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.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Sens Game Report - Ottawa at Washington - Sunday, March 12, 2006
photo from Getty Images and tsn.ca
Must win the must-wins
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 5-2
Ottawa goals: Eaves (13) banging in a rebound, Redden (10) with a floater from the point, Spezza (17) sent in alone by Heatley, Neil (13) banging in front on the PP, Heatley (37) on a 2-on-1 pass from Spezza.
Making Sens(e): Spezza, Heatley, Eaves, Emery
Not much Sens(e): Alfredsson (one bad shift), Redden, Chara, Kelly
It was over when: Ottawa ended their 0-for-17 powerplay streak with Redden’s goal, thus eliminating our final flaw.
It was definitely over when: Neil put in the 4th goal, making us now 38-0 when scoring four.
Message in a Molson bottle: Solid game beating up on a fast team with nothing to lose. Ended the five game road trip on a high note and won a game that we had to win.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260312023
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
Why did Washington score twice?
I don’t want to pick on our players here, but each of the opponent’s two goals came from lousy defensive work from our top blueliners. The first goal was on a sharp pass from Zubrus across the crease to a wide open Chris Clark, with Redden completely out of position. The second goal, a soft one from the point, should never have been possible had Chara not gotten frustrated after Ovechkin knocked him over. It was as if his pride was hurt or his ribs were served cold and he just started hitting anything near him, leaving his post at the net and as a result, a shooting lane. These are our best players and we always notice when something goes wrong, so for every poor play like this, they make 20 great outlet passes or breakups that we DON’T talk about. But I’ve never seen Chara get that careless or Redden be so out of position. I just wanted to let you know this in case you were wondering why Washington scored two, that’s all.
Raymond – Distinguished Goaltender Emery-tus
Another solid effort from the Emery this afternoon. Muckler and Murray are right – he gets better and better the more he plays. In fact, his coverage post to post is the best it has been all year. His positioning in January was atrocious, but he is now square to the shooters and rarely does a rebound pop to exactly the wrong place like it had been. During his slump, people forgot about how this was the same kid that had just set the record for consecutive wins to start a season. Now that he has been terrific since the break, people have forgotten that they were demanding Muckler find a suitable replacement for the stretch run. Keeping this nucleus in tact over the next few years will allow Emery to shine and become a #1 goaltender in the NHL. His confidence grows with each win, something that other young goalies never have had a chance to do (Marc-Andre Fleury, Rick DiPietro, etc). We are all still waiting to hear when Hasek will be back (maybe in a week, maybe more), but we are once again comfortable with the temp taking his place.
Dany On Fire-ley
Heaters and Spezz Dispenser are officially linemates again. Each with 3-point nights, they looked as magical as ever this afternoon. Maybe I blinked for a second, but I also have seen Spezza make any ridiculously bad passes or turnovers lately, either. Smart, tight hockey equals strong, well-deserved wins. Murray told the entire team that they need to play more in their own end during this stretch run and that is exactly what we are doing. Spezza and Heatley have gotten that chemistry once again and if they can just keep it for, say, another 40-45 games (I’ll save you the math, it would mean winning the Cup) then I’ll be happy. Eaves had his turn on the top line this afternoon and fit in well. He is fast enough to skate with them and gritty enough to get the pucks out of the corner for them, but I just don’t think he has that amazing scoring ability that the other two are used to having with #11 up there. It didn’t hold them back at all, but in my mind there is only one Pizza Line. Does anyone have an issue with Heatley/Spezza/Alfredsson, Smolinski/Arnason/Havlat, Schaefer/Fisher/Neil, and Vermette/Kelly/Eaves? Varada, McGrattan, and Schubert will get their turn if someone goes down, but those four lines of forwards look pretty sweet to me. Summing up, Heatley and Spezza are great again and I can only laugh at the thought of what Alfie would do as the third up there.
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
1. Ovechkin held without a point. Great job on the matchups by Chara, Phillips, and Coach Murray. Hard to keep that up on the road without the last change.
2. Go figure – Neil goes back on the powerplay and scores one and screens on the other. Our 0-for-17 powerplay draught ends when Neil is back out there.
3. Speaking of the PP, Arnie saw some time on the second unit but really didn’t have a great game. My hope is that now that he is out of the spotlight, he can work on his game and become a cross between Smolinski and Fisher – the poise of Smolinski with the desire of Fisher, and the natural talent of himself. That would make a great second line center for a long time here. FYI – he is a RFA this summer. I hope we can get him for a few years and help him develop properly.
4. Did you know that Meszaros is one of the five youngest players in the NHL? Not bad for the runaway plus/minus leader.
5. Schaefer left the game in the second. Not sure why.
6. Vermette was minus-2 with two giveaways. One game mulligan.
7. Arnason took almost all of the draws for the second line this time. I guess that makes it official that Smoke will play the left side so long as that line is together.
8. It was Fisher and Schaefer that didn’t see powerplay ice time today. Weird. I guess that was why Neil was OFF the PP for so long, allowing these two to man the second unit.
9. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30pm
Thursday at Boston, 7:00pm
Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7:00pm.
TB and Boston are in freefall and Buffalo is on our tail, so let’s shoot for three here.
Must win the must-winsThe Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 5-2
Ottawa goals: Eaves (13) banging in a rebound, Redden (10) with a floater from the point, Spezza (17) sent in alone by Heatley, Neil (13) banging in front on the PP, Heatley (37) on a 2-on-1 pass from Spezza.
Making Sens(e): Spezza, Heatley, Eaves, Emery
Not much Sens(e): Alfredsson (one bad shift), Redden, Chara, Kelly
It was over when: Ottawa ended their 0-for-17 powerplay streak with Redden’s goal, thus eliminating our final flaw.
It was definitely over when: Neil put in the 4th goal, making us now 38-0 when scoring four.
Message in a Molson bottle: Solid game beating up on a fast team with nothing to lose. Ended the five game road trip on a high note and won a game that we had to win.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260312023
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
Why did Washington score twice?
I don’t want to pick on our players here, but each of the opponent’s two goals came from lousy defensive work from our top blueliners. The first goal was on a sharp pass from Zubrus across the crease to a wide open Chris Clark, with Redden completely out of position. The second goal, a soft one from the point, should never have been possible had Chara not gotten frustrated after Ovechkin knocked him over. It was as if his pride was hurt or his ribs were served cold and he just started hitting anything near him, leaving his post at the net and as a result, a shooting lane. These are our best players and we always notice when something goes wrong, so for every poor play like this, they make 20 great outlet passes or breakups that we DON’T talk about. But I’ve never seen Chara get that careless or Redden be so out of position. I just wanted to let you know this in case you were wondering why Washington scored two, that’s all.
Raymond – Distinguished Goaltender Emery-tus
Another solid effort from the Emery this afternoon. Muckler and Murray are right – he gets better and better the more he plays. In fact, his coverage post to post is the best it has been all year. His positioning in January was atrocious, but he is now square to the shooters and rarely does a rebound pop to exactly the wrong place like it had been. During his slump, people forgot about how this was the same kid that had just set the record for consecutive wins to start a season. Now that he has been terrific since the break, people have forgotten that they were demanding Muckler find a suitable replacement for the stretch run. Keeping this nucleus in tact over the next few years will allow Emery to shine and become a #1 goaltender in the NHL. His confidence grows with each win, something that other young goalies never have had a chance to do (Marc-Andre Fleury, Rick DiPietro, etc). We are all still waiting to hear when Hasek will be back (maybe in a week, maybe more), but we are once again comfortable with the temp taking his place.
Dany On Fire-ley
Heaters and Spezz Dispenser are officially linemates again. Each with 3-point nights, they looked as magical as ever this afternoon. Maybe I blinked for a second, but I also have seen Spezza make any ridiculously bad passes or turnovers lately, either. Smart, tight hockey equals strong, well-deserved wins. Murray told the entire team that they need to play more in their own end during this stretch run and that is exactly what we are doing. Spezza and Heatley have gotten that chemistry once again and if they can just keep it for, say, another 40-45 games (I’ll save you the math, it would mean winning the Cup) then I’ll be happy. Eaves had his turn on the top line this afternoon and fit in well. He is fast enough to skate with them and gritty enough to get the pucks out of the corner for them, but I just don’t think he has that amazing scoring ability that the other two are used to having with #11 up there. It didn’t hold them back at all, but in my mind there is only one Pizza Line. Does anyone have an issue with Heatley/Spezza/Alfredsson, Smolinski/Arnason/Havlat, Schaefer/Fisher/Neil, and Vermette/Kelly/Eaves? Varada, McGrattan, and Schubert will get their turn if someone goes down, but those four lines of forwards look pretty sweet to me. Summing up, Heatley and Spezza are great again and I can only laugh at the thought of what Alfie would do as the third up there.
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
1. Ovechkin held without a point. Great job on the matchups by Chara, Phillips, and Coach Murray. Hard to keep that up on the road without the last change.
2. Go figure – Neil goes back on the powerplay and scores one and screens on the other. Our 0-for-17 powerplay draught ends when Neil is back out there.
3. Speaking of the PP, Arnie saw some time on the second unit but really didn’t have a great game. My hope is that now that he is out of the spotlight, he can work on his game and become a cross between Smolinski and Fisher – the poise of Smolinski with the desire of Fisher, and the natural talent of himself. That would make a great second line center for a long time here. FYI – he is a RFA this summer. I hope we can get him for a few years and help him develop properly.
4. Did you know that Meszaros is one of the five youngest players in the NHL? Not bad for the runaway plus/minus leader.
5. Schaefer left the game in the second. Not sure why.
6. Vermette was minus-2 with two giveaways. One game mulligan.
7. Arnason took almost all of the draws for the second line this time. I guess that makes it official that Smoke will play the left side so long as that line is together.
8. It was Fisher and Schaefer that didn’t see powerplay ice time today. Weird. I guess that was why Neil was OFF the PP for so long, allowing these two to man the second unit.
9. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30pm
Thursday at Boston, 7:00pm
Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7:00pm.
TB and Boston are in freefall and Buffalo is on our tail, so let’s shoot for three here.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Sens Game Report - Ottawa at Atlanta - Friday March 10 2006
Photo from CP and www.tsn.ca
That about covers it – beaten every team in the Conference.
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 3-1
Ottawa goals: Alfredsson (36) unassisted on a turnover, Kelly (6) on a turnover, Smolinski (14) from a nice Arnason pass from behind the net.
Making Sens(e): Spezza, Alfredsson, Arnason, Smolinski, Emery
Not much Sens(e): Heatley, Redden
It was over when: Ottawa opened the first period with three goals in 5:02, putting this game out of reach before most Atlantites figured out the game had started. Of course, most people in the seats didn’t understand the game at all anyway, so what did it matter?
It was definitely over when: We refused to let them get shots in on Emery. They crossed the blue line but defensive pokechecks and terrible passing from Atlanta prevented any shot at coming back.
Message in a Molson bottle: A solid start to the game followed by 45 minutes of chippyness from a dirty Atlanta team – let’s take the win and feel good about they way we played.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260310028
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
New Kids on the Block
Mike Morrison looked solid on the bench and may actually get some games in, I would think. But more importantly, you are all wondering how Tyler Arnason looked last night. From a first-hand experience (thanks for those amazing tickets, by the way), I report back with good news and bad news about Arnie. First, the good news: his hands are awesome, he is a very good playmaker and has solid poise with the puck. He will be a very good second line center now that he has actual NHL-caliber wingers. The bad news: he is as soft as that little Snuggles bear the mysteriously shows up in your laundry closet but is so small that doesn’t set off any motion detector-induced alarms or anything. Remember that cute little bear? That is what Arnie played like last night. From what we’ve heard on his scouting report, too, we shouldn’t expect to see him throwing the body around or mucking it up in the corners much, either. This might be okay if his playmaking skills continue to rise when he centers a Smolinski/Havlat line, perhaps. All in all, Mr. Muckler made a great move, in my opinion, and picked up another legitimate scoring center that will take some pressure off Spezza and take a ton of pressure off Fisher, who can now stick to flying by third line defencemen undetected. Bold prediction of the month: Arnason will be a point-a-game player for the rest of the regular season. Cash it.
Hip Hip Hoo-Ray for Emery
Remember back to when we talked about making solid saves at the right times? It ultimately falls on a goalie to prevent the trailing team from gathering any momentum off a weak goal, for example. In Atlanta, Emery made 16 great saves – laugh it off, that isn’t a lot of work for a goalie against a very skilled set of forwards. But what was most important is that Emery made the big saves at the big moments, such as a great save on a 2-on-1 shortly after Atlanta had shortened the lead to 3-1. A 3-2 game is very, very different than a 3-1 game, agree? Emery’s solid play since the break may keep Morrison off the ice and has certainly helped us sleep at night while Hasek is out. I’m not taking this next comment anywhere, but I really haven’t even asked when Hasek is supposed to be returning lately. I guess we all just figure that Hasek will be back sometime before April 20th and in the meantime, some other dude will stop pucks for us. Somewhere on a charter bus, Patrick Lalime cries quietly and plays the “what if?” game. Seriously, we have a good backup here with Emery and these games now are turning him into a future starter for us.
Dany Lukewarm-ley
I sat proudly with my Dany Heatley jersey amongst thousdands of obnoxious and ignorant Thrashers fans that for some reason, still boo a guy that played his heart out for them for three years. To summarize the ridiculousness of the crowd last night, I quote one fan that said to me during an intermission, “Enjoy Heatley now because this summer he’s gonna demand a trade to Toronto.” Well, I’m not the world’s most intelligent guy but when he looked in my eye I nearly broke out and cried…with laughter. Now without being mean or calling names, it really seems to me that these people at Phillips Arena just didn’t get the big picture. I love that they are passionate about their team. I could do without the yelling at the refs for offside and icing calls that they the fans don’t really understand to begin with. But I am just so rattled that these people cannot understand the situation that was at hand. My ladyfriend pointed out that they even go as far as to cheer on Hossa’s name strictly for additional spite. I know Dany is a professional, but both games in Atlanta he has shown frustration. I would, too. His roughing penalty was bogus (PG-13 word, there) and unwarranted. As the seasons go on, we’ll just fall more and more in love with the player that Dany Heatley is and is becoming, and we’ll sit back and smirk while Atlanta continues to boo for him for a couple of home games before getting out their golf clubs every April. I wish I had a chance to tell the fans that I’d send a postcard from the playoffs and tell them all about it – but they probably don’t know what the playoffs even are. snap.
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
1. Dirty game. Toronto has had ugly games with Atlanta and we had one, too. Ultimately, the rumours of Bob Hartley being a dirty coach may be quite true after all and not just the rants of that silly man down the 401 in TO. Hartley also took a penalty in the dying minutes of the game for verbally abusing the ref. Classy. Guys like that are banned from Baton Rouge, right Z?
2. Mike Fisher is really fast.
3. New lines had Arnason and Smolinski going back and forth taking faceoffs on Alfredsson’s line. Neither were great, but the line had some decent chemistry considering they had just met.
4. Vermette is a good, fast player, but he still doesn’t look like the right fit with Spezza and Heatley. Coach Murray’s most difficult task for the remainder of the season will be getting the right players together for the rest of the regular season and then doing that all over again when Havlat returns.
5. Defense was good, but I still thought Redden needs to be tougher in his own corners. Don’t take that as a bad thing, I still want Redden to be a Senators for life. Second bold prediction – Chara and Redden both re-sign.
6. Outshooting teams 35-17 is a good sign towards a win.
7. Try and catch the replay of Spezza’s hipcheck on Kovalchuk. Great stuff. Hey, if Ilya wants to point at Sidney after he goals (which I loved, by the way), then he needs to be prepared to take a little bit of it, too. So long as nobody gets hurt out there, I think it is great when stars can hit other stars.
8. Marc Savard ran by and clipped Emery shortly after Heatley was given a roughing penalty on Lehtonen on the other end. Brutal move – who’s the idiot that wanted to trade for that Savard guy, anyway?
9. Neil was the only one to not get a single second of powerplay ice time. Funny how things change like that, eh?
10. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Sunday at Washington, 3:00pm
Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30pm
Thursday at Boston, 7:00pm
next Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7:00pm.
Let’s try and win all four.
That about covers it – beaten every team in the Conference.
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 3-1
Ottawa goals: Alfredsson (36) unassisted on a turnover, Kelly (6) on a turnover, Smolinski (14) from a nice Arnason pass from behind the net.
Making Sens(e): Spezza, Alfredsson, Arnason, Smolinski, Emery
Not much Sens(e): Heatley, Redden
It was over when: Ottawa opened the first period with three goals in 5:02, putting this game out of reach before most Atlantites figured out the game had started. Of course, most people in the seats didn’t understand the game at all anyway, so what did it matter?
It was definitely over when: We refused to let them get shots in on Emery. They crossed the blue line but defensive pokechecks and terrible passing from Atlanta prevented any shot at coming back.
Message in a Molson bottle: A solid start to the game followed by 45 minutes of chippyness from a dirty Atlanta team – let’s take the win and feel good about they way we played.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260310028
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
New Kids on the Block
Mike Morrison looked solid on the bench and may actually get some games in, I would think. But more importantly, you are all wondering how Tyler Arnason looked last night. From a first-hand experience (thanks for those amazing tickets, by the way), I report back with good news and bad news about Arnie. First, the good news: his hands are awesome, he is a very good playmaker and has solid poise with the puck. He will be a very good second line center now that he has actual NHL-caliber wingers. The bad news: he is as soft as that little Snuggles bear the mysteriously shows up in your laundry closet but is so small that doesn’t set off any motion detector-induced alarms or anything. Remember that cute little bear? That is what Arnie played like last night. From what we’ve heard on his scouting report, too, we shouldn’t expect to see him throwing the body around or mucking it up in the corners much, either. This might be okay if his playmaking skills continue to rise when he centers a Smolinski/Havlat line, perhaps. All in all, Mr. Muckler made a great move, in my opinion, and picked up another legitimate scoring center that will take some pressure off Spezza and take a ton of pressure off Fisher, who can now stick to flying by third line defencemen undetected. Bold prediction of the month: Arnason will be a point-a-game player for the rest of the regular season. Cash it.
Hip Hip Hoo-Ray for Emery
Remember back to when we talked about making solid saves at the right times? It ultimately falls on a goalie to prevent the trailing team from gathering any momentum off a weak goal, for example. In Atlanta, Emery made 16 great saves – laugh it off, that isn’t a lot of work for a goalie against a very skilled set of forwards. But what was most important is that Emery made the big saves at the big moments, such as a great save on a 2-on-1 shortly after Atlanta had shortened the lead to 3-1. A 3-2 game is very, very different than a 3-1 game, agree? Emery’s solid play since the break may keep Morrison off the ice and has certainly helped us sleep at night while Hasek is out. I’m not taking this next comment anywhere, but I really haven’t even asked when Hasek is supposed to be returning lately. I guess we all just figure that Hasek will be back sometime before April 20th and in the meantime, some other dude will stop pucks for us. Somewhere on a charter bus, Patrick Lalime cries quietly and plays the “what if?” game. Seriously, we have a good backup here with Emery and these games now are turning him into a future starter for us.
Dany Lukewarm-ley
I sat proudly with my Dany Heatley jersey amongst thousdands of obnoxious and ignorant Thrashers fans that for some reason, still boo a guy that played his heart out for them for three years. To summarize the ridiculousness of the crowd last night, I quote one fan that said to me during an intermission, “Enjoy Heatley now because this summer he’s gonna demand a trade to Toronto.” Well, I’m not the world’s most intelligent guy but when he looked in my eye I nearly broke out and cried…with laughter. Now without being mean or calling names, it really seems to me that these people at Phillips Arena just didn’t get the big picture. I love that they are passionate about their team. I could do without the yelling at the refs for offside and icing calls that they the fans don’t really understand to begin with. But I am just so rattled that these people cannot understand the situation that was at hand. My ladyfriend pointed out that they even go as far as to cheer on Hossa’s name strictly for additional spite. I know Dany is a professional, but both games in Atlanta he has shown frustration. I would, too. His roughing penalty was bogus (PG-13 word, there) and unwarranted. As the seasons go on, we’ll just fall more and more in love with the player that Dany Heatley is and is becoming, and we’ll sit back and smirk while Atlanta continues to boo for him for a couple of home games before getting out their golf clubs every April. I wish I had a chance to tell the fans that I’d send a postcard from the playoffs and tell them all about it – but they probably don’t know what the playoffs even are. snap.
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
1. Dirty game. Toronto has had ugly games with Atlanta and we had one, too. Ultimately, the rumours of Bob Hartley being a dirty coach may be quite true after all and not just the rants of that silly man down the 401 in TO. Hartley also took a penalty in the dying minutes of the game for verbally abusing the ref. Classy. Guys like that are banned from Baton Rouge, right Z?
2. Mike Fisher is really fast.
3. New lines had Arnason and Smolinski going back and forth taking faceoffs on Alfredsson’s line. Neither were great, but the line had some decent chemistry considering they had just met.
4. Vermette is a good, fast player, but he still doesn’t look like the right fit with Spezza and Heatley. Coach Murray’s most difficult task for the remainder of the season will be getting the right players together for the rest of the regular season and then doing that all over again when Havlat returns.
5. Defense was good, but I still thought Redden needs to be tougher in his own corners. Don’t take that as a bad thing, I still want Redden to be a Senators for life. Second bold prediction – Chara and Redden both re-sign.
6. Outshooting teams 35-17 is a good sign towards a win.
7. Try and catch the replay of Spezza’s hipcheck on Kovalchuk. Great stuff. Hey, if Ilya wants to point at Sidney after he goals (which I loved, by the way), then he needs to be prepared to take a little bit of it, too. So long as nobody gets hurt out there, I think it is great when stars can hit other stars.
8. Marc Savard ran by and clipped Emery shortly after Heatley was given a roughing penalty on Lehtonen on the other end. Brutal move – who’s the idiot that wanted to trade for that Savard guy, anyway?
9. Neil was the only one to not get a single second of powerplay ice time. Funny how things change like that, eh?
10. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Sunday at Washington, 3:00pm
Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30pm
Thursday at Boston, 7:00pm
next Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7:00pm.
Let’s try and win all four.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Deadline Dud Pt. 2 - North East Report
Ottawa
Arnasen for Bochenski and a 2nd round pick: Arnasen is, by all accounts, a chronic underachiever who has never lived up to his god given skill. The Sens picked him up because he is a scoring center that may be able to produce in the playoffs. He has played a whopping 3 playoff games in his career. Arnasen is also know as having a poor work ethic and came to camp this year overweight. I do not like this deal because a second round pick is valuable and because I think Bochenski will round out into a nifty little player. All that being said, we needed a scorer and Arnasen loosly fits the bill.
Winner: Wash
Montréal
Theodore for Aebisher: Pierre Lacroix has the most to gain and the most to lose out of this deal. Aebisher would not have taken Colorado to the finals this year but could maybe get the a few rounds. Now he has taken on an injured goalie that will be ready ONE-Week before the playoffs. Sounds insane right? But suppose Theodore gets back to form, which he very well could with this change of scenery, he could take them to the Promised Land. Do I think this will happen? No. Gainey played it safe, cleared cap room and now has two options in goal. Theodore would have never recovered in Montreal. Good move.
Winner: Montréal
Todd Simpson for a 6th round pick: Good job by Gainey. Montreal needed a depth defenceman and got one. A sixth is an insignificant pick.
Winner: Montréal
Toronto:
Luke Richardson for a 4th or 5th: As per usual the Leafs have no direction and bring an old man home for a victory lap. Excuse me while I vomit. Stupid move.
Winner: Columbus
Klee for Suglobov: Suglobov is Albany’s leading scorer. Eklund even went as far as calling him a stud. He is no such thing. He is 24 and not in the NHL. He will not amount to anything in the NHL. On the other hand Klee is about as useless as Geoffrey is on the mini-put course.
Winner: Toronto
Boston:
Sampsonov for Reasoner and a 2nd: Fantastic move by Edmonton. For those who have seen him play, Sampsonov is highly skilled and has sick hands. He should be a valuable commodity down the stretch for Edmonton.
Winner: Edmonotn
Buffalo
Mikka Noronen for a 2nd: Congrats to David Nonnis for landing the best goalie available on the market. Ive seen Noronen play a few times and he is a great goalie who never got a fair Shake in Buffalo. Nonnis paid less than the Oil did for Rolosen and I think he is a better player.
Winner: Vancouver
Arnasen for Bochenski and a 2nd round pick: Arnasen is, by all accounts, a chronic underachiever who has never lived up to his god given skill. The Sens picked him up because he is a scoring center that may be able to produce in the playoffs. He has played a whopping 3 playoff games in his career. Arnasen is also know as having a poor work ethic and came to camp this year overweight. I do not like this deal because a second round pick is valuable and because I think Bochenski will round out into a nifty little player. All that being said, we needed a scorer and Arnasen loosly fits the bill.
Winner: Wash
Montréal
Theodore for Aebisher: Pierre Lacroix has the most to gain and the most to lose out of this deal. Aebisher would not have taken Colorado to the finals this year but could maybe get the a few rounds. Now he has taken on an injured goalie that will be ready ONE-Week before the playoffs. Sounds insane right? But suppose Theodore gets back to form, which he very well could with this change of scenery, he could take them to the Promised Land. Do I think this will happen? No. Gainey played it safe, cleared cap room and now has two options in goal. Theodore would have never recovered in Montreal. Good move.
Winner: Montréal
Todd Simpson for a 6th round pick: Good job by Gainey. Montreal needed a depth defenceman and got one. A sixth is an insignificant pick.
Winner: Montréal
Toronto:
Luke Richardson for a 4th or 5th: As per usual the Leafs have no direction and bring an old man home for a victory lap. Excuse me while I vomit. Stupid move.
Winner: Columbus
Klee for Suglobov: Suglobov is Albany’s leading scorer. Eklund even went as far as calling him a stud. He is no such thing. He is 24 and not in the NHL. He will not amount to anything in the NHL. On the other hand Klee is about as useless as Geoffrey is on the mini-put course.
Winner: Toronto
Boston:
Sampsonov for Reasoner and a 2nd: Fantastic move by Edmonton. For those who have seen him play, Sampsonov is highly skilled and has sick hands. He should be a valuable commodity down the stretch for Edmonton.
Winner: Edmonotn
Buffalo
Mikka Noronen for a 2nd: Congrats to David Nonnis for landing the best goalie available on the market. Ive seen Noronen play a few times and he is a great goalie who never got a fair Shake in Buffalo. Nonnis paid less than the Oil did for Rolosen and I think he is a better player.
Winner: Vancouver
Sens Game Report - Ottawa at Florida - March 8, 2006
(AP Photo/Alan Diaz), espn.com
Sleepy Sens
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Florida wins 6-2
Ottawa goals: Schaefer (17) reaping the benefits of Fisher’s hard work, Vermette (15) on a pass in front from Schubert.
Making Sens(e): depth lines, Eugene Melnyk’s horses
Not much Sens(e): Chara, Phillips, Pizza Line
It was over when: Horton scored 11 seconds after Schaefer had tied it up for us early into the second period, stopping any momentum
It was definitely over when: Everyone else on Florida scored.
Message in a Molson bottle: Very lazy game, lots of mistakes, turnovers, lost battles and faceoffs – one to erase from the mind before going to Atlanta to take these guys down.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260308026
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
Horses can’t skate
And apparently after spending a day on Mr. Melnyk’s ranch with his four-legged friends, neither can our players. We lost most battles in the corner, most faceoffs, and most races. The case in point is late in the third period when Chara sadly lost a foot race to speed skater Rostislav Olesz before the latter drew Emery out of the net and popped in their third insurance goal, like that was necessary. Chara’s lackluster effort on that goal summed up the night for the Sens as he lazily stuck out his stick to attempt a poke check instead of diving down and breaking up the play properly. Our top players were our bottom feeders tonight and they know it, too. However, it is just a bump on the road and back we go to Atlanta for another crack at it, hopefully skating a little stronger. Hey – after today’s 3pm deadline, maybe Marc Savard will dress for US tomorrow night! But probably not.
Defensively defenseless
You know your team is in for a long night when your top pairing of Chara and Phillips round out the night at a minus-7. I’m not claiming to be an expert on the sport or anything, but I would think that would make winning a lot tougher. I also think when your defencemen allow 38 shots to get through to your backup goalie, no matter how well he has been playing, is also not an effective way to win hockey games. Florida has that ‘nothing to lose’ mentality right now (as will the Thrashers tomorrow night) and we had the ‘I just love horses so much’ attitude, which isn’t as intimidating or effective in a hockey game. Chara was seen biting too hard in the neutral zone and getting burned, and it again led to odd-man rushes against Emery, and that usually leads to goals. Emery doesn’t cover the crease like Hasek does, so those chances against us usually result in playing from behind. Let’s regroup, eat a rack of ribs, and try again. “Sorry, coach, I can’t play tonight. It’s da horses – they’re so lovely.”
Shake it off, fellas
Pizza Line finished at minus-8 and no points with Jason Spezza going 33% in the faceoff circle. The effectiveness of this line relies a lot on puck control. I’ve heard that it is much more difficult to control the puck when you don’t even have it – that’s just a rumour at this point, though. There is no doubt that this line had begun to click again, so let’s see their performance in Atlanta Friday and give them the benefit of the doubt. South Beach does some strange things to people, as our Winthrop baseball team once spent a day in the ocean there before losing to the University of Miami Hurricanes in a nail-biter, 18-1 back in 1999. Perhaps the Ocala ranch did the same thing to the team. Time to use this as a reminder that we are human and the way to win games is to outwork the opponent. As the Pezz Dispenser so eloquently said, when we outwork the other teams, we will win. That is cocky and true. If we play harder then the other team, our sheer skill will take over and we’ll win 9 times out of 10, unless Martin Gerber is in net, of course. Onward and upward, boys!
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
STAY TUNED LATER TODAY ON THE WEBSITE – MATT WILLIAMS WILL BE WRITING HIS ANNUAL TRADE DEADLINE ANALYSIS AND REGULAR SEASON PREDICTIONS. THIS IS THE EVENT OF THE YEAR.
Trade deadline today at 3pm. Watch for Toronto trading prospects for the elderly again in an incomprehensible push for the post-season.
Mike Fisher still played well in the game – he always does.
Schubert and Vermette have developed chemistry. How often do players on the fourth line have chemistry? I love it.
Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Friday at Atlanta, 7:00pm, watch for the streaker during the second period with http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/ pained strategically on his chest and back.
Sunday at Washington, 3:00pm
Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30pm
Thursday at Boston, 7:00pm
next Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7:00pm
Sleepy Sens
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Florida wins 6-2
Ottawa goals: Schaefer (17) reaping the benefits of Fisher’s hard work, Vermette (15) on a pass in front from Schubert.
Making Sens(e): depth lines, Eugene Melnyk’s horses
Not much Sens(e): Chara, Phillips, Pizza Line
It was over when: Horton scored 11 seconds after Schaefer had tied it up for us early into the second period, stopping any momentum
It was definitely over when: Everyone else on Florida scored.
Message in a Molson bottle: Very lazy game, lots of mistakes, turnovers, lost battles and faceoffs – one to erase from the mind before going to Atlanta to take these guys down.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260308026
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
Horses can’t skate
And apparently after spending a day on Mr. Melnyk’s ranch with his four-legged friends, neither can our players. We lost most battles in the corner, most faceoffs, and most races. The case in point is late in the third period when Chara sadly lost a foot race to speed skater Rostislav Olesz before the latter drew Emery out of the net and popped in their third insurance goal, like that was necessary. Chara’s lackluster effort on that goal summed up the night for the Sens as he lazily stuck out his stick to attempt a poke check instead of diving down and breaking up the play properly. Our top players were our bottom feeders tonight and they know it, too. However, it is just a bump on the road and back we go to Atlanta for another crack at it, hopefully skating a little stronger. Hey – after today’s 3pm deadline, maybe Marc Savard will dress for US tomorrow night! But probably not.
Defensively defenseless
You know your team is in for a long night when your top pairing of Chara and Phillips round out the night at a minus-7. I’m not claiming to be an expert on the sport or anything, but I would think that would make winning a lot tougher. I also think when your defencemen allow 38 shots to get through to your backup goalie, no matter how well he has been playing, is also not an effective way to win hockey games. Florida has that ‘nothing to lose’ mentality right now (as will the Thrashers tomorrow night) and we had the ‘I just love horses so much’ attitude, which isn’t as intimidating or effective in a hockey game. Chara was seen biting too hard in the neutral zone and getting burned, and it again led to odd-man rushes against Emery, and that usually leads to goals. Emery doesn’t cover the crease like Hasek does, so those chances against us usually result in playing from behind. Let’s regroup, eat a rack of ribs, and try again. “Sorry, coach, I can’t play tonight. It’s da horses – they’re so lovely.”
Shake it off, fellas
Pizza Line finished at minus-8 and no points with Jason Spezza going 33% in the faceoff circle. The effectiveness of this line relies a lot on puck control. I’ve heard that it is much more difficult to control the puck when you don’t even have it – that’s just a rumour at this point, though. There is no doubt that this line had begun to click again, so let’s see their performance in Atlanta Friday and give them the benefit of the doubt. South Beach does some strange things to people, as our Winthrop baseball team once spent a day in the ocean there before losing to the University of Miami Hurricanes in a nail-biter, 18-1 back in 1999. Perhaps the Ocala ranch did the same thing to the team. Time to use this as a reminder that we are human and the way to win games is to outwork the opponent. As the Pezz Dispenser so eloquently said, when we outwork the other teams, we will win. That is cocky and true. If we play harder then the other team, our sheer skill will take over and we’ll win 9 times out of 10, unless Martin Gerber is in net, of course. Onward and upward, boys!
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
STAY TUNED LATER TODAY ON THE WEBSITE – MATT WILLIAMS WILL BE WRITING HIS ANNUAL TRADE DEADLINE ANALYSIS AND REGULAR SEASON PREDICTIONS. THIS IS THE EVENT OF THE YEAR.
Trade deadline today at 3pm. Watch for Toronto trading prospects for the elderly again in an incomprehensible push for the post-season.
Mike Fisher still played well in the game – he always does.
Schubert and Vermette have developed chemistry. How often do players on the fourth line have chemistry? I love it.
Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.
Upcoming Games
Friday at Atlanta, 7:00pm, watch for the streaker during the second period with http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/ pained strategically on his chest and back.
Sunday at Washington, 3:00pm
Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30pm
Thursday at Boston, 7:00pm
next Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7:00pm
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Sens Game Report - Ottawa at TBay - Monday, March 6, 2006
It’s on.
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 4-nil
Ottawa goals: Vermette (14) on a pass from Schubert, Spezza (16) on a pass to the slot from Heatley, Fisher (20) on that nasty wrister down the left side, Schaefer (16) from Pothier to put it out of reach
Making Sens(e): Spezza and Heatley, Emery
Not much Sens(e): McGrattan was a scratch, so he wasn’t very good – foot still bruised from blocking a shot in the Toronto game.
It was over when: Ottawa scored 1:31 apart in the second to turn a 1-0 game into a 3-0 game.
It was definitely over when: We outshot them 17-7 in the third and really just prevented any type of late attack.
Message in a Molson bottle: A solid all-around effort from the top lines to the defencemen to the netminder. The road trip is off to a pretty good start thus far.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260306020
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
I like my Pizza Line extra saucy
The only drawback of Heatley and Spezza playing so well together again is that Don Cherry won’t shut up about how right he was that linemates should have been playing together in Italy. Besides sour grapes, we should be thrilled that these two kids have rediscovered that chemistry that once made John Muckler a potential write-in vote for PM. I know I’ve Spezza a good ribbing (that’s too easy) over the past few months about his strength, discipline, and defensive development, but I must say I love where his head is at these days and so long as he and Heaters have this buzz going, let’s just sit back and enjoy.
A beaming Ray of sunshine
How clever that in the Sunshine State, it is the visitor’s Ray that is doing all the shining. Emery was solid again putting up 31 saves and winning his fourth (of four) since the break. It has been a rare occurrence that Ottawa fans have been forced to live with our backup for an extended period. And it is a great feeling to know that the guy that we stick in there is doing one heck of a job. A while back, John Muckler, General Manager Extraordinaire, stated that Ray Emery was the goaltender of the future in Ottawa. Fans looked at the guy that was better known for fights than for wins and said, “has the old man lost it?” But the more we doubt, the more he proves that he knows exactly what he is doing. Beyond the cockroaches and tattoos is a kid that was thrown into a difficult situation filled with pressure and opportunity. While Emery may not have known it, I would go as far to say that his career in Ottawa may well have depended on how he performed – a sloppy job would lead Muckler to bringing in a replacement, shattering Emery’s confidence and potentially leading to us letting him go. Instead, Ray has won all four contests and is playing better than he ever has. Continue on, Mr. Muckler, or should we call you the Oracle?
I make mistakes
Antoine Vermette is playing the best hockey of his life right now. He is skating better than ever, faster than ever, and stronger than ever. His points total continue to rise and he has even shown signs of toughness. In the Tampa game, he was hit across the head with his own helmet, leading to a two-game suspension of some guy whose name I won’t try and spell or pronounce. Before the break when we were inconsistent, Vermette was regularly making Sense and playing hard. Now that the rest of the team has caught up, let’s not Vermette’s performance be overshadowed. I once called for the kid to be traded after I had given up on his slow development. I might have been wrong here and I’m glad he’s still with the team! Great penalty killer, too. Solid performance tonight, again, and he continues to earn every second of the ice time he gets.
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
Fisher was 70% in the faceoff circle. Awesome. This guy is a second-line center, so don’t get all upset when Jokinen stays in Florida after Thursday.
Can’t believe Pothier didn’t score tonight! What a bust. I was hoping for four in a row.
I get to go to the Atlanta game Friday and proudly sport the Sens Heatley jersey and will stuff dirty socks in the mouths of anyone that dares to boo him.
Don’t forget to check this site daily – www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com.
Upcoming Games
Wednesday at Florida, 7:00pm
Friday at Atlanta, 7:00pm – the votes are in - and I’m going with my Heatley jersey.
Sunday at Washington, 3:00pm
The Balance in the Bank:
Final Score: Ottawa wins 4-nil
Ottawa goals: Vermette (14) on a pass from Schubert, Spezza (16) on a pass to the slot from Heatley, Fisher (20) on that nasty wrister down the left side, Schaefer (16) from Pothier to put it out of reach
Making Sens(e): Spezza and Heatley, Emery
Not much Sens(e): McGrattan was a scratch, so he wasn’t very good – foot still bruised from blocking a shot in the Toronto game.
It was over when: Ottawa scored 1:31 apart in the second to turn a 1-0 game into a 3-0 game.
It was definitely over when: We outshot them 17-7 in the third and really just prevented any type of late attack.
Message in a Molson bottle: A solid all-around effort from the top lines to the defencemen to the netminder. The road trip is off to a pretty good start thus far.
Courtesy Boxscore: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260306020
Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:
I like my Pizza Line extra saucy
The only drawback of Heatley and Spezza playing so well together again is that Don Cherry won’t shut up about how right he was that linemates should have been playing together in Italy. Besides sour grapes, we should be thrilled that these two kids have rediscovered that chemistry that once made John Muckler a potential write-in vote for PM. I know I’ve Spezza a good ribbing (that’s too easy) over the past few months about his strength, discipline, and defensive development, but I must say I love where his head is at these days and so long as he and Heaters have this buzz going, let’s just sit back and enjoy.
A beaming Ray of sunshine
How clever that in the Sunshine State, it is the visitor’s Ray that is doing all the shining. Emery was solid again putting up 31 saves and winning his fourth (of four) since the break. It has been a rare occurrence that Ottawa fans have been forced to live with our backup for an extended period. And it is a great feeling to know that the guy that we stick in there is doing one heck of a job. A while back, John Muckler, General Manager Extraordinaire, stated that Ray Emery was the goaltender of the future in Ottawa. Fans looked at the guy that was better known for fights than for wins and said, “has the old man lost it?” But the more we doubt, the more he proves that he knows exactly what he is doing. Beyond the cockroaches and tattoos is a kid that was thrown into a difficult situation filled with pressure and opportunity. While Emery may not have known it, I would go as far to say that his career in Ottawa may well have depended on how he performed – a sloppy job would lead Muckler to bringing in a replacement, shattering Emery’s confidence and potentially leading to us letting him go. Instead, Ray has won all four contests and is playing better than he ever has. Continue on, Mr. Muckler, or should we call you the Oracle?
I make mistakes
Antoine Vermette is playing the best hockey of his life right now. He is skating better than ever, faster than ever, and stronger than ever. His points total continue to rise and he has even shown signs of toughness. In the Tampa game, he was hit across the head with his own helmet, leading to a two-game suspension of some guy whose name I won’t try and spell or pronounce. Before the break when we were inconsistent, Vermette was regularly making Sense and playing hard. Now that the rest of the team has caught up, let’s not Vermette’s performance be overshadowed. I once called for the kid to be traded after I had given up on his slow development. I might have been wrong here and I’m glad he’s still with the team! Great penalty killer, too. Solid performance tonight, again, and he continues to earn every second of the ice time he gets.
Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less
Fisher was 70% in the faceoff circle. Awesome. This guy is a second-line center, so don’t get all upset when Jokinen stays in Florida after Thursday.
Can’t believe Pothier didn’t score tonight! What a bust. I was hoping for four in a row.
I get to go to the Atlanta game Friday and proudly sport the Sens Heatley jersey and will stuff dirty socks in the mouths of anyone that dares to boo him.
Don’t forget to check this site daily – www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com.
Upcoming Games
Wednesday at Florida, 7:00pm
Friday at Atlanta, 7:00pm – the votes are in - and I’m going with my Heatley jersey.
Sunday at Washington, 3:00pm
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