That from a western based pro-scout.  Is it just reaction to Boro’s insertion in the line-up, or a legitimate rumour?  Well, I have no idea, as this has only come from one place (but a well-informed one), but there has been a ton of talk about Vancouver needing more toughness, and to get it in the form of a steady defenceman…makes sense for them.  As for Ottawa, well, they’re OK on defence, with Lee and *maybe* Boro…seems a pretty big gamble for Ottawa if they have real post season aspirations, you simply cannot have to many defencemen.  Spoke to a few people on this (none had heard it)…they all thought it made sense if the Sens plan on getting Boro some NHL/post-season experience.

Is Boro the “new” Rundblad, albeit an entirely different player, ready to skate a regular shift in the NHL?  Is Carks expendable (he has only 3 fighting majors this season)?

Or is this total BS?

Roy, Ruutu, or Brassard?  All three have been linked to trade rumours with Ottawa, and all three have legitimate top 6 ability.

Who would you rather, and what would you be willing to move in return?

GN

Well, we all knew that was coming…eventually.

I’m not sure if it is good or bad, the fact the Sens could just as easily have won that game.  Apart from some solid goaltending on the Ducks part, and some hideous brain camps on Karlsson’s, that game was ripe for the picking.

But no team goes 82-0, and if the Sens can use the loss to get their heads back down to earth, and re-enforce the need to make the most of every opportunity, then the loss was well worth taking.

Fortunately Toronto lost as well, thus not gaining any ground on the Sens.  Right now it looks like the dog fight in the East will be between Toronto, Florida and Winnipeg, but with a young roster like Ottawa’s, a major set-back is not out of the picture, making any increased compression in the top 10 worrying.

Tonight will see the final game in the California portion of the road swing, with a 10:30 match-up in LA. With only 4 wins in their last ten games, of which 6 have gone to extra time, the Kings are struggling right now, but still find themselves in a post-season position.

The Kings, for the first time in years, made some big moves this off-season, believing they were finally within reach of making post-season waves but, as is so often  the case, the moves seemed to hurt more than help, and the team is desperate to remain in the play-off hunt despite their below average play of late.

The Kings are better on the road than at home, and the Sens are licking their wounds after a loss…I call this one a win for Ottawa, but only if they bring their A game, neither team has a decided edge in this one, and effort will likely be the final decider on who gets the ‘W’.

GN

Yes Anaheim currently sits in twenty-seventh position, but they’ve also scored 39 goals in their last 10 GP, for an average of 3.9 GF/G…that’s very impressive, especially when you consider there were only  two games with 6 or more GF in that data set.  Over the last 5 GP, the Ducks have potted 31 goals!

Even more worryingly, of late, the Ducks have been very, very stingy, allowing only seven goals against in their last 5 games played, for a GA/G average of 1.40.

To judge tonight’s Anaheim team against their season totals, instead of their short-term totals, would be a mistake.  This team appears to have turned the corner, and will no doubt have Ottawa in its sights come the drop of the puck.

This is the time of year when some teams are playing desperate hockey, and with only 39 points, for thirteenth in the West, Anaheim knows they’re out of the post season hunt if they don’t win a lot, and fast.  Anaheim has been playing with desperation of late, and winning…expect more of the same tonight.

If Sens want to get on their California roll, they’ll have to be sure to not get caught California Dreaming…or find themselves facing a sleepless night in Hotel California.

GN

Follow Sensay on Twitter at @GNSensay

Now the Sens hope to continue the roll when they shift to Anaheim, a recently surging team in their own right, before closing out their California swing in La, la land.

Can this mixed bag of upstarts and vets keep it going, through an increasingly challenging point in the regular season…who knows, and that sums up this team…who knows?

Who knows who will be the hero of the night, with Greening being the most recent appointee, due to an impressive 2 goal performance.

Who knows how the young players will perform, with Mark Borowiecky being the most recent surprise, posting a very solid 13 minutes in his first ever NHL game, and not looking at all out-of-place or over-whelmed by the highly skilled Sharks team he faced.

Who knows what the future holds, because nobody expected the team to be where they are now.

Who knew and who knows, but what is for certain is that this team is one hell of a blast to watch, and their game-in, game-out enthusiasm is a massive improvement over the head hanging doldrums of seasons past.

Onwards and upwards boys.

GN

The death of Sarah Burke, a Canadian athlete and sports pioneer, raises a lot of questions about life, the pursuit of ones dreams, and the risks one is willing to take in order to achieve them.

29 is so very young, but many have died much younger, for far less than the passionate pursuit of what they love.

I will never question the tragedy of her death, for it was not tragic, it was glorious, and in so an inspiration to us all to remember, no matter the duration, we will all, everyone one of us, die…that does not matter near so much as what we do before that inevitable event.

Thank-you Sarah, for being so full of life, and having the bravery to live it.

GN

That game against Toronto was gnarly, dude.

The Sens found themselves stuck on flat water while the opposition saw wave after wave, but couldn’t seem to get on their boards.  Chance after chance but, except for two quick goals, the Leafs couldn’t catch a break, no matter how hard they paddled.

Then, with only a minute remaining, the Sens get an ankle buster but ride it into the first intermission, only down by one.

It was much the same in the second, but even worse for the Leafs, with glorious swell after swell, all for naught…and a bogus call, if you listen to the Leafs fans, leaving it all tied up after two.

The third finally saw some steady waves for the Sens, and as has so often been the case, they rode them to the victory, winning three-two.

Ahh, there’s nothing like giving the Leafs a sand-facial!

But, the Sens have got to stop hanging ten…or one of these waves are going to make them eat it.

So yeah, the Sens have been Gnarlatious bra, but if they want to get back home with some points in their doggers, they’d better start hitting the waves from the beginning, or risk finding themselves selling Buicks come April.

GN

p.s. http://cougartown.com/surf-slang.html

Follow Sensay on Twitter at @GNSensay

As a blogger, who functions in a nefarious region of cyber-space, spouting cyber rumours and opinions, while comfortably ensconced within a teflon suit of anonymity, who am I to question copyright law…right?

Wrong.

I question it not because it profits me by attempting to curtail or strengthen its status (hey, I don’t charge you to read my meandering thoughts), from a bloggers perspective, as I have no dog in this fight.

But as a rabid user of the internet, and a staunch supporter of fact based thinking, the mere thought of stifling access to quality information is frightening.

Without getting political, look no further than the Northern Gateway Pipeline issue currently making the rounds in Canadian media.  I’m neither for nor against it, I’m still trying to determine for myself which side I fall on.  But that’s the point, unlike in times past (no so very long ago), I can easily, through the power of the internet, discover the facts surrounding this issue.  I do not need to rely upon the generic and entirely fact exclusive conclusions of either side, government/industry, or the environmentalists.

Both sides in this issue are quick to provide grand conclusions, supposedly based upon facts…but as has always been the case, never actually show their work, and how they came to these conclusions, the very ones they want us to accept as valid and reliable.

To do anything to stifle the ability of citizens to access, analyse and draw conclusions, from fact, is to tarnish one of the greatest abilities of mankind, to reason.

So, like with the pipeline, I’m not sure what the specific solution/answer is regarding intellectual property rights, but I do know anything that attempts to prevent people from examining the facts around an issue, is often good for the few, but bad for the many.

We know that ideas are organic, and the greatest achievements of all time have been the result of meta thinking, not insular thought…so is not the sharing of ideas the most effective means of creating more, and better ideas?

Yes people need to be paid for their efforts, but not everything is about money alone, because if it were, well, how sad would that be?

GN

Pick one, it doesn’t matter what you call it, all that matters is what it nets.

As it stands the trading of Kelly, Fisher, Kovalev and Rundblad has resulted in the addition of just Turris.  Not exactly the Philadelphia model, where you move NHL assets for other NHL assets, leading to a new team, and improved results.  Well, except for the results part.

I have little doubt this team is surprising even the GM, despite his assertions that he expected a decent season.  And this has no doubt led to a re-thinking of the plan, no matter what you call it.

All indications are the Senators remain committed to building through young assets and the draft, not trades for veteran players or the signing of ageing UFA’s, and that is laudable, but when a competitive group gets a free shot, you know they’re going to take it.

And that’s what this season has turned into, a free shot a t the post-season, and as the thinking goes, once you make the post season, anything can happen.  The Lightning had a free shot last season, and darn near made it to the finals…no doubt this is close to the top of mind for both Murray and Melnyk, competitive guys.

But is it possible to remain committed to building through prospects and the draft, while still enhancing a surprisingly competitive team?

Yes, but it is a task that will require extreme focus, and at times, a difficult commitment to the original plan, even when other seemingly opportunistic trades present themselves.

A good example is the Turris trade.  The Senators were able to satisfy a need for the present (2nd line centre), but not jeopardize the future of the club, due to Kyle’s age and contract status (RFA in 2013/14) without overly impacting the future (although I still lament the 2nd rounder…).

If Murray and Melnyk are going to try to walk this tight rope between the now and the future, it will require trades for younger assets, that fit specific franchise needs, now and in the future, without sacrificing all of the teams picks and secondary/positional depth prospects.

Call it what you like, but for sure it will be difficult to pull off…withiut succumbing to the temptation to mortgage the future.

Like the Senators, consider this trade deadline a mid-term exam for management…have they learned their lessons?

GN

Only home game stuck in the middle of an extended road trip.

Riding high after posting a tremendous points streak.

Game one of a back to back, with the second against a major rival.

An opponent desperate for a win.

Anyone who didn’t see that flat performance coming was ignoring the inevitable, and this teams recent (Montreal) sloppy play.  The loss wasn’t a guarantee, but it was as close as can be, considering the circumstances.

In an earlier post I ripped this team for their home loss to Montreal (which I stand behind, wholeheartedly), but in so doing I also said it is important to acknowledge the team is made up of human beings, not machines, and, at times, they will stumble.  Good fans/management/players know this happens, and won’t over-react…this is one of those times.

I’ll give the Sens that one, especially after all they have accomplished in the last 15 or so games.  But good teams take the grace, and use it to motivate themselves to do better, not as an excuse to sit back.

Good teams let a loss burn a slow burn, they don’t let it get out of control, instead they keep it smouldering until it can be extinguished with a good rebound effort.  Nothing eases the wounds of a bad game like a solid second effort, and the Sens get that chance tonight, against the Leafs.

Like the Jets, Toronto comes into this game feeling a sense of desperation.  With their own losing streak the Leafs find themselves outside looking in for only the second time this season, but this time the pressure around them is increasing.  The games in hand are gone, the gap over teams behind is narrowing, and the play of those above is improving…Toronto is feeling the heat, from all sides.

And Toronto’s uncomfortable situation could just as easily be Ottawa’s.

Yes Ottawa remains in 4th in the East (P%), but the standings are so close every loss makes a major difference…last nights loss let the NJD, FLA and PIT get back into the hunt for 4th, allowing them the ability to catch (or pass) Ottawa if they win their games in hand…just like that.

A loss tonight is not acceptable, to either team…welcome to the second half of the NHL schedule.

Now the pressure is on for this young squad…can they handle it, or will their in-experience show, as so  many pre-season pundits predicted it would?

Tonight sees Ottawa write their mid-term exam…let’s see if they’ve truly learned anything.

GN

Saturdays win over Montreal has moved this rebuilding club into 4th in the East (P%).  I continue to be amazed.  I truly believed that if Ottawa didn’t have a great start they would lose that game, but as has been the case for the vast majority of the season, Ottawa shrugged off a poor start and banked 2 points in a game that could have gone either way.

Good for them, again.

But along with those 2 points came some worrying statistical developments, that, if not improved, bode ill tidings for the future.

PP%, the measure of a team’s success in scoring during the power-play, currently sits at a middling 17.9%.  If this team is going to continue working towards improvement special teams will be a major area of focus, with the PP% being front and centre.  Sitting 15th in the league in this category is not good enough, and the Sens have the fire-power to be much, much better.

PK%, the measure of a teams ability to defend while killing a penalty, currently functions at a a rate of 80.8%…seriously poor, pegging the Sens at only 23rd in the NHL.

What happened to this teams early dominance in the special team department, and how much of the teams requirement for come-backs rests in its lack-luster performance on both the PK and PP?

An average team will combine (PP%+PK%) for a special teams factor of 100.  The Sens sit at a woeful 98.7.  One need look no further than this for an index in need of serious attention, impressive P% not-withstanding.

Next is SA/G.  Yes Andy has been a dandy, but to require Vezina worthy performances on a game in, game out basis is a recipe for disaster…it can’t last, not for any goaltender.  This stat has been steadily worsening, and now sees the Senators sitting 29th in the league for shots against…29th!  This absolutely must improve if the team has any real chance at maintaining even a modicum of this momentum over the remainder of the regular season.

Lastly is GF 1Pd.  At 29, the Senators sit 25th in the NHL in first period goals.  This too must improve.

The team is playing some extremely entertaining hockey, and finding ways to rack up impressive points totals…but the stats say they’re playing very close to the edge, and that is never a good thing, over the long-term.

Keep up the good work boys, but remain focused on improving your game, not the accolades for what has already come and gone.

GN

Follow Sensay on Twitter at @GNSensay