All-break stars: Devils 4, Sens 1

The Senators returned from the All-Star Break with an effort that contrasted their four games going into the break, but looked a lot like most games they've played this season: All-break stars. Star players who've taken the year off.

Twenty-two shots, including zero for Jason Spezza, zero for Mike Fisher, one for Daniel Alfredsson, and two for Dany Heatley--even though Ottawa had five powerplay opportunities. Ten players on the minus, including each of the big three at -2 and Filip Kuba and Alex Picard tied for a team-worst -3 (although at least Picard had the Sens only goal off a one-timer pass from Alfie). It wasn't pretty one bit.

I'm not going to rag on Brian Elliott, because he wasn't the problem.

The problem was that the Sens weren't ready to play when the game started. And they didn't really wake up as the game went on. And the result demonstrated that fact.

One bright spot: In Anton Volchenkov's return, he was even, had four hits, and three blocked shots. Thank you, Volchenkov.

That's all I have to say, really. If the Senators continue playing like this for a couple more weeks, they'll make Bryan Murray's decisions a bit easier, because he doesn't really have to wonder whether or not it's time to throw in the towel on the year.

Not working: Devils 5, Sens 1

It didn't work. Juggling the lines, keeping them that way, playing the guys with a relatively equitable distribution of ice time, playing Alex Auld, reintroducing Anton Volchenkov, benching Jason Spezza, whatever. Nothing.

Earlier in the year, we could at least say we'd solved our defence problems, even if we weren't scoring. Right now, neither are going right. Nine goals against in two games, two goals for. Ottawa went 0-fer again on the powerplay, and New Jersey was 3-for-4 (even if the Sens did score an SHG; good on Jarkko Ruutu for scoring a short-handed goal, off a nice pass from Chris Kelly).

Let's forget about this game. Bring on the Dallas Stars, maybe while they're in town Bryan Murray can lay the groundwork for a deal once the roster freeze is... thawed?

Sens lose to Devils

Wednesday night, 3-2 in overtime. I don't want to talk about it.

Sens' Impudence ruins Devils debut at Prudential Centre

Take that, New Jersey Devils team. We had no respect for your old Continental Airlines Arena, and we made its going-away party a loss to be remembered. And we, the Senators, picked up where we left off and pissed all over your opening-night party at the brand-new, state-of-the-art, almost-finished-being-constructed, terribly-iced, Bon-Jovi-ridden Prudential Center. The only thing more disrespectful would have been for captain Daniel Alfredsson to win the ceremonial faceoff, take the puck, skate down the ice, fire a slapper past Martin Brodeur, and then after the game to take Dorothy Brodeur out to a nice steak dinner and never call her again. But Dorothy Brodeur is a saint, and there wasn't enough time because the Sens only have four days to kill before next game. Compared to the week we've had to wait for this one, it'll seem like nothing.

The Sens were outshot 18-5 in the first period for another slow start, but Martin Gerber was good enough to stop a few pucks and keep Ottawa in it. Andy Meszaros scored in the second to give the Sens the lead, only to have Brian Gionta tie the game a short while later by banking a shot off Gerber's pad into Anton Volchenkov's feet and then into the net. Then Shean Donovan decided he liked the attention he got after a goal last game, so he scored again. And Big Fish Mike Fisher added a goal to make it 3-1, and the win was capped off with an empty net goal from the man himself, Alfredsson. Then he fell at centre ice, probably because Jon Bon Jovi ruined the ice with his pre-game concerts.

Of course, some honourable mentions go to Chris "the franchise" Kelly, and I want to let Volchenkov know that we don't blame him for knocking the puck into our own net. Patty Eaves had a good game, too, and he hit the post early in the game.

Look for Ray Emery to start next game against the lowly Atlanta Thrashers.

Better know an Enemy: The Fightin' Devils!

The Sens Army blog recently posed some questions to Jeremy Kenter of Devilsdaily.com blog. I seemed to insult the Devils with my final question, but Jeremy fires back! Enjoy!

Sens Army: What's wrong with Martin Brodeur this season?

Historically, Martin Brodeur is known to be a slow starter. He started last season at 5-4 while allowing 26 goals over the first nine games. This season, he was forced to start seven consecutive road contests against fierce competition. Of the seven games, five were against 2006-7 playoff teams (Rangers, Senators, Lightning, Thrashers, and Penguins). He finished with a record-breaking 48 regular season victories this past season, after an average start. In 2005-2006, Brodeur started out 4-5 and the season before that, he was 4-3-2 before securing 38 victories on the season. I am not worried about his rather slow start, as we see from his historically weak starts, yet big finishes, when it matters most. He is still Marty and one of the game’s greatest goaltenders. There are definitely others out there playing superbly and it’s possible that Brodeur’s age and his wear and tear are taking a number on him. I’d still rather have him in net than anyone else out there. (I am more worried about the Devils defensive unit, PP, PK, and inability to score).

Are you missing Scott Gomez?

The Devils are missing Scott Neidermayer and Scott Stevens, not Scott Gomez. They are generating plenty of offensive chances and they’ve had many power plays where they could not find the net. Gomez was known as a passer, not a scorer, and besides… is he really getting paid $10 million for an average 60-point scorer? That means Sidney Crosby, Jaromir Jagr, and Martin Brodeur are making more right? Guess again. He was a member of two Cups, won rookie of the year honors, and is a pretty good player. I definitely would not have signed Zubrus over him even thought the money was nearly half the price. I am disappointed that the Devils did not sign Daniel Briere, as I believe that he is worth the $10 mil per year jackpot. Sweet Lou Lamoriello had other plans, ones I am almost starting to question.

Who is the Devils' most underrated player?

Jamie Langenbrunner- He is the point man on the power play, a veteran of this game, and is going to be a huge part of the team when he returns from groin surgery during the offseason. He had seven game-winners last season, including 22 power play points, en route to a 60-point campaign. Are there others who can be on this list? Truthfully, I need to see them better before changing my mind.

Where do you expect the devils to finish in the conference this season?

Where the Devils will finish in the conference this season- that is a difficult question to answer. From their poor start and heavy Eastern Conference competition this season, they can finish out of the playoffs for the first time in over 10 years. Knowing this, the odds are that the Devs will place in the bottom half of the eight teams who qualify for the playoffs. I just cannot see them missing the postseason, even with an inefficient defensive core and inability to score goals on offense.

After the sens whopping the devils last year in the playoffs, how do you
expect to beat the sens on Saturday?

I respect the Senators greatly for what they did to the Devils last postseason. Let’s not forget that the Sens got their asses kicked by the Ducks in the Stanley Cup (when it mattered most). The playoff games were closer than the 4-1 series dictated. Four of the five games were decided
by one goal.

In regards to your question, the Devs will need to generate many scoring opportunities, step up their penalty kill, and use the fans as momentum, while playing in the Prudential Center for the first time ever. The Sens are a well-balanced team, up and down their roster. In my opinion, they are the best team in the NHL right now. To upset the Sens, Patrik Elias, Brian Gionta, and numerous others must be on their “A” and not “C” game, from start to finish. Head coach Brent Sutter must find a way to neutralize Alfredsson, Heatley, and Spezza, who have already combined for 36 points in the first nine games (8-1-0). To be honest, they remind me of the famous saying referred to Michael Jordan. “You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.” The same holds true for these fine gentlemen, who have excelled in the league with their lightning-fast speed, quick release on their shot, and terrific passing skills.

That's all folks! Go Sens!

Sens Defeat Devils Roundtable

Tonight, watching the game with friends, I will go around the room and get everyone's impressions regarding the Senators recent defeat of the New Jersey Devils.

Nick: Oh wow, okay the NJ "Brodeurs" were shut down because they're a 1 goalie team, and once you bypass the trap by dumping into their zone and chasing the puck, you've pretty much screwed over new jersey... just like Pittsburgh once you shut-down these 2-player teams, they've got nothing.

Jamie: Fuck yeah - 'nuff said.

Shawn: I lost my drugs. Good game! ...I also lost dinner because I bet Kyle that New Jersey would take the series in six.

Kyle: Again Emery did not have to play amazingly because their the NJ offense didn't show up. Hahah - they turned into another Vancouver.

Ben: A great game by the sens. Emery was there when we needed him and the top line continues to kick ass. When the CBC audio stopped and they had to pick up the Versus audio stream, I noticed that other commentators actually give Ray Emery credit. It was fantastic. I want to listen to the rest of the game through Versus - way to go John Vanbiesbrouck!

Gray: My impression was that I was impressed... Can't say I was there, Ben. (Ben's note: he wasn't really paying attention - he was tending to the fried egg sandwiches.)

Asha: I thought it was kick ass. It was kick ass because it means we're going to the third round.
Well said Asha, well said. GO SENS GO!!! ROUND THREE MOFOS!!!

Very funny Marty!

"Ray Emery doesn't look too good right now" - Martin Brodeur

"Martin Brodeur is shit on a stick" - Ben

In the NHL playoffs there's no strategy quite like the ol' 'scramble for a reason', and I think that's what Brodeur is doing.If the Devils should have realized anything by now, it's that the only way to shake Ray Emery is to score goals - and that's a job they seem to have forgotten about recently... shutout streak anyone?

Emery, unlike some previous Senators goaltenders, has a sound mental game. He's just way too cocky to allow anything to effect him - the man has an ego barrier that's 3-feet thick.

It's the same case in the Vancouver - Anaheim series, you can't win games without scoring goals. No matter what the performance of the goaltender, the team has to pick up the slack and put some shots on the net. To the credit of the Senators' defenders, this is something that the Devils have had a difficult time doing.

(PS: Nice try by Luongo and the 'Nucks, but they've gotta get some offence to go with that crazy goaltending... Everyone loves twins, but if they can't score goals...)

It's kinda like I said near the beginning of the series over at the 2manadvantage comments section:
"We have a goalie and Dany Heatley - beat that."

Boyakasha: Sens go up 3-1 on Devils

I had the pleasure of attending game three of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals at the Scotiabank Place, and I'll tell you what: The place was rockin'. The Sens didn't disappoint, either, holding on against the Devils attack in the third to maintain a 3-2 lead. Ottawa's now within one win of clinching a berth into the Eastern Conference Finals!

Now, onto a bit of a game recap. I'll take you through the play; It was the second shift of the game for the CASH line, and--as if they sensed something was about to happen--the 20,000-plus Senators fans in attendance began chanting, "ALFIE! ALFIE! ALFIE!" The captain responded, and a beauty pass from Dany Heatley gave Daniel Alfredsson an open shot in the slot.

Ten ridiculously tense minutes after the Devils' Brian Gionta tied the game in the second period, Heater restored Ottawa's lead with a goal that banked in off Brodeur's leg. A few minutes into the third, Mike Fisher took a shot through a screen from just inside the blue line that fooled Martin Brodeur, and Ottawa went up 3-1 in the game. Jay Pandolfo made it interesting (as if we weren't excited enough) half-way through the third, but Ottawa held on for a 3-2 victory.

The entire team played well, but here are a few unsung heroes who really stood out:

Chris Neil: Sweet dangle in the third period looked nice, even if it didn't result in a goal. He was out on a solid forecheck once again, hitting left, right, and centre of the ice. A great game.

Oleg Saprykin: What can I say, I love this guy. He's been a man possessed in his few games played, unfortunately for Brian McGrattan and Patrick Eaves (who, according to TSN.ca, is still not near to returning). Digging in the corners, backchecking... he should have drawn three or four penalties at least, and then got called for a bogus trip. He probably deserved some powerplay time, or at least a shift in the third period. Considering he only played 5:37, he had an impact. I wouldn't mind if he stuck around next year, he's certainly no Tyler Arnason.

Jason Spezza: Alright, he's not an unsung hero. At all. But he has to be given credit for something he hasn't historically been known for: Defensive responsibility. Second game in a row he's blocked a shot, which I can (almost) guarantee is a record for him.

Dean McAmmond: Outstanding forecheck, and a great night for penalty killing. He finished +1 and played just over 13 minutes, which is a solid outing for M.C. 'Ammer/D-Mac/Deaner (take your pick).

Obviously, the usual guys maintained their amazing pace (another six blocked shots for Anton Volchenkov, and Alfredsson looked outstanding). One last thing is a defense of Ray Emery. I don't know why I should have to do it, but I've now heard him referred to as "shaky" in two consecutive post-victory post-game shows. In tonight's game, he saved 29 of 31 shots, and looked solid when he had to. One reason for Ottawa's success is that they finally have faith that their 'tender won't let in a weak goal, and can come up big when they screw up. Like in game three, when Joe Corvo gave the puck away right in front of the net. Emery's earned two shutouts so far, and his save percentage is getting progressively better as he starts facing more shots. And what do stats matter when the team gets the win, anyway?

A few apologies from game three: First, to the guy on my right, I think I might have hit you in the face with my pom-pom. I tried to shake it forward. And second, to the lady to my left, I hope that headache you got wasn't from my yelling. Although it probably was.

So, only one more win to move forward. Hopefully it happens on Saturday in New Jersey (puck drop is at 8:00 p.m. again). I'll make sure to let you know if I'm going, because I'm definitely entertaining the possibility of a road trip.

Better Know an Enemy: The Fightin' Devils!

For giggles, Patricia from 2manadvantage.com and I exchanged some questions about our respective teams, here are the sometimes hilarious, sometimes curiously insightful results.

Ben: Who is the backup goalie for the Devils and does he know how to skate?
Patricia: Believe it or not, I am actually the backup goalie for the Devils. My skating abilities aren't the best in the world, but if Marty did happen to die on ice, I think we'd have a relatively decent shot with me between the pipes.

...or, more likely, I'd be decapitated by the first Dany Heatley shot that whizzed my way.

Who are the Devils' Leafs? (ie: a team that you would like to spontaneuosly combust and then piss on the ashes)
We Devils fans tend to really not like the Philadelphia Flyers. It's more or less a 'hey, your fans are assholes' type of deal though. Honestly, don't really have too much of a problem with the team itself, and without Floppa on the team anymore to make fun of, there isn't much I can really do with Philly right now. There were times when we could say the Rangers, Leafs, and to an extreme lesser extent, the Hurricanes were our 'jeez, the league would be better if you didn't exist' teams, but unfortunately, that heat just ain't there anymore. It's quite disappointing, really.

Who is the Devil's #1 D-man that will be assigned to shut-down the Spalfredheat line? (It's the best name we have so far - Spezza, Alfredsson, Heatley)
Wow, the sheer awesomeness of that name took my breath away for a second. Whew. The best we seem to have right now is the "ZZ-Pop line" for our wonderful Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner line. I hate it.

Alas, to answer the question at hand, I'd have to give the #1 D-man responsibility to Johnny Oduya.

...just kidding.

No, really, I think Richard Matvichuk and Brad Lukowich are two key players for the Devils. Number one defensemen they are not, but they're some of the only size we have left these days and Mr. 'chuk seems to be amazingly versatile for a man who is coming off of a dangerous, sometimes career ending season-long salary cap injury. Brian Rafalski is our poor man's Scott Niedermayer, and I'll tell you what -- I sure as hell miss Nieds. Stupid Ducks...

Now that Scott Steven is gone, who is most likely to end someone's career (and possibly life) with a hit?
If I didn't say Cam Janssen, all of Toronto Maple Leaf nation would threaten to end MY life. I'm still bitter about that, you know. Yes, I will FULLY admit it was a late hit on Mr. Kaberle, but dude hit the boards awkwardly! Can't fault Janssen for an awkward fall! Yeah, we can get super technical and say that if Cammie J never hit Kaberle to begin wtih, then he wouldn't have nearly snapped his neck against the boards, but you know what? That's hockey. You live with it, you die by it. Hockey's a rough sport. Deal.

What's the state of NHL hockey in New Jersey? We see alot of empty seats on TV...
Yeah, uh, we kind of have a problem getting butts in the seats. Have you seen the sorry state our arena is in though,a nd I don't mean the state of New Jersey itself wise-akers! Seriously, the arena is in the middle of nowhere and worse yet, in the middle of all that nowhere, there's a gigantic sea of parking garage construction. We got this whole Xanadu garbage going on now -- the Devils are getting a new arena in Newark and the remnants of the Continental Arena are turning into some super mall or something...I don't know. Thing is, the fans (yes, we HAVE fans) just don't want to spend $150+ to sit in an eyesore of an arena in the middle of swamps and parking garage construction. And, really, there ain't much to exactly entice the fans either. I mean, seriously, when unscrambling the name "COLIN WHITE" on the jumbotron is the best you have to offer for entertainment value outside of the game itself, there's something seriously wrong.

I once called the NJ Devils "laziest team in hockey" and "from a pure spectator perspective, they produce the worst hockey games in the NHL" - do they deserve the reputation as a defense-first team?
Hardly. Long gone are the days of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, and Ken Daneyko. When your top defensive unit more or less consists of Colin White and Brian Rafalski, you're NOT a defense-first team. Problem is, we, uh, kind of aren't really an offense-first team either. At the end of the day, it comes down to Marty. Marty stinks up the joint, the team obviously begins to falter. He shines, the rest of the team shines. Really, if it were possible for a goalie to be the Cap'n, he'd be ours. Patrik Elias isn't exactly a Joe Sakic or Steve Yzerman, you know? I'm just not quite sure how to really describe this particular New Jersey Devils team. We've seen huge offensive threats like the 2001 team (a la A-Line and Mogilny/Gomez), and we've seen defensive domination like the shutdown capabilities of Stevens, Niedermayer, and the John Maddens and Jay Pandolfos of 2003, but the 2007 team is in a class of its own...and I'm not quite sure that's a good OR bad thing.

If the Devils don't win the series will Lou Lamoirello look like a total ass for firing Julien?
Not at all. Claude Julien never found a place with the team. Believe it or not, a lot of Devils fans called for Julien's firing merely WEEKS into the season...a bit much, eh? Well, sure, they didn't really give Claude much of a chance but I think their initial thoughts of him were on point -- he never really fit with the team. There are two extreme sides of coaching -- you have the hard-ass-bad-guys and the I'm-going-to-be-your-best-friend-guys. In between, theres a whole mess of variation. The Devils actually need one extreme or the other -- the Pat Burnses (Bad Cop) and the Larry Robinsons (Good Cop). Claude was more or less a "hey, I'm here if you guys need me, but I'm going to let you make the decisions and whatever that decision is, I'll be okay with it" kind of guy...it didn't work. Some teams, it would work, but for New Jersey, it's gotta be one way or the other. Does that, uh, make sense at all? Ha.

Good luck to the Devils in game 4! No... seriously, I hope they die.

From Scotiabank Place to your brain - post game report!

I attended Monday's fine match between the Senators of Ottawa and the Devils hailing from Nouveau-Jersey. The Senators prevailed - we did not fall into their trap. Enough of the niceties...

Now to be an ass: New Jersey is a boring team. They wanted to win that game 1 - 0 and then stand in the crease for the rest of the game. Luckily, the Senators enjoy winning by more than one goal... and thank God that Brodeur allowed a goal in the third period instead of in the third overtime because I would not have been able to stand it.

On the other hand, it could have gone the other way quite easily. Emery did not allow a goal, but he didn't look completely comfortable all the time - he'll have to play better to end this series in 5.

Oh the irony! The Senators nearly scored right before the end of the first (?) period, and Scotia bank place was going to explode. But the period was clearly over before the puck went in the net, but if we had a nice little 1.5 second buffer like in New Jersey, it could have been a different story.

I totally saw Ian Mendes and Brent Wallace talking before the game outside Scotiabank Place, I wanted to say 'hi' and take a picture but I was nervous. Should I be this excited about local celebrities? They both do the Sens Underground podcast from time to time - very cool of them. Still... I wonder if they hate each other...

...and the sens - sick 'em? Next game we take a bite out of them.

Looking forward to game 3: "Sick 'em"

The Senators deserve to be ahead in this series, but they will have to earn it. Tonight is the night to show that killer instinct and win the momentum. Bryan Murray has said that this is a changed team from previous years - now is the time to show it by stopping the Devils' momentum and breaking some NJ hearts.

We've seen that Ray Emery is matching the performance of Martin Brodeur and at no point this series has goaltending been an issue for the Senators - it's more the offense that has to step up their game and embarrass the Devils. Dany Heatley has been coming on strong, accumulating 5 points in his last 2 games, if this trend continues I see no reason that the Senators should not win Game 3 tonight and regain the advantage in the series.

Delayed reaction... WE WIN!

Ben, 7:28 Friday night: "Wow... we won!"

Due to some poor timing (both on the part of myself and the Senators) I managed to miss each and every one of the Senators goals last night. But I hear they were good. I watched them earlier today on TSN broadband, and wow, Martin Brodeur did suck. Ray Emery sucked just as much later in the contest, but luckily he sucked about 1 goal less.

Once again, I've gotta give it up to the Captain (and future Prime Minister of Canada) Daniel Alfredsson. When he's playing well, we win. It's just that simple. Not to mention the fact that Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza were ON during the game.

Dean "role player" McAmmond also scored during some clutch times to keep the team afloat.

Be Red:
Did it occur to anyone in the Senators management that the sens might play a team that also wears red? The Toronto Raptors had a similiar incident during their opening game, as the New Jersey Nets arrived for the tip-off wearing the same shade of red as the entire Toronto crowd. The Devils will be wearing their white 'away' jerseys when they play the sens at Scotiabank Place, but still, it kinda diminishes the effect.

Game 2:
I expect an entirely different game. It'll probably 3-2 or 2-1 (sens win of course), plus it's on Saturday, prime beer-drinking time. Did you know that Dany Heatley scores 45% of his goals during Saturday night games? Well you shouldn't, because that's a lie.

New Jersey Bloggers:
Go to my profile, send me an email and we'll get a little Q&A going to post before game 2 or 3. We can talk about which goalie is more likely to slash the other in the face.

Second Round Predictions

Well after going 7-1 in the first round you might say I'm fairly confident, but let's be realistic here... it wasn't exactly a round swimming in a pool of controversy. The better teams won for the most part, end of story. (Atlanta just didn't show up to play, good job Hossa! and frankly Dallas deserved to win that series but just lost discipline when it mattered, well that and Roberto had different plans.)

1 - Ottawa vs New Jersey

This is pretty much a 180 from what Ottawa faced in the first round. Instead of the potent offense and lack of playoff experience they found in Pittsburgh, they now face a team with dominant defense and oozing playoff experience (12 current Devils players have a stanley cup ring on their finger, 9 of those have more than just one.) Some might find that worrying, but Ottawa has come into their own this year, they may not have the rings to show their experience but they are certainly not playoff virgins by now. Can the Devil's defense shut down Alfie, Heater & Spezz? Maybe. Too bad Ottawa has more scoring depth than a hooker on New Year's.

Ottawa in six.

2 - Buffalo vs New York

So maybe New York CAN play hockey, who woulda known. If nothing else I'd watch one of these games just to see Sean Avery kick Andrew Peters' ass, and then score a goal. New York may have looked impressive against Atlanta, but that was more of the Thrashers looking down right horrible against the Rangers. Buffalo's just too stacked I'm afraid.

Buffalo in seven.

3 - Vancouver vs Anaheim

The 'Nucks - Stars series was possibly one of the most boring playoff series I can remember. I'm not sure if it was the All-Star goaltending on both sides or just that neither team could put the puck in the friggen net. Either way, I'd love to see an all-Canadian cup this year, but that's not gonna happen. Roberto is awesome but unless he suddenly is able to start shooting pucks into the Ducks net after he makes a save, Vancouver just doesn't have the offense to compete with Anaheim.

Anaheim in five.

4 - Detroit vs San Jose

There is always one series that I don't care about and this round it's this one. I could ramble on about Thornton, then ramble more about Hasek... but for me this series comes down to one thing. Will Hasek get tired of playing hockey and suddenly pull his groin? If he does then San Jose wins, if he doesn't then Detroit does.

Detroit in seven.

I would just like to take a final second to point out that Maggie the Monkey knows jack all about hockey. She may have picked the Edmonton - Carolina final last year... but she picked Pittsburgh over Ottawa this year! Seriously! Bad monkey! Good thing she's taken Ottawa this round.

Cheers, enjoy the Second Round.

Know your enemy

It's coming down to crunch time, and if you're like me, you spend the sens off-nights watching the scoreboards for games that could possibly effects the Senators in the playoffs. Right now, there are only two teams that effect the Senators playoffs other than the sens themselves: New Jersey and Pittsburgh, so I thought we could look into what they're doing for their upcoming games.

New Jersey:
The laziest team in hockey is playing Philadelphia on Thursday and the NY Islanders on Monday. Right now, those look like wins to me - and I'm rooting for them too. If New Jersey maintains first place in their division then they'll play the 7th seed. As of posting time, that's the NY Rangers.

Everyone should know by now that I hate the Devils - not out of frustration or spite, like the Leafs - but from a pure spectator perspective, they produce the worst hockey games in the NHL, especially when both goalies are hot like in the last game.

Looking at the stats of Martin Brodeur, who is probably the only reason that anyone knows that New Jersey has a team, the sens don't want to play him.

Pittsburgh:
TSN tells us we're supposed to fear the Penguins - but I can no longer trust the judgment of TSN, they thought that Tie Domi would make a good commentator. There's a rumor going around that the Penguins are too young to understand the pressure of the playoffs, and therefore they should be good... at.... them? I'm calling your bluff. This is bull.

Crosby's team plays Ottawa on Thursday and the Rangers on Saturday. If the Senators beat the Penguins on Thursday they will face Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs, assuming NJ beats Philadelphia or the Islanders, or ties each of them - and I'd say that's a pretty safe bet.

Heatley needs two goals in these last two sens games in his Drive for Five-ty. I hoped he makes them - I would hate to put a #48 on his back.

Pens or Devils?

So unless lightening strikes down Martin Brodeur in the next couple of days it's looking like our First Round match-up is going to be against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that hasn't seen Playoff action since 2001 when they were eliminated in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final against... that's right none other than the New Jersey Devils! (Who went on to lose in 7 Games to the Colorado Avalanche backstopped by another All-Star goalie, Ben's idol, Patrick Roy.)

But the question is... in a perfect world, if we could have our choice between the Pens or the Devils who would we choose?

Well for me that's really a simple decision. I'm a strong believer in experience leading to success, I mean how can you expect to be great at something you've never tried before? There's a reason they say "Practice Makes Perfect"! One person who has practice and experience oozing from every pore of his body is Martin Brodeur... shall we take a look?

In all time records, Brodeur is:

• 2nd place - Most wins (491)
• 3rd place - Most shutouts (92)
• 1st place - Most overtime wins (45)
• Most consecutive 30-win seasons (11)
• Most consecutive 35-win seasons (10)
• Most 40-win seasons (6)
• Only NHL goalie to score a game-winning goal
• One of only 2 NHL goalies to score a goal in
  both the regular season and the playoffs

And in the Playoffs:

• Most shutouts in a playoff year (7, in 2002-03)
• 2nd place - Most shutouts (21)
• 3rd place - Most wins (89)

*Coughs*... yea.... So sure, the Penguins may have 3 of the best young players in the league in their league leading points man Sidney Crosby, their league short-handed goal leader Jordan Staal, and their soon-to-be rookie of the year Evgeni Malkin... but where is their experience? And please don't tell me in Gary Roberts, holy way past his prime.

When it comes down to it, if Brodeur is on his game it doesn't matter how much offensive firepower your team has, the man can totally shut down a series. So hey, you may disagree, but I will GLADLY take Pittsburgh over New Jersey in the first round. They're a lot like Ottawa a few years ago, young, naive and skilled... so here's to being the Toronto to their Ottawa!... older, slower, more grunt-like, and less skilled? Okay so maybe it's a bad comparison but you get the idea. Stay tuned for my first round playoff predictions from around the league, I gotta at least be able to beat the monkey. Cheers!

Who do you fear more?

It seems to be the question on every sens fan's mind right now: Who do you fear more? The youthful and offensively potent Pittsburgh Penguins or the stifling defense of the New Jersey Devils?

Personally, I fear the Devils. Not because of their defensive abilities, but rather because watching New Jersey games is about as exciting as watching soccer without the potential for a post-game riot. It's just boring!

The New Jersey Devils are everything that is/was wrong with the NHL. They don't score goals, they play the trap to death, and they're perfectly happy with a 1-0 win. They depend on Brodeur more than the 1998 Buffalo Sabres depended on Dominik Hasek.

So I say BRING ON THE PENS. I would rather see the Senators eliminated from the playoffs than sit through four or more games against the New Jersey Devils.