Post-pre-season pre-season post (ha!)

...man that headline's way too clever.

The Senators have to cut about three players before the regular season begins, and made a tough decision today by putting Germany's least-known export Christoph Schubert on waivers. With his relatively cheap contract, NHL experience, big body, and versatility, I believe that someone will pick him up.

That just leaves two or three cuts to make. The only people remaining on the roster with two-way contracts are Peter Regin, Erik Karlsson, Brian Lee, and Matt Carkner. So... that seems like an easy choice. The only other people who might be expendable are Shean Donovan (yeah, my hate for him continues for some reason...) and Jesse Winchester.

One is led to believe that the biggest competition right now is between Lee and Karlsson for the puck-moving-up-and-comer-on-the-blueline spot. It would be a serious career setback for Lee if Special K (ha!) were to beat him for that place on the roster.

It's going to be a tough choice since it turns out that NHL GMs don't want to trade for the guys you're considering putting on waivers anyway.

Opening Night Blog update!

Momentum is building for the largest online meeting of Sens fans ever (I hope). I recently got confirmation from Five For Smiting and Silver Seven Sens are in (yaaaaaaaay!). And as an added bonus, you can sign up on the left side of the page for an email reminder for the big night. We'll be blogging during the game on Oct. 3 - the game's on CBC, so watch it and send us your comments!

I hope to see you then!

If I should fall behind: Habs 5, Sens 3

The Senators had every reason to come out strong on Saturday afternoon. Ever-decreasing opportunities to make up ground in a playoff race. A chance to make up two points on a team that the Senators' would likely have to bypass. Their captain, Daniel Alfredsson, making a heroic return from a broken jaw. But it was all for nothing, and the Canadiens' Alex Kovalev--also returning to the lineup, but for an altogether different reason than Alfie--took over the game in the first, getting three points on four goals in the game's first 27 minutes.

The Habs came out strong in the first, and it didn't help that the Sens gave them three powerplay opportunities in that period--and Montreal capitalized on two of 'em, with goals from Tomas Plekanec and Mathieu Schneider. Their even-strength goal came from Kovalev, off a turnover from Chris Kelly, weak coverage by Chris Phillips, and poor positioning on the part of Brian Elliott. Ells was pulled after the third goal in favour of Alex Auld.

Shean Donovan tried to get his team going with a fight early in the second, but it didn't quite have the desired effect. On their fourth powerplay, Patrice Brisebois scored to put the Habs up 4-0. It would turn out to be the game-winning goal.

Jarkko Ruutu scored a minute after Brisebois, and a couple minutes after that Dany Heatley scored his first of the game--it looked like the Senators may have been on their way back into the game. But Mathieu Dandenault scored off a juicy Auld rebound late in the second, and not even another Heatley goal in the third could get the Sens back into it.

Special teams were the story. Montreal's powerplay went 3-for-4, and their penalty kill was 6-for-7. That, in the end, did the Senators in on the night. Ottawa outshot the Canadiens 47-32, including a game-high seven from Heatley as well as five from each of Filip Kuba and the recently-reacquired Mike Comrie, but Jaroslav Halak was up to the task for the Canadiens. As good as Kovalev was, Halak was the Habs' best player on the night.

Another disturbing stat? Ottawa had 16 giveaways (Jason Smith had a team-high four of them), and only five takeaways. Tough to balance those numbers.

The good news for the Senators is that both Comrie and Chris Campoli played very well in their debuts. Campoli, obviously, had the more notable first game with a couple of assists, and he was one of only four Senators on the plus side of the ledger (only Heatley, Alfredsson, and Jason Spezza were also pluses). But Comrie played with plenty of intensity and made some chances, and looked pretty good as well.

Ottawa's got two more shots at the Canadiens this season. Although the nails are about as close to hammered into Ottawa's coffin as they can be right now, it would be nice to play spoiler a little bit more.

Canucks fans are jerks :'(

Well I went to the Sens game tonight and I was not happy with the result. The first period pretty much sunk Ottawa, as they spent the rest of the game trying to claw their way back into it. Ultimately a four-goal hole was too large for the Sens to find their way out of, and time ran out for Ottawa in this game.

This was a totally winnable game for the Sens, or at least, their play of late lead me to think so. Cory Clouston puts much more faith into second and third-line players like Shean Donovan and Nick Foligno, but it's hard to say whether this strategy pays off. While Foligno was grinding in the corners, the Canucks defence seemed ripe for a speedy centre to deke through them and score. Dany Heatley's goal was straight of out his "wait with your stick cocked high in the air" play book.

Despite the score, Brian Elliot played very well, especially in the second and third period. It's not his fault that the Senators defence abandons him. I don't think that better "team defence" is the answer anymore. Fingers need to be pointed, and there's more than enough fingers to go around. Defence needs to be addressed as much as scoring when Bryan Murray looks at his options this trade deadline.

Mike Fisher had one goal and more than 20 minutes of ice time. What's the strategy here? Jason Spezza, having a far more successful season, played around 14 minutes. I'd rather have the Sens' first-line centre than their supposedly fearsome eight-goal scorer.

After an incredible road trip, the Sens are facing the true test of their season in the next week. Are they an underperforming team in need of inspiration? Or is it truly the end of days? Either way, I like the Canucks a whole lot less tonight.

Sens Army Blog news update

Hey folks,

After a minor surgery, posts on the website have been limited recently. Mostly to No Habs No! letters, which are certainly fun (and one for Dion Phaneuf, which will completely avoid any mention of sloppiness, seconds, or anything of that nature, will be forthcoming), but are lacking in the depth readers expect.

Although not analytical, here is at least a run-down of the most recent Sens' news to keep you abreast of the issues:

• Android Volchenkov kills Thomas Vanek. Okay, 'kills' is a strong word, but Vanek's likely out for a month after Volchenkov shot him in the face. With a puck.
• Ryan Shannon contributing. He looks good... will it last? Here's to hoping.
  
• Dany Heatley disagrees with coach Cory Clouston. But then, mere hours later...
• Dany Heatley agrees with coach Cory Clouston. Fabricating stories, and then reporting on the response to said fabrication, is a great way to sell papers.
• Clouston running the Sens ragged in practice. Good?
  
• Speaking of Clouston, one thing I hadn't noticed but is certainly noticeable: New ice time allottments. Nick Foligno (20:29) played more than any of Heatley (19:43), Jason Spezza (19:40), or Daniel Alfredsson (19:27) against Buffalo. And Brendan Bell (20:30) played more than Volchenkov (18:16), Jason Smith (20:05), and Chris Phillips (19:54). Is it a good idea? Well, they won, and Foligno and Bell each had a role in the win.
• Chris Neil is out for two weeks with a lacerated calf (on his leg, not a baby cow). Questions abound as to whether we'll see him in an Ottawa uniform again, or if he'll be traded.
• Shean Donovan should be back on Wednesday, according to the above-linked story. Alex Picard won't be yet, but may be soon.
  
• Carrie Underwood will be alone on Valentine's Day. But would like Mike Fisher to make her a home-cooked vegetarian meal. Why the hell do I know this?
• And holy shit, MLS soccer in Ottawa? About Eugene Melnyk's bid, the MLS commissioner said, "It’s highly unlikely and almost inconceivable that with a stadium deal in place we would not grant an expansion team to Ottawa." I didn't think it was likely.
  

Volchenkov's back, and the defence shuffle

Reports abound that Android Volchenkov's shoulder malfunction has been resolved, so he should be back in the Sens lineup on Tuesday against the Devils after missing Ottawa's last eight games.

As a result, there's a bit of a log jam at defence: You can be sure that Volchenkov won't be a healthy scratch, and Chris Phillips and Filip Kuba will both definitely be in the lineup. As Shean Donovan's skills competition-induced injury will likely keep him out for the whole week, Christoph Schubert is expected to suit up as a forward, meaning that one of Brian Lee, Alex Picard, Jason Smith, or Brendan Bell will be a healthy scratch for the game.

It seems doubtful that Lee will be, as he was practicing today in his regular pairing with Phillips, and the two have been playing well together. A good point was raised by Jason York on the Team 1200 this afternoon: Since the quality of Lee's competition has gone up, so has his play and his consistency. With him playing so well, and such high expectations for his development, it would likely be a step backward to bench him or send him to Binghamton right now.

The most likely candidate to be scratched, at first glance, is Bell. He's been scratched a few times recently, including three of the last four games. However, Bell scored the game-winning goal against Washington a week ago, and has three goals in his last five games played (two on the powerplay). With the Senators looking for mobility and offence from the back end, Bell could continue to be a pretty good second-powerplay-unit defenceman.

Then there's Picard. He's had an up-and-down season, but he's still leading Senators defencemen in goals scored with five. He hasn't scored a goal in 11 games, though, and doesn't even have a point in nine. All despite an average ice time of around 17-19 minutes played, usually including some powerplay time. It's an easy time to send a message to Picard that more is expected of him, but benching him is not a long-term solution: He's on a one-way contract, unlike Lee or Bell.

Finally, the possibility exists of Smith riding the press-box-pine for a night. Although it's pretty bad that he's only got one point (albeit a game-winning goal) on the year, that's not the chief reason he could be benched, and it's not why he was signed. Scratching Smith would be a tactical decision based on the speed of the Senators' opponents Tuesday, the Devils, and Smith's difficulty in keeping up with smaller, speedier players. Again, Smith wasn't signed to his contract to blow anyone out of the water; all he's got to do is play smart, positional hockey, lay a hit when it's available, kill a penalty when it's necessary, and speak up to or for his teammates. Scratching him wouldn't be a long-term solution, because a dog as old as Smith won't likely learn new tricks.

Ideally, I think that Picard could use a rest in the press box for one night or so, until the Sens decide whether to send Bell or Lee down to Binghamton. In the end, though, one of those two guys on two-way contracts will be don in Binghamton relatively soon. The Senators' don't need to be spending more money than they need to be spending at this point in the season.

Injuries: Some bad, some better

A few injury updates were brought about in the news today.

First off, Jason Spezza left practice this afternoon after complaining of some soreness in his back, but says he should be ready to go for tomorrow night's game against the Washington Capitals. He missed a game last season because of the same thing, but hopefully it's not a recurring back-spasms injury that will raise its head recurrently.

Apparently Shean Donovan missed practice today, as well, because he injured himself body-slamming the boards in the Sens' skills competition yesterday. I'm not sure if it's a shoulder injury or what, but maybe with Alexander Ovechkin coming to town, Donovan can ask his technique for body-slamming the boards to avoid such an injury in the future.

And Anton Volchenkov's Soviet-era android shoulder replacement hasn't yet arrived from an antiques dealership in Grozny, so he won't be able to return Tuesday, either. Hopefully Volchenstein will be good to return after the All-Star Break.

Finally, after punch-blocking a shot and then finishing his check while screaming in pain, and then returning to score the game-tying goal and send the game against Montréal to overtime, Mike Fisher decided to take a day off. He sat out the same Skills Competition that resulted in the Donovan injury, but is expected to play on Tuesday against the Caps.

And that's your injury rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I should be on the jumbotron at Scotiabank Place

The Sens are in tough tonight against the Washington Capitals, who are flying high after beating the Eastern conference-leading Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

There are a few thing that need to be done in order for the Senators to win, in a segment I like to call "Not Gord Wilson's keys to victory".

1. Solid defence for once. Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov already know who they'll be keeping an eye on all night: Alexander Ovechkin. But Washington is not short on offensive talent by any stretch. Rising star Alexander Semin will test the defensive skills of Filip Kuba (who currently leads the team in average time on ice) and Alexandre Picard. Not to overstate the obvious, but the Senators are not getting the quality defending that fans have come to expect from Phillips-Volchenkov or any other pairing (though the other pairings are all new). Not to mention that the Caps may have both Sergei Fedorov (remember him? Man, the 90s were great...) and Mike Green returning from injury. Yikes.
   
2. I'm not going to make any apologies for it: The Senators need Heatley, Spezza and Alfredsson to combine for at least two goals if they want to win this game. The Antoine Vermette trade clock is tick-tocking towards its inevitable conclusion, and it would be nice if the guy would raise his value a bit by chipping in a goal every 10 games or so (did I mention he's on pace for 15 points this season?). A big game from Nick Foligno or Shean Donovan is needed in order for the Sens to have any chance of collecting two points.
3. Jarkko Ruutu needs to be an asshole. After helping the Senators win a couple games last month by pissing off the opposition and drawing penalties, Ruutu has been a non-factor for the past few games. He needs to get in the face and into the minds of the Capitals if the Sens are going to pull off a win. Where have you been recently Jarkko? We have enough underachieving forwards on this team. Be the asshole that the Sens need to win.

Hmmm... offence, check. Defence, check. Anything else wrong with the Sens? Oh yes, start Alex Auld in net and don't make us sweat all night. I know Martin Gerber had a good outing against the Blackhawks, but it didn't result in a win.

Lineup change: Christoph Schubert will be back in the lineup following two games of healthy-scratchiness, replacing the strangely competent Brendan Bell on defence.

Bonus! Check out a Northeastern division summary from illegalcurve.com - how's our division doing so far? Well Boston is kicking ass, and we're not as good as the Leafs. This doesn't bode well for our Sens.

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.

Thrashed: Sens 5, Thrashers 1

I guess that's why everyone wanted to re-unite the CASH Line, right Craig Hartsburg? Now that they appear to be used to each other once again, they can score their normal six-points-per-game combined, or more.

Jason Spezza looked good. He had a goal, was strong on the puck, and made some good, smart plays with it. But Dany Heatley was better. He was consistently backchecking hard and forechecking hard, had a goal and two assists, two takeaways (versus only one giveaway), and a blocked shot. Best of all, though, was Daniel Alfredsson (what else is new?). Pierre MacGuire climaxed at Alfie's hockey smarts during his penalty killing, and his all-around play was first-star material (even if he only got second star).

Who needs Antoine Vermette to score when we've got Shean Donovan and Brendan Bell? Okay, you're right, the Senators do, but it's really nice when other depth players chip in, too. Donovan's goal was just speed and control, and a nice shot, and it really does look like he might be playing the best hockey of his career. He had seven shots on the night, more than any other Senator, and his 12:21 in ice time was probably a season-high. As for Bell, whos scored a goal and added an assist, this was definitely his best game offensively for the O-Sens, and he looks like he belongs. His puck control along the blue line is really impressive, and that shot he took to score his powerplay goal was a rocket.

Epic penalty killing in the second period. Six penalties for the Sens, including two five-on-three scenarios and more than four minutes straight in the latter half of the period, and no goals against. It was where Alex Auld looked his best on the night, Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov were behemoths defensively, and Alfie and Vermette ragged the puck and blocked shots. It was an impressive show of gritty desperation, and--most importantly--the system didn't fall apart as it was continually pressured. Powerplay was as good as it's been all year, too, and went 2-for-3 on the night.

And it's starting to look like Filip Kuba has got his groove back. After 14 points in 13 games to start the season, he had one point (a goal) in the following eight. He's now got three assists in his last two games, and Orlando Bean (Orlando Bloom mixed with Mr. Bean? Anyone?) has 20 points in 23 games this year.

Jesse Winchester more than doubled his penalty minutes on the year with his two fights during the game. Where did that come from? He's had an edge to his play for the last couple games, throwing some hits and now a couple of fights, and I like it. He's not scoring like a top-six forward, but he's definitely playing like an NHLer. Cody Bass had a fight, too, and fared a bit better than Winchester did. (Check out the blog Thursday morning for a Fight Card of the night.)

Ice-time disparity watch: Mike Fisher led the Sens' forwards in ice time with 20:19, but that's got a lot to do with his time on the point during the powerplay. Lowest ice time was Cody Bass with 7:11, and it really looks like Hartsburg is interested in rolling four lines to balance the attack and keep the top line from wearing out. It might have something to do with playing the Atlanta Thrashers, but it's still an interesting note.

Smith and Lee recalled from Bingo

The Senators announced today that both forward Zack Smith and defenceman Brian Lee have been recalled from Binghamton as Shean Donovan and Alex Picard are both listed as doubtful for Saturday's game against the New York Islanders. Dean McAmmond is still out with his cold, so the Sens don't have any wiggle room on the roster (although the B-Sens have even less, with as many as nine regulars out of the lineup for their game Saturday to various injuries or callups.).

I have no idea what Picard's injury is at the moment, but Donovan has an upper-body injury, according to TSN. If McAmmond and Ryan Shannon are both still unable to play on Saturday, then Christoph Schubert will draw back into the lineup for the Sens, as a forward once again.

Although Smith has continued dazzling Sens' brass with his play at the AHL level, with a team-leading nine goals to complement seven assists in 21 games, Lee hasn't quite gotten back to the level he was playing at last season. That probably has a lot to do with not playing alongside AHL All-Star Lawrence Nycholat, but the Sens need big things from this kid.

The game on Saturday would be Smith's NHL debut. At 20 years, 7 months, and 23 days, Smith will be the youngest player to dress for the Sens since Nick Foligno's debut on Oct. 3, 2007 at the age of 19 years, 11 months, and three days. Youngest player to debut before Foligno was Martin Havlat (debut 2000-10-05 at 19Y, 5M, 16D) and before Havlat was Mike Fisher (debut 1999-10-02 at 19Y, 3M, 27D). Considering how long it took me to figure out that statistic, it wasn't at all worth it.

Sens lose, despite moustaches: Habs 3, Sens 2 (SO)

Taken in isolation, this was a great game for the Senators, and an exciting game overall. As the most recent loss in a six-game losing streak it's disappointing, especially given Ottawa's continued impotence in the shootout, but there were a lot of positive things that will come out of the game. Ottawa played hard for sixty-five minutes, controlling a lot of the play and really deserving a better fate. Dem's da breaks, though; at least they're playing well defensively these days. And Alex Auld is likely playing the best hockey of his career.

The shootout; the bane of my existence (and that of most Sens fans). I don't know why the Sens can't win in the shootout, but they've apparently been working on it in practice and will need to continue doing so if they're going to get a few bonus points and improve the 7-20 all-time shootout record. A good start, though, would be benching Antoine Vermette in the shootout. I don't know if they keep track of whether or not a player gets a shot in the shootout, but I know that Vermette has a hard enough time getting a shot away, let alone scoring a goal, even if he is among the team's leaders. Jason Spezza made it look easy, and Jarkko Ruutu's shot would have gone in on most goaltenders not named Carey Price, but Vermette looked like he deked himself out. The puck may have been rolling, but it's just another piece of evidence filed under the shootout category. I don't know if Dany Heatley would be better, as Black Aces suggests, but anyone who gets a shot away has a better chance than Vermette at this point.

Anyway, back to the game; let's talk desperation. Let's talk Nick Foligno's goal tonight. The kid's been suffering through a terrible drought, and not just bad luck, but he hasn't even really been making the opportunities to score, and his ice time had diminished as a result. He was still getting an opportunity one the powerplay, though, and when he saw that free puck lying beside Price, he--literally--jumped at it. And I'm pretty sure I've seen Foligno dive for a loose puck stick-first earlier in the season.

Thanks, in part, to Foligno's intensity tonight, but in larger part to Cody Bass' intensity tonight, and in some part to Ilya Zubov's puck control, the Bingo line was likely Ottawa's most effective line on the night. Anyone watching knew when that line was on the ice, but for positive reasons, like a hard forecheck and an effective cycle. I was disappointed to see them get such little ice time in the third period after such a good first two, especially with Bass only playing 5:34 overall. It was a close race, however, as the third line of Dean McAmmond, Shean Donovan, and Ruutu generated plenty of energy for the team as well. D-Mac was, once again, very solid defensively, but I lost count of the number of times Donovan was breaking into the Montreal zone leading the rush. He may only have finished with two shots on net, but he certainly looked like he had more.

The defence, pretty much to a man, was very strong. They were usually able to keep the Habs to the perimeter, and cleared many dangerous pucks the odd time Auld didn't swallow the rebound. Of particular note was Alex Picard, who played what was probably his best game in a Sens uniform and earned two assists for his effort. The whole corps deserves credit, though, and Brendan Bell definitely looks like he fits on that second powerplay unit and that third d-pairing.

The least effective line was probably the CASH Line, but that's not to say they weren't working hard. Dany Heatley was backchecking (!) hard and laid a few solid hits, Daniel Alfredsson never seems to take a night off (and tonight was no exception), and Spezza seemed--at times--to have the puck on a string, their passes just weren't connecting. It looks like the line, and especially Spezza, are trying to make the perfect play, but often times the ones that go in aren't perfect, and tonight's two Sens goals are proof of that. Sometimes you've just got to get ugly, and they need only look to Jason Smith's fu manchu to see that fact.

Foligno's goal notwithstanding, the Senators powerplay was terrible on the whole. It might have had something to do with Price's ability to handle the puck and the Canadiens effective penalty kill, but it had a lot more to do with an inability to win faceoffs and poor--and poorly thought-out--passes.

What is wrong with Vermette? How many chances does this guy need? GAH! Sorry. I'm sure Vermette is even more frustrated than I or any other fans are, but it's so hard to watch. He failed on two glorious scoring chances, the first set up by Zubov on the powerplay after Vermette deked out Price but shot the puck behind Price across the front of the open net, and the second after Jesse Winchester passed to Chris Kelly, who passed to Vermette as he cut in front of Price--but Price stretched his legs out and Vermette couldn't get the puck up and over. The second one was an amazing save, but this guy's got to get it going.

From someone who can't finish to someone who's a bit premature: The refs need to get the rules straight. Or at least watch the play more closely, because Anton Volchenkov goal did not--absolutely not--see any possession by a Montreal player, and so the play should not have been whistled down on the delayed Alex Kovalev tripping penalty. It was a blown call by Don VanMassenhoven, and it cost the Senators the go-ahead goal at a pivotal point in the game. And even just for sentimental purposes, Frankenstein doesn't get that many goals in a given season; give him a break, will ya? And an interesting point was apparently made by the crew at RDS: Why didn't Craig Hartsburg absolutely lose it on the refs? It wouldn't have changed the call, granted, but it could have made the refs a little more sympathetic to the Sens later on, and it definitely would have charged up his players--all of whom are being asked to play with emotion. Lose it, Hartsburg. Just rip into the refs next time. Throw a bench or a stick or wave a towel or something.

Let's hope this is one of those games that sometimes happen when you're coming off a losing streak; you lose games that you should have won. Because then it means this losing streak might be over, and soon.

And holy shit, Smith's fu manchu looks amazing. In a ridiculously self-acknowledged ugliness sort of way.

McAmmond gets the call

An article in the Ottawa Citizen spoke about the Sens' injury situation, with Mike Fisher and Chris Neil both out for a couple of weeks (at least), and the need for the team's depth players--notably Dean McAmmond--to step up. The article also mentions Shean Donovan needing to step up, but there's an interview with McAmmond, and D-Mac says all the right things:

"That's what we're here for, that's what I've been here for three years for," said McAmmond, who has one goal and two assists this season. "Play solid, somebody goes down, go in, play hard, patch a hole, whatever. I'm capable of it. Everybody always wants to play as much as they can. I think in this situation here, it's not necessarily that I was aching for more ice time and it's not a matter of me looking for my shot. I mean, I've got 15 years in (the NHL), it's not about 'giving the kid a shot.'

"It's like, they know. There are no secrets about what I'm about, and I think I'm in a situation here where I'm going to do exactly what I was brought here to do. Play and fill holes, and be counted on to do just that."

With the injuries, McAmmond and Donovan are going to be the new third line, along with Jarkko Ruutu, while recent callups Ilya Zubov and Cody Bass make a fourth line with Nick Foligno. Given how well D-Mac, Shean Don, and Ruu have played--together and individually--it is a deserved promotion, and they've earned the ice time they'll get. Although they can be counted on for reliable defensive play and gritty (yet responsible) forechecking, a few goals tonight would be an added bonus.

Speechless: Isles 3, Sens 1

Another disheartening loss for Senators and Senators fans. I don't really know what to say... I can't figure out what to attribute this loss to. The best guess I can make is that the Senators were outhustled on the night. The Islanders got to the puck first, won puck battles, made the simple plays and drove to the net. So the Islanders won 3-1, and the Senators continue to search for answers.

On defence, Filip Kuba opened the scoring with a goal on the Senators' first shot of the game, one of only five they had in the period. It wasn't pretty; the Islanders outshot the Sens 16-5 in the period. It doesn't make sense that the Senators, after all that has happened in the last few days, could come out so flat to start the game, but they looked overwhelmed by the Islanders.

Kuba, for one, had a great game offensively. Although he got pick-pocketed on the penalty kill when Trent Hunter scored the game-winning goal, he was all over the place in the offensive zone. I can't count the number of times he jumped into the zone, and he finished with a game-high eight shots on net (!) in 25:35 of ice time. Would have been nice to see another goal, but he--along with a bunch of other Sens players--came up against a pretty solid goaltender in Joey MacDonald.

Kudos also has to go to Shean Donovan, who responded to a promotion by creating some chances, and to Nick Foligno, who responded to a demotion by creating some chances. And to Alex Auld, who once again kept the Senators in the game through the first period.

Two Senators players had particular intensity on the night: Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson. Each were credited with four hits, and Fisher in particular just looked pissed off. They obviously want to break the slump, and want to do what they have to in order to get it done. Midway through the third Fisher ripped a shot that chimed the post, the Sens' best chance of the third. Alfie had five shots for the Sens, second most after Kuba, and had an assist on the goal.

The Sens went 1-for-7 on the powerplay, and are 1-for-16 on their three-game losing streak. After starting the season so hot on the powerplay, you have to wonder what's happened. In the third period, when the Sens were awarded a five-minute powerplay to end the game, the powerplay was so chaotic it was impossible to keep track who was where; four forwards (Fisher, Alfredsson, Dany Heatley, and Jason Spezza) and Kuba were just all over, trying to power the puck in the net. It didn't work, and there was too much trying to force things, and taking shortcuts instead of following all the necessary steps.

The Sens just had no business in that game. It was a disjointed effort, players seemed to be everywhere and yet nowhere, and the Islanders were able to keep their game simple to win the game. One thing commentator Garry Galley said that stood out was that the Senators are under so much pressure now they're thinking too much, and they can't do the things that should come naturally. I think that's certainly true, to a degree, and a lot of players are holding their sticks too tightly. Something's got to give, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Uh-Oh Corvo: 'Canes 2, Sens 1

You've made a cuckold out of me for the last time, Joe Corvo. It was bad enough when you scored a hat trick against the Senators last year, but Friday night's performance--in which Corvo had an assist and scored the game-winning goal--was the last straw. As if demanding a trade wasn't bad enough, you had to go and break my heart.

Despite a strong first period, the Sens didn't capitalize on enough of their chances--including three powerplays in the first alone. Although Mike Fisher gave the Sens a 1-0 lead late in the second, the Sens just couldn't withstand the pressure that Carolina put on them in the second and third periods. Ottawa was outshot 21-11 in the final two frames, and really wasn't playing as well as they had been in the past few games.

Fisher's line with Jesse Winchester and Daniel Alfredsson was the only one to get sustained pressure on the Hurricanes. Winchester looked a lot more confident after getting his first goal out of the way, was skating very fast, and finished with three shots on net. Alfie had three shots, too, and Fisher had two of them along with five hits on the night. Unfortunately the streak of wins-in-games-that-Fisher-had-a-point ends at two.

The one roster change from the last few games was in nets, as Martin Gerber drew in to give Alex Auld the night off. Gerber made some solid saves, and this loss certainly can't be pegged on him--the team just didn't play well enough in front of Darth Gerber. I'm not sure if it's because the team was tired after playing last night (Carolina did, too, so it's not much of an excuse) or whether they are subconsciously afraid when Gerber's in nets, but they're going to have to get over it because he will play at least a few more games this year.

I'm going to partially peg this loss on not properly utilizing the fourth line. Thursday night's win had a very minor ice time disparity, and the lowest was Shean Donovan with over nine minutes. In Friday's loss, however, Donovan had only 3:34 of ice time, and his linemates had little more than that. It probably had a lot to do with all the special teams play, but they could have used a few more shifts--and if they had, the other lines (notably the Jason Spezza-Dany Heatley-Antoine Vermette line) might have had a bit more steam in the third period. Rolling the lines to keep the tempo up against an injury-riddled team like Carolina could really have exposed some weaknesses--especially since both teams had played the night before. Or maybe I'm just talking out of my ass.

And it's a Senators-free weekend, since the next game isn't until Tuesday in Montreal. Which means I don't know what the hell I'm going to do to pass the time.

Sens get shotout: Bolts 3, Sens 2 (SO)

Naturally, I didn't get to see the game last night because it wasn't on TV anywhere, but I did get some impressions based on what I heard on the radio and have read in the newspapers. Overall, the impression that I get is that the Senators had a solid game, but came up against a hot goalie in Mike Smith (who stopped 29 of 31 shots on the night).

The first period, and especially the first few minutes, were dominated by the Senators. I think I heard Jesse Winchester's name half a dozen times in the first few, and he sounded like he was buzzing even if he's still looking for that first NHL goal. And Daniel Alfredsson had a great chance on an open net just 18 seconds into the game, but it went wide harmlessly and the period ended in a scoreless draw.

Antoine Vermette ended his pointless streak eight minutes into the second, and added an assist on Dany Heatley's goal later in the second. His play recently has been very good, and it sounds like he's starting to develop some chemistry with Heatley and Jason Spezza. I'm glad that coach Craig Hartsburg decided not to cancel the CASH-Line-split at the first (or second [or third]) sign of adversity, because a few minutes in a couple of games is not long enough to find out if it will work or not. And it's not like he has a disinclination to reuniting them at key points in games and on the powerplay.

Once again, Alex Auld had a solid game for the Senators. I really hope he continues doing so, because I can't stand talking and reading about goaltending so much.

The shootout is still a huge weakness for the Senators (add it to the list, I guess). The team is 7-18 all-time in shootouts, and 0-1 this season. Maybe it's because the best all-around players are assumed to be the best in the shootout, which is obviously not the case: The Sens' first shooter was Vermette, which was fine and fair, but choosing Alfredsson--who missed the net, is 4-for-15 now, and admitted that he doesn't like the shootout--and Heatley--who is 3-for-17 and terrible in shootouts--ahead of the Sens' best shooter-outer (there's got to be a better word than that) Jarkko Ruutu--who is 7-for-13 and hilarious--doesn't make any sense. Ruutu was the fifth shooter, and to save the best shooter-outer until after the game could logically be over is simply dumb. The Sens' shootout depth chart should, in my opinion, read as follows:

1. Antoine Vermette
2. Jarkko Ruutu
3. Jason Spezza
4. Daniel Alfredsson
5. Dean McAmmond
6. Dany Heatley
7. Mike Fisher
8. Nick Foligno
9. Chris Kelly
10. Jesse Winchester
    

Interestingly enough, defenceman Filip Kuba--who added to his point total last night with an assist--has tried three shootouts, and is 0-for-3 so far. Let's save him until later rounds.

And under the 'give Donovan some credit' file, Shean Donovan had less ice time than any other player on either team once again Saturday, with 6:38 played. Which is higher than his 5:46 season average. He had one shift in the third period, which lasted 34 seconds. The guy is fifth on the team in scoring, for crying out loud, and he works as hard as anyone on the team. If the system is going to be hard forechecking, backchecking, and bodychecking, Donovan is your exemplar. So why underutilize him? I'm not proposing he play anything like 20:00 a game, but is 10:00 so much to ask? Especially in a game where special teams didn't play such a role, like last night. Give the guy a chance.

Pre-game: Sens v. Sabres, 2008-10-27

That's right, folks. I'm that crazy. I actually picked the 2-5-1 Senators to defeat the 6-0-2 Sabres tonight. Crazy? Stupid? Downright homer-ish? Maybe. But I hope it happens, because I gambled a twoonie on it. (It might be stupid to gamble a twoonie, too, but I make stupid picks with the heart and against the odds, so at least I'm smart enough to bet little money.)

As for the game tonight, Craig Hartsburg has once again shuffled the lines. And will, more than likely, shuffle them during the course of the game. We're going to have to get used to putting little to no weight into the line combinations, because Hartsburg seems like he'll be changing them often. Which is good in some ways, not as good in other ways. Although they'll change quickly, the forward lines as of now are (from the Ottawa Sun):

Vermette-Spezza-Heatley
Foligno-Fisher-Alfredsson
Ruutu-Kelly-Neil
Winchester-McAmmond-Donovan

I don't get why Jarkko Ruutu, who played so well on the fourth line with Dean McAmmond and Shean Donovan, has been bumped up, nor do I get why Jesse Winchester has been bumped down. But I guess we'll see what happens, because things change--and Winch might be subsidizing his even-strength time with powerplay time. Alex Auld will be in nets, and Patrick Lalime will be playing for the Sabres. Knowing the Sens' luck, Lalime will have the game of his life.

The game isn't on regular cable, exclusive to the NHL Network, but it is on the TEAM 1200. Or you could get extremely frustrated and listen to Rick Jeannerett (sp?) on Buffalo radio.

A few people are missing from this scoreboard... hmm....

It appears that the 'split up everyone' tactic has failed. When the Senators loss to the Leafs 3-2 (especially in the regular season) something has gone very wrong. The Sens are getting that secondary scoring in the form of Dean McAmmond and Shean Donovan, but there's another thing you need to win games... what's it called again? PRIMARY SCORING!

Coach, put the big three back together and let's end this losing streak. A win once in a while would do wonders for the team (not to mention my enthusiasm for blogging).

It also appears that Alex Auld cannot single handedly win a game for the Sens. I mean, he did okay, and no one is blaming him for the loss - and that's more than we have come to expect from Gerber this year.

I also want to add that tossing Chris Neil to the ice, then taking five fists in the face does not give you the victory in an NHL fight, Luke Schenn.

Filip Kuba continues to rack up the assists while his +/- remains stagnant. Despite his team-leading 11 points, he's a mere +1. Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov have looked slow and pourous, allowing wingers to blow past them wide (especially Big Rig), they're a combined -11.

After a couple games with five or more days before their next match, the Sens are now in the midst of three games in four days, with their next coming Monday night against the Sabres. How many more games before our faith will be restored?

Lee sent to Binghamton, Richardson draws in

The Senators' announced today that Brian Lee is headed back to Binghamton. As a result, Luke Richardson will be the Sens' sixth defenceman.

While I am a little surprised by the move, I don't think it's a bad one. Lee hasn't looked quite as comfortable this season as he was at the end of last year, and there is little doubt that he will benefit from some more seasoning in the AHL. It's also a huge boon for the B-Sens, who were already benefitting from tremendous goaltending and will now get a solid mobile defenceman to add to their corps.

Lee may have been a victim of his two-way contract, because every other Senators has an NHL deal. He did look out of place at times, and Alex Picard was slightly more impressive, but the Sens have a lot more invested in Lee.

I'm curious to see how this affects the makeup of the defence corps. The Sens will now have four defenceman who are seriously limited in their offensive abilities--Richardson, Chris Phillips, Anton Volcehnkov, and Jason Smith, and only two reasonably mobile, puck-moving defenceman--Picard and Filip Kuba. What the heck will our second powerplay unit look like?

EDIT: What the shit? Turns out that I missed something in the same release from the Sens: Shean Donovan is sitting out, and Christoph Schubert is in on the fourth line. I guess that a goal and two assists in barely five minutes a night for Donovan isn't good enough, while Chris Neil can dance around doing nothing and stay in the lineup.

Great start, poor finish: Sens 6 'Yotes 3

Sure, a 6-0 win would have been nice, but the Senators' didn't want to make it too easy on Martin Gerber. To keep Darth in the game, Alex Picard gave the puck away, Jason Smith gave up coverage, and Chris Phillips decided to give Olli Jokinen all the time he needed to get the puck in the slot. Each third-period error resulted in a goal, but the Sens had built a suitable lead in the first 30 minutes and came out with two points.

Heroic return for Daniel Alfredsson, whose two assists was part but not all of his contribution. From the moment the game began, you could see the Senators were energized, and looked very different from the team that lost to the Red Wings last week. Whether that was a week of waiting for hockey or Alfie's miracle comeback is unknown, but I'd be willing to bet the captain had a lot to do with it. Is it too early to nominate Alfie for the Hart Trophy? Maybe I'll wait until the fifth game of the season.

Evidence of the energization was in the play of both Jason Spezza (2G, 2A) and Dany Heatley (1G). Each of them had a real edge to their game, and were large in the Sens' ability to shoot out to a quick lead.

Any goalie would have had a hard time with the three Phoenix goals. The first was a defensive-zone giveaway right to Shane Doan, who launched a rocket high glove side. Second was a two-on-two where Smith lost coverage and let the puck float by him right to Enver Lisin, and the third was a sick one-timer off a Jokinen pass from behind the net. Gerber was able to hold the fort when Phoenix came on strong at the very start, and battened down the hatches (sort of) when peppered by 18 shots in the third. He deserves the credit he'll get for the win.

Big respect has to go to Jarkko Ruutu, as well. Not usually noted for his goal-scoring ability, Ruuuuuuuu had two pretty goals in just over eleven minutes played. Pretty effective, and his play with Shean Donovan (2A) and Dean McAmmond offered a rounded and effective fourth line that Craig Hartsburg would be wise to continue using to the extent he did tonight (Donovan 9:17, McAmmond 7:52, Ruutu 11:19).

Speaking of goals by players who aren't expected to score, where did that come from, Anton Volchenkov? He may not be able to properly enunciate 'give-and-go' in English (it would probably sound like 'gerve-rand-grow' or something), but he did it perfectly on the ice (with the help of Nick Foligno, and a serious lack of defensive coverage from the Coyotes). It reflects a trend I've noticed this year, and it's something both Bryan Murray and Hartsburg suggested would be necessary given the lack of a true puck-moving defenceman: Every blueliner chipping in where he can on the offensive side of the puck. Chris Phillips pinching in on plays, Jason Smith making solid breakout passes, and Filip Kuba averaging 1.5 assists per game (including the two he scored Friday night) dovetail nicely with my point, and if these players continue to do what they're doing without becoming defensive liabilities, then we've really got something here.

On the other hand, Brian Lee and Picard have some work to do together. They got a fair bit of ice time, granted, and they are still young, but they've got to work on their communication. And being strong on the puck when clearing the zone. I'm confident they'll pick it up, but you only get so many chances in this league before the other team capitalizes (cough*Shane Doan*cough).

Did anyone miss Christoph Schubert tonight? As nice as it is to occassionally see him throw a big hit on the forecheck, I'm really beginning to wonder where the underskilled defenceman/limited forward fits on this roster. And, although fairness isn't really part of professional sports, it seems wasteful (and yes, unfair) to allow a very tradeable asset collect dust (rust?) in the press box.

Get set for another game Saturday night. It's nice not to have to wait six days before the next game...

ADDENDUM: Oh yeah, and although Jesse Winchester is still waiting for his first NHL goal, he had another really smart game. So far, he looks like one of those players who you can always count on to play his game every night. He set up a few chances, and I'm sure he'll get his points if things keep going the way they're going for him.