The Beast of the East once again.
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 4-0
Ottawa goals: Heatley (39) on the PP after Alfie’s pass went off a skate, Eaves (14) with the blue-collar goal tipping in a Meszy point shot, Vermette (17) showing that his wrist shot is simply awesome and can sometimes be faster than Brodeur’s glove, Chara (14) convincing the opponents that a 5-on-3 to Ottawa is a bad idea because he’ll sit out front and will not be moved.
Making Sens(e): Emery, mostly everyone
Not much Sens(e): Arnason, although we still cut him some slack
It was over when: We put up three in the second period and won every single battle for the puck.
It was definitely over when: Emery robbed Elias late, preserving the shutout and putting the finishing touches on a dominating game.
Message in a Molson bottle: It turns out that the flight from Ottawa to New Jersey after last night’s game against the Sabres was more like a long intermission. These were two of the best games we have played all season, in my opinion, and I’d really like it if the playoffs could start today. Can they? Emery was stellar and we made Brodeur look human at the other end.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260319011
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
Is there a goalie controversy in Ottawa?
Probably not, but Sens fans should be absolutely thrilled with the way that Ray Emery has filled in for Hasek since Torino/Turin/NorthBoot. He is now 9-1-1 since assuming the number one duties in net and last night was one of his best performances. Showing no signs of fatigue, he made those big saves at key moments that we always remember Dominator doing. Emery has kept it simple, too – he knows that he will be judged mostly on wins and losses right now so he’s doing what a normal goalie should and that is to let in fewer than we score on the other end. He doesn’t make spectacular gloves saves or go sprawling through the air to knock a puck away. Instead, he is just well-positioned and controls the rebounds and it is working very, very well. This kid right now could be our starter next season if Hasek hangs ‘em up.
Who doesn’t love a good powerplay?
Tried, tested, and true – nobody said powerplay goals had to be pretty. Case in point is that we looked sharp and set in going only 1 for 10 against Buffalo and Saturday, but looked frightened and confused and went 3 for 9 on Sunday in New Jersey. The three goals – a pass off a skate landed on Heatley’s stick, a tipped shot from the point, and a 6’9” ogre taking a slapper off the ankle and in. Nothing fancy, but definitely effective. Ideally, I think Coach Murray would like to see us get the puck to Alfie, Redden, Chara, and Meszaros/Pothier for point shots and stick Neil or Eaves in front of the net to screen and tip. These are the hard-working goals that separate the champions from the golfers. This past weekend, we were playing like champions and the hard work has put us atop the Eastern Conference.
It's official - we're a team
This game showed that we are one of the most cohesive units in the NHL. For the same reason that the Rangers had missed the playoffs for seven years, we showed that we have 12 forwards and 6 defencemen that play like one solid set of NHLers. Rebounds are cleared out quickly, the outlet passes make it clear through to the neutral zone, and we have three forwards cross the opposing blue line together. Our defencemen know when to pinch and our forwards know when to backcheck. Our penalty killers know when to go for the goal and when to simply clear the puck. All in all, the fact that we can play together as a team is by far our best advantage going into the postseason. "Team wins" are the ones that make the difference in May.
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
1. Arnason isn’t very noticeable. I don’t know if this is a good thing or not. I think we can still cut him some slack as he gets used to something different called “winning” but at some point, we should all want to see what made him one of the top players on an NHL team, no matter how bad that team was. In 13 minutes in New Jersey, he recorded one shot.
2. Schuby-doo hits people really hard.
3. Smolinski had a second straight rock solid game as the ringer on the Fishing line. I can live with that.
4. You know that you are successfully rolling four lines out there when everyone on the ice has at least 10 minutes of ice time.
5. This patch of games right now is the most complete hockey I believe this team has ever played. Ever. Bold statements are free of charge today.
6. Chara and Gionta have a great rivalry going on and to make it more amusing on our side is that Gionta is tiny. Big Z probably wants to roll the little guy in smokey barbecue sauce and take a big Chara-lite bite out of him. Yum.
7. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30pm
Friday at Buffalo, 8:00pm
Saturday at Flyers, 7:00pm Good back-to-back test here
Monday, March 20, 2006
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Sens Game Report - Buffalo at Ottawa - 3.18.2006
We’re good
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 4-2
Ottawa goals: Schaefer (18) on a rebound of Smolinski’s shot, Chara (13) on a 5-on-3 banging in Heatley’s junk, Smolinski (15) on an awesome and fast 2-on-1 feed from Schaefer, Kelly (7) racing after the loose puck to put in the empty netter.
Making Sens(e): Smolinski, Schaefer
Not much Sens(e): Arnason, Emery (sort of)
It was over when: Smolinski’s goal mid-second gave us that 3-spot that we just will not relinquish.
It was definitely over when: Kelly popped in the empty-netter, obviously.
Message in a Molson bottle: Awesome game – out-shooting our rival 49-22 (22-3 in the first) and just dominating in all facets in the game showed that we are definitely the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo players said they just played very poorly, but don’t let that take away from the fact that we are simply a much better team. BBQ Ribs for everyone!
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260318014
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
Dr. Smolinski and Mr. Hyde
Bryan Smolinski, who are you? One night he floats around the neutral zone for 12-15 minutes causing more harm than good, and the next night he can be our best player on the ice. Smoke filled in more than admirably for the wounded Fish and showed that he can be as fast as he needs to be. His goal came as he simply took off around McKee and was open for Schaefer’s perfect pass. He also skated harder and played smarter than he has for most of the season. So we’ve seen Smoke play well filling in for Spezza in January and we’ve seen him play well filling in for Fisher. Why, then, has he been tagged as a third-line centre for the better part of the season? If he played 82 games like he did in this Buffalo game, then…we’d still be the highest scoring team in the NHL and tops in the conference. Let’s see a few weeks of this kind of play and Smoke will make Ottawa fans fall in love all over again (or for the first time for some).
We’re speedy
We already know that Antoine Vermette is the fastest player on our active roster. And we know that Martin Havlat might take that title when he returns. And we also know that Mike Fisher has some of the best speed on the team, too. But to see Schaefer and Smolinski turn a 2-on-2 into a 2-on-0 for our third goal was just ridiculous. The fourth goal, by Kelly into an empty net in the dying seconds, was also a result of having amazing breakaway speed. Buffalo is known to be on the fastest teams in the league and that had led them to the 8-game winning streak they took into Ottawa – but we’re faster. I am completely comfortable playing a speed game in the playoffs with the lineup that we put on the ice. It has been known to lead to goals.
Who’s Line is it, anyway?
Don’t try and follow the linemates throughout the game and into the next match because they change more often than you can write them down. Eaves was still up with Heaters and Spezz Dispenser and did a great job of keeping up – it’s nice to see the two superstars have grit on their line to crash the net. Alfredsson played with Arnason and Vermette and were inconsequential at even strength. Smoke centered the Fishing line in Mike’s absence. And the scrubs of Kelly, Varada, and Schubert were the remaining checkers. It is always interesting to follow how the coach sorts out his icetime – Arnason doesn’t play on the special teams but Alfredsson is on the first PP unit and the third SH unit while Vermette is the first penalty killer out there with Kelly and has seen time on the second PP unit. It is apparent that Coach Murray is still feeling out what kind of role Arnason will play on this team, and it makes it even more difficult to figure it out when Havlat and Fisher are out. I have pulled a 180-degree turn from the fall and I now think Vermette is the X-factor out there. Do you keep him on the 4th line of a healthy team or should he play opposite Havlat and let Arnason be the two-way centre to send them in on odd-man rushes? Time will tell – buy your playoff tickets today.
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
1. McGrattan hasn’t played in a while.
2. Emery wasn’t too sharp, but the Rayzer was good enough to hold our lead. The first Sabres goal was too Lalimey and he let a few rebounds sit too long. Besides that, he has been one of our best players since the Olympics so I should just shut my mouth.
3. Arnason was one of three Sens with less than 10 minutes of ice time (Varada and Schubert) – I hope he isn’t in Murray’s doghouse here. On the other hand, it makes Muck Muck look like a genius bringing in a centre for depth as Fish is out for a couple of weeks.
4. 5-on-3’s aren’t really fair when we sit the big guy in front of the net and Heatley, Alfie, Spezza, and Redden just taunt and torture the opposing penalty killers.
5. 49 shots usually wins you the game. It did here.
6. We are now 40-0-0 when scoring four or more goals. As impressive is that we have scored four or more goals in 40 of 66 games to this point.
7. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Sunday at New Jersey, 7:30pm
Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30pm
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 4-2
Ottawa goals: Schaefer (18) on a rebound of Smolinski’s shot, Chara (13) on a 5-on-3 banging in Heatley’s junk, Smolinski (15) on an awesome and fast 2-on-1 feed from Schaefer, Kelly (7) racing after the loose puck to put in the empty netter.
Making Sens(e): Smolinski, Schaefer
Not much Sens(e): Arnason, Emery (sort of)
It was over when: Smolinski’s goal mid-second gave us that 3-spot that we just will not relinquish.
It was definitely over when: Kelly popped in the empty-netter, obviously.
Message in a Molson bottle: Awesome game – out-shooting our rival 49-22 (22-3 in the first) and just dominating in all facets in the game showed that we are definitely the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo players said they just played very poorly, but don’t let that take away from the fact that we are simply a much better team. BBQ Ribs for everyone!
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260318014
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
Dr. Smolinski and Mr. Hyde
Bryan Smolinski, who are you? One night he floats around the neutral zone for 12-15 minutes causing more harm than good, and the next night he can be our best player on the ice. Smoke filled in more than admirably for the wounded Fish and showed that he can be as fast as he needs to be. His goal came as he simply took off around McKee and was open for Schaefer’s perfect pass. He also skated harder and played smarter than he has for most of the season. So we’ve seen Smoke play well filling in for Spezza in January and we’ve seen him play well filling in for Fisher. Why, then, has he been tagged as a third-line centre for the better part of the season? If he played 82 games like he did in this Buffalo game, then…we’d still be the highest scoring team in the NHL and tops in the conference. Let’s see a few weeks of this kind of play and Smoke will make Ottawa fans fall in love all over again (or for the first time for some).
We’re speedy
We already know that Antoine Vermette is the fastest player on our active roster. And we know that Martin Havlat might take that title when he returns. And we also know that Mike Fisher has some of the best speed on the team, too. But to see Schaefer and Smolinski turn a 2-on-2 into a 2-on-0 for our third goal was just ridiculous. The fourth goal, by Kelly into an empty net in the dying seconds, was also a result of having amazing breakaway speed. Buffalo is known to be on the fastest teams in the league and that had led them to the 8-game winning streak they took into Ottawa – but we’re faster. I am completely comfortable playing a speed game in the playoffs with the lineup that we put on the ice. It has been known to lead to goals.
Who’s Line is it, anyway?
Don’t try and follow the linemates throughout the game and into the next match because they change more often than you can write them down. Eaves was still up with Heaters and Spezz Dispenser and did a great job of keeping up – it’s nice to see the two superstars have grit on their line to crash the net. Alfredsson played with Arnason and Vermette and were inconsequential at even strength. Smoke centered the Fishing line in Mike’s absence. And the scrubs of Kelly, Varada, and Schubert were the remaining checkers. It is always interesting to follow how the coach sorts out his icetime – Arnason doesn’t play on the special teams but Alfredsson is on the first PP unit and the third SH unit while Vermette is the first penalty killer out there with Kelly and has seen time on the second PP unit. It is apparent that Coach Murray is still feeling out what kind of role Arnason will play on this team, and it makes it even more difficult to figure it out when Havlat and Fisher are out. I have pulled a 180-degree turn from the fall and I now think Vermette is the X-factor out there. Do you keep him on the 4th line of a healthy team or should he play opposite Havlat and let Arnason be the two-way centre to send them in on odd-man rushes? Time will tell – buy your playoff tickets today.
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
1. McGrattan hasn’t played in a while.
2. Emery wasn’t too sharp, but the Rayzer was good enough to hold our lead. The first Sabres goal was too Lalimey and he let a few rebounds sit too long. Besides that, he has been one of our best players since the Olympics so I should just shut my mouth.
3. Arnason was one of three Sens with less than 10 minutes of ice time (Varada and Schubert) – I hope he isn’t in Murray’s doghouse here. On the other hand, it makes Muck Muck look like a genius bringing in a centre for depth as Fish is out for a couple of weeks.
4. 5-on-3’s aren’t really fair when we sit the big guy in front of the net and Heatley, Alfie, Spezza, and Redden just taunt and torture the opposing penalty killers.
5. 49 shots usually wins you the game. It did here.
6. We are now 40-0-0 when scoring four or more goals. As impressive is that we have scored four or more goals in 40 of 66 games to this point.
7. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Sunday at New Jersey, 7:30pm
Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30pm
Friday, March 17, 2006
Sens Game Report - Ottawa at Boston - 3.16.2006
photo from CP and tsn.ca
I hate shootouts
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Boston wins 3-2 in the shootout
Ottawa goals: Spezza (18) sent in alone by Heatley, Vermette (16) left alone in front after a feed from Smolinski
Making Sens(e): Emery (except for one play),
Not much Sens(e): Smolinski
It was over when: Bergeron scored past Emery as the first of Boston’s shootout lineup.
It was definitely over when: Alfie, Heatley, and Spezza all tried the exact same terrible move on wondergoalie Tim Thomas and all three were denied. Brutal that some of the best players in the world can’t find a way to beat a guy named Tim Thomas in a shootout. Tim Thomas was probably working at the Harvey’s where these three had a burger one day and now he is winning games against us. That’s precious.
Message in a Molson bottle: Another 2-goal comeback, but this one falls short in the extra session – at least there aren’t shootouts in the playoffs. Sloppy stickwork throughout the entire game and we never really found our true groove until the third period. Sloppy stickwork like the sloppy bbq sauce all over Zdeno's face.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/boxscore?gid=2006031601
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
Mike Fisher’s ankle
If you have not yet seen the replay of what happened to Fish’s ankle, don’t go looking for it. It will make you cringe and possibly cry as our most consistent forward folds into the boards on what I would call a dirty play from Boston’s Marcu Sturm. Fisher led the chase behind the Boston net for the puck (we were short-handed) when Sturm, a step behind, jabbed his stick into Fisher’s far skate and pushing it to the side until Fish went down. The ensuing crash into the boards led to Fisher’s ankle folding sideways as he went in feet-first. He was helped off the ice on one foot and all the indications from my point of view, which is apparently not the same as a doctor, was that this was a very bad thing. It turns out that it is an ankle sprain and that x-rays show it isn’t broken. Nevertheless, we won’t be using #12 for a while, so all the more thanks to Muck Muck for bringing in Arnason – now we just need him to play on that line and get things done! Playoffs are a month away and I would think Fish will be back by then. The problem now is that we are without two of our best forwards and our top goalie and we’re trying really hard to win the division and not get into that dreaded 4 vs 5 matchup.
We can come back in the third
Don’t worry about us losing in the shootout - those aren’t in the playoffs anyway. What we should take from this game is that two games in a row now, we have been down by two goals either late in the second or into the third and we have found a way to come back into the game. This is huge. In the postseason, we aren’t always going to jump out to a nice big lead and then put up our magical four goals where we never lose. There will be times when the opposition takes a lead and hangs on to it for a while. But to know that we don’t panic, we stick to our game plan, and we exploit every one of our opponent’s mistakes is a good feeling. We will need this same mentality, poise, and even adversity come April and May. There is still a sense of urgency out there because we know the importance of getting one in the last minute of a period, for instance, or the first minute of the third. Those are momentum stealers. Even the Boston announcers, as delusional for thinking Boston has a shot at the playoffs, pointed out how much strong Ottawa played after they scored – “it’s as if they sense blood or something.” I like that and I want the other team to be intimidated by our attack.
Shoeless Joe said, “No, Ray. It was you.”
How strange that it was Emery’s fault that we were tied at the end of regulation but it was the same Emery that kept it a tie! Even Steven. Emery misplayed a puck off the boards and ended up knocking it into our own net for Boston’s second goal, giving them that 2-0 lead. But Emery also made some unbelievable stops from point blank range to keep us close going into the third. Just like we talked about last week, Emery made the big saves at the right times. Good stuff. He has found a way to just focus on his game lately and not worry about Hasek taking his first skate earlier in the day or Muck Muck bringing in Mo Mo to back him up. A sharp guy, that Rayzer Ray Emery. I would like to see, however, Morrison get in the game sooner or later, perhaps Sunday night in New Jersey after what will be a playoff game Saturday hosting Buffalo. Emery needs a rest after playing the last nine games (Saturday will make ten) and Morrison is an NHL-caliber goalie. I know because he used to live below me here in Greenville and seems like a nice guy – let’s give him a shot and give Emery some rest. Speaking of Buffalo, they are on our tail and we play them four times in the next month. Saying that there are playoff implications is an understatement. Good thing Emery is solid.
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
1. We kill penalties- that’s what we do. The double minor called on Smolinski in overtime was bush league.
2. Vermette is fast and fun to watch and has a lot of heart out there, too.
3. Schuby-Doo stepped in for Varada tonight to get some game work, although he almost spent as much time in the penalty box as he did on the ice.
4. Chara had 5:00 minutes of ice time in the five minute overtime. Wow. During Boston’s four minute 4-on-3 in OT, Alfie and Kelly went back and forth as the lone forwards and were great.
5. Boston is the only team in the NHL to beat us more than twice – and they’ve now won the last four!
6. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7:00pm.- gonna be like a playoff game!
Sunday at New Jersey, 7:30pm
Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30pm
I hate shootoutsThe Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Boston wins 3-2 in the shootout
Ottawa goals: Spezza (18) sent in alone by Heatley, Vermette (16) left alone in front after a feed from Smolinski
Making Sens(e): Emery (except for one play),
Not much Sens(e): Smolinski
It was over when: Bergeron scored past Emery as the first of Boston’s shootout lineup.
It was definitely over when: Alfie, Heatley, and Spezza all tried the exact same terrible move on wondergoalie Tim Thomas and all three were denied. Brutal that some of the best players in the world can’t find a way to beat a guy named Tim Thomas in a shootout. Tim Thomas was probably working at the Harvey’s where these three had a burger one day and now he is winning games against us. That’s precious.
Message in a Molson bottle: Another 2-goal comeback, but this one falls short in the extra session – at least there aren’t shootouts in the playoffs. Sloppy stickwork throughout the entire game and we never really found our true groove until the third period. Sloppy stickwork like the sloppy bbq sauce all over Zdeno's face.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/boxscore?gid=2006031601
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
Mike Fisher’s ankle
If you have not yet seen the replay of what happened to Fish’s ankle, don’t go looking for it. It will make you cringe and possibly cry as our most consistent forward folds into the boards on what I would call a dirty play from Boston’s Marcu Sturm. Fisher led the chase behind the Boston net for the puck (we were short-handed) when Sturm, a step behind, jabbed his stick into Fisher’s far skate and pushing it to the side until Fish went down. The ensuing crash into the boards led to Fisher’s ankle folding sideways as he went in feet-first. He was helped off the ice on one foot and all the indications from my point of view, which is apparently not the same as a doctor, was that this was a very bad thing. It turns out that it is an ankle sprain and that x-rays show it isn’t broken. Nevertheless, we won’t be using #12 for a while, so all the more thanks to Muck Muck for bringing in Arnason – now we just need him to play on that line and get things done! Playoffs are a month away and I would think Fish will be back by then. The problem now is that we are without two of our best forwards and our top goalie and we’re trying really hard to win the division and not get into that dreaded 4 vs 5 matchup.
We can come back in the third
Don’t worry about us losing in the shootout - those aren’t in the playoffs anyway. What we should take from this game is that two games in a row now, we have been down by two goals either late in the second or into the third and we have found a way to come back into the game. This is huge. In the postseason, we aren’t always going to jump out to a nice big lead and then put up our magical four goals where we never lose. There will be times when the opposition takes a lead and hangs on to it for a while. But to know that we don’t panic, we stick to our game plan, and we exploit every one of our opponent’s mistakes is a good feeling. We will need this same mentality, poise, and even adversity come April and May. There is still a sense of urgency out there because we know the importance of getting one in the last minute of a period, for instance, or the first minute of the third. Those are momentum stealers. Even the Boston announcers, as delusional for thinking Boston has a shot at the playoffs, pointed out how much strong Ottawa played after they scored – “it’s as if they sense blood or something.” I like that and I want the other team to be intimidated by our attack.
Shoeless Joe said, “No, Ray. It was you.”
How strange that it was Emery’s fault that we were tied at the end of regulation but it was the same Emery that kept it a tie! Even Steven. Emery misplayed a puck off the boards and ended up knocking it into our own net for Boston’s second goal, giving them that 2-0 lead. But Emery also made some unbelievable stops from point blank range to keep us close going into the third. Just like we talked about last week, Emery made the big saves at the right times. Good stuff. He has found a way to just focus on his game lately and not worry about Hasek taking his first skate earlier in the day or Muck Muck bringing in Mo Mo to back him up. A sharp guy, that Rayzer Ray Emery. I would like to see, however, Morrison get in the game sooner or later, perhaps Sunday night in New Jersey after what will be a playoff game Saturday hosting Buffalo. Emery needs a rest after playing the last nine games (Saturday will make ten) and Morrison is an NHL-caliber goalie. I know because he used to live below me here in Greenville and seems like a nice guy – let’s give him a shot and give Emery some rest. Speaking of Buffalo, they are on our tail and we play them four times in the next month. Saying that there are playoff implications is an understatement. Good thing Emery is solid.
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
1. We kill penalties- that’s what we do. The double minor called on Smolinski in overtime was bush league.
2. Vermette is fast and fun to watch and has a lot of heart out there, too.
3. Schuby-Doo stepped in for Varada tonight to get some game work, although he almost spent as much time in the penalty box as he did on the ice.
4. Chara had 5:00 minutes of ice time in the five minute overtime. Wow. During Boston’s four minute 4-on-3 in OT, Alfie and Kelly went back and forth as the lone forwards and were great.
5. Boston is the only team in the NHL to beat us more than twice – and they’ve now won the last four!
6. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7:00pm.- gonna be like a playoff game!
Sunday at New Jersey, 7:30pm
Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30pm
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Sens Game Report - Tampa Bay at Ottawa - Tuesday March 14 2006
photo from CP and tsn.ca
And we can have comeback wins, too
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 4-3
Ottawa goals: Neil (14) tipping a Heaters shot on the PP, Meszaros (6) with an awfully soft wrist shot that made its way in, Heatley (38) on a PP pass through the crease from Spezza, Alfredsson (37) on an amazing tic tac toe from his Pizza-mates with 7 seconds left.
Making Sens(e): Spezza, Heatley, Fisher, Alfredsson, Kelly, Vermette
Not much Sens(e): Schaefer (at times)
It was over when: Heatley tied it up early in the third after we killed off Alfie’s double minor. Sometimes you just get that mo and you know you can’t lose.
It was definitely over when: Alfredsson tipped in a glorious Spezz Dispensed pass in the dying seconds of the game.
Message in a Molson bottle: Playoff atmosphere and a very solid effort from the boys tonight. Emery was somewhat sharp, defense stood up when it had to, and the reunion of the Pizza Line put it away. Shaky Tampa goaltending helped, too.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260314014
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
The ace up our sleeve
Coach Murray is a very smart man. He has found ways to motivate this team in a new fashion, push them in a different direction, and discover the best talents in each one of his players. For the last three games, Alfredsson was tasked with running the Arnason/Smolinski line to find out what Arnie was made of. Arnason has talent – more on that later. But what makes Murray so freaking brilliant is that he knows exactly when to shuffle his lines. He did it on October 5th in Toronto and he did it again on March 14th (tonight, before you look at your time stamp). With a minute left in a tie game that we definitely deserved to win, the coach reunited his Pizza line for 60 seconds in which the only tension was trying to figure out at what point we would score. The momentum was so strong that there wasn’t a doubt that one of those three would find the twine at some point in that magical minute. Sure enough, Heatley threw it across to Spezza, who threw it onto Alfie’s stick in the crease for the winner. It is great that we can split up our scoring lines throughout the entire game and force the other team to defend three different lines that can all beat you, and just when you think you’ve got it figured out, we put together an All-Star line that is just so juiced to burn you that you don’t stand a chance. Momentum is a wonderful thing when it is in your pocket.
Tyler Arnason and Mike Morrison – unbeaten Senators
Since acquiring Arnie in the waning minutes of the trading season, Ottawa hasn’t lost a game. The question becomes, why didn’t we get him earlier? Just kidding. It is tough to attribute the three wins to Arnason, but the indirect effect of having Alfredsson and Arnason on a second line means that our best player will be coming down on our opponent’s 3rd and 4th defencemen. While Morrison hasn’t seen game action in a Sens uniform yet, we’ve had a decent chance to see the type of player that Arnason will be for us going down the stretch. First off, don’t ever expect him to hit a man in the corner – he is the type of guy that will skate by and poke the puck out. It isn’t the Mike Fisher way, but let’s not going changing a guy in his first week. Arnason also has some great moves in his sock drawer that he has pulled out on occasion. It would be nice to see him do that ever shift, but again, he hasn’t been here a week yet. As you would expect, he is still feeling his way around our lineup and is adjusting to the tempo at which we play. Not to take away from Chicago and their absolutely terrible season, but I would guess he may be a little star-struck trying to follow what we are doing since we’ve been mixing it up for 64 games now to his 3. He’ll come around this month and I imagine will see ice time with Havlat in April as his setup man. Could be lethal. In the meantime, Mo and Arnie are unbeaten!
Taking penalties on purpose
It is almost worth doing because our penalty kill is so much fun to watch right now. Chris Kelly and Antoine Vermette create more chances on the PK than our opponents do on their powerplay. It is a blast to watch because every time we gain possession of the puck, one of them streaks up the ice (through the quad to the gymnasium – We’re Streaking!). A lot of times, our d-man will just dump it down the ice, but once every three or four times, he’ll find the flying forward and send him in on a breakaway or a two-on-one will ensue. Vermi and Kelly had four solid PK chances last night. To make things even more interesting for us, Schaefer and Fisher create similar chances with their unit, and Alfredsson and Heatley are always dangerous, too. Last night, Alfie took a very odd double-minor (a phantom holding call and then an unsportsmanlike conduct because he dropped his glove and stick in disgust at the call – nothing like refs trying to take the game in their own hands, eh?), and in Tampa’s extra-long powerplay that ensued, we ended up having more scoring chances than they did. It almost makes you want to take penalties on purpose, just to pop another shortie (our 20 lead the league, by the way).
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
1. Schubert and McGrattan once again in the stands. This means we have a healthy lineup (sans Havlat).
2. We took 8 penalties – hadn’t had that many in a while, including five in a row through the middle of the first period until late in the third.
3. Lines were rearranged a lot last night, sometimes because of changing on the fly, other times because of the coach. Eaves was in and out of the top line and it sometimes looked like each player was getting a chance to play on every line, kind of like that teeball game where first one out to shortstop gets to be shortstop that inning. I always liked being the rover. I guess that is what Spezza is, eh?
4. Zdeno Chara is the focus of every single visiting team’s broadcast. Everyone in the league now knows who this guy is and likes to constantly point out that he is tall and strong. Must be doing wonders for his ego. Should we make his ribs commercial available for podcast or something, too?
5. Emery held is own and didn’t lose his head after allowing the two quick goals in the second. Great job.
6. Neil on the PP has now created three goals in the past two games. Again, we have a smart coach.
7. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Thursday at Boston, 7:00pm
Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7:00pm.- gonna be like a playoff game!
Sunday at New Jersey, 7:30pm
Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30pm
And we can have comeback wins, too
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 4-3
Ottawa goals: Neil (14) tipping a Heaters shot on the PP, Meszaros (6) with an awfully soft wrist shot that made its way in, Heatley (38) on a PP pass through the crease from Spezza, Alfredsson (37) on an amazing tic tac toe from his Pizza-mates with 7 seconds left.
Making Sens(e): Spezza, Heatley, Fisher, Alfredsson, Kelly, Vermette
Not much Sens(e): Schaefer (at times)
It was over when: Heatley tied it up early in the third after we killed off Alfie’s double minor. Sometimes you just get that mo and you know you can’t lose.
It was definitely over when: Alfredsson tipped in a glorious Spezz Dispensed pass in the dying seconds of the game.
Message in a Molson bottle: Playoff atmosphere and a very solid effort from the boys tonight. Emery was somewhat sharp, defense stood up when it had to, and the reunion of the Pizza Line put it away. Shaky Tampa goaltending helped, too.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260314014
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
The ace up our sleeve
Coach Murray is a very smart man. He has found ways to motivate this team in a new fashion, push them in a different direction, and discover the best talents in each one of his players. For the last three games, Alfredsson was tasked with running the Arnason/Smolinski line to find out what Arnie was made of. Arnason has talent – more on that later. But what makes Murray so freaking brilliant is that he knows exactly when to shuffle his lines. He did it on October 5th in Toronto and he did it again on March 14th (tonight, before you look at your time stamp). With a minute left in a tie game that we definitely deserved to win, the coach reunited his Pizza line for 60 seconds in which the only tension was trying to figure out at what point we would score. The momentum was so strong that there wasn’t a doubt that one of those three would find the twine at some point in that magical minute. Sure enough, Heatley threw it across to Spezza, who threw it onto Alfie’s stick in the crease for the winner. It is great that we can split up our scoring lines throughout the entire game and force the other team to defend three different lines that can all beat you, and just when you think you’ve got it figured out, we put together an All-Star line that is just so juiced to burn you that you don’t stand a chance. Momentum is a wonderful thing when it is in your pocket.
Tyler Arnason and Mike Morrison – unbeaten Senators
Since acquiring Arnie in the waning minutes of the trading season, Ottawa hasn’t lost a game. The question becomes, why didn’t we get him earlier? Just kidding. It is tough to attribute the three wins to Arnason, but the indirect effect of having Alfredsson and Arnason on a second line means that our best player will be coming down on our opponent’s 3rd and 4th defencemen. While Morrison hasn’t seen game action in a Sens uniform yet, we’ve had a decent chance to see the type of player that Arnason will be for us going down the stretch. First off, don’t ever expect him to hit a man in the corner – he is the type of guy that will skate by and poke the puck out. It isn’t the Mike Fisher way, but let’s not going changing a guy in his first week. Arnason also has some great moves in his sock drawer that he has pulled out on occasion. It would be nice to see him do that ever shift, but again, he hasn’t been here a week yet. As you would expect, he is still feeling his way around our lineup and is adjusting to the tempo at which we play. Not to take away from Chicago and their absolutely terrible season, but I would guess he may be a little star-struck trying to follow what we are doing since we’ve been mixing it up for 64 games now to his 3. He’ll come around this month and I imagine will see ice time with Havlat in April as his setup man. Could be lethal. In the meantime, Mo and Arnie are unbeaten!
Taking penalties on purpose
It is almost worth doing because our penalty kill is so much fun to watch right now. Chris Kelly and Antoine Vermette create more chances on the PK than our opponents do on their powerplay. It is a blast to watch because every time we gain possession of the puck, one of them streaks up the ice (through the quad to the gymnasium – We’re Streaking!). A lot of times, our d-man will just dump it down the ice, but once every three or four times, he’ll find the flying forward and send him in on a breakaway or a two-on-one will ensue. Vermi and Kelly had four solid PK chances last night. To make things even more interesting for us, Schaefer and Fisher create similar chances with their unit, and Alfredsson and Heatley are always dangerous, too. Last night, Alfie took a very odd double-minor (a phantom holding call and then an unsportsmanlike conduct because he dropped his glove and stick in disgust at the call – nothing like refs trying to take the game in their own hands, eh?), and in Tampa’s extra-long powerplay that ensued, we ended up having more scoring chances than they did. It almost makes you want to take penalties on purpose, just to pop another shortie (our 20 lead the league, by the way).
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
1. Schubert and McGrattan once again in the stands. This means we have a healthy lineup (sans Havlat).
2. We took 8 penalties – hadn’t had that many in a while, including five in a row through the middle of the first period until late in the third.
3. Lines were rearranged a lot last night, sometimes because of changing on the fly, other times because of the coach. Eaves was in and out of the top line and it sometimes looked like each player was getting a chance to play on every line, kind of like that teeball game where first one out to shortstop gets to be shortstop that inning. I always liked being the rover. I guess that is what Spezza is, eh?
4. Zdeno Chara is the focus of every single visiting team’s broadcast. Everyone in the league now knows who this guy is and likes to constantly point out that he is tall and strong. Must be doing wonders for his ego. Should we make his ribs commercial available for podcast or something, too?
5. Emery held is own and didn’t lose his head after allowing the two quick goals in the second. Great job.
6. Neil on the PP has now created three goals in the past two games. Again, we have a smart coach.
7. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Thursday at Boston, 7:00pm
Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7:00pm.- gonna be like a playoff game!
Sunday at New Jersey, 7:30pm
Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30pm
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
People to Watch
Well my friends, now that trade rumor season has officially come to an end, Geoffrey and I have been racking our brains as to what I will write on next. After many a sleepless night I bring to you the "People to Watch" series. Twice weekly I will make an update of the front runners for the major awards categories. I encourage you to submit your own names and to let us know if we are way off. I am happy to edit my entries if the public sentiment is overwhelming. As of right now there are very few locks on any of the major awards so the list is likely to change from post to post.
Adams
1. Peter Laviolet
2. Lindy Ruff
3. Barry Trotz
Winner: Laviolet
Norris
1. Niklas Lidstrom
2. Sergei Zubov
3. Lubomir Vishnovsky
Winner: Zubov
Hart
Jaromir Jagr
Alexander Ovechkin
Daniel Alfredsson
Winner: Jagr
Calder
Alex Ovechkin
Dion Phaneuf
Sidney Crosby
Winner: Ovie
Vezina
1. Mikka Kiprusoff
2. Henrik Lunqvist
3.Dominik Hasek
Winner: Kipper
Selkey
1. Brendan Morrow
2. PJ Axelson
3. Scott Walker
Winner: Morrow
Adams
1. Peter Laviolet
2. Lindy Ruff
3. Barry Trotz
Winner: Laviolet
Norris
1. Niklas Lidstrom
2. Sergei Zubov
3. Lubomir Vishnovsky
Winner: Zubov
Hart
Jaromir Jagr
Alexander Ovechkin
Daniel Alfredsson
Winner: Jagr
Calder
Alex Ovechkin
Dion Phaneuf
Sidney Crosby
Winner: Ovie
Vezina
1. Mikka Kiprusoff
2. Henrik Lunqvist
3.Dominik Hasek
Winner: Kipper
Selkey
1. Brendan Morrow
2. PJ Axelson
3. Scott Walker
Winner: Morrow
Monday, March 13, 2006
WEEKLY FAN FORUM
Topic: 2005-06 Playoffs
Question: In the first round of the playoffs, who would you most like to see face off against our beloved Ottawa Senators and why? FYI - if the season ended today, we'd play Montréal.
Current Standings:
1. *Carolina - 92pts (18 Games Remaining)
2. *Ottawa - 91 pts (19 GR)
3. *NY Rangers - 82 pts (18 GR)
4. Buffalo - 89 pts (19 GR)
5. Philadelphia - 80 pts (17 GR)
6. New Jersey - 74 pts (18 GR)
7. Montréal - 71 pts (19 GR)
8. Tampa Bay - 70 pts (18 GR)
9. Atlanta - 68 pts (17 GR)
10. NY Islanders - 64 pts (19 GR)
11. Toronto - 64 pts (19 GR)
12. Florida - 61 pts (18 GR)
13. Boston - 60 pts (17 GR)
14. Washington - 51 pts (19 GR)
15. Pittsburgh - 44 pts (17 GR)
Please post your thoughts below...and pass on to your friends for even more insight and opinion.
Question: In the first round of the playoffs, who would you most like to see face off against our beloved Ottawa Senators and why? FYI - if the season ended today, we'd play Montréal.
Current Standings:
1. *Carolina - 92pts (18 Games Remaining)
2. *Ottawa - 91 pts (19 GR)
3. *NY Rangers - 82 pts (18 GR)
4. Buffalo - 89 pts (19 GR)
5. Philadelphia - 80 pts (17 GR)
6. New Jersey - 74 pts (18 GR)
7. Montréal - 71 pts (19 GR)
8. Tampa Bay - 70 pts (18 GR)
9. Atlanta - 68 pts (17 GR)
10. NY Islanders - 64 pts (19 GR)
11. Toronto - 64 pts (19 GR)
12. Florida - 61 pts (18 GR)
13. Boston - 60 pts (17 GR)
14. Washington - 51 pts (19 GR)
15. Pittsburgh - 44 pts (17 GR)
Please post your thoughts below...and pass on to your friends for even more insight and opinion.
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