Nice start.
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 5-2 (Ottawa leads series 1-0)
Ottawa Goals: Fisher, Alfredsson, Saprykin (GW), Spezza, McAmmond
Making Sens: Alfredsson, Fisher, Volchenkov
Lacking Sens: Corvo, Comrie,
It was over when: Oleg Saprykin!
It was definitely over when: Not only was Spezza’s PP goal in the third awesome, it was the fact that it was during a Derek Roy, Resident Piss Ant, penalty that made it the icing on the cake.
Message in a Molson bottle: The Sens were faster then the “fastest” team in the league, created turnovers, and were simply the better team. Going into the game, we knew our big three had to be great and we were a better special teams group. The pizza line had a pair of goals, we had two on the powerplay and a shortie, and just drove all over their fans tonight. Great effort.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=270510002
Grab a Timmy’s double double and listen to what really happened:
Optimistic Ophelia
I like it when the pizza line scores, but I like it even more when the other forwards score. Such was the case with goals from Fisher, Saprykin, and McAmmond. Fisher was a man possessed in the first period, McAmmond was the smartest player on the other three lines, and Saprykin is like a Patty Eaves but with better hands and puck control. There wasn’t a moment with any of the four lines that you worried about Buffalo blowing past them as it was just another tight, well-played Ottawa game from the role forwards.
Pessimistic Patty
It isn’t the two-goal lead that got away that bothers me, it is the type of goals that they scored to wipe out that lead. The first one, our forwards left the zone all at once and all before the puck, leaving two out of place defencemen and a huge rebound from Emery. The second one, Heatley simply has to tie up Lydman before he gets back around in front like that. Two lapses of judgment, two goals. Let’s learn and move on.
Upbeat Ursula
Three third period goals in the third period of a tie game while visiting the best team in hockey. Not too shabby. The poise that the Sens have shown through 11 games has been magnificent and unseen in the past. What is so nice to watch is that not a single player on our team is trying to do too much with or without the puck. There is a level of trust that has been established within the core of that room and they really do count on one another to back each other up. Compare the number of odd-man rushes we gave up tonight compared to any of the previous games last year (I don’t want to bring up last year, but it is our only point of reference so far). We are just operating as a well-oiled machine right now and time will tell if Mucks has put the right pieces together. I have to say, when we traded for Saprykin, Williams and I agreed that all he had to do was score one game winner and it would be a worthwhile deal. Was that not the most important goal the Sens have scored this postseason?! Way to go, Saps. The Tenacious O. I hope he stays in the lineup and Patty Eaves sits out a few more…
Debbie Downer
The Preissing/Corvo pairing was average tonight and here’s to hoping that it was just Game One jitters. I’m sure the media hype has to get to some of these guys, so let’s write tonight off and move on. I’ll say this about both of them, though – they don’t get burned by a speedy Buffalo forward, do they? It is refreshing to see Corvo play a guy all the way around the net instead of losing a step and having the Sabre cut in front of the net.
Keys to the next game
- Skate hard and fast and keep drawing penalties
- Clear out the rebounds – Buffalo loves those
- Traffic in front of Miller works, right Alfie?
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Sunday, May 06, 2007
rd 2 gm 5; ottawa @ new jersey; 5.5.2007
Haven’t won anything yet. Let’s enjoy this and get ready for the next one.
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 3-2 (Ottawa leads series 4-1)
Ottawa Goals: Vermette, Spezza, Alfredsson (GW)
Making Sens: Alfredsson, Spezza, Emery
Lacking Sens: Redden, Corvo, Comrie
It was over when: The Vermette goal took so much momentum from them and shifted it to us as we set forth on another second period explosion.
It was definitely over when: Alfredsson’s wrister through the five hole gave us the two goal edge and we might as well have packed up then and there.
Message in a Molson bottle: Once again, we showed that we can rebound after a bad period. We came out flat and Emery kept us in the game in the first period, just enough so that we can come out flying with 19 shots in the second period and cruise through a courtesy third period. Top line was dominant again and we did just enough backchecking to prevent any kind of sustained scoring pressure from the Devils. The third period might have been our most smothering period in history.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=270505011
Grab a Timmy’s double double and listen to what really happened:
Optimistic Ophelia
Giving up the first goal is no longer the recipe for disaster in our locker room. We have shown an incredible ability to stick to our powerful game plan and in a game like this, it becomes just a matter time before the plan kicks in and we start to chip away. Our style of play promotes team offence and also keeps a keen eye on backchecking and keeping the puck out of our own zone. It was worked well against a fast team and against a defensive team. Let’s see if it can work a couple more times. One thing is for sure, the players have absolutely bought into the plan, something that is absolutely mandatory for success. Just ask Axel Rose.
Pessimistic Patty
I don’t want to sound like a Negative Nancy here, but we still have a few defencemen that turn the puck over a lot. Redden and Meszaros continue to show an inability to get the puck out of the zone at crucial times, and Joe Corvo is sometimes trying to do too much behind our own net instead of just finding an outlet or finding the glass. This is all hidden right now because the forwards are playing back, but as the opponents get better each round, so too should our defencemen in clearing the puck. Corvo also should never have left Gomez behind him on the first New Jersey goal.
Upbeat Ursula
We are a detail-oriented team. The Vermette goal was a fabrication from the strong boards play by, well, Vermette himself. We did an amazing job at keeping the puck in on the left side, it made its way back around to Preissing, and then there was Vermie to tip in the shot through Brodeur. Couple this with the play behind our own net of guys like Fisher and McAmmond in helping out the defencemen. What the result will be is that we work as an 18-skater unit (down to 15 in the third period, sometimes). This is why Carolina won the Cup last year and never really had a superstar. 18 guys doing their job.
Debbie Downer
Mike Comrie had a so-so game but once again found himself on the bench for the third period. Dean McAmmond jumps up in his spot and we roll three lines while protecting the lead. I wish Comrie would just show better backchecking in the first two periods and then Murray would let him play in the third. He’s good enough to do it, he just hasn’t been around on our team long enough to understand why Spezza used to get benched, I guess. Let’s hope he figures it out because he’s far more valuable on the ice then he is taking McAmmond’s spot on the bench with the fourth unit.
Keys to the next game
- Rest
- Hope the Rangers force a seventh game
- Work on playoff beards. Mine is a disgusting collection of fur that itches me to the core. I love it.
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 3-2 (Ottawa leads series 4-1)
Ottawa Goals: Vermette, Spezza, Alfredsson (GW)
Making Sens: Alfredsson, Spezza, Emery
Lacking Sens: Redden, Corvo, Comrie
It was over when: The Vermette goal took so much momentum from them and shifted it to us as we set forth on another second period explosion.
It was definitely over when: Alfredsson’s wrister through the five hole gave us the two goal edge and we might as well have packed up then and there.
Message in a Molson bottle: Once again, we showed that we can rebound after a bad period. We came out flat and Emery kept us in the game in the first period, just enough so that we can come out flying with 19 shots in the second period and cruise through a courtesy third period. Top line was dominant again and we did just enough backchecking to prevent any kind of sustained scoring pressure from the Devils. The third period might have been our most smothering period in history.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=270505011
Grab a Timmy’s double double and listen to what really happened:
Optimistic Ophelia
Giving up the first goal is no longer the recipe for disaster in our locker room. We have shown an incredible ability to stick to our powerful game plan and in a game like this, it becomes just a matter time before the plan kicks in and we start to chip away. Our style of play promotes team offence and also keeps a keen eye on backchecking and keeping the puck out of our own zone. It was worked well against a fast team and against a defensive team. Let’s see if it can work a couple more times. One thing is for sure, the players have absolutely bought into the plan, something that is absolutely mandatory for success. Just ask Axel Rose.
Pessimistic Patty
I don’t want to sound like a Negative Nancy here, but we still have a few defencemen that turn the puck over a lot. Redden and Meszaros continue to show an inability to get the puck out of the zone at crucial times, and Joe Corvo is sometimes trying to do too much behind our own net instead of just finding an outlet or finding the glass. This is all hidden right now because the forwards are playing back, but as the opponents get better each round, so too should our defencemen in clearing the puck. Corvo also should never have left Gomez behind him on the first New Jersey goal.
Upbeat Ursula
We are a detail-oriented team. The Vermette goal was a fabrication from the strong boards play by, well, Vermette himself. We did an amazing job at keeping the puck in on the left side, it made its way back around to Preissing, and then there was Vermie to tip in the shot through Brodeur. Couple this with the play behind our own net of guys like Fisher and McAmmond in helping out the defencemen. What the result will be is that we work as an 18-skater unit (down to 15 in the third period, sometimes). This is why Carolina won the Cup last year and never really had a superstar. 18 guys doing their job.
Debbie Downer
Mike Comrie had a so-so game but once again found himself on the bench for the third period. Dean McAmmond jumps up in his spot and we roll three lines while protecting the lead. I wish Comrie would just show better backchecking in the first two periods and then Murray would let him play in the third. He’s good enough to do it, he just hasn’t been around on our team long enough to understand why Spezza used to get benched, I guess. Let’s hope he figures it out because he’s far more valuable on the ice then he is taking McAmmond’s spot on the bench with the fourth unit.
Keys to the next game
- Rest
- Hope the Rangers force a seventh game
- Work on playoff beards. Mine is a disgusting collection of fur that itches me to the core. I love it.
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