Sens Game Report - 10/12/2006 - Calgary @ Ottawa

It was too bad someone had to lose this one. Even worse because it was us that lost.

The Balance in the Bank:

Final Score: Calgary wins 1-0
Ottawa Goals:
- Shutout for the second time in four games
Making Sens: Alfredsson, Volchenkov, Neil, Emery
Lacking Sens: Schaefer, Heatley, Preissing
It was over when: Schaefer crapped out and gave up the puck in his own end, with the ensuing turnover winding up in our net in the last period.
It was definitely over when: Our powerplay continued to stink and we couldn’t convert on back to back advantages late in the third..
Message in a Molson bottle: Lots of hits, lots of forechecking, and a hell of a lot of backchecking and goaltending. This was, for the most part, a fundamentally sound game, and perhaps all that backchecking cost us some odd man rushes going through the neutral zone. Oh yeah, they also played Kiprusoff and he’s known to win games. This was a goaltender’s duo that went the way of the Finn.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=261012014
Next Game: Saturday in Montreal after dropping all there at home..

Grab a Timmy’s double double and listen to what really happened:

The Good
- The Pizza Line only had two of its three toppings tonight that played properly and they managed to create some chances and hold on to the puck from time to time. Alfredsson was our best forward and our best backchecker, like he should be. Spezza had his usual idiot passes but has undeniable chemistry with his captain.
- Volchenkov and Phillips both looked 150,000% better, to quote an impossible number that Melnyk used recently. They used the body, made strong outlet passes, and on the whole, looked much more comfortable on all ends of the ice.
- We have three solid PK units. Kelly and Vermette just move around a lot, Fisher and Schaefer move around a ton, and Alfredsson and McAmmond are just very strong players.

The Bad
- Peter Schaefer was a moron for the better part of the night. Hey buddy, we get it, you’re good with the puck along the boards. Where we don’t need to see this 190lb wonder trying to work his magic is in our end. In a tie game. In the third period. In a game where Kiprusoff is in the other net. Add up these variables and you get a loss tonight. Thanks, Schaefs.
- The only day of the year that Vermette is our fastest player is during the Skills Competition. If this guy doesn’t start using his speed and moving his feet, then I can’t imagine he’ll see the playoffs in a Sens uniform. Yep, I’m starting the Vermette trade rumours again.
- Tom Preissing looked terrible tonight, coughing up the puck, looking far too tentative, and playing like the $600K defenceman we don’t want him to be.

The Ugly
- To say that Dany Heatley had a disappointing game tonight would be an understatement. This guy’s floating makes a rubber duck look like the Tasmanian devil. It’s going to be hard for him to score 60 goals when he hardly skates past the blue line. His stickhandling is arguably worse than Spartacat’s and I’m pretty sure Brad Marsh could have skated circles around him. He can get a head start on the beer and hot dogs at the Centrum because he didn’t work up any kind of sweat tonight. Heatley’s shot was so far off tonight that some kid selling a Ralex watch in an alley in Kuala Lumpur said through a translator, “hey, you’re timing is a little off.” Heatley’s stickhandling was so slow and obvious that even Sheldon Souray would have managed to keep his clothes on. Magnus Arvedson called Heatley after the game and commended him on his total lack of physical play. Long story short, Heaters needs to get much, much better.

Overtime
- I started to think that Phaneuf was a real tough guy for the first hit but then always seemed to skate away from the ensuring melee, but then he sent Hamel into the 12th row of the lower bowl with a crushing hit. Too bad Stephen Harper doesn’t come to our games, or else he and Hamel could have had a neat conversation about Quebec language laws. Harper has decided to cheer for Toronto. At least we have Dalton McGuinty and Matthew Perry, right?
- Emery was great in nets and I’m sure some ridiculous journalists will find a way to push a goaltending controversy around practice tomorrow.
- Eaves’ ice time took a major hit. That’s a wakeup call. He didn’t do much with the time he did have on the ice, even playing with offensive juggernauts Chris Kelly and Brian McGrattan.
- Spezza goes 14-2 in the faceoff circle. That’s an amazing start to the play considering he and his linemates are at their best when they have the puck in their possession.
- Redden and Meszaros played together tonight and combined for 9 blocked shots. Those aren’t Jay McKee numbers, but that’s pretty good
- 0-for-6 on the powerplay. This is bad. The Flames just sat on Heatley each time, but we should still find a way to score goals considering Alfredsson, Spezza, and Redden are also on the ice.