Building "character" in the dressing room

A lot is being said in the fallout of the Ray Emery buyout, and the subsequent trade of Brian McGrattan hasn't put any water on the fires of discussion about the Senators' team dynamics. The Ottawa Citizen is calling it an "image overhaul", but I don't think that's accurate. You don't solve an image by sending people away; you solve a reality be getting rid of the problem. So I would be inclined to agree with Alanah McGinley of Kukla's Korner in her analysis of "The Bryan Murray Show" as little more than a deflection tactic, using buzzwords like "accountability" and "character" to avoid discussing real problems.

While reading the Citizen's coverage of the trend today, some quotes from Murray had me wondering what it was we were dealing with before Emery and McGrattan were dumped:

"I want a team of real character people," Murray said, watching the club's younger players and recent draftees go through the second day of an arduous development camp at the Bell Sensplex. "I definitely want good people in the room to clear up that perception. Fans are influenced by what they read and hear, and we want to keep good people.

"Obviously, we're looking to make the team better and get in better shape in that area."

What is it we are dealing with, Bryan? This was obviously never simply a perception. Murray's comments have acknowledged that there have been problems in the dressing room, and that the two most recent transactions were measures meant to defuse the bomb that blew up the 2007-08 season before it could do any damage to the 2008-09 season (man, I am on a roll with the metaphors right now!).

If you ask long-time Senators fans for a common denominator that exists between the three biggest departures from the roster to date this season (McGrattan, Emery, and Wade Redden), they won't quote their abilities to fight. I've got no proof, and have no right to make accusations, but the fact remains that all three have been linked with off-ice shenanigans, at least in rumours. I'm not trying to lend credibility to the rumours, I'm simply acknowledging that they exist.

Those long-time Sens fans may also remember an "image overhaul" intended to clean up the attitude in the dressing room from years ago. This one involved André Roy, and the affects his decisions or outlook may have had on who was at the time a very promising developing Wade Redden. Despite being a fan-favourite, Roy was traded for Juha Ylonen in order to clean up the dressing room, so we were told.

It deserves to be discussed that McGrattan and Emery were two of the best friends of much-maligned (at least this summer) Jason Spezza. Although Spezza's apparent disinclination to seriously address the immaturity in his game--a hesitancy to back-check consistenly, a refusal to stop making no-look backhand passes--has not been linked to the deals, he needs to grow his game. And his old friends, evidenced by their on- and off-ice attitudes, were not promoting that maturity. Firing John Paddock and bringing in Martin Lapointe to stop the cancer proved insufficient, so Murray must have believed that the tumour was a lack of work ethic--given form in Emery and McGrattan, and perhaps others--and had to be cut out.

Time will tell whether or not these moves will work as intended. Another very interesting point raised in the above-linked story on Kukla's Corner is the media in Ottawa, and why these stories--which are apparently known by everyone--are never reported. Is it a refusal to use anonymous sources? Give me a break--it's obvious that in his rumour-reporting, Bruce Garrioch has no problem with quoting the anonymous. Is it wanting to stick to the on-ice news? Last year was evidence that off-ice problems make on-ice news. Is it an unwillingness to bite the hand that feeds you? Well, if you're afraid to report the truth out of fear for the repercussions, journalism might not be you true calling.

McGrattan traded to Coyotes?

You'll notice that by adding a question mark at the end of my headline, I've absolved myself from any wrongdoing should my report prove innacurate. There was really no need, though, as the Senators have released an advisory about the deal, in which Ottawa received a fifth-round pick for the 2009 draft in exchange for the pugilistic services of winger Brian McGrattan.

I am a McGrattan fan. Last year, I wrote a story about how he deserved better than what he was getting from the Senators, rarely dressing, and getting little to no ice time when he was in the lineup. I do think that he's got the ability to play at least fourth-line minutes, 6-8 a night, and he's one of the league's premiere heavyweights. If the Senators had no plans to play him, however, I do think that the right thing to do was trade him to a team where he'd have an opportunity to develop his game.

In Phoenix, Grats will likely get playing time, and I think getting into a full season will greatly help his endurance. He's got speed in straight lines, can hit people out of the arena, and fights--as I said--with the best. Good luck in Phoenix.

I suppose that new coach Craig Hartsburg felt that with Cody Bass and Chris Neil, the team had enough to get through a season, and an enforcer was unnecessary. Or maybe the Sens plan on signing one of Sean Avery or Georges Laraque, two unrestricted free agents with plenty of gumption.

Shutout by the worst team in the league

The Senators just lost 2-0 to the worst team in the league. By the transitive property, does that now mean that the Senators are the worst team in the league? At times, it looked like it. Notably in the second period.

Why the crap was Dean McAmmond scratched? Great call, Bryan Murray. It paid off in spades. While I agree that Brian McGrattan can be useful to get into games--and the fight he had tonight showed that--D-Mac's versatility is useful. A lot more useful than Randy Robitaille, who can't play defense, can't play physical, can't kill penalties, and can't really do anything aside from drift around the ice.

I'll point out a couple of good things about tonight's game. Martin Gerber played pretty darn well. He let in one goal, which was on a 5-on-3, and was a nice play by Anze Kopitar. Other than that, he stopped 30 of 31 including some pretty darned good chances. Andrej Meszaros looked alright, and he was really pissed when that empty-netter was scored--he slashed, hooked, and high-sticked Patrick O'Sullivan on his way to the net, and then hit him after he put it in. I can't blame him for being pissed. Although he's on a hell of a cold streak, Mike Fisher led the team in shots (five) as well as hits (six).

Bad stuff... whatever. Apparently Murray's policy of keeping ice times equalized is out the window. McGrattan only played 2:42, and Nick Foligno only played 5:59. On the other end of the scale, Dany Heatley played 24:33, which was higher than any other player on the Senators, including defencemen, and second-highest in the game to only Jack Johnson of the Kings. Second highest one the Sens was Jason Spezza, with 23:32. I understand you want to get some goal scoring, Bryan, but these are a lot of the mistakes that John Paddock made during games. Foligno, in his limited ice time, might have had the Sens' best opportunity to score.

That's all I can say, really. I guess congratulations have to be given to Erik Ersberg, who stopped all 40 Sens' shots to shut Ottawa out in his fourth career NHL game (and first career win). Good for you.

For the record, this is only frustrating because--as we all know--the Sens are still a good team. So Murray just has to figure out what the crap is wrong, figure out how to fix it, and then have it fixed within the next couple of weeks to make sure Ottawa makes the playoffs, and then make some waves when the team is there.

Gah... I'm going to bed.

Sens call up Zubov

According to the Bingo website, Ottawa called up Ilya Zubov from Binghamton today.

I'm not sure where they plan him to play. It could be a precautionary move in case Jason Spezza is unable to play, but Spezz seems confident he'll be good to go. Maybe this is a sign he's not as good as he though.

If Spezza is healthy, I don't see John Paddock giving Zubov much of a chance. He might get more ice time than Brian McGrattan, though; even Alexander Nikulin (4:55) averages more ice time per game than Grats (2:33). If Zubov plays on the second line, it might help provide some offence, although he'll likely have to play on one of the wings.

Zubov is fourth on Binghamton in scoring, with 26 points in 41 games.

UPDATE (Jan. 16, 2008): After playing 14:38 in his first NHL game (more than Christoph Schubert, Randy Robitaille, Patrick Eaves, Chris Neil, Dean McAmmond, Luke Richardson, Shean Donovan, or Brian McGrattan average per game), Ilya Zubov was sent back to the Binghamton Senators. He finished the game against Washington even in +/- with three hits, one takeaway, no giveaways, and 2-for-5 on faceoffs. Pretty good first game.

Answers to questions

While looking at the statistics surrounding the Sens Army Blog, I've come across a number of questions, entered into Google searches, that apparently brought up results from yours truly at the Sens Army Blog. In order to provide the fullest experience for readers, we answer some here:

• ottawa senators to practice on snowmobiles: While it is difficult for hockey players to practice while on snowmobiles, two Ottawa Senators have recently communted to practice on their snowmobiles: Ray Emery and Daniel Alfredsson.
• peter forsberg update: Not much to say, really. While Peter Forsberg has been quoted as being "cautiously optimistic" about a return to the NHL this season, it is becoming increasingly unlikely as time passes. Should he return, his preference is said to be to either Philadelphia (though I've no idea why), Colorado, or Nashville.
• what animals eat penguins: You mean aside from the Ottawa Senators, who eat Pittsburgh Penguins and their offspring? Well, it is mostly sharks, killer whales, and leopard seals in the water, and foxes and wild cats can eat wild penguins, as well.
• what does " put the cart before the horse" mean: When you put the cart before the horse, you're assuming a conclusion before proving it; instead of having the horse lead the cart, the cart is in the way of the horse, leading to often terrible consequences. Take, for instance, the Senators assuming that they would trample the Washington Capitals in consecutive games a few weeks ago; they puth the proverbial cart before the horse, and lost two games because of it.
• why florida panthers are getting extinct: The Ottawa Senators, and the rest of the league, keep smoking them. Plus there's loads of poaching and habitat loss that take away their hunting and breeding grounds.
• why does martin gerber have a black mask: The story is a boring and uneventful one. The black mask that has garnered Martin Gerber the nickname "Darth Gerber" is worn because The Gerber has become comfortable in it, and is afraid to switch to the newly-painted mask he has stowed away somewhere. Although some believe it's his silent protest for not being traded, The Gerber has denied that belief.
• eat my ass stories: The searcher of this must have been disappointed when (s)he found my memo to Nick Kypreos instead of stories or videos of an adult nature.
• ray emery fights mcammond: I think you're mistaken; a fight between Dean McAmmond and Emery would likely have ended quite differently than the one which did occur between Emery and Brian McGrattan. As for the fight between Grats and Rayzor, it seems to be water under the bridge as the two friends went out to dinner together the nigh after the brouhaha. Do I hear wedding bells? No word yet, but we will keep you posted.

That's all for this installment of "Answers to questions", hope it was helpful!

More on Emery/McGrattan

Seems pretty inconsequential at this point, but it still makes for an interesting story to tell. As an added bonus, this TSN story also discusses Daniel Alfredsson's experiment in a Team Canada jersey; he didn't sound like he was going to get rid of his Swedish citizenship any time soon.

Emery and McGrattan fight

From ottawasun.com:

"Senators goaltender Ray Emery stopped more than pucks in practice today, getting into a brief scrap with tough guy Brian McGrattan.

The pair laughed it off afterwards, but were none too pleased with each other after they bumped during a skating drill. As they squared off and tossed fists at each other, teammates quickly jumped in and ended the brouhaha.

Both players dropped their gloves after an initial shove or two in the corner, then Emery ripped his mask off and the two set at it.

"I've got to keep him sharp. You never know when he's going to (fight) again," said McGrattan. "I think the guys kind of got a kick out of it.""

Will there be repercussions? It seems like it's a pretty innocent incident, and it's certainly not rare. Considering how unloved Brian McGrattan is with management on this team, you'd have to think he'd be the first to go if someone gets traded.

Frustrating, but exciting nonetheless

The Sens' 8-6 loss to Washington was pretty tough to watch at times, with the team scoring to get back into the game only to allow the Capitals a chance of their own. But it was pretty exciting, especially in the third period, where 7 of the 14 goals were scored.

I'm not going to go into too much detail, but somehow Daniel Alfredsson was +3 on the night. That was the best of the game, as not even one of the Capitals had a +/- that high. At the other end, though, Chris Kelly and Chris Neil were both -3.

Speaking of Neil, he got pummeled by Donald Brashear. Kudos to Neil for standing up, but come on, man. As for Brashear, he's a wuss for not standing up to Brian McGrattan while Grats wanted to fight him, but then fighting the much smaller Neil when he got the chance. As for the ice time situation, McGrattan got 3:17, exactly half as much as Brashear was given by Caps coach Bruce Boudreault. A coach showing confidence in his role players? No...

Martin Gerber looked weak on some of the goals. John Paddock didn't pull him to put Ray Emery in in relief, who knows why (maybe this week's drama?). But I think Rayzor might get a chance next game if he puts his words into actions and heeds his own advice:

“I got mad at myself because I’ve been having trouble getting motivated on the ice. I was more upset with myself. It was a coincidence that I slept in (Friday),” he said. “I have no one to blame but myself for the situation I am in. I’ve got to get it turned around.
“It’s one thing to say you want to do more. I don’t know why I’m not motivated right now, but it’s got to change.”

He was at practice by 8:30 on Saturday to work with goalie coach Eli Wilson, and hopefully he keeps actually getting work done at practice. And hopefully this is the end of the ongoing goaltending controversy, but don't count on it.

Bass back to Bingo

The Sens sent Cody Bass back to Binghamton Senators on Friday afternoon, but he won't be playing for the B-Sens in tonight's game. Instead, he's going home to Owen Sound for 'personal reasons', presumably to celebrate a somewhat late Chrismas with his family.

Unless someone is returning from injury, the timing of this is strange. BassMaster is coming off what might have been his best game, he was chosen by coach John Paddock over Brian McGrattan for two consecutive games, and he got an assist. He'd also worked well with Nick Foligno and Dean McAmmond to make the fourth line into a more stable and effective line.

Binghamton probably needs his help more than Ottawa, though, as they've been playing a few games short-handed with C-Bass out of the lineup.

Sens drop two in a row

On Saturday night Ottawa lost 4-3 in overtime to the Chicago Blackhawks because of goaltending. The other team got it, Ottawa didn't. It wasn't the first time this season that's happened.

Nikolai Khabibulin looked great while Ray Emery was not playing anywhere near his best. The Bulin Wall stopped all seven of Daniel Alfredsson's shots, and three of five from Dany Heatley. When players like that get stoned, a goalie is one. Rayzor, on the other hand, appeared sluggish--it kind of looked like his pads weighed 200 pounds each--and it looked like he might still have some nagging injury holding him back. I'm sure if he was given the opportunity to play a few games in a row he could bounce back--Rayzor's certainly not a bad goalie, although he didn't look good against Chicago--but the way Martin Gerber has played in his last five games (including the 3-2 loss to Atlanta, where he stopped 42 of 45) The Gerber has earned the start tonight in New York.

Going back to Heater, he was apparently credited with 10 scoring chances. Incredible. He played a great game tonight, and he was rewarded with two goals. Alfie had all sorts of chances and shots, but Khabibulin was always there to stop him. I'm sure Alfie's getting frustrated after missing the net as time ran down on Thursday against Atlanta and then getting stoned repeatedly by Khabi to end his point streak at ten games.

After Heater, Alfie, and Jason Spezza (who also had a grest game), there was no consistenet support--which has been the case for a few games now. At times Dean McAmmond and Shean Donovan looked like they could help, as evidenced by their assists on Heater's first goal and D-Mac's big short-handed tally, but they were only given 6:57 and 2:49 respectively to work with. Meanwhile, Antoine Vermette--who's been disappointing the last couple of games-- and Randy Robitaille--who has shown improvement, but not enough-- were awarded with 19:27 and 17:40 minutes of ice time. M.C. 'Ammer and Shean Don, along with Brian McGrattan (20 secons of ice time), were blamed for the 'Hawks first goal, and were left on the bench most of the rest of the game because of that fact. When Chris Neil takes two stupid, completely useless penalties, the second of which gets the 'Hawks back in the game, he should not be getting almost twelve minutes of ice time. And Neil should never play on the powerplay; while he's useful while standing in front of the net, he's a liability when breaking into the zone because he can't control the puck to save his life.

I'm really beginning to question John Paddock's tactics over the course of this season. Okay, not beginning, I've been questioning him for months now. Continually playing struggling players (Robitaille, Vermette, Chris Kelly) while benching those who are working (McAmmond, Donovan, McGrattan) and over-playing the first-line guys (Spezza, Heatley, Alfredsson) is not at all proactive, and will more than likely hurt this team in the long run. No matter what Paddock says about 'doing what it takes to win,' I don't care about the regular-season. I want this team to have what it takes to win in the playoffs, and if that means playing McGrattan 10 minutes a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, let him have it.

On the other side of the puck, Chicago was great to watch. I had no idea this Patrick Sharp kid was that good, although I'd heard of him, but he had a great game. Obviously, so did Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, but that was to be expected. And then there's Khabibulin, who kept the 'Hawks in it through to the end. Once Cam Barker, Brent Seabrook, and Duncan Keith really develop into the defence corps they appear destined to become, this team will be something else. Didn't see much of Martin Havlat--aptly nicknamed "always injured" by Ben--because he got injured in the second period and left the game, but he did have one or two good chances. Every time I see Mach 9 (or is it Mach 24 now?) come back from injury with guns blazing, I think, "Man, it would be nice to have him here still... " and then I remember how unreliable he is because of his injury problems. When he's healthy, though, he's one of the most exciting in the game.

(P.S. Sorry about the lack of update from the Atlanta game. In my opinion, the Sens made three mistakes--Donovan, Christoph Schubert, and Andrej Meszaros--and paid for all three of them. The Gerber played well enough to keep the Sens in the game, but certainly didn't steal anything.)

Live blog: Sens 3 Bruins 2

First Period:

Decent period. Good first half, not-as-good second half.

In the last few blogs, I've been pretty hard on Randy Robitaille, and I think it's been with good reason. It's only fair, however, to point when when he plays well, and he did so in the first period. He actually won battles, threw a small hit or two, and set up some plays. He had a pretty bad giveaway, but I was pleased all-in-all.
Props to Martin Gerber. He faced 12 shots, including three breakaways, and the only goal he allowed was on a Chuck Kobasew breakaway, and I can hardly blame The Gerber for that one. If he keeps playing as he is, the rest of the team needs to step it up on his behalf.

It must be pretty frustrating to be Daniel Alfredsson right now. By no fault of his own, he's been demoted to the second line to toil with lesser-skilled players, and he's the only reason that second line is generating any pressure right now. Antoine Vermette and especially Chris Kelly really need to step it up if they want to show they deserve some respect as more than role-playing forwards.

On Boston's side, Alex Auld hasn't looked stupendous in nets, but he's made a few saves. One of the most underrated prospects in the league must be Milan Lucic; ever since his play as captain of the Canadian squad in the Super Series against Russia, I've loved this guy's play, and he's had a good game so far. And, of course, Zdeno Chara is dominant.

Second period:

Why isn't anyone shooting the puck? Ottawa got nine shots in the second, but should probably have twice that many if the players would shoot when they're in the zone instead of trying to continually set other guys up. Auld is playing well, but he can't stop them all, fellas; get pucks to the net.

Big Luke! Luke Richardson scored his first of the season. Awesome. Probably the best or at least most surprisingly effective off-season acquisition is now not only being the defensive stalwart this team needs him to be. He's thrown three hits--more than anyone else in the game so far--and has pinched a couple of times effectively. After receiving a beauty pass from Kelly and then sending another one to Vermette, he got the rebound and buried it. Awesome. Even if that's the only goal he scores all year, it's a bonus. And he's already one ahead of Bill Muckalt.

How effective is Chris Neil if all he's going to do is take penalties? His job is to draw penalties, not get called for them. In the last 5 games and two periods tonight, he's got 19 minutes (seven minors and one major) in penalties and two assists. Not really a good trade-off, Neiler. He's also got to work on his physical game, because his timing seems completely off.

Ropes has been demoted. And Brian McGrattan hasn't seen a shift since the first period. I can't say I'm surprised about either; Robitaille had a good first, but slowed down, and this isn't the kind of game Grats is really suited for.

Third period:

Great finish. Who makes it close? Lucic. I see pretty good things for that very big and very young prospect.

For the second time in three games, Jason Spezza finishes with two goals, and continues the search for his first career NHL hat trick. With six goals and thirteen points in the last six games, Spetzky has really stepped it up. As has Dany Heatley, whose one assist gives him nine points in the five games.

Alfie looked quite relieved to be back on the CASH line, and it showed on the score sheet. He demonstrated why it's no less effective to have that line together than to break it up, because that line is all but unstoppable when they're together.

The Gerber played well again and made saves when he had to, stopping 26 of 28 shots he faced. The winning streak extends to six games, and Ottawa plays in Atlanta Thursday night.

Fisher out for a few games

Turns out the oblique-muscle strain Mike Fisher sustained in the Sens' 7-3 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers is serious enough to keep Fish the Dish out of the lineup for at least a few games. According to the Ottawa Sun, he's not going to travel with the team through Boston and Atlanta and thus won't be back in the lineup for at least a week. At least he'll have time to recover from the dental work he's having to repair the chiclets he lost after Scott Walker's headbutt on Dec. 12.

The Sens, as we all know, are already missing Patrick Eaves and Anton Volchenkov, and I remember reading that Brian McGrattan is questionable if not doubtful for Tuesday's game against Boston.

If McGrattan is able to play, it makes it easy for John Paddock; he'll likely keep Cody Bass up with the big team (and maybe move him up, because JP seemed to be pleased with the work of BassMaster) and play Grats on the fourth line. If not, count on another call-up from Binghamton.

Prior to deciding on Bass, Paddock mentioned that his other options were Niko Dimitrakos, Ilya Zubov, or Alexander Nikulin. If the trend we've seen continues, someone other than Sputnik will likely get the chance. Zubov has a better offensive upside, but Dimitrakos likely plays a more defensively responsible style. While I'd like to see Zubov get a chance, I would lean towards NiDi getting the call and subsequent limo drive. Since the B-Sens game scheduled for Hershey tonight has been postponed until later in the week, whoever is called up will probably come straight from Bridgeport to Ottawa tomorrow, once the roads clear a bit.

Reinforcement(s) for game against Atlanta

The Sens brought Cody Bass up from Binghamton today as a replacement for Brian McGrattan, as Grats seems to still be recovering from the shoulder injury he suffered against Pittsburgh.

Bass has eight point (3G, 5A) in 24 games with the B-Sens, and is 6'0" and 211 lbs. Not the same size as McGrattan, but his style of play is probably more suited to a fourth-line shift than either of the Sens' blue-chip Russian prospects, Ilya Zubov and Alexander Nikulin. I'm not sure why Danny Bois wasn't called up, though; he's got more points than Bass, but it may just be to give a younger player a chance (Bass is 20, Bois is 27). It could also be that whoever is called up will be limited in their role, and so bringing an important player like Bois up to play 3 minutes a game is unnecessary when he'd be playing significantly more for the B-Sens in tonight's game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. It would also have been fun to see Jeremy Yablonski up on this team, just to see Yabo smoke someone mixed-martial-arts style.

For some unknown reason, HockeyBuzz.com is reporting that the Sens also called Jeff Glass up from Bingo to back up Martin Gerber tonight. I'm not sure where this information comes from, but no other news source is reporting it--and, in fact, reputable news sources are reporting that Ray Emery is going to be the backup--so I find it hard to believe. Now, I don't want to be overly harsh, but if this in fact turns out to be false, you have to wonder where 'information' like this comes from:

"Jeff Glass has been re-called from Binghamton of the AHL to back-up Martin Gerber tonight when the Atlanta Thrashers come to town. The limo was waiting for Glass immediately following the Baby Sens 4-3 win over Syracuse."

-from HockeyBuzz.com

I guess time will tell. All the best to BassMaster in tonight's game, although John Paddock has said that he's going to get limited ice time--if any.

Gerber steals a win

Well, Mr. Martin Gerber, you sure have a way of making people wonder. You start the season off like hellfire, tear up the league, and then decide to take a few games off. And, after taking said games off and being usurped as the number 1, you bounce back and play amazingly in consecutive games. Possibly his best game of the year on Thursday, when he stopped 26 of 27 to backstop the Sens to a 4-1 win over the Penguins.

The Gerber showed up for the first period when pretty much the rest of the team decided to take it easy. Two weeks ago, he would have allowed a goal or two (or three) on the 13 shots he faced in the first, and the team would have become dejected and given up. Instead, The Gerber stops all of them and the Sens come back hard in the second and even harder in the third. Most notable accomplishment for The Gerber: stopped nine shots from Sid the kid Crosby, including two breakaways. It simply looked like Crosby was frustrated because Gerbs gave him nothing to shoot at.

You know who else had a great game? Chris Phillips. Who am I kidding, of course you know that; post-game coverage has been all about Big Rig. He's been awesome at controlling the puck and protecting it from opponents, and his pass out of the zone is getting to be very valuable. He has almost single-handedly offset the liability that Andrej Meszaros can be at times, when he makes poor decision with the puck or commits to make a hit.

Joe Corvo, on the other hand, didn't have a great game. He had an okay game, and I've liked seeing him alongside Wade Redden, but he made some mistakes in the first period that would have been costly if not for The Gerber. He finished -1 (because his assist, which was a great shot, was on the powerplay), and although he was tagged with no official giveaways, he continued to take low-percentage shots that get blocked and turned over. I'm no Corvo-hater, though; I'm confident he'll rebound, and his value is more than the cost of a few turnovers.

One thing I've noticed since Anton Volchenkov went out with his finger injury is Luke Richardson stepping up, receiving more ice time and responding with great play. Richie played over 14 minutes of ice time against the Pens, and kept it simple in the defensive end--which is exactly what he's got to do. Although Shean Donovan has been playing well of late, Richie has been the most valuable acquisition since the off-season, including Randy Robitaille. Ropes has potential, but he needs to be a little more defensively accountable and get into battles to win them, instead of letting opponents take a cake-walk.

Seven points over two games for Jason Spezza and five for Dany Heatley in those same two games. As frustrating as it is to see Spetzky try and force passes here and there (and, sometimes, everywhere), when he connects on one it usually works. I laughed when he kept the puck to score the empty-netter instead of setting up Heatley for the hat trick. He needs to take a shot once in a while.

Brian McGrattan only played 11 seconds. After those 11 seconds, he faced off against Georges Laracque in a fight, and appeared to separate his shoulder. It is unknown what the degree of the injury is, but if it's bad someone from Bingo will be on his way, likely a role player such as Josh Hennessy or Danny Bois.

What a game! Sens 6, Canes 0

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

McGrattan deserves better

Last night's game against the Dallas Stars, where Brian McGrattan did not play an entire shift, really put an exclamation mark on a trend that coach John Paddock has taken all year: treat Brian McGrattan like shit. And it's getting really old, Paddock.

Grats has been scratched in favour of underachievers, benched for an entire game, and simply ignored for the things he does well. Instead of pouting, though, McGrattan has played well on the next shift, if he got another one. Just the fact that he's on the ice makes the other team a little hesitant, but there's also the fact that he can forecheck well and recently has been creating scoring chances, even. Do we forget how valuable he can be? Let me offer an excerpt from a story from CBC.ca from December 2005:

But the longstanding belief that the team is soft has been obliterated this season. Rookie Brian McGrattan has helped make sure the team won't be trifled with, most notably demonstrated in a tilt with Toronto's Tie Domi earlier in the season.

I remember that fight. It pretty much ended Domi's career, and was the beginning of the end for the Leafs physically pushing around the Sens in regular-season play.

McGrattan deserves better than this, Paddock. Sure he may not be offensively gifted or defensively responsible, but he gets in hard on the forecheck and has played well in his limited ice time he's received this season. In fact, after assembling the statistics, McGrattan is fourth on the team in points-per-minutes-played (ppm). See the chart below:

1. Daniel Alfredsson: 0.06 ppm (40 points, 635 minutes played)
2. Jason Spezza: 0.06 ppm (29 points, 476 minutes played)
3. Dany Heatley: 0.05 ppm (34 points, 633 minutes played)
4. Brian McGrattan: 0.04 ppm (2 points, 49 minutes played)
5. Mike Fisher: 0.03 ppm (18 points, 569 minutes played)
   Seven others tied at: 0.03 ppm

I'm not trying to suggest McGrattan is the fourth most valuable player on this team offensively, and his numbers would likely go down if he played more. But the fact of the matter is that he's not nearly the liability Paddock seems to think he is, and his +/- rating of +2 is better than Mike Fisher (-2), Dean McAmmond (-2), and Randy Robitaille (a pathetic -7). The numbers for Fisher and McAmmond are likely aberrations, but why reward Robitaille (0.02 ppm) with almost 13 minutes of ice time per game, and bench McGrattan? I can guarantee you that if McGrattan was on a line with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, he would have more than four goals to speak for it. He could just stand in front of the net, piss people off, and knock in rebounds.

Give him some freakin' ice time. I realize this isn't house league, but he's earned it and he's not nearly as much of a liability as you seem to think.

Sens super-nova the Stars

Two in a row! Man, that was a great game to watch. And the SensTV HD feed didn't even cut out! They're starting to spoil us! Actually, I guess to spoil us they shouldn't charge $12.99 to watch a game, but whatever.

Best game for the Sens in quite a while. Although it didn't really take much given the way this team had been playing.

The game started off interestingly enough. After Dallas' resident cretin Steve Ott ran Ray Emery (and received a subesequent facewash) and then hit Dany Heatley after the whistle despite the fact that Heater didn't even touch the puck, he lined up with Chris Neil at the faceoff dot, agreed to fight, then turtled when the puck was dropped. Plays like that will get you in trouble sometimes.

Also, plays like that make me wish John Paddock had played Brian McGrattan, even if only for that one shift; if he had challened Ott, you can be guaranteed Ott would have dropped the gloves or been punished a lot worse than the love-taps Neil threw at him. Seriosuly, you couldn't even give Grats one freakin' shift? What the hell! I'm going to post another entry about the value that McGrattan has, but I'll keep this to a game review.

Also in the first period was a great play by Christoph Schubert to offer puck-support, carry the puck in, protect it, and just shoot the puck on net when he couldn't make a play. He was rewarded with a goal, and he's probably got as many points as a defenceman as a forward. Maybe not yet, but it's getting close.

And Antoine Vermette had an incredible goal. I guess once a year he'll score something that makes you wonder how it is even possible... last year's through-the-legs-from-behind-the-goal-line goal, and now this. Wrapping the puck around the defenceman, jumping around him on the other side, losing the puck but then kicking it back up to your stick, and tapping it in five-hole. One of a few consecutive games he's played well, and last night he single-handedly turned his line with Chris Kelly and Neil into a scoring threat.

Emery played well. He only faced 25 shots, but he made some big saves at key times, and wasn't going to take any shit from that hack Ott.

Nick Foligno had another great game, that line with him and Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher is really looking like a great combination. Speaking of Fisher, he scored a great goal with a rocket of a wrist-shot that had the play-by-play guys on SensTV drooling on the mics. It was a little awkward.

Now we get to wait a few days for the continuation of this discontinuous road trip, which will happen in Carolina on Wednesday. I think Emery should start, although last year Martin Gerber played well against the 'Canes. We'll see what Paddock does.

That ought to tide us over for a week...

Solid game for the Senators against the Panthers on Saturday. It was great to see that neither the previous layoff nor the upcoming layoff were so distracting as to lead to a shoddy effort. The team, although they started a little slow in the first, didn't let their upcoming trip to the Muskokas (the second one in two weeks) become a distraction.

A few notable season-firsts in this game: First goal for Shean Donovan, first points for both Brian McGrattan and Randy Robitaille, first point and then first goal for Christoph Schubert, and, of course, first win for Ray Emery.

Patrick Eaves had an outstanding game. He seems to realize that there is some serious competition, not only for ice time, but even for a roster spot. If he wants to stick around on this team, he'll have to continue this type of play to prove he's a second- or third-line player. He generated quite a few chances, played with an aggressive forecheck, and offered a dandy screen on Schubert's goal. He's also a class act; remember how he was the one Ottawa player standing guard around Dean McAmmond when Deaner was injured? Well, today, he was standing right by David Booth when he injured his neck, talking respectably to Olli Jokinen--probably about how he was reading to sick kids or old people in the hospital last night, or something.

Another player who impressed me was McGrattan. While he certainly looked a little tired in the third period--although he only played 5:16--he made stuff happen. He and his linemates, at the time Schubert and Donovan, had a great shift which ended up drawing a penalty on Ruslan Salei. A few minutes later, McGrattan sped down the wing like I've never seen him skate before, and got a decent shot on net. He threw a solid hit on Ville Peltonen, which also knocked the (terrible, terrible) referee over, which was a bonus. The best play, though, was when Grats entered the zone, dropped the puck for Schubert, and it eventually led to Donovan's goal. Great play; McGrattan obviously realizes he's got to add something to his game, and he's apparently been working on it. He wants that roster spot. I was disappointed he got little ice time in the third; does anyone else believe he might deserve more opportunities?

According to an NHL.com article I've heard about, McGrattan is trying to emulate Chris Neil in a transition from enforcer to power-forward. Well, Neiler had a strong game, too. He made all sorts of plays, including one Savardian spin-o-rama to get around the defence. I just wish he didn't have cement hands so he could score on a few of those. In 14:05 of ice time, he got 3 shots and 3 hits, to go along with an assist on Mike Fisher's goal (which opened the scoring).

As mentioned, Booth injured his neck when he was hit awkwardly by Anton Volchenkov. Although Volchie was assessed a 5-minute major and a game misconduct, I think it was merely bad luck. Booth was trying to cut in on Volchenkov, and the Soviet Hammer couldn't stop himself mid-check. I don't foresee any further discipline; Booth is apparently alright, Volchenkov has no priors, and he's known as a clean physical player. A note on Volchenkov's performance, it was very strong, as he'd recorded one hit, two blocked shots, an assist, and was +2 in only 9:22 before being ejected.

Nick Foligno was also hit into the boards awkwardly, and hurt his neck. He left on his own steam, but didn't come back into the game. The Team 1200 said he'll be fine, which is great news. I just don't understand why there was no penalty on Branislav Mezei for his hit on Foligno, while Volchenkov got 15 minutes for his hit. They looked eerily similar. For the record, it was and obvious accident, and Mezei was out of position seeing if Foligno was okay when Fisher scored only seconds after the hit.

Funny (although extremely stressful at the time) mistake by John Paddock after the Volchenkov penalty was over; because no one was serving the 5 minutes in the box, Paddock must not have noticed the penalty was over, and the Sens ended up playing short-handed for an extra 53 seconds. It was absurd... I tried getting a 'One More Player' chant going, but no one joined me. And for all my voice could muster (seriously, I've lost my voice), Paddock couldn't hear me. Finally, Daniel Alfredsson flipped the puck into the Florida bench to get a whistle, and get things organized.

Speaking of Alfredsson, he was amazing--once again. He scored the butter goal, making it 4-1. I won't write too much, because I'll be writing an entry sometime this week about Alfie. I've got to find something to write about in the week off.

Best player for Florida, aside from Tomas Vokoun: Jay Bouwmeester. He played pretty well, much better than I'd expected. I'll revoke my harsh criticism of Bouwmeester, for now, although I stand by my statement that The Hockey News' rankings were terrible.

And, in case you're wondering, Rayzor played well. When Ottawa started slow in the first, he kept them in the game; they were outshot 7-2 at one point, before pouring it on big time. He also made a solid glove-save, proving his wrist is in good shape. If not for Vokoun's 43 saves, though, this game would have been more of a blowout.

Dean! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Mr. Heart-and-Soul Dean McAmmond is once again the victim of a dirty shot to the head. Steve Downie, also known as 'dickhead', has been put on notice (see left) for his charging/elbowing/boarding penalty when he hit D-Mac.

Many of you will remember when Chris Pronger threw his forearm to the head of M.C. 'Ammer, which resulted in a concussion for McAmmond.

Rumour has it that McAmmond's latest injury is a combination head/shoulder injury, likely including a concussion. McAmmond appeared to be bleeding from both his nose and his mouth, and the on-ice crew was seen cleaning it up after the event. McAmmond was talking to paramedics on his way off the ice, and Sportsnet reported at 10:40 p.m. Tuesday night that he was moving his arms and legs.

As someone who was at the game, I can attest to the tension and suspense in the game, as everyone was waiting to see if McAmmond would wave to the crowd to show he was okay. McAmmond lying prostrate on the ice was extremely scary for everyone there, and likely everyone watching. The situation was made more concerning directly after the hit, when a brawl broke out right beside McAmmond. While someone did fall on top of him, and people were all around him, hopefully it didn't worsen the injury.

Downie's got a history of dirty hockey, including most notably an incident with former OHL teammate Akim Aliu, when Downie cross-checked and then fought Aliu during a practice--while on the same team. Wow, class act. See the full story and video here. Count on a suspension to include the pre-season and more, with 12-15 regular-season games coming into effect if and when Downie plays in the NHL, whether that's this season or in the future. If he plays Ottawa this season, Brian McGrattan has said that "he'll get what's coming to him."

In the end, the Sens won the game 4-2, thanks to goals from Daniel Alfredsson (a beauty short-handed breakaway), Joe Corvo (wicked shot from the point), Jason Spezza (the puck hit him and went in), and Shean Donovan (who'll have to thank Chris Neil for it). Ray Emery played the first two periods, surrendering two goals on nine shots. Both Philly goals were glove-side, so either Rayzor's glove-hand is slow, or he was nervous on the prospect of re-injuring the hand he recently had surgery on. Martin Gerber played the third, and stopped all eleven shots he faced--including a few good chances.

It looks like McAmmond will probably miss a lot of action this season, since--given the cumulative nature of head injuries--the team won't risk bringing him back in the lineup too quickly. Christoph Schubert, therefore, will likely play forward, so Larry Nycholat and Luke Richardson will be the sixth and seventh defencemen (though not necessarily in that order). There are then two spots on forward, and two of likely Ilya Zubov, Alex Nikulin, Josh Hennessy, and Nick Foligno will take those spots.

The most important story of the night, however, is obviously the injury to McAmmond. We'll bring more information regarding his status and a Downie suspension as it becomes available. Let's all hope Deaner is alright, and can play again.