauchemin instead. Not a bad option, really, as Scotty brings a lot of recovery speed and puck smarts, and Beauchemin isn't any slouch either. I'm guessing you'll see these two against Spezza & friends, and Pronger can go frustrate somebody else.

5. Who is the Ducks' hidden weapon? The one that the Sens may not have heard of, but should watch out for.

You've probably heard of him, but watch out for Corey Perry. Sure, Getzlaf is all the rage and he's been playing tremendous hockey these playoffs. But Perry is the sneak, the whiner, the diver, and the sniper. He can dazzle with the puck, then get pulled awkwardly down into the goalie, then tie up a defenseman trying to get up, then snatch the puck and roof it. Opponents hate Perry, and probably rightfully so, but he can be damn effective. He can act with confidence, also, with the knowledge that he won't have to fight his own fights; these are the punch-loving Ducks, after all.

6. Who is on the Ducks' top scoring line? Are they significantly better than the other lines?

In the regular season and start of the playoffs, it was Selanne-McDonald-Kunitz. Replacing Kunitz now is Marchant. Teemu and Andy Mac are fantastic together; they really have that connection that Kariya and Selanne used to have--speed and space. They are fantastic at stop-and-start plays, and both can really turn on the jets. This playoffs, though, they haven't been better than the PPG line, or probably even better than the checking line. Again, though, they do occupy the opponent's best checkers, so there's still a contribution being made. And they are creating chances still--I wouldn't stop defending them by any means. The last time I really saw the top line struggle like this was at the start of the season. Teemu only got 1 goal in October, yet each line chipped in goals from different players and the team didn't suffer a regulation loss until its 17th game. And that's the same kind of team I'm seeing now, almost frighteningly balanced--the top two lines have 27 points apiece while the checking line has 26.

7. How would the City of Anaheim reacted if the Ducks had lost their series against the Red Wings?

Two ways to answer this question. First off, the city of Anaheim as a whole would be mostly oblivious--hockey here is still an underground sport shared among individuals. By no means would you go up to someone in Anaheim and assume they knew the Ducks were in the Cup Finals, but you could probably assume they root for Vlad Guerrero or Kobe Bryant. The market is coming along, though, and it certainly helps that the team is winning. For Duck fans, though, there's probably two teams we detest losing to more than any other--the Detroit Red Wings and the Los Angeles Kings. It would certainly have been a painful loss, tempered by the positives of reaching the conference finals again and losing to a 1-seed.

8. How much do you love Brian Burke? A whole bunch?

Hell yes, especially when I look around the league and see how other GMs mismanage their cap and rosters. Plus he's a really good personality to have in Southern California--a tough guy blowhard lawyer, a great fit! I will say this, though. In my mind, I've still maintained that Bryan Murray still retains the best GM in team history for what he did in 2003--everything he touched turned to gold that year. He acquired Adam Oates, Petr Sykora, Sandis Ozolinsh, Rob Niedermayer, and Steve Thomas over the course of the season and all proved critical in the team's cup run. When Oates retired and Kariya ditched the team after G7, Murray nabbed Fedorov and Prospal, probably the two best free agents available at the time, which I'll also give him credit for even though it didn't work out. Plus he drafted Getzlaf and Perry and signed the undrafted Penner. Sure, Burke has had his moments, but Pronger pretty much fell into his lap last summer, and he held Rob Niedermayer at the exact right moment to sign Scott. And he probably was more lucky than prophetic on the Selanne deal. But I got no qualms with Burke--he's molded his team and I like the results.

9. If the Ducks don't win the Cup, is Pronger's wife gonna be pissed and make him request a trade?

Hell, she might request it even if they win. Honestly, I have no insight into this, other than it's probably unlikely that they'd pull the same maneuver twice. Then again, nobody in Edmonton saw it coming, either...

Thanks to the Battle of California for the interview! Good luck in the Finals! ...no seriously, I hope they die.

Sens face Anaheim for the Cup

I'm pulling the late shift here at the Sens Army blog. It was an exciting game between the Ducks and the Red Wings tonight, and I believe that this is the first time our blog has even acknowledged the existance of the Western Conference outside the playoff picks.

I was feeling pretty down about our chances against Anaheim until Detroit stormed back, scoring 3 goals in the 3rd period to make the game 4-3. I was thinking about the defence of Anaheim - Pronger, Niedermayer and Beauchemin. They will undoubtedly prove a challenge for the Spezza-Heatley-Alfredsson line. In goal, J-S Giguere, a goalie who has now twice proven himself amoung the elite of the NHL. On offence, before tonight's game, Pronger actually leads the team in points, followed by Ryan Getzlaf and Teamu Selanne.

An interesting side-note: Ducks' captain Scott Niedermayer barely acknowledged the Western Conference trophy following his team's win. This indicates a philosophical difference between the two teams: whereas Ottawa seems to be enjoying their ride to the Final, the Ducks seem determined to capture the Cup, and nothing less.

The Stanley Cup Finals start Monday... yeah, a freaking week from now - what was even the point of the sens winning their series in 5? It could have gone seven, and we'd still have 5 days off. I don't know the cause of this, but because I am Canadian I am going to blame it on those damned American television stations.

Playoff beard update - pre-Finals edition!
Although I haven't updated you all in a long, long time, I have resisted the urge to shave my beard and return from the wilderness. I have had to modify it at the request of certain parties, but the spriti of the beard remains - and it's not gone until we win the Cup!

Beard tips for those who want to take up the challenge next year:

1. You will be shunned, try to accept it as early as possible.
2. It is itchy at first but it goes away eventually.
3. Don't be afraid to modify - you gotta live life too.
4. Try to out-last a friend, I've had no one to complain with.

Finally, this being my first and only attempt at a playoff beard thus far in my life, know that when you stop shaving, all your dreams come true.

Apparantly the sens will have to make one more species extinct... GO SENS!

Third Round Predictions

So I'm back with Part III of Kyle's Playoff Picks 2007. Just as a recap let's look at the past Two Rounds...

First Round Picks: Results:
Buffalo Buffalo
New Jersey New Jersey
Atlanta New York
Ottawa Ottawa
Detroit Detroit
Anaheim Anaheim
Vancouver Vancouver
San Jose San Jose

Second Round Picks: Results:
Buffalo Buffalo
Ottawa Ottawa
Detroit Detroit
Anaheim Anaheim

Thus going into the third round I currently hold a record of 11-1... tied for first place with TSN.ca analysts Darren Dreger and Darren Pang. I'd also like to point out that ringer analyst Jeremy Roenick sits at 8-4 (one better than his VERY closely related primate friend Maggie).

But enough of this or that... without further ado let's look at the Conference Finals shall we?

Eastern Conference - Buffalo (1) vs Ottawa (4)

There are so many similarities between these two teams that it almost hurts my head. Goaltending that can be outstanding, or shaky. Immense breakout speed and potent offence, we're talking the league's two highest scoring teams here. So what does it come down to? Defense. At the day's end Ottawa has 2 (sometimes 3 if Redden and Mez wake up for the game) effective defence pairings, when it comes to their depth in defence other playoff teams are more than jealous. Will defence win it for Ottawa? Not single handily, but they will be the difference.

Ottawa advances to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Western Conference - Detroit (1) vs Anaheim (2)

Again two very similar teams can be found in the Western final. Both have very solid, proven, goaltending in Hasek and J.S. Giggy. Both have defensemen that could easily be found on a Wheaties box... even if that box is a few years old... in Lidstrom & Chelios of the Wings and Pronger & Niedermayer of the Ducks. Both teams even are/were coached by Mike Babcock! And with Detroit having a bit tougher road this post-season (Calgary & San Jose VS Nashville & Vancouver), Anaheim is just a little healthier, a little more rested, and a little more physical, and that gives them the edge.

Anaheim advances to the Stanley Cup Finals.