Scene Set.

Location: Ottawa, On. Canada.

Time: 19:30 EST on a cold wintery Wednesday night.

Scene:  The Ottawa Senators face their key rival, the Buffalo Sabres.  The crowd is nervous, knowing the home team is in deep, playing without their top centre, Jason Spezza, and sit precariously close to missing the post season.  But, they’re hopeful, knowing, if the team digs deep, they can get the win.  They look at their game sheets and notice a new name on wing…Mike Comrie.

You see, that was the scene set for OTT vs. BUF on January 3, 2007.

The Sens were recovering from a tough start and inching their way back into the play-off picture.  Then tragedy struck.  No Vermette, No Spezza, No Fisher.

I remember this game.  I remember saying before going into it “this might get ugly”.  The Sabres were on fire, the Sens were still finding their legs, and without their 3 top centres, the picture didn’t look good.

But, they won, big time.  6-3, and they never looked back, all the way to the Stanley Cup finals.

Could they do it again?  The similarities are staggering.  No Spezza, no Leclaire, no Foligno, no Neil, and a new face on forward, Campoli.  The Sabres come into the game on fire.

But, again, they won.  No, they didn’t just win, they owned the Sabres.  That may have been the best clutch game I’ve ever seen.  From top to bottom, that was a near perfect game, and if not for the stunning play of Miller, it would have been an absolute blow-out.

Elliott was solid, and made some outstanding saves.

The defense was sharp, aggressive, and dominated their checks in the defensive zone, while also providing outstanding support on the offensive blue-line.

The forwards, top to bottom absolutely dogged the puck, won almost every battle, everywhere, and repeatedly challenged Miller to make big stops.

Ruutu took some penalties, but in all honesty, I only saw one true penalty, the high stick in the final 2 minutes.  The rest were “reputation” calls.

In a word, the officiating was awful.  The most ironic being the hooking call on Kelly, after his having been robbed of a scoring opportunity, due to a hook, but without the benefit of a call.

But I digress.

That was outstanding.

The Sens tonight reminded me of an old tractor.  It may not look like much, but it’s reliable, durable, and works, works, works.

Now THAT was a team victory!

GN

And Now For A Little Good News.

Both the Flyers and Lightning lost in regulation.  Sure, it’s nothing earth shattering, but any breathing room the Sens can get right now is much appreciated.

Are the Flyers ready to deal?

GN

Desperate Times…

Call for desperate measures.

Are the Sens desperate?

I’m not sure, but, by the time they find out they are, if they are, it may be too late.

So what to do?

The options are simple;

1. Nothing.  The team is not exactly a SC lock, and a built in excuse may just suit the GM, should they miss the post season.  Who knows, maybe the youngin’s will step up and the Sens discover assets they didn’t know they had.

2. Make a trade.  Everyone knows Murray wants a top 6 forward and now he REALLY wants another top 6 forward.  But if he couldn’t find the right deal before Spezza went down, I highly doubt opposing GM’s are sweetening the deals now.  Is it worth it to make a lopsided trade for a stop gap solution?

Option 1 is the most likely, if for no other reason than circumstance…trades just don’t happen anymore, but, should option 2 be aggressively pursued, what’s reportedly out there?

Whitney, Horton, Frolov, Nylander.

That ain’t much of a list.

Maybe option 1 is also option only one.

GN

The True Test.

Some say Spezza has been invisible this year, and the team has been winning without him.

Well, we’re about to find out the truth of this view.

Spezza, according to Clouston, has suffered a “fairly serious right knee injury”, but the team will not know more until an MRI is done later this afternoon.  It was hinted that the injury may be similar to that suffered by Chris Neil, and, in a worst case, may LTIR Spezza for up to 2 months, but more likely 3-6 weeks.

Well, this surely eliminates any hope of Spezza making Team Canada (not that there was any at this point), but in an odd twist of fate, the Olympic break will provide some relief in terms of games played should Spezza truly require the “worst case” amount of time for re-hab.

On another “silver lining”, if in fact Spezza has been fighting some nagging injuries, the break will surely provide him with the time necessary to get those issues under control as well.

Is this a good thing?  Surely not, but with a Spezza of just 5 goals and 19 points, the Sens are in 7th place, holding a strong P% lead over their nearest rival, so his loss is surely not as dire as would have been the case in years past.

Josh Hennessy has been re-called from Bingo (Pos. C — Height 6.00 — Weight 198 — Shoots L).  For those of you who recall, Josh was acquired from the SJS in the Havlat trade, and has never stuck with the big club in his time as a Senator.  The key knock on Josh is his tenacity and physicality.  He has skill, and speed, but he’s never displayed the determination to fully utilize these skills.  Can he be a top 6 guy?  Absolutely.  Will he be?  Never has yet.  But he is having a career year as a pro (.89 pts/g), so maybe it’s starting to click.

Josh, no pressure here, but it’s now or never laddy, look no further than Carks (18:19 ATOI) for what can happen if you put it all together.  You know the coach, you know the system, now produce, and as an impending RFA, the potential pay-out is life altering.

Get ‘er done boys, considering the tightness of the standings, the Sens will have to pull it together and start to post wins using their full roster depth.  Luckily, that’s what they’ve done successfully all year, but now there’s no Spezza to draw away the defenders attention, warranted or not.

GN

A Hot Mess & Cold Comfort

In a game that saw the Senators dominate their opposition, once again, it came down to goaltending.  The Leafs got it, the Sens didn’t.

Not to be too hard on the youngster Elliott but, when is Pascal back again?  None too soon if last nights bush league performance is any indication of what the near future holds with Elliott between the pipes.

Both the Blake and Kessel goals were awful.  How, off of a weak back hand, a player can score from 3 feet off the boards, and 6 feet above the icing line, is beyond me.  On Kessels nice roof shot (full credit for picking what was given to him), being on his off wing, and coming in from the side, he should have seen nothing but goaltender.  Instead, Brian backed so far into his crease that Kessel had his pick of open holes, and like a legit sniper, he filled one.

Els was awful, and make no mistake, he cost his team 2 pts.  There’s no use in sugar coating it, because it won’t make him better to ignore his weaknesses.  He’s obviously fighting his confidence, ok, I get that, now shove it, and start playing like you can, or quit. This team doesn’t need another fragile goaltender.  What’s better, going out with a whimper, or going out with a bang?  If you’re going to lose, you might as well at least go down swinging, so SWING DAMMIT, AND QUIT BACKING UP!

Sure, some will say he made some great saves…but if he doesn’t make the easy ones too, honestly, who cares?  That’s like considering a drunk driver a good citizen for sticking around after he ran over someone.  Too little, too late.

This is not to say the team was perfect, Kuba was a disaster all over the ice.  Lazy plays, consistent misreads, coughing up the puck to avoid being hit, and outlet passes destined to be turn-overs.  He needs to either pick it up, or be traded.  You cannot have that from a supposed “top 4″ Dman, and not have it drag everyone else down, particularly if you only have 3 top 4’s to begin with!

Not that it likely mattered in the end, but when did boarding become legal?  Or maybe the hit, unlike the hand pass disallowed goal, was simply missed by all four officials who were intently focused AWAY from the play.

Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.

Another goal by Spezza is a good sign, and Fish’s continued offensive prowess is impressive, but in the end it comes as cold comfort.

Oh, and speaking of cold comfort, Carks one punch TKO of Orr left the later receiving “cold comfort” all night, with the side of his skull having been bashed in.

GN

The Unstoppable Force Vs. The Unmoveable Object.

Tonight we witness another epic battle in the Ontario Grudge Match.  Leaf fans will turn it into some sort of coming out party should they win, the Sens fans will crow supremacy after a season record of 3-0 should they prevail the victors, but at the end of the day, it’s the fans of both teams who win, no matter the outcome.

Why?

Because, the game matters again.

Oh sure, it’s not like it was, two heavyweights slogging away at each other, but unlike since the lock-out, at least the outcome of the game has some consequence.

For Toronto, a win will move them into striking distance of a play-off spot, and give their fans, if nothing else, something to aspire to in an other wise lackluster campaign.

For the Sens, it will potentially provide some much needed breathing space ahead of those teams directly beneath them in the chase for a secure play-off position.

In order for Ottawa to win they will have to play a rock solid road game.  Avoid getting too amped up, and drawn into a game of river hockey.  The fact is, the Leafs have a woeful defensive record, and if they can be put on their heels early, and made lulled to sleep, the Sens have a legitimate chance at stopping the surging Leafs.

But, should they do like the Caps, and take the W for granted, engage in a game of wide open hockey, well, then it’ll come down to goaltending, and neither team at this point is quit sure where they stand in that particular department.

Look for a composed game from the Sens made up of a solid forecheck and a defensively simple system of dump and chase, and chip outs off the glass.

GN

Coming To Terms With Reality

Another tight game, another 2 pts.  Impressive.

It’s becoming clear that this team is not “elite”.  The players are recognizing it, the coaches recognize it, and, slowly, even the fans are coming to terms with it. Although this may seem to be a slight on the team, the truth is, well, the truth, and the sooner the team comes to terms with it, the sooner they can commit to doing what it will take to win on a consistent basis…hard work, for 60 minutes.

Last season the Sens may well have been victims of their own past success.  They used to be able to win with ease.  Float for 40 minutes, then pour it on, and still walk away with the W.  Then it changed, and the frustration, confusion, and losing settled in.  How else do you explain a roster wide poor season?

But now, this season, the team is posting some hard-fought wins.  Getting points as a result of sticking to the plan, and grinding away at the opposition, for 60 minutes.  The results are showing in the standings, with the Sens having consistently remained in a play-off position, no small feat in a tight eastern conference.

To see the importance of gaining points consistently one need look no further  than the state of the Sens impending opposition, the Leafs.  Prior to its last ten games the Leafs were second last in the east, second last over-all.  Then the wins started coming in, with the Leafs posting a tremendous 7-3-0 run, by far the best run among the bottom half of the eastern conference.

The result of this great effort and season high point accumulation?

Second last in the east, second last over-all.

As a non elite team, Ottawa must continue to work hard to maintain their play-off status, and so far so good.

Great game by Kovy, let’s hope he’s back into the groove.  Spez contributed at both ends of the ice to play a major (pivotal?) role in getting the win.  Pics looked good, particularly for having missed the last few games, and Cheech posted another solid effort, and was once again snake bitten despite his efforts.

GN

Trade Rumours

Although I haven’t blogged on this lately, the rumour mill has been actively churning out chatter about potential trades involving the Senators.

The name most often mentioned, not surprisingly, has been Lee.  Brian has found himself placed on IR, which has raised some eyebrows as there was no indication of any major injury prior to his having been demoted to Bingo.  Some have suggested he has been asked to leave the team pending a trade.

The teams most frequently mentioned are CHI and CLB.  The return has been rumoured to be Barker and Filatov.  I was told a deal is in place with CHI, but the trigger has not been pulled, for whatever reason.

Another name making its way into the talk has been Kovalev.  He’s been mentioned in reference with a couple of west coast teams (ANA,LAK).  Presumably for Selanne and Frolov respectively.

Last but not least is Foligno, yes, Foligno.  Talk has had him associated with the Panthers.  The name coming back?  Horton.

I’m not suggesting any of this is legit, I’m just passing along what has been making the rounds.

On another note, Spezza has sold his downtown home…wanting to move closer to SBP, or further?

GN

Last Place Lucky?

As is so often the case, playing a team in last place can turn into a nightmare.

The Sens will have to be extra sharp tonight considering they’re facing a weak opponent in the Carolina Hurricanes.  Weak, but not push-overs, as WSH found out last night.

With the returns of Cam Ward, and Staal, Carolina is a much more difficult out, and Ottawa will have to respect the fact that the ‘Canes will be riding a wave of renewed hope, not to mention the fact that Carolina has had Ottawa’s number in the past.

Expect to see Spezza and Kovy reunited on the “faint hope” line, while Fish, Alfie and Mich look to turn potential into reality.

In order to win Ottawa must continue to play tight, disciplined hockey.  Maintain the forecheck, activate the blueline, cover for your Dmen if they pinch/hold the line, and GO TO THE NET!

The Philly and MTL games were very well executed, apart from the PP.  Should the team continue this strong play, and get the PP going, the points will start to roll in.

Once again the PK will need to be solid, especially as CAR is the 2nd ranked team in PP Opp.

GN

Grattis på födelsedagen Alfie!

Ha en bra dag, och vi ser fram emot att ha dig i Ottawa för många, många fler.

GN