Greetings All,
Well folks, it has been a highly disappointing start to the season for Sens fans. Embarrassed by the Leafs ,beaten by the Sabres and stifled by the Flames. Our 15 million dollar top line can't score and our defense looks completely lost. We also now have a full blown goaltending controversy. Great.
Geoff Cheek and I have been jarring at each other for a few days now about the mentality of Sens fans and the direction of the team. Mr. Cheek believes that Sens fans are foolish to be critiquing the team at this juncture and need to calm down immediately. I on the other hand, believe that Sens fans have ever right to rip the team, chide Alfreddson and question Gerber.
Geoff would be right if this was any other team. It is early in the season and there are many games left to figure this out. But this is not any other team. This is the Sens. The perennial choke artists of modern day hockey. This is a team that has disappointed their fans at every turn. We have every right to question Muckler's moves (see the top three scorers and top scoring defencemen, you may recognize some of the names). We have every right to wonder why Alfy is still here and we definantly have every right to express concern over nearly every facet of this team's play. That is what being a fan is all about. Praising the team during the good times and getting on them during the bad times. It just so happens that we have never really enjoyed any good times.
I don't care what their record is right now, but I will say that Alfy has been mediocre at best and that Heatly has been invisible. Ill also say that Gerber looks like a goalie who has lost his swagger.
Feel free to express your frustration in the comments box below. Sens fans deserve it.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
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.
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.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Sens Game Report - 10/7/2006 - Buffalo @ Ottawa
25 hard minutes does not a good game make.
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Buffalo wins 4-3
Ottawa Goals:
1. Dean McAmmond (1) on a zinger off a 2-on-1 with Hamel going glove side
2. Jason Spezza (1) tipping in a Heatley wrist shot while standing in front
3. Jason Spezza (2) banging in a rebound into the open net off an Alfie shot
Making Sens: McAmmond, Alfredsson
Lacking Sens: Fisher, Volchenkov, Phillips, Coach Murray
It was over when: Pominville scored 1:14 after Spezza pulled us to within one, and we all know what Jason Pominville goals do to our team.
It was definitely over when: Time ran out. We waited too long to start playing.
Message in a Molson bottle: Don’t look at the third period and think that we could have won this game. We skated around listlessly for the better part of the night and the lack of effort has now landed us in a tie for last place in the division. If you missed this game, go back and watch your VCR tapes from last year’s second round against Buffalo because this one was really an extension of that series. We now trail 5 games to 1.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=261007014
Next Game: Thursday hosting Calgary.
Grab a Timmy’s double double and listen to what really happened:
The Good
- You can officially call me a Dean McAmmond fan. I’m not sure if it is just because it is nice to see some new blood among our collection of underachievers, but in my opinion, he has stood out as our hardest worker and best player in each of the first three games (tied with Gerber in the opener, before you snarl back at me). He skates hard and fast and goes after the puck. The other players can learn from that because they seem to enjoy skating away from the puck.
- The Pizza Line was together in the third and produced a pair of goals. It occurred to me after the first game or perhaps sometime during the second game that secondary scoring is pretty much impossible when you don’t have primary scoring. If our role players are as good as we think they are, then we should absolutely have the Pizza Line together and sort out the rest of the lines accordingly.
The Bad
- Mike Fisher does NOT have carte blanche, okay? We all love the guy because he throws his body around and his wrist shot would go right through you, but his play in the first three games has been mediocre at best. He isn’t finding openings for shots and he isn’t skating after the puck very much. Is he in danger of falling into the same trap as the rest of the vets, which is to have your performance drop as expectations rise? I dearly hope not, or else we should never use the term “breakout year” again. Fisher needs to forget about the expectations of the general public and focus on being Mike Fisher.
- I don’t point fingers, but Martin Gerber needs to keep us in the game. If we wanted to have a back breaking goal scored against us a minute after we get back in the game, we’d put Emery in. Booooooooooo, c’mon, Geoff. Just kidding, Rayzer, but it's funny cause it's true, right? The Swiss Miss needs to make the big save.
The Ugly
- I think Eugene Melnyk is completely within reason to ask for Phillips’ and Volchenkov’s paycheque for this week. Paint me crazy, but if I’m in a contract year like Phillips, AND I’m just handed the ‘A’ for alternate captain, I find a way to play so far above my own talent levels that I send Muckler into sleepless nights about how to re-sign me. And keep using that crazy paint brush because if I’m Anton Volchenkov and I know that my GM has been reportedly dangling me as trade bait and my salary is far above my performance, I begin this season like the Oilers finished - playing out of my skates! It baffles me how these two guys, who have each been involved in trade rumours, can open the season playing so awful. Make no mistake, their play has been nothing more than piss poor and I blame Coach Murray for continuing on with the expirement of keeping them together.
Overtime
- I’ll say it again, the Pizza Line MUST stay in tact. In fact, the more I think about it and the more I drink CC and gingers tonight, I wonder why we ever left this approach. Secondary scoring, right? Mike Fisher, Peter Scaefer, Antoine Vermette, Dean McAmmond, Patrick Eaves, Chris Neil – these guys apparently all have the potential for a 20-goal season, right? So if this is true, then why do we split up three guys that will each score 100 points when playing together? Because the Bruins will put Chara on them? Great! That just makes more room for our six other 20-goal scorers. There is no team who has #3-#6 defencemen good enough to consistently stop those six secondary scorers. Can we stop their top lines? Well, I answer your question with another question – how is Joe Corvo’s foot?
- The numbers have Patrick Eaves at a minus-3. I didn’t think he was that bad but I guess his (in)ability to collapse down low made quite the difference, seeing as how he was on the ice for all three of Buffalo’s even strength goals.
- Alfredsson was a plus-2 and had two assists – give him his due credit because he was there tonight, playing like a captain. Great job, buddy.
- Dean McAmmond and Chris Neil were both around 10 minutes of ice time. I need much more McAmmond to be happy.
- This first period gave me very upsetting flashbacks to last year’s series. How we’ve managed to come out of the gates so sloppy in all three games, two of those at home, is beyond me. Lessons learned since May? Apparently nothing.
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Buffalo wins 4-3
Ottawa Goals:
1. Dean McAmmond (1) on a zinger off a 2-on-1 with Hamel going glove side
2. Jason Spezza (1) tipping in a Heatley wrist shot while standing in front
3. Jason Spezza (2) banging in a rebound into the open net off an Alfie shot
Making Sens: McAmmond, Alfredsson
Lacking Sens: Fisher, Volchenkov, Phillips, Coach Murray
It was over when: Pominville scored 1:14 after Spezza pulled us to within one, and we all know what Jason Pominville goals do to our team.
It was definitely over when: Time ran out. We waited too long to start playing.
Message in a Molson bottle: Don’t look at the third period and think that we could have won this game. We skated around listlessly for the better part of the night and the lack of effort has now landed us in a tie for last place in the division. If you missed this game, go back and watch your VCR tapes from last year’s second round against Buffalo because this one was really an extension of that series. We now trail 5 games to 1.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=261007014
Next Game: Thursday hosting Calgary.
Grab a Timmy’s double double and listen to what really happened:
The Good
- You can officially call me a Dean McAmmond fan. I’m not sure if it is just because it is nice to see some new blood among our collection of underachievers, but in my opinion, he has stood out as our hardest worker and best player in each of the first three games (tied with Gerber in the opener, before you snarl back at me). He skates hard and fast and goes after the puck. The other players can learn from that because they seem to enjoy skating away from the puck.
- The Pizza Line was together in the third and produced a pair of goals. It occurred to me after the first game or perhaps sometime during the second game that secondary scoring is pretty much impossible when you don’t have primary scoring. If our role players are as good as we think they are, then we should absolutely have the Pizza Line together and sort out the rest of the lines accordingly.
The Bad
- Mike Fisher does NOT have carte blanche, okay? We all love the guy because he throws his body around and his wrist shot would go right through you, but his play in the first three games has been mediocre at best. He isn’t finding openings for shots and he isn’t skating after the puck very much. Is he in danger of falling into the same trap as the rest of the vets, which is to have your performance drop as expectations rise? I dearly hope not, or else we should never use the term “breakout year” again. Fisher needs to forget about the expectations of the general public and focus on being Mike Fisher.
- I don’t point fingers, but Martin Gerber needs to keep us in the game. If we wanted to have a back breaking goal scored against us a minute after we get back in the game, we’d put Emery in. Booooooooooo, c’mon, Geoff. Just kidding, Rayzer, but it's funny cause it's true, right? The Swiss Miss needs to make the big save.
The Ugly
- I think Eugene Melnyk is completely within reason to ask for Phillips’ and Volchenkov’s paycheque for this week. Paint me crazy, but if I’m in a contract year like Phillips, AND I’m just handed the ‘A’ for alternate captain, I find a way to play so far above my own talent levels that I send Muckler into sleepless nights about how to re-sign me. And keep using that crazy paint brush because if I’m Anton Volchenkov and I know that my GM has been reportedly dangling me as trade bait and my salary is far above my performance, I begin this season like the Oilers finished - playing out of my skates! It baffles me how these two guys, who have each been involved in trade rumours, can open the season playing so awful. Make no mistake, their play has been nothing more than piss poor and I blame Coach Murray for continuing on with the expirement of keeping them together.
Overtime
- I’ll say it again, the Pizza Line MUST stay in tact. In fact, the more I think about it and the more I drink CC and gingers tonight, I wonder why we ever left this approach. Secondary scoring, right? Mike Fisher, Peter Scaefer, Antoine Vermette, Dean McAmmond, Patrick Eaves, Chris Neil – these guys apparently all have the potential for a 20-goal season, right? So if this is true, then why do we split up three guys that will each score 100 points when playing together? Because the Bruins will put Chara on them? Great! That just makes more room for our six other 20-goal scorers. There is no team who has #3-#6 defencemen good enough to consistently stop those six secondary scorers. Can we stop their top lines? Well, I answer your question with another question – how is Joe Corvo’s foot?
- The numbers have Patrick Eaves at a minus-3. I didn’t think he was that bad but I guess his (in)ability to collapse down low made quite the difference, seeing as how he was on the ice for all three of Buffalo’s even strength goals.
- Alfredsson was a plus-2 and had two assists – give him his due credit because he was there tonight, playing like a captain. Great job, buddy.
- Dean McAmmond and Chris Neil were both around 10 minutes of ice time. I need much more McAmmond to be happy.
- This first period gave me very upsetting flashbacks to last year’s series. How we’ve managed to come out of the gates so sloppy in all three games, two of those at home, is beyond me. Lessons learned since May? Apparently nothing.
Friday, October 06, 2006
We've got a long way to go, Ottawa fans
No, I'm not saying we have a long way to go to win the Cup, but we have a long way to go until we can really call ourselves true fans. Every time I think that Ottawa is closer to being at our goal of one million passionate and crazy Senators fans, Toronto comes to town and I'm reminded of how far we are, collectively, from being a genuinely massive and forgiving fan base. Two incidents in the past twelve hours have made me particularly sick to the stomach, and please feel free to disagree with me if you feel I'm out of line.
First, how the hell do we allow our captain to be booed in his home arena? Considering that there were plenty of walkup tickets available leading up to the home opener last night, we certainly didn't jump at the opportunity to fill the rink with red, did we? Instead, we let 6,000-8,000 Toronto fans come from out of their doldrums and into our house and ridicule our own captain, the face of our franchise. For God's sake, they might as well have stood in front of our faces and booed us, and apparently we'll just stand there and say, "yeah, well, I don't think that was very polite of you and I expect that I'll receive a letter of apology in the mail shortly." When we see that Toronto (and to a lesser extent, Montreal) is coming to town, we ought to be buying up our tickets on the day they go on sale, just because we know how obnoxious it is to have visiting fans cheer louder in our building. In nearly 10 years of games at the Palladium/Corel Centre/Scotiabank Place, we haven't done a damn thing about it, and that is absolutely ridiculous.
Second is our goaltending situation. I know that we are used to years of relying on backup and minor league goalies, but we need to take it down a peg or two. Our new #1, Martin Gerber, comes with years of solid experience, two trips to a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, winning once, and the ability to stand on his head on a regular basis for us. Obviously the pressure on him in Ottawa will be far greater than what was on him in Carolina last year, but can everyone please calm down and wait out the 82 games? Did we offer Martin Gerber an $11.1M contract so that he could lead our team to a 2-0 start? Speak into the microphone with your answer, please. Let me share with you Don Brennan's headline in the Ottawa Sun this morning: The Senators were awful in their home opener, but nobody looked worse than their new No. 1 goaltender. I understand that it is the responsibility of the media to cover the games and bring a combination of the facts and their related analysis to the common public, but come on now. Gerber last night was far from the goalie he was on Wednesday, but can we tone it down a bit? If I hear the term 'goaltender controversy' in reference to the situation in Ottawa, I'll snap.
These two occurrences, combined with the fact that I just hate losing to the Leafs, have led me to the conclusion that we, as fans, are far from the loyal groupies of our two Eastern Canadian rivals. I don't ever want to be as delusional as either of those fans, but at least they stick up for their team through thick and thin. As Kevin Lee said yesterday, what will happen to our fan base, season ticket base, etc., when the Sens are merely an average team? I weep for the future.
First, how the hell do we allow our captain to be booed in his home arena? Considering that there were plenty of walkup tickets available leading up to the home opener last night, we certainly didn't jump at the opportunity to fill the rink with red, did we? Instead, we let 6,000-8,000 Toronto fans come from out of their doldrums and into our house and ridicule our own captain, the face of our franchise. For God's sake, they might as well have stood in front of our faces and booed us, and apparently we'll just stand there and say, "yeah, well, I don't think that was very polite of you and I expect that I'll receive a letter of apology in the mail shortly." When we see that Toronto (and to a lesser extent, Montreal) is coming to town, we ought to be buying up our tickets on the day they go on sale, just because we know how obnoxious it is to have visiting fans cheer louder in our building. In nearly 10 years of games at the Palladium/Corel Centre/Scotiabank Place, we haven't done a damn thing about it, and that is absolutely ridiculous.
Second is our goaltending situation. I know that we are used to years of relying on backup and minor league goalies, but we need to take it down a peg or two. Our new #1, Martin Gerber, comes with years of solid experience, two trips to a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, winning once, and the ability to stand on his head on a regular basis for us. Obviously the pressure on him in Ottawa will be far greater than what was on him in Carolina last year, but can everyone please calm down and wait out the 82 games? Did we offer Martin Gerber an $11.1M contract so that he could lead our team to a 2-0 start? Speak into the microphone with your answer, please. Let me share with you Don Brennan's headline in the Ottawa Sun this morning: The Senators were awful in their home opener, but nobody looked worse than their new No. 1 goaltender. I understand that it is the responsibility of the media to cover the games and bring a combination of the facts and their related analysis to the common public, but come on now. Gerber last night was far from the goalie he was on Wednesday, but can we tone it down a bit? If I hear the term 'goaltender controversy' in reference to the situation in Ottawa, I'll snap.
These two occurrences, combined with the fact that I just hate losing to the Leafs, have led me to the conclusion that we, as fans, are far from the loyal groupies of our two Eastern Canadian rivals. I don't ever want to be as delusional as either of those fans, but at least they stick up for their team through thick and thin. As Kevin Lee said yesterday, what will happen to our fan base, season ticket base, etc., when the Sens are merely an average team? I weep for the future.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Sens Game Report - 10/5/2006 - Toronto @ Ottawa
"The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Toronto’s revenge, 6-0
Ottawa Goals: ummm
Making Sens: McAmmond for PM
Lacking Sens: Alfie, Spezza, Heatley, Gerber, Schaefer, others
It was over when: Kilger’s second goal occurred when Gerber left the puck behind the net instead of wheeling it around to Meszaros in the corner and Steen threw it out to him for the tap in. That was the dagger in the heart.
It was definitely over when: Yikes, this one just got ugly as Tucker scores a second and the Sens don’t seem to care.
Message in a Molson bottle: Complacency loses hockey games – write that down. There is absolutely no excuse to lose a lesser talented team that outplays you, so I’m sure Coach Murray will turn the dressing room into a Jerry Springer set tonight. Interestingly enough, I’d imagine the players will avoid the flying chairs as much as they did the corners tonight. Just a flat out lazy effort from the goaltender on out. The highlight of the night happened during the second intermission when Ron MacLean accidentally called new Penguins owner Jim Balssilie "a hockey gay, oops, I meant hockey guy." Whoops.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=261005014
Next Game: Saturday night hosting Buffalo
Grab a Timmy’s double double and listen to what really happened:
The Good
- Not much to be fond of tonight, but I’m still really happy with the play of Dean McAmmond. The problem is he isn’t getting nearly enough time on the third line, but isn’t quite good enough to crack the top two lines. His speed is unbelievable, and guess what – he backchecks like a champ. I like him a lot.
The Bad
- The play of Martin Gerber left a lot to be desired. I’m not playing the blame game here because nobody carried their weight, but where Gerber kept us in the game Wednesday night, he didn’t do anything to help our cause tonight.
- Spezza and Heatley were back to the floating and errant passes. Funny how when these guys are good, they’re really good, but when they’re bad, they’re absolutely awful.
- Alfredsson is starting to irk me a bit. We need to see something from our leader Saturday night because he must still have the baby blues right now. He’s usually the guy on our team that makes his linemates better, but I’ll go as far to say that he has held Fisher and Schaefer back a little bit in the first two games.
- Peter Schaefer negates two powerplays in the first period by twice taking a penalty of his own. Down 2-0 with enough time left in the first, we needed a powerplay goal, but Schaefer ensured that we didn’t have the man advantage for long enough to make this a game. Toronto didn’t seem to mind.
The Ugly
- Ugly? The whole game was ugly. As a team, this is one to forget. I’d hate to be at practice tomorrow, that’s for sure.
- The broadcasting of Bob Cole and Harry Neal is off to a God-awful start, much like they finished last season. It’s not so much their love for Toronto so much as their ignorance about everything else. They spent a good 40-50 seconds of play talking about how Michael Peca’s forechecking makes him a great defensive player. The poor coverage is magnified when you put the same teams up against TSN on back to back nights. The latter gives great analysis, the former gives a mindless and sometimes childish play by play.
- Darcy Tucker is the worst skater in the NHL.
Overtime
- The not-so-private love affair between Darcy Tucker and Mats Sundin has to be becoming a cause for concern for any Conservative Leafs fan. It is one thing to congratulate a teammate after a key powerplay goal, it is a whole different thing to neck each other in front of 19,000+ fans. Somewhere in the TSN studio, Belinda said to Tie, “how come you never hold me like that?” http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/photo;_ylt=AlkNTZPNU.krtVeivE2gAaBivLYF?slug=f9f3bdbd266843aaad67cfc44125018b.nhl_maple_leafs_senators_hockey_thx103&prov=ap
- So Spezza goes 13-5 in the faceoff circle so clearly I don’t know what I’m talking about on that one. We get smoked in the faceoff circle last night and win, we hold our own tonight and get embarrassed.
- Redden and Meszaros cash out at a combined minus -5. And McCabe was a plus-2. Ouch.
- The McGrattan v Belak fight left a lot to be desired. Belak is no Domi.
- I’m not ready to have Eaves on the top PP unit instead of Alfredsson. I don’t feel like that unit is dangerous enough to score over 20% of the time. Sticking Eaves in front of the net is neat and all, but I still think putting Alfie up there gives us a far better chance at scoring with regularity and it leaves the blue collar goals to the second unit.
- I still miss Chara, as does Baton Rouge as they have apparently seen sales of BBQ ribs plummet. Sell your stocks immediately and put all your money into baked beans.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Sens Game Report - 10/4/2006 - Ottawa @ Toronto
And we're baaaaaaack
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 4-1
Ottawa Goals:
1. Eaves (1) on the powerplay on a rebound from Priessing’s shot
2. Neil (1) showing some speed and showing that Toronto’s D is still slow
3. Schubert (1) on a strange wraparound shot that banked off Raycroft’s pad
4. Alfredsson (1) into the empty net to ice it
Making Sens: Gerber, Redden, Eaves, McAmmond, Neil
Lacking Sens: Phillips, Volchenkov
It was over when: Neil’s goal was so reminiscent of last year’s Toronto defensive corps that it just seemed to deflate the team and the crowd.
It was definitely over when: Toronto continued to take penalties throughout the third, preventing any kind of flow. Not that there’s anyone on that team that can score, anyway.
Message in a Molson bottle: Cobwebs. Phillips and Volchenkov looked far too similar to the way we were in May, but give Philly a mulligan since he is new to playing on the right side (there used to be a bigger guy over there). First 10 minutes we sloppy, but by the end of 60 minutes, we looked like a fast team that forechecks and backchecks consistently. Let’s do that 81 more times.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=261004021
Next Game: Thursday night hosting Toronto
Grab a Timmy’s double double and listen to what really happened:
The Good
- The new guys stole the show, in my opinion. Martin Gerber was phenomenal from the drop of the puck to the final whistle. When we were sluggish early, it was the Swiss Miss that kept it scoreless. If he plays like this 59 more times, he’s worth the investment.
- Tom Priessing, before leaving the game mid-second with some king of groin issue, looked great as a puck-moving and pinching defenceman. The Eaves goal was a direct result of Priessing coming in low. Those that missed him last year in San Jose because of their early bedtimes got a good look at what kind of player he is going to be for us.
- Dean McAmmond was phenomenal. First off, he may compete with Vermette in the speed competition. Second, he sees the ice well, doesn’t get fancy in his pantsy, and can skate around just about anyone…on Toronto. It’s a start.
The Bad
- Daniel Alfredsson was not very noticeable tonight. That’s okay. When the guy has the puck, you still understand that he’s probably the best all-around player on either side of the ice. What gave me a weird feeling is the way he threw the puck into the open net with his backhand in the final minute. Why the frig couldn’t he do that last ...forget it, I’m over it. Alfie will score 100 points, but he was lucky to get one tonight with the way he played.
The Ugly
- Hi, I’m Anton Volchenkov and I would rather skate over here, thank you. Again, we’ve moved on from last year, but the A-Train must have been at the wrong station tonight. Choo-choo, come on home, buddy. If Priessing’s groin is an issue, then Volchenkov will see a lot of ice time with Phillips and the two of them will have to overcome whatever language barriers there may be between them.
- Tie Domi. He’s just plain ugly, although it took a really big man to confess that Mats Slewfoot Sundin being awarded a penalty shot was bush league. I could keep railing Domi, but (insert your own Belinda Stronach joke here).
Overtime
- Chemistry is still a work in progress with the Fisher/Schaefer/Alfredsson line. They were good, but Alfie once made Todd White a 60 point player, so by my count that should make Fisher a 70 point guy. Me do good at math, see. The speed and flow to this line will be a sight for sore eyes after a few more games.
- I was just about to say to myself that I wasn’t crazy about Eaves being on the top PP unit and that I’d rather Alfie be up there, but then Eaves scored. Okay.
- Vermette has gotta keep skating. He keeps stopping when he hits the slot and then looks for a pass. If he’s coming in on any Toronto defenceman, he needs to get around him.
- Hi, I’m a faceoff win. Do you want to get to know each other? Please circle one: YES NO MAYBE
- I didn’t miss Havlat or Smolinski or Hasek, but I kinda missed Chara.
- Back at it tomorrow night at home. Zing.
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 4-1
Ottawa Goals:
1. Eaves (1) on the powerplay on a rebound from Priessing’s shot
2. Neil (1) showing some speed and showing that Toronto’s D is still slow
3. Schubert (1) on a strange wraparound shot that banked off Raycroft’s pad
4. Alfredsson (1) into the empty net to ice it
Making Sens: Gerber, Redden, Eaves, McAmmond, Neil
Lacking Sens: Phillips, Volchenkov
It was over when: Neil’s goal was so reminiscent of last year’s Toronto defensive corps that it just seemed to deflate the team and the crowd.
It was definitely over when: Toronto continued to take penalties throughout the third, preventing any kind of flow. Not that there’s anyone on that team that can score, anyway.
Message in a Molson bottle: Cobwebs. Phillips and Volchenkov looked far too similar to the way we were in May, but give Philly a mulligan since he is new to playing on the right side (there used to be a bigger guy over there). First 10 minutes we sloppy, but by the end of 60 minutes, we looked like a fast team that forechecks and backchecks consistently. Let’s do that 81 more times.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=261004021
Next Game: Thursday night hosting Toronto
Grab a Timmy’s double double and listen to what really happened:
The Good
- The new guys stole the show, in my opinion. Martin Gerber was phenomenal from the drop of the puck to the final whistle. When we were sluggish early, it was the Swiss Miss that kept it scoreless. If he plays like this 59 more times, he’s worth the investment.
- Tom Priessing, before leaving the game mid-second with some king of groin issue, looked great as a puck-moving and pinching defenceman. The Eaves goal was a direct result of Priessing coming in low. Those that missed him last year in San Jose because of their early bedtimes got a good look at what kind of player he is going to be for us.
- Dean McAmmond was phenomenal. First off, he may compete with Vermette in the speed competition. Second, he sees the ice well, doesn’t get fancy in his pantsy, and can skate around just about anyone…on Toronto. It’s a start.
The Bad
- Daniel Alfredsson was not very noticeable tonight. That’s okay. When the guy has the puck, you still understand that he’s probably the best all-around player on either side of the ice. What gave me a weird feeling is the way he threw the puck into the open net with his backhand in the final minute. Why the frig couldn’t he do that last ...forget it, I’m over it. Alfie will score 100 points, but he was lucky to get one tonight with the way he played.
The Ugly
- Hi, I’m Anton Volchenkov and I would rather skate over here, thank you. Again, we’ve moved on from last year, but the A-Train must have been at the wrong station tonight. Choo-choo, come on home, buddy. If Priessing’s groin is an issue, then Volchenkov will see a lot of ice time with Phillips and the two of them will have to overcome whatever language barriers there may be between them.
- Tie Domi. He’s just plain ugly, although it took a really big man to confess that Mats Slewfoot Sundin being awarded a penalty shot was bush league. I could keep railing Domi, but (insert your own Belinda Stronach joke here).
Overtime
- Chemistry is still a work in progress with the Fisher/Schaefer/Alfredsson line. They were good, but Alfie once made Todd White a 60 point player, so by my count that should make Fisher a 70 point guy. Me do good at math, see. The speed and flow to this line will be a sight for sore eyes after a few more games.
- I was just about to say to myself that I wasn’t crazy about Eaves being on the top PP unit and that I’d rather Alfie be up there, but then Eaves scored. Okay.
- Vermette has gotta keep skating. He keeps stopping when he hits the slot and then looks for a pass. If he’s coming in on any Toronto defenceman, he needs to get around him.
- Hi, I’m a faceoff win. Do you want to get to know each other? Please circle one: YES NO MAYBE
- I didn’t miss Havlat or Smolinski or Hasek, but I kinda missed Chara.
- Back at it tomorrow night at home. Zing.
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