The Curse of the European Experiment

Feb. 23, 2009: Tom Renney, NYR: 31-23-7, 69 points, winning percentage: .566

Feb. 15, 2009: Michel Therrien, PIT: 27-25-5, 59 points, winning percentage: .517

Feb. 2, 2009: Craig Hartsburg, OTT: 17-27-7, 41 points, winning percentage: .402

Nov. 15, 2008: Barry Melrose, TBL: 5-7-4, 14 points, winning percentage: .437

Four coaches. Four teams that started the season in Europe, two (Ottawa and Pittsburgh) in Sweden and two (New York and Tampa Bay) in Finland. Is it a coincidence? Probably. But it might not be.

A season begun in Europe means a lot of things. One positive thing Sens fans were looking for was team bonding, bringing a team that had a difficult year and some significant changes closer together under the team's banner. It also means, however, an unusually shortened training camp and atypical exhibition games. It means a circus-like beginning to the season, that cuts into the regular season, and certainly offers some distraction from the team's focus on the season. I don't know if any of that affected these teams' respective performance this season, but it's a very interesting coincidence.

Next season, four more games in Europe: Detroit versus St. Louis in Stockholm, and Chicago takes on Florida in Helsinki. Let's see how that goes.

Fight card: Sens v. Pens, Dec. 6, 2008

Eric Godard v. Chris Neil, 10:55 second period:



Verdict: I've got to give it to Godard. Although Neil held his own well, especially in his first game back after knee surgery and with a 3" height disadvantage, I counted five connected hits for Godard versus only three or so for Neil. Great fight, though, and it ended with sportsmanship.

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

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

Positives:

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

Negatives:

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

The wrap:

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

Pre-game: Sens v. Pens, Dec. 6, 2008

Third game of the season against Pittsburgh, and the only real home game after the games played in Stockholm to start the season. The Sens are 1-0-1 against the Penguins so far this season, but are still 12 points behind the Pens in the standings (albeit with two games in hand).

Sens roster notes include the return of Chris Neil, who's back after having arthroscopic knee surgery earlier than anticipated. Ryan Shannon was already sent back to Binghamton, but because Dean McAmmond is still out with the throat infection, Cody Bass will still draw into the lineup. Neiler and the BassMaster, and throw in Jarkko Ruutu on the same line for good measure; plenty of grit in the lineup tonight. On defence, Alex Picard is a game-time decision with that wrist injury, but if he's out Christoph Schubert will play defence once again tonight. I thought he didn't look out of place last game, which is more than you can say for many of Schubert's previous games on defence this season.

Although the Penguins haven't strung together consecutive victories in about a month (3-2-0 in their last six), Sidney Crosby is tearing it up. He's got 14 points (6G, 6A) in five games, but is still second to Evgeni Malkin (who has 41 points) on team scoring. After them the next Penguin in scoring is Miroslav Satan with 19 points. On the injury front, Tyler Kennedy (also known as 'Ugly Crosby' or 'The Ugliest Jonas Brother') won't be in the lineup with a knee injury that will keep him out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks. They're also still missing defencemen Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney.

So we'll see what happens. The Sens have had some success containing Crosby and Malkin in the past, but these kids just keep getting stronger and smarter. With the CASH Line (apparently) rolling and Alex Auld playing some great hockey, though, the Sens certainly have the ability to beat the Pens--as long as the team shows up and plays their game.

No Habs No! note: After getting interviewed on Puck Daddy yesterday, we've received yet another donation supporting the Campaign. To donate, send any amount to sensarmyblog@gmail.com via PayPal. You can also support the Campaign on Facebook by visiting the official No Habs No! page. The Habs are playing the Devils tonight, and I'm really hoping to write another letter to someone on the Devils; Patrick Elias, do you hear me? Zach Parise? It doesn't matter who, but some Devil score a winner tonight. Preferably in regulation time.

Sens lose opener 4-3 in OT

For a first game of the year, it was alright. The Sens had some good things to take out of the 4-3 OT loss to Pittsburgh in the season opener in Stockholm, Sweden--notably one point in the standings. But it still left something to be desired.

I will begin with the most obvious: Martin Gerber had a terrible game. All four goals were stoppable, and three of them were of the very weak category--including the one off the first shot of the game. I'm sure Gerber will be the first to tell you how disappointed he was in his performance. I assumed, however, the team would go back with Darth Gerber for today's rematch, but apparently the team has elected to start Alex Auld, instead. Apparently his play wasn't the deciding factor, but it must have factored in at some point. Let the haters hate, I still think (hope?) Gerber can bounce back. At the outset of the season I predicted 35 wins or more for Gerber.

After Gerber, it was evident that Brian Lee and Alex Picard struggled at times. They are both young, and I expect nothing less than some time to adjust to the speed of the NHL game and each other's style. Filip Kuba wasn't tremendous, although he wasn't bad, but Jason Smith was just as described. He was also a pretty good passer, which isn't why he was signed but is a nice bonus. Team defence was pretty good at clearing Gerber rebounds away from danger, which is one thing that Gerber needs to be an effective goaltender--his game is supposed to be sound positional hockey, stopping the first shot so the team can clear the rebound. All he has to do now is stop the first shot.

The second-most evident shortcoming was an errant Jason Spezza dump-in that turned into the game-winning goal. It was a poor play from a player who, up to that point, had a great game. It was the same kind of mistake Spezza has been making since junior. It is something he will have to learn from, and move forward without repeating it. I don't buy the argument that asking Spezza to make the smart play when in a vulnerable position is stifling to his creativity; it's simply smart hockey.

Dean McAmmond and Shean Donovan were effective on the fourth line, and combined to score a great goal. Chris Neil had a good start to the season, drawing a penalty and showing good discipline in not retaliating. He'll have to keep that up. Nick Foligno had a solid game, but should be given an opportunity to play second-line minutes to be truly effective. And Jesse Winchester was rarely visible, but his game isn't flashy.

As much as some personal faults are to blame in this game, you've also got to chalk some up to adjustment. The team has had limited practice time, and is very different than it was last year. The season look ugly at the start, but Craig Hartsburg is implementing a new system that all parties will have to get used to.

So the rematch comes today, at 2:30, and the Sens will have an opportunity to turn this road trip around. With a win, the team will have earned 3 of a possible 4 points in a difficult road trip.

Real season begins tomorrow!

It is finally almost here, Sens Army! RISE UP! RISE, FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE SENS ARMY! Hahahahaha... memories... I just watched that video again, so embarassing.

Anyway, ahem, the season is almost here, Sens fans. Tomorrow, Saturday, October 4, at 2:30 p.m. EST, the Senators face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first-ever NHL game in Sweden. Both teams will certainly be motivated, and both teams are fresh off 4-1 wins over European club teams--the Senators defeating the Frolunda Indians, and the Penguins took care of the Helsinki Jokerit. The game is on CBC on television and on TEAM 1200 on the radio. And it should be good.

Here to debrief you on the Penguins pre-season, so you know what to expect for the game, is good friend of Sens Army Blog (despite his allegiances) Frank D of Pensburgh:

"No matter how meaningless the preseason may be, it's still nice when your team goes 4-0-1 and shows no signs of sputtering in the aftermath of roster shakeups from the offseason. But the one thing that definitely puts a hinder on things is when your power-play's #1 D-man goes down with an injury. That's exactly what happened to Sergei Gonchar in Game One against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa's David Koci sent Gonchar into the boards head first in what posed as a debatable hit. Was it late? Was it dirty? It doesn't matter, you new it was bad just from watching it. At that moment Gonch skated off the ice and will remain there for at least four to six months with a dislocated shoulder. Surgery was completed just last week and when the swelling goes down he will begin rehabilitation.

"So where does that leave the Pens on the blue line? Well Kris Letang, who was expected to step up in the absence of Ryan Whitney (also out till November/December), will now take on an even bigger responsibility as the potential point man on the PP. Alex Goligoski, a highly regarded defenseman in his own right, will most definitely take the official jump from the farm to the Pens to add some extra firepower. Goligoski is a younger, waiting-to-mature Gonchar in the making. He tallied a few assists and a goal in the preseason and more than likely earned his spot...regardless of injuries promoting him there regardless.

"[Sidney] Crosby, [Ruslan] Fedotenko and [Miroslav] Satan are looking like the number one unit. Say what you will about an aging Satan, but the three have chemistry and they proved it during the preseason. The puck has a lot of movement and the set ups are dead on.

"Jordan Staal is back on the wing this season and looks like he's a promising rookie all over again. It was a shaky year for him in 07-08, as Michel Therrien took him out of his natural role and placed him at center. Now that Staal is comfortable again there is a deep threat from the third line, more so than ever.

"Worth noting: Not including the Jokerit game (stats are an anomaly for that one), the Penguins tallied a power-play goal in every preseason game and the penalty kill units held opponents to a flattering 1-for-21.

"Good luck this season Sens fans. Let's open up the season with some class in Sweden."

Thanks again to Frank D for giving us the rundown. Be sure to check out PensBurgh to see my description of the Sens' pre-season.

Game 3: A hell of a hole

After a 4-1 loss on Monday night, the Sens have a hell of a hole to dig their way out of if there's any hope for us in Sens Army to make this ride last significantly longer. With the series now 3-0 in favour of the Penguins, the Sens would have to make history and become only the third team to recover from three games down to win a series. The key is to take the series one game at a time, however; it's a lot easier to win one game than it is to win four, so start with that.

This game was not nearly as one-sided as the scoresheet would indicate. The teams were neck-and-neck through the first two periods, with Ottawa outshooting Pittsburgh 14-12 in the first and the Pens responding by outshooting the Sens 13-12 in the second. In the third, though, the Pens scored twice in the first 90 seconds, and Garry Galley described it the best in saying it appeared the Sens just weren't ready to start when the puck dropped.

Despite the loss, a lot of Senators had very good games. For the first 30 minutes of the night, Nick Foligno looked absolutely amazing, and he was rewarded when he scored a really nice goal to kick off the scoring. Strange as it is to think, that might have been the turning point. The Sens looked to really step back a bit after the goal, culminating with the game-tying goal by Maxim Talbot just a few minutes after Foligno's marker. The Sens never seemed to get back the tempo they had in the first period after that.

Although his goals-against average remains 4.00, Martin Gerber had a decent game. He wasn't the same as he was on Friday, but he made some clutch saves while the Senators were struggling with defensive coverage early in the game. He stopped 34 of 38 shots, and it would be hard to blame him for any of the goals, although perhaps the first one was stoppable.

On the whole, Mike Commodore had a really solid game. He was really hard on players, doing all the behind-the-scenes physical play that you can get away with in the playoffs, and he was even making smart passes and appropriate pinches. Wade Redden had a pretty good game, too, probably his best effort so far (better late than never, I guess). It goes without saying that Anton Volchenkov played exactly as advertised, and he is just the kind of warrior every player wishes they could be.

In the forward ranks, not a lot of players looked amazing. Positively, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza appeared to have more jazz to their game, but they still have to outscore the top players on the Penguins for the Sens to win any games. Role players like Shean Donovan and Dean McAmmond also played the kind of games they had to, and did some great work while killing penalties.

The best player for the Senators tonight was Daniel Alfredsson. He had more impact than any other Senators' player in the game, led the team in shots on net with four, and played over 17 minutes despite the obvious fact that he's nowhere near 100 per cent healthy. More importantly, he made a huge point to the rest of the players on this team's roster: lead, follow, or get out of the way. When he was killing off a 5-on-3, I was amazed with the incredible leadership. Pretire #11.

A lot of fans will complain about the refereeing. Some of it might be warranted. The Sens too nine penalties (including a double-minor), and Pittsburgh took four, and I have a hard time believing the Pens were that innocent. The frustrating part of the calls, as Steve Warne of the Team 1200 elucidated in the post-game show, was when scrums around the net after the whistle, the refs only called a Sens player for a penalty. The most disappointing call in the game, though, was when Ottawa was on a powerplay mid-way through the third, and Heatley was given a double-minor by the back referee for high-sticking when Jordan Staal lifted his stick to get the puck. Although these penalty calls were deflating for the Sens, I don't think refereeing was the difference in the game.

The most disappointing Senator player, to me, was Chris Neil. I was really hoping that he would make up for an off-year by really stepping up his play in the playoffs, but he's been a liability on the whole. In tonight's game, he took three absolutely useless penalties (two for roughing and one for cross-checking), and that's unacceptable against an offensively powerful Penguins team. Including the six minutes tonight, Neil has taken 22 minutes so far in three playoff games. I'm not going to call for heads to roll, but he's got a lot to prove if he wants to stay with this team.

As I listen to the post-game show, there are laments for the season that was. As disappointing as this game three loss was, the Sens are still in the series. For the Sens to win game four, all they need is a little puck luck, some friendly refereeing, and for the best players to play their best. At this point, there's no reason for the Sens to leave anything in the tank, because it's the most literal of 'must-win' situations. I'll be at game four, and I'll be cheering as loud as I can.

And I promise if I see Gary Roberts around the arena, I'll cripple him.*

*not a real promise

Disheartening, but promising: Pens 5 Sens 3

Wow, Martin Gerber. Wow.

Despite allowing four goals in a 5-3 loss, Gerber was by far the best player on the ice for either team as he stopped 49 of 53 shots that he faced. Many of the shots were of the difficult variety, to boot. Most impressive was that Gerber's reaction play has improved; whereas in previous solid efforts Gerber's saves were because of solid positioning and knowledge of angles, Darth Gerber really had his act together on making second and third shots when his defence wasn't helping him out.

After the play of Gerber, the best thing about the game was the grit and tenacity the second-, third-, and fourth-lines played. Although the top two lines are still being outplayed by the Penguins top two, the third and fourth each scored an even-strength goal tonight and outplayed their opponents. And finally, thank God, the powerplay did something. And they did it by driving to the net and making Marc-Andre Fleury battle through bodies.

After going down 3-0 mid-way through the second, the Sens' second line of Shean Donovan, Chris Neil, and Dean McAmmond made some magic: they scored. I'm amazed at how exciting a single goal is to the highest-scoring team in the NHL's regular season, but there it is. On the play, Neil did the simple play--threw the puck on net--and Donovan did another simple play--drive to the net with your stick on the ice. And it worked. This whole line was powerful all game, and I've got to give credit to Neiler for playing a good game. It was his best effort in a little while, despite the fact that he took an unnecessary slashing penalty that led to a 5-on-3 that led to the first goal of the game.

Scoring in bunches

Going into the game, I had a feeling that once this team scored one they'd score a few, and that's just what happened. Less than five minutes after Donovan's goal, with the Sens on the powerplay, Cory Stillman did just what Donovan did for his goal and drove to the net, picking up a rebound and directing it into the net. It was a respectable 3-2 going into the third, and the Sens had all the momentum.

If you hadn't seen the third Sens goal, you can probably guess how Cody Bass put it in. That's right, by driving to the net. The common denominator here is that when the Sens drive to the net, Fleury can't concentrate and goals go in. End of story. So perhaps if Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza start driving that net, they'll start racking up the points and this series will take off.

On Bass' goal, Randy Robitaille made me eat my words by cutting into the slot and firing a pass to the BassMaster, who reeled it in and tucked it under Fleury. To clarify, my qualms with Robitaille are not that he's lacking in skill, because when he's got time he can showcase some offensive creativity. He seems unwilling or unable to use his body to protect the puck, however, and has a hard time finding the time and space necessary. When he cut in on Hal Gill and exposed Gill's slowness, he made some space for himself, and used it to get Bass the puck in front of the net.

Warriors

Off the score sheet, leading the way in hits for the Senators were Christoph Schubert and Mike Commodore, both of whom had seven on the night. No Penguins player matched that game-high number. Commodore, who played over 22 minutes on the night, finished a remarkable +2 and had one of his best games to date (Although he was on for the Pens' two powerplay goals, which don't count against +/-). Maybe he really is a playoff warrior.

Speaking of warriors, Anton Volchenkov didn't change his play one bit. This guy is absolutely amazing. He played over 21 minutes and had 4 hits and 4 blocked shots.

Referees always suck for both sides

On factor that fans always complain about is refereeing, but I'll try and make my case for two of the Penguins' goals. First off was the goal by Sergei Gonchar; Neil took a chincy slashing call when he gave Georges Laraque a tap on the shinpads, and--although it could easily have been overlooked--it was illegal, so I'll leave that there. The call on Chris Phillips to put the Sens down two men, though, was ridiculous. Phillips lost his stick so he pushed Sidney "the league's favourite person ever" Crosby down, a perfectly legit defensive play, and got called. Murphy's Law prevailed, and Gonchar scored about 16 minutes in.

Then, with just over a minute left in the third period, Martin Lapointe got his stick up on Jarkko Ruutu. Somehow, this mild contact--which I'll admit was a penalty--sent the stick flying out of Ruutu's hands, and he went soaring through the neutral zone as if thrown from a trampoline. It was the definition of a dive. In a game as close as this is, there should have been a call on both players. It's not as if Ruutu isn't a known diver; that's his game, and don't tell me the referees aren't familiar with his antics. Although I'm absolutely sure this is simply a conspiracy theory, on thing is certain: the league wants Pittsburgh to move on. Whether or not that's affecting the way the referees see the game--consciously or subconsciously--is another story, but there's no hiding the fact that the league would benefit more from the Penguins in round two than the Senators.

Positives

Looking at the Sens' four most impressive players, a lot of heat that has been put on Bryan Murray may have been lifted. He was leaned on by many to play Ray Emery instead of Gerber, but the way Gerber has been playing has been outstanding. I think we all realize that Peter Schaefer could never have scored the goal that Donovan scored, and that's why Murray traded Schaefer to Boston for Donovan. Cory Stillman made that second goal happen, with a great pass to Heatley and a solid drive to the net. Finally, although the Robitaille experiment has been a failure so far, it all comes out in the wash and if Ropes finds a way to make the fourth line an offensive threat than we're back in business. Now all Murray has to prove is that he can out-coach a hack like Michel Therrien and everyone will love him again.

The Sens made some good strides in this game, and they showed that there's some emotion and some pride in making this series respectable. While they are in a huge hole, I'm not sure I'd go so far as to agree with Milks from Black Aces and suggest that "their chances of coming back in this series are slim at best." The Sens lost two in Pittsburgh, now they just have to win two in Ottawa. If that was the best effort the Penguins can put forward than the Sens are in good shape going into game three; I only hope that Sens fans come out in droves to cheer on our team, because community support has a funny way of getting players on top of their game. Just look at game three of the Stanley Cup Finals last season, when the team played out of this world.

Take the good, learn from the bad

While a 4-0 loss is not the ideal way to start a series, I do think that there is some good stuff this team can build on, and some bad stuff this team can learn from. There's still a chance of earning a split on the road, as long as the Sens pick it up--big time--for game two.

First off, Martin Gerber is not the reason for the loss. Quite the opposite, in fact, as Gerber kept the Sens in this one through the second period. He made some solid saves, and can't really be faulted on any of the four goals:

1. Wade Redden got brutally muscled off the puck (and it probably should have been a penalty) twice, and the puck squirted to Gary Roberts in front of the Sens net; Gerber had two guys lying in the crease and a third standing there.
2. Mike Commodore made a terrible pinch, and Chris Phillips didn't play the 2-on-1 well at all. Gerber was set up perfectly for the shooter (Evgeni Malkin), while Phillips left the pass receiver (Petr Sykora) wide open. You learn it in Atom, Phillips; take the pass, let the goalie take the shot.
3. This was just the case of a young rookie, Nick Foligno, makign a rookie mistake and losing his check, Malkin. When you let him get in the open, he'll make you pay.
   
4. Write-off. Powerplay goal that went in off a foot, this was a fluke that any goalie could have surrendered.

If Gerber and the rest of the team can build off his play, then that's one question mark we can check off going into it.

After Gerber, there was some good work from the grinders. Role players like Dean McAmmond, Martin Lapointe, Cody Bass, and Christoph Schubert were all very physical, and they'll need to keep that up. Ottawa's fourth line was tremendously outplayed by Pittsburgh's, and George Laraque was able to make too much room for himself. Although Randy Robitaille had his moments, he fizzled when the game got more physical; I suggest throwing Lapointe on the top line in game two, and bringing in Brian McGrattan to try and contain Laraque. Even if they just fight and McGrattan brings him back to the box every five minutes, I'm fine with that.

Bad points were common. Obviously, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza need to develop more of an interest in the outcome of the game. Heatley looked particularly out of whack, even though his chirping was in fine form. They threw 12 shots towards the net, but they're going to need to get better shots if they think they're going to score some goals. This team is only going as far as those two take it, no matter how well the grinders play.

The play of the big two was part of a bigger problem: the Sens' powerplay. When you're given almost two full minutes of 5-on-3 time, you need to take advantage. Especially in such an urgent situation, because the Sens were down 2-0 at the time, and this game would have been very different had the Sens cut that lead in half on one of those powerplays. As it was, the team went 0-for-7 on the powerplay, which is unacceptable in the post-season. Things need to get dirty. And shots need to get smarter. Andrej Meszaros can't try and shoot through people; he fired two one-timers that were right into shinpads, both of which would have given the Pens breakaways had Meszaros not gotten back quickly enough. And the team can't fire 21 shots wide of the net. When you're winding up, make sure yo know where you're shooting. It's simple.

I still think the Sens have a shot to split this series in game two. The score made this game look a lot worse than it actually was, the Sens allowed a couple of bad goals early and a couple of bad goals late; between those, there was som great play. Keep playign hard on Sidney Crosby; he was limited in his ability, and good on Redden and Chris Neil for riding him around the net. Most of all, get right up in Marc-Andre Fleury's business. Make it hell for him to try and stop pucks, throw yourselves towards the net, and let your stick fly around him (without taking penalties, of course). He's rattle-able, so shake it up. Hopefully Anton Volchenkov is back for game two, and he makes some opponents feel his pain. And maybe Antoine Vermette will pull something out of his bag of tricks.

The word out of Pittsburgh

FrankD from the Pittsburgh Penguins blog PensBurgh contacted us to collaborate on some cooperative stories on our respective teams, and he answered a few questions we asked him in anticipation of the first-round series against the Pens:

1. What's the Penguins best asset?
   Everyone knows that Pittsburgh has the 'big name' offense. Personally, I feel the key asset to Pittsburgh's success this season has been hugely effected by their depth. At one point the Penguins had eight guys out with injuries - that's eight starters on the IR. Gary Roberts, Mark Eaton, Rob Scuderi, Sidney Crosby, Marian Hossa, Kris Beech, Adam Hall and Marc-Andre Fleury have all struggled with some setbacks this season. In their absence, assistance from the minor league Wilkes-Barre squad has produced some mainstay players like Tyler Kennedy and Ty Conklin. There's even been a few games this year powered ahead by guys like Jarkko Ruutu and Georges Laraque--guys not exactly known for offensive prowess. It's been exciting to see the Pens play this year because really, anyone can hit the mesh. Then again, in the case with Philly the other day, sometimes no one can.
   
   
2. The Pens' biggest liability?
   Liability - hmm. I place liability on a few things. First off, the penalty kill. Last I checked they were ranked 22nd in the league in killing penalties. When you have a team with guys like Gary Roberts, Jarkko Ruutu and Georges Laraque, you run a pretty decent risk of taking penalties; more often than not 'dumb ones'. Jordan Staal is one of our biggest penalty killers but really lacks on the draw. Pascal Dupuis has turned into a huge pickup since the trade deadline moves and is really making his presence known on the kill. It's hard to say really - the PK has been a bit tighter in the last 10 games or so - but if it has and the Pens are still ranked 22nd, then that also goes to show you how well it performed beforehand...
   The other thing, as touched upon with Staal, is face-offs. This is definitely not the Penguins' strength. I'm convinced guys like Adam Hall have only found their way back to the club after injury because of their percentage on the draw (he's slightly over 50%). Crosby is decent, [Evgeni] Malkin is OK and Staal is probably one of the worst.
   
   
3. What intimidates you about the Sens?
   The biggest threat is, and I don't mean this as a jab, thankfully not playing. Daniel Afreddson is probably my biggest fear as far as the Sens go, but that's not to say I'm writing them off at all. [Jason] Spezza and [Dany] Heatley won't go down without a fight, this I know for sure. In addition to players, I think I speak for a lot of Pens fans in that away games against Ottawa aren't always the most welcoming events of the year. Nothing beats an intense Canadian hockey crowd. Add in the playoffs on top of that and you may break the sound barrier.
   
   
4. What makes you think the Sens are in trouble?
   Well, as far as trouble goes, I'd imagine not having your captain for the playoffs is a pretty big hit to the team's morale. But I also don't doubt he'll find a way into the locker room to try and rally the troops. I've felt Ottawa's slide into the playoffs doesn't help, as evidence has often shown that teams do better in the playoffs coming off a streak (i.e. Washington). I can't say for sure what Ottawa's biggest problem may be, although I'm hoping you'll answer that when I come back around to you.
   
   
5. Seriously... Marc-Andre Fleury? Is he an answer?
   You'd be surprised. Fleury started the season off a bit shaky, started to heat up and then went down with the ankle sprain. That kept him out for nine weeks. While rehabilitating in the minors he went 3-2-0, but the two losses were merely no thanks to his offense as both were 1-0 finishes. He's been phenomenal in net. It has worked out well for the Penguins, as Ty Conklin started to go cold just as Fleury was coming back around again. MAF is 10-2-1 with two shutouts since his March return and has only allowed more than two goals a game on one occasion (three on March 6th against Florida). He may wind up being the Pens' biggest asset heading into the playoffs. I know this sounds insane with names like Crosby, Malkin, Hossa and [Petr] Sykora but it's true. Stat sheets would say that as long as Pitt puts up two goals, they have a great chance of coming out on top. That's what I'm mentally shooting for in every game against the Senators.
   
   
6. Do you like the idea of mailing in the final game in the season against Philadelphia? Were most Pittsburgh fans and pundits in favour of playing Ottawa instead of Philly in the first round?
   There has been a lot of talk about whether or not Pittsburgh gave a lackluster effort against the Flyers to take on Ottawa in round one. Personally, this is what gives a coach the nod for strategy. If you know you've struggled all season against a team (5-3 series) against a team like Philly, why would you want to run the chance of wasting a phenomenal 82-game season in the first round? Not to mention, why run the chance of having your guys subjected to foul play? If every game this season against Philly was evidence to one thing, it was that they weren't ready to man-up and play straight hockey. It was going to take cheap shots and late hits to give them the edge. So Coach Michel Therrien must've decided, "You know what? Let Washington and Philly duke it out and mess each other up. We'll take a rematch with Ottawa."
   I put up a survey one day at Pensburgh.com asking readers who they'd rather play: Philly, Ottawa or Boston (still factored in at the time). Overwhelmingly, 56% of people chose Ottawa, while Boston and Philly both came in even at 21%. I think revenge was a bigger factor than anything else.
   Overall, if Pittsburgh is going to be perceived as a team that mailed in the last game of the season then so be it. If sacrificing the conference title increases their chances of taking home the cup, then I think I speak for many Penguins fans when I say "Good job."

Thanks to FrankD for his enlightening comments. Keep your eye on PensBurgh to find Sens Army's answers to whatever questions he sends out way.

First round schedules released

The schedules for the first round were unveiled, and the Sens are playing on the first night of the playoffs in Pittsburgh. Here is the Ottawa schedule:

1. Wednesday, April 9, 2008, at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m., (CBC, RDS, Versus)
2. Friday, April 11, 2008, at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. (CBC, RDS)
3. Monday, April 14, 2008, at Ottawa, 7:00 p.m. (CBC, RDS)
4. Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at Ottawa, 7:00 p.m. (CBC, RDS)
5. Saturday, April 19, 2008, at Pittsburgh (if necessary), time TBD (CBC, RDS, Versus)
6. Sunday, April 20, 2008, at Ottawa (if necessary), time TBD (CBC, RDS)
7. Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at Pittsburgh (if necessary), time TBD (CBC, RDS)
   

Why are the final three games start time to be determined? Why, because NBC might be interested in televising them, of course, and the NHL will do anything for them. So look at an afternoon game on both days.

It's Sens versus Pens again

This year, just like last year, the Sens will face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. With the Philadelphia Flyers beating Pittsburgh 2-0 on Sunday afternoon, Montreal has first-place clinched and the Sens will finish in seventh place.

Differences from last year to this are many, including the fact that Pittsburgh will have home-ice advantage. I'm going to post this video-recap from YouTube, but it is in no way a promotion of Linkin Park from Sens Army Blog. Maybe just turn the speakers down or something while you watch it.



I just want the damned playoffs to start.

Playoff opponent update: No Montreal in first round

Conference Quarter-Final Opponent Watch, Day Four: As it now stands, there is no way the Senators can play against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2008 playoffs. With Carolina officially officially eliminated from the playoffs, the only possible opponents now are the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Washington Capitals.

Fresh off a 3-1 victory over the Maple Leafs, Montreal now sits at first in the Eastern Conference with two more points than Pittsburgh. The Penguins have a game in hand, and would have more wins should they win that game--which will be against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Should Pittsburgh win the game (whether in regulation time or in overtime or a shootout), the Senators will remain in sixth place with one more point than seventh-place Boston and eighth-place Philadelphia. If the Flyers win the game (regardless of regulation time or overtime/shootout), though, they leapfrog over Ottawa and the Bruins and would finish in sixth, dropping the Sens down to seventh place into a matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who would remain in second overall.

So it boils down to this:

1. Philadelphia win: Sens v. Pittsburgh
2. Pittsburgh win: Sens v. Washington
   

Cheer as appropriate in order to achieve desired result. The only other order that can change is between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers, who are basically playing each other on Sunday to determine who will get home-ice advantage in an all-Atlantic 4-5 series matchup. By scheduling these divisional matches for the end of the regular season, the league did good in planning out its schedule to keep the playoff picture murky right to the very end.

WE'RE IN THE PLAYOFFS!

That is definitely not something I thought would be in question when the season was in its early stages. It's disappointing that it took until the last gam of the season, but I'm still damned excited about the playoffs.

Despite the 2-1 loss the Sens suffered at the hands of the Bruins, the Sens made it into the playoffs through the back door. In what I can't describe as anything less than a playoff-like game--probably because both teams had their playoff lives on the line--the Sens came up short against the Bruins. Whatever. I don't care. Thanks to a 4-3 Florida Panthers victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, the 'Canes are now officially eliminated (EDIT: Actually, if Washington loses their last game against Florida, then they finish tied with Carolina and the Hurricanes would win the most-wins tie-breaker) from the playoffs and Ottawa will finish in either seventh or eighth (EDIT: The Sens could technically jump into sixth if Boston loses their last game, thanks to that most-wins tie-breaker). Thank you, Jacques Martin!

Speaking of the game against Boston, Antoine Vermette continued to step it up. He had a great game, made all sorts of chances, and scored the Sens' only goal. He's now got 4 goals in the past two games, the kind of offensive step-uppability that will make it difficult to consider letting him go as an unrestricted free agent this season. A bunch of other players had great games, too, but none of that matters anymore, because now the real season starts.

As it stands, the Sens will play either Pittsburgh or Montreal (EDIT: Or, depending on what happens with the earlier scenarios, Carolina or Washington). Without further adieu, here is an impromptu playoff preview, which will likely be elaborated upon once we figure out who will actually be the Sens' opponent.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Insane offensive firepower. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa, Sergei Gonchar, Petr Sykora, among others. Goaltending has been up-and-down, but both Ty Conklin and Marc-Andre Fleury have had their moments. Defense is questionable; one hilarious comment I heard on the Team 1200 today was the accurate point that the Pens picked up Hal Gill at the deadline as a defensive upgrade; this guy would be lucky to crack Ottawa's top six if it weren't for his size. Pittsburgh will probably also benefit from the return of Gary Roberts when he returns from his injury, but they lost some serious depth when they acquired Hossa. The Sens handily defeated the Pens last year, but this Pittsburgh team has had one full year more to develop, and Malkin kind of scares the shit out of me. It wouldn't be an easy series, but if Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza step it up as they can, Vermette continues the way he's going, and the role players... well... play their roles, the Sens have what it takes to beat the Pens.

Montreal Canadiens

What an amazing series this would be. Montreal is always such a hard team to predict, however. The resurgence of Alexei Kovalev is nothing to scoff at, but he has been known to lose interest in games if he's punished physically. Thomas Plekanec can also be controlled if you pressure him, and Ottawa's shutdown defencemen like Anton Volchenkov, Chris Phillips, Mike Commodore, and Christoph Schubert (should he drop back) should be able to make his life difficult. Carey Price is an unknown quantity; if he steals games, there is very little the Sens can do aside from continuing to get to him with everything--shots, bodies, snow, verbal abuse--to try and knock him off his game. Nothing's worked so far, but Price hasn't had to deal with the same guy in his crease, stepping on his toes, for 4-7 games straight. That means Chris Neil, Martin Lapointe, Shean Donovan, and Cody Bass will have their work cut out for them, and they'll have to do so while staying out of the penalty box to avoid Montreal's punishing powerplay.

I don't really care who we play at this point. Whichever team it is poses difficulties, but every team in the league also has vulnerabilities that can be exploited if the coach can find a way to pick them out and take advantage. I think the Sens should be able to take down just about any team in the East, especially if they get Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly, or Daniel Alfredsson back from their injuries sooner rather than later.

(EDIT: Sorry, I wrote this late last night and I apparently missed a few things. I added in edits wherever I made mistakes. I'll add in a preview for the Washington or Carolina scenarios later this afternoon if I can.)

A WIN! Sens 5 Pens 4

Daniel Alfredsson, make sure you always wear that slick fedora when you're heading to the game. Because it worked. The Sens won, and you made it look damn easy to beat Ty Conklin twice in the game.

On a goal by Antoine Vermette, two by Alfie, a clutch goal by Martin Lapointe, and a howitzer from Dany Heatley, the Sens beat the Penguins 5-4 in a crazy game. Crazy because Vermette came eerily close to a Gordie Howe Hat Trick after scoring his goal and then fighting (or at least dropping the gloves with) Maxim Talbot.

Other crazy things that happened... Dean McAmmond lost it on the refs after being called for hooking, following one of them around the ice for a few seconds. Chris Phillips almost fought with Evgeni Malkin. Sergei Gonchar absolutely lost it because the Sens kept hammering him on the forecheck, cross-checked Alfredsson repeatedly and got a double-minor for his troubles, and the Sens scored on both of the penalties. Wade Redden looked downright Joe Corvo-esque when he led the rush for the Lapointe goal.

This game probably won't be friendly to Martin Gerber's stats, but he still won the game. He made 25 saves on 29 shots, and some of the goals he allowed were very stoppable. In an interview on CBC, though, Bryan Murray announced that The Gerber was going to start again against Anaheim on Monday, which is a hell of a reward. I guess he thinks The Gerber deserves another chance for being all-team, and I'm inclined to agree with him.

If fate was fair, Mike Fisher would have an offensive outburst and score nine goals next game. He has had so many chances, especially in the game against Pittsburgh, but still hasn't scored a goal in 14 or 15 games. Fisher had a team-high four shots (tied with Cory Stillman) and a game-high nine (!) hits, but he still didn't get one. If he throws nine hits, though, he doesn't need to score.

One big difference I think we'll see more of between John Paddock and Murray is how they respond when players make mistakes. While Paddock would often have a guy ride the pine if he screwed up, Murray seems ready and willing to let the player make up for it on the next shift. Like Lapointe, for instance, who took three consecutive stupid penalties, but was given some powerplay time and thanked Murray for the opportunity by scoring his first as a Senator. Sure, it was lucky, but a goal is a goal.

Another difference, that was pointed out by many even in the last game, is the equalization of ice time. The Sens' lowest ice-time total was 7:20 for Shean Donovan, which was probably that low because he doesn't get any special teams ice time. Alfredsson still had 23:37, though... I don't get how it's that high. I guess he likes playing that much, though, because he scored three points.

So... wow. This is what a win is like. I hope the rest of the season is like this. To go back to our checklist, we're now 75 per cent there (although Gerber didn't look great on the whole):

1. Regain emotion: check
2. Get a goaltender to play well: check
3. Rebuild some semblance of defensive commitment: ___
4. Win: check

Defensive commitment, here we come!

The dust settles on the trade deadline

The feeding frenzy that was the 2008 trade deadline has passed; 25 trades, 45 players, 23 draft picks. Although it was probably very busy in terms of telephone calls for GM Bryan Murray, he didn't actually do much of consequence. The one and only acquisition, as mentioned earlier on this blog, was that of right-winger Martin Lapointe.

The pick-up of Lapointe was obviously a move to add a veteran who, according to pundits, is not afraid to speak with teammates in a respectful manner to try and get the best out of them; in other words, a player-coach. He will see limited ice time, likely on the fourth or possibly third line.

There were a lot of players rumoured to be in the Senators' sights over the course of the days and hours leading up to the trade deadline. Goaltending was a position a lot of fans wanted to see addressed, but Murray must have decided that going with Ray Emery and Martin Gerber was as likely to succeed as picking up a rental like Olaf Kolzig or Nikolai Khabibulin.

On defence, the acquisition of Brian Campbell was probably not meant to be. Even if the Sens were willing to match the price of a key offensive prospect and a first-round pick, Buffalo was probably hesitant to trade their best defenceman to a divisional opponent. It was likely impossible to get Adam Foote, because he said he'd only go to Colorado, but a powerplay specialist like Marc-Andre Bergeron--who went to Anaheim for a third-rounder--would have been a boost to the struggling powerplay.

Offence was a gong show. It would have been nice to have picked up Tuomo Ruutu, but Lapointe was a solid gritty pickup. I'm not convinced that Sergei Fedorov would have done anything for the Sens. And with the price that Pittsburgh paid for Marian Hossa, the Sens were likely out of the running once the Penguins stepped in. Marcel Hossa might have been a nice addition to the Mike Fisher line, but he was likely only traded to Phoenix as a part of that blockbuster.

In the day, the Eastern Conference got much weaker. Stars including Brad Richards and Brian Campbell went west, with no one of that calibre returning to the east. The team that loaded up the most was probably Pittsburgh, but that team was never lacking in goal scoring. The bigger problems were defence and--although Ty Conklin has done well so far--goaltending, and adding Marian Hossa didn't help those problems. His ability to step up in the playoffs is also unproven, so the pickup might not even help them in the playoffs. And they lost a popular player in Colby Armstrong who got under opponents' skin as well as an up-and-coming centremen in Erik Christensen.

The biggest change may still be to come, however. As stated over on Black Aces, Murray hasn't given a vote of confidence to head coach John Paddock. Although it's impossible to know how he will do in the playoffs, he has given me very little reason to believe that his tactics are good enough to get this team through the playoffs. So maybe the change behind the bench will be the most effective at getting the Sens winning regularly again.

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.

Okay guys, it's not funny anymore

For the second time in a row and third time in the last four games, Ottawa lost. It was most disappointing tonight because the Sens were up 2-0 and 5-3 over Pittsburgh at different times in the game, and still blew it.

It would seem the Sens are so generous that they're losing games to teams with front office staff on the chopping block. With a loss to the Capitals on Nov. 8, our considerate guys delayed the inevitable firing of head coach Glen Hanlon, although not for long (he got fired Nov. 22). Dropping a game 3-0 to Toronto has further delayed the firings of Paul Maurice and John Ferguson Jr. And finally tonight, losing to Pittsburgh has given Michel Therien a stay of execution. And you know what? It's all well and good to be charitable once in a while, but sometimes you have to think about your own record.

Martin Gerber did not play his best game. He did play well at times, especially at the end of the game to keep it 5-5. I'm not certain you can blame The Gerber for any of the goals, but he certainly didn't do anything outstanding. He was also as angry as I've ever heard him after the game, explaining the rulebook to the referees and off-ice officials regarding the shootout; Erik Christensen's shot was initially stopped, and that is (apparently) when the play should stop, whether the shooter or the tender knocks the puck in.

For some reason, after the Sens went up 2-0 in the first (chasing Marc-Andre Fleury from the net in the meantime), coach John Paddock screwed up with the lines, and that may very well have opened up the door for a Penguin comeback.

Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley played well. Spetzky tripled his goal total on the season (he now has three) and added an assist, while Heater scored a nice goal; both were +1 when all was said and done.

Then there's Daniel Alfredsson, who notched three assists. Awesome. But in the overtime period, Alfie aggravated his groin. The extent of his injury is not yet known, and he's apparently going to sleep on it to see how it feels, but here's to hoping he's just fine. With Randy Robitaille and Patrick Eaves already injured, we don't need another guy off the roster, especially not one as valuable to this team as the captain.

With regards to the Sputnik watch: regrettable game for Alexander Nikulin, although not because he played poorly, simply unfortunate circumstances in which he found himself. After Wade Redden and Andrej Meszaros both pinched into the offensive zone, Nikulin was left as the last man back to defend against Evgeni Malkin on a 1-on-1. No offense to Sputnik, but it was a bit of a mismatch, and it showed (Malkin smoked him and scored on The Gerber off a breakaway). In the end, Sputnik finished -2 in just over five minutes of ice time, and I don't think he had an opportunity to redeem himself in the second or third periods. I do hope Paddock gives him another chance next game, though, because he's got some potential.

Speaking of Redden and Meszaros, they both played good games (aside from the aforementioned play). One assist each, Reds was +1, and Samson (thus called because without his locks of hair, Meszaros is powerless--see last season) was even on plus/minus.

You know what else was weird? How well Shean Donovan was playing before Paddock made him ride the pine for the last half of the game. I guess it was because he got three penalties, but the refereeing was questionable all night (Stephan Auger, consider yourself on notice). Oh yeah, Joe Corvo played a pretty good game, too.

I think that every time Colby Armstrong steps on the ice I hate him more. I guess that's his job, but holy crap I might hate him even more than anyone else in the league this side of Steve Downie--and yes, that includes Darcy Tucker. After that hit on Eaves in the playoffs last year, and the fact that he's so damned ugly really doesn't help his case.

In the shootout... I don't really want to talk about it. Sweet goal from Spezza on the first shot, then a bogus goal by Christensen, and after Heatley and Dean McAmmond both hit the post, Jarkko Ruutu scores the winner. How embarassing.

The sens want to apologize for winning

The Ottawa Senators would like to apologize to the following people/organizations for defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby so easily, in only 5 games:

• The CBC
• Bob Cole
• Harry Neale
• Elliot Friedman (example)
  
• Americans
• NHL sponsors
• Sidney Crosby's sponsors:
• Gatorade
• Reebok
• Pepsi
• Tim Horton's
• FritoLay
  
• Nova-Scotians (especially their politicians)
  
• People who picked the Penguins to win in 6 games:
• Sports writers from Toronto
  
• Idiots
  
• Actual Penguins
• Children with diseases, who undoubtedly would have been cured had the Penguins won the Stanley Cup
• Colby Armstrong - Chris Neil never got the opportunity to mercifully end his life
• Gary Roberts, won't be able to win a Stanley Cup to validate his past 15 NHL seasons
  
• Ottawa Senators bloggers, who won't be able to see their families for another 2 weeks

Feel free to add to my list, but the idea is simple: HAHAHAHAH!!! Screw you all.

(Except the last one, we screw ourselves... yeah, I said it.)

Senators defeat Penguins in 5 games

Way to go boys, you make me proud. I've heard alot of rhetoric recently about this being a changed team; that the Senators this year are more focused, more experienced and more physical. A dominating victory like tonight's game 5 lends weight to that argument.

Stars of the series for the Senators:

• Chris Phillips/Anton Volchenkov - Shutting down Crosby and hitting anything that moves
• Christoph Schubert - for being our Darcy Tucker, a real ass
  
• Ray Emery - for making the saves when it truly matters
• Daniel Alfredsson - for leading by example
  

More on this on Saturday. We're likely seeing the Rangers or Devils next round.