The Aussie on Hockey

Weekly Preview - 25/10/2010

2010-10-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

What you've missed

Another up and down week for the Ottawa Senators. A really poor performance in Pittsburgh and an extremely poor performance against Montreal, with a great team effort against Buffalo sandwiched in between. By now, it's all par for the course for the Sens and their inconsistent ways. What will they turn out effort-wise next week? Well, whatever it is, it's likely to last at most a game or two, and then completely change!

My attempt at humour aside, congratulations are in order to Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson, who notched up 1000 points on Friday. And credit where credit is due, Alex Kovalev actually showed flashes of how dangerous he can be when he wants to. But someday, hopefully soon, we'll get to see this team give 100% effort for longer than 1 period of hockey. If they don't...they will find themselves looking up at the rest of the conference.

In other games around the league:

- Nashville continue to go about their season with quiet determination, and they are the only team yet to lose a game in regulation. Last night, they held on to an early lead to beat current East conference leaders, Tampa Bay.

- Minnesota are an astonishing 10 for 19 on the PP at Xcel Energy Arena so far this year. This week, they easily accounted for Vancouver at home (3 for 3 that night with the man advantage), but were blown out when visiting the west coast just days later. The PP that night? 0 for 4.

What's coming up

The Sens will set up camp at Scotiabank Place this week with a 3 game home stand, going back to their traditional Tues-Thurs-Sat schedule. On Tuesday, they will take on Phoenix (7pm, Sportsnet). Thursday sees Florida roll into town (7pm, Sportsnet One), and on Saturday they host Boston (7pm, CBC).

The past couple of weeks, I have said "it's early in the season", but at some point this team must battle back and start to win games. At this time, the Senators are 27th (!!!) in the NHL, ahead of only New Jersey and Edmonton. And the Oilers have only played 6 games so far. This week is crucial, even more so than usual because the Sens shouldn't have any excuses. Both the Coyotes and the Panthers have just 1 more point than Ottawa, and should be winnable games at home. If they manage to get those wins, the true test will be Saturday night's game against Boston. So far, with the exception of Friday's game, the Sens have been seriously burned by division matchups. This NEEDS to change if Ottawa has any plans on being a contender this season.

Injury wise, Pascal Leclaire skated for the first time since his injury on Friday, but realistically shouldn't be back until at least the middle of this week and may in fact be rested longer, especially given his injury history. Filip Kuba has also started skating on his own, and he is still on track for a return next week or the week after.

In other games this week:

- San Jose have really struggled coming out to start the season. This week will be a statement for the rest of the season, and their schedule can do them no more favours than it has. They have 2 home games against New Jersey and Anaheim, and Sharks fans will no doubt expect them to win both with ease.

- Calgary have defied most of the critics out there and are currently leading their division. They also shore up at home this week and have games against 2 of their rivals Edmonton and Colorado. The North-West so far has been wide open (see what I wrote above about the Wild) and that's not likely to change at this stage of the season.

- Tampa Bay find themselves sitting on top of the East conference, but after Wednesday's games against Pittsburgh, they will head out on a 4 game tour of the West conference and play 9 of their next 12 games on the road. A tough test for sure.

Who's hot

- John Michael Liles (Colorado) has yet to be kept scoreless this season. He has 10 assists on the season.

- Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay) leads the league in scoring so far at 8 goals and 15 points.

- Tim Thomas (Boston) refuses to go quietly - in 4 starts, he has 1 shutout, a GAA of 0.75 and a save percentage of 0.978!

Who's not

- Antti Niemi (San Jose) gave up 3 goals on just 5 shots last night, and his GAA for the season is at 4.5

- Simon Gagne (Tampa Bay) has not scored this season and sits at a frosty -8. But he is not the worst +/- player so far. That would be Joe Thornton (San Jose), who despite scoring 7 points is at -9. 6 of those points are on the powerplay (which doesn't count towards +/-) so I guess he has an excuse.

Daily Roundup: 12/03/2010

2010-03-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

I'm trying new things here at the blog to see what works best and what you guys (all 5 of you that read this thing) most like reading about.

Today, I'm going to look at some of the goings on around the NHL. Some "Quick Hits" if you will.

Game of the night: Nashville 5, San Jose 8

No, that's not a mis-print! After Nashville carried a 4-2 lead into the 2nd period, piling 30 shots on Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose came out posessed in the 3rd. After managing just 11 shots on goal through 2, the Sharks scored 6 goals (one was an empty-netter) on just 15 shots in the 3rd.

Goal of the night: Has to be Patrice Bergeron's complete undressing of Chris Pronger. He serves this goal to Marco Sturm on a silver platter.

You can see it here >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5BYz8SUnmI

Fantasy team of the night:

LW: Dany Heatley - 2 goals and an assist, including a PP marker
C: Eric Staal - 14 faceoff wins, over 20 minutes on the ice, 1 G 1 A
RW: Tomas Holmstrom - also with 1 G 1 A, includes the game winner

LW: Henrik Zetterberg - a goal and 2 helpers, 9 faceoff wins
C: Joe Pavelski - 4 point night
RW: Phil Kessel - 1 G (the game-winner) and an assist.

D: Mark Streit - played over 31 minutes (!!!), 1 helper on the lone Islanders goal
D: Brian Pothier - scored the game-winner and added an assist
D: Dennis Seidenberg - 2 helpers, +3, 4 blocked shots
D: Tom Gilbert - 2 assists, +1, almost 28 minutes on the night, 4 blocks

G: Craig Anderson - picked up a shutout against his former team
G: Miikka Kiprusoff - also with a shutout

Thoughts?

Headshots

2010-03-08T12:14:00.000-08:00

So, another sickening hit on the weekend delivered to Marc Savard has started the chatter again on headshots in hockey. I personally don't like the term "headshots"; sometimes they aren't even "shots" at all, sometimes it's a clean hit gone horribly wrong. But, that's what everyone's calling it, and really I'm wasting time discussing semantics.

It baffles me how people can sit there and defend hits to the head, in any capacity. You elbow a guy in the head, that's a 2 minute minor for elbowing, even if the intent wasn't there. You hit a guy in the head with a stick, even if you didn't mean to, that's high sticking, and sometimes it even gets you 4 minutes in the box. You drive a guy's head into the boards, again, intent is not a factor, that's a boarding call and most times that's 5 minutes in the box. So how can there be any doubt that a hit to the head from the body of another player (shoulder, forearm, whatever), however accidental, would constitute at least a minor penalty???

To me, it doesn't even make sense how these calls aren't ALREADY being made. The NHL has a cover-all call for dangerous play. It's called roughing. At the very least, shouldn't some of these hits be called for a roughing violation? These days, roughing seems to be reserved to people getting pissed off after a whistle has been blown...but that's another blog perhaps.

Now, I never played hockey growing up (give me a break, I was born and raised in Australia :P) but I did play contact sports. I played a lot of rugby and Aussie Rules football to be more specific. Any contact to the head was an automatic penalty, and if the referee deemed it to be intentional or particularly wreckless, that player would get sent off (the Australian equivalent of "ejected from the game") AND receive an automatic 1 game suspension with the option for further discipline (keep in mind they only play once per week).

And no, hockey is not rugby, or any other sport. But how can the gap be so WIDE when it comes to head contact, even just within the NHL rules? Something needs to be done.

I appreciate your comments/thoughts on this issue.

Weekly Preview #3

2009-10-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

First posted by me @ www.thesensforum.com 18/10/09

What you've missed:

The Senators kept rolling with 2 wins from 3 starts last week. Dropping a 4-1 decision to Pittsburgh, the Sens then totally dominated a meek-looking Tampa Bay 7-1, and in an emotional return to Montreal, Alexei Kovalev picked up two points to take Ottawa past the Habs 3-1.

The offensive heroics have been there, but in reality the Sens are at the top of the North-East because of their defensive effort. Ottawa has the 2nd best penalty kill in the league (after Columbus) at 93.1%. In particular, Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher have stepped up their two-way games, and the pairing of Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov has been solid.

Chris Neil continues to prove his worth as a $2 million 4th liner. Milan Michalek scored his first hat-trick Thursday and his skating is giving opposition teams fits. Jason Spezza is one lucky break from bursting out and has been dishing out the puck really well.

In other games around the league:

- Phoenix caused a boilover when they took the W from visitors Boston 4-1 on Saturday. Shane Doan had 3 assists on the night.

- Colorado sit solely atop the West conference after a perfect 4 for 4 road trip. The Avs collected points in Boston, Toronto, Montreal and Detroit

- Toronto continue to languish at the bottom of the standings after being outscored 15-4 in the last 3 games. The Islanders also dropped their 3 games last week and are the only other winless team in the NHL.

- Halfway through the 1st period Monday, Chicago found themselves 5 goals down. However, they staged a tremendous comeback to win their game against Calgary 6-5 in OT.

What's coming up:

Ottawa have a relaxed schedule this week with just 2 games. The first action is on Thursday, when the Sens take on Nashville (7:30pm, Sportsnet) at Scotiabank Place. And to close out the week, they face divisional rivals Boston Saturday (7pm, CBC), also at home.

Injury-wise, Peter Regin has recovered from his concerns and will be available for Thursday's game. Jesse Winchester is also looking to return to the lineup this week or early next. The last report on Filip Kuba was hopeful of his return soon, more likely for Saturday vs the Bruins.

It's fairly safe to say that most expect a victory for the Sens, based on current form, over the lowly Preds. But the real tester this week will be against Boston. Ottawa have quite a travel-friendly and spaced out schedule in the coming 5-6 weeks, and need to strike while the iron is hot. The Bruins are still finding their feet this season, and a Sens win now will be crucial if Ottawa expect to be playing post-season hockey.

Pascal Leclaire has looked good, but with the exception of the Pens game (which didn't go so well), he hasn't really been tested over a full 60 minutes by opposing teams thus far. Can he keep it going? Is Alexei Kovalev just starting to heat up at the right time, or will he go back into his shell again if Alfie is moved off that line? And can Erik Karlsson rebound from what has been a sub-standard effort so far without the veteran presence of Filip Kuba?

In other games this week:

- Dallas have at least 1 point in 6 out of their 7 games, and will look to continue on form on their road trip this week. They face stops in Anaheim, Los Angeles and St Louis as well as facing the Kings at home Monday.

- Detroit are in tough this week with games against 2 red-hot teams in Phoenix and Colorado. The Wings will need to pick up the pace if they want to keep up with the rest of the West.

- Likewise for Florida, whose play has been all over the chart. They stunned Philly last week and the rematch is Saturday, but before then the Cats will have to face strong starters Buffalo as well as Pittsburgh.

Who's hot?

- Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa) has 5 points from the last 2 games, and has already scored 2 game winning goals this season.

- Martin St Louis (Tampa Bay) has at least a point in every game this season.

- Dustin Penner (Edmonton) went +5 and picked up 6 points in 3 games last week.

- Ilya Bryzgalov (Phoenix) has 2 shutouts, a 1.14 GAA and an incredible 0.953 save percentage through 6 games. Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh) has won all 7 of his starts.

Who's not?

- Christobal Huet (Chicago) was pulled just 7 minutes into Monday's game after letting in 3 goals on 5 shots, and currently sits at 0.844 save percentage.

- Josh Harding (Minnesota) has now let in 11 goals in just 2 games.

- Mattias Ohlund (Tampa Bay) is a +5 at home but a -6 on the road, and has been held scoreless in the last 3 contests.

Weekly Preview #2 (October 12 to 18)

2009-10-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

*Originally posted by me @ http://www.thesensforum.com

Ok so first of all, a happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadians reading this

There's lots to cover so without further ado...let's get into the week that was.

What you've missed:

The Ottawa Senators went a perfect 3 for 3 this week, picking up wins against Toronto, the Islanders and Atlanta, and there's plenty to like about the new Sens team this season. The 3rd and 4th lines have really stepped it up with players like Chris Neil, Chris Kelly and Shean Donovan taking strides to show they belong on the team and deserve their salary.

Mike Fisher looked positively reborn on the ice, scoring the OT winner Thursday and exuding confidence. Matt Carkner has been a welcome physical presence on the back end. But perhaps the biggest revelation has been the play of Peter Regin. The Danish centre has 3 points and a +3 through 4 games, but what the stats won't tell you is how he has made the players on his line better. Unfortunately, he was injured in the last game and is listed day-to-day at this time.

In other games around the league:

- In a high scoring affair, Philadelphia squeaked past Washington 6-5 Tuesday on the back of a hat trick from Mike Richards.

- Phoenix grabbed some positive headlines for a change when they stunned Pittsburgh 3-0 on Wednesday. Playing to a sellout crowd in the home opener Saturday (there were cheap seats aplenty), they dropped the decision to Columbus.

- The Islanders have now managed a point from each of their first 3 games of the season - but they gave up a 3 goal lead in the 2nd period to lose in the shootout to Boston Saturday.

- In their western road trip, Buffalo scored 2 valuable wins against Phoenix and Nashville, both 1 goal games. They are yet to lose a game in regulation this season.

- Dallas managed to spoil Calgary's perfect record with a 5-2 win on Friday.

What's coming up:

The Senators have 3 more games this week.

Ottawa host last season's champions Pittsburgh (Monday 12/10, Sportsnet) in what should be a close affair. Next, it's Tampa Bay's turn to roll into town (Thursday 15/10, TSN). And to close out the week, the Sens take a short jog up Autoroute 20 to face rivals Montreal (Saturday 17/10, CBC).

On the injury front, Jesse Winchester (knee) is apparently ahead of schedule but is still not likely to suit up this week. There is still concern for Ryan Shannon, (head) but he did participate in training Friday and is expected to start tonight's game. Peter Regin, however, is out with an upper body injury and Filip Kuba is also confirmed out of tonight's lineup.

The game tonight is going to be a huge test for this team, seeing as the competition they've faced so far has not been first-rate. Ottawa will have to get a more consistent effort from its top lines. Daniel Alfredsson may be tried out on line 2 to see if there is better chemistry there. Jason Spezza has looked good defensively, but will need to shake off some bad luck in the offensive zone. Will Jonathan Cheechoo's recent form get him a chance amongst the scorers? And just who will Anton Volchenkov steamroll next?

In other games this week:

- Los Angeles start a pivotal road trip this week, facing off against the Rangers and Islanders in New York. They'll also stop in Detroit and Columbus before the week is out. The Kings have an early lead in the Pacific and could really turn heads with a good effort here.

- In contrast, Florida have a quiet week, but really need to get their season going against divisional rivals Tampa Bay tonight, or risk falling even further behind.

- Minnesota find themselves at the bottom of the West pile, but it's still early going. They have 3 home games this week and 2 games feature divisional rivals in Edmonton and Vancouver.

- Boston would not be happy with a 2-2 start, and they face Colorado in the afternoon game today hoping to improve their record. The Avs are on a road trip of their own (4 away games this week, 3 in the Northeast and the other in Detroit) - they will need a stellar effort to stay near the top of the standings.

Who's Hot?

Former Senator Dany Heatley (San Jose) has 8 points in his last 3 games, as does his linemate Joe Thornton.

Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles) has 7 points in the last 3 games.

Ryan Miller (Buffalo) sits at just 0.98 GAA and has a 0.955 save percentage through his 3 starts.

Who's Not?

Robyn Regehr (Calgary) had no points this week and sits at a frosty -6 on a team that has won 4 of 5 games.

In just 2 games last week, Carey Price (Montreal) let in 10 goals at a save percentage of just 0.804

Weekly Preview #2 (October 12 to 18)

2009-10-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

Weekly Preview #1 (October 5 to 11)

2009-10-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

*Originally posted by me @ http://www.thesensforum.com

Firstly, a quick welcome to my weekly preview! I will be sifting through all the action and giving you the lowdown on what's been happening around the NHL. Enjoy!

What you've missed:

The Senators opened the 2009-2010 season against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday and went down 5 goals to 2. Now, I must admit, I have seen all of about 10 seconds of footage from this game so far - NHL.com hasn't seen fit to post any highlights of the game. My apologies for the lack of insight here.

Goals for the Sens were scored by Daniel Alfredsson and Peter Regin. Rookie Erik Karlsson picked up his first NHL assist.

In other games around the league:

- St Louis picked up both games in their series against Detroit in Sweden. Chris Mason looked solid in net in his start.

- Colorado went on a streak of their own on opening weekend, knocking off both San Jose and Vancouver to go 2 and 0. 3rd overall pick Matt Duchene picked up his first NHL point (an assist).

- Pittsburgh were eventual winners in the shootout and improved their record to 2 and 0, but the NY Islanders played well to get to OT and pick up their first point as a team. John Tavares scored his first NHL goal in the game.

What's coming up:

The Senators have 3 games this week.

First, they travel down the 401 for the rivalry matchup with Toronto (Tuesday 06/10, TSN). Then it's back to Scotiabank Place for the home opener against the Islanders (Thursday 08/10, Sportsnet). And to round out the week, another home game follows against Atlanta (Saturday 10/10).

Ryan Shannon was pulled from practice on Sunday with "bumps and bruises" and is day-to-day at this time. Jesse Winchester is still out from a pre-season knee injury and shouldn't be back for another 2-3 weeks.

A win against Toronto tomorrow night would do a lot for Ottawa's confidence and set the tone for the week. It's time to test Alexei Kovalev; will Sens fans see the amazingly gifted scorer, or the frustrating coaster? Can Jonathan Cheechoo make an impression in what has been a whisper-quiet pre-season for him? And will Pascal Leclaire's middling performance thus far improve or decline?

In other games:

- Montreal start a Western road-trip this week with stops in Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton. Can Carey Price continue his hot form or will the Habs collapse under the weight of injuries to Andrei Markov and Ryan O'Byrne?

- Carolina find themselves at 0 and 2 to start the season, and will look to turn it around against Tampa Bay Tuesday night. An injury to Erik Cole (out 4-6 weeks) will further hamper the Canes efforts.

- Unlucky to lose to the Flames on Saturday night on the back of a horrible goalie error, Edmonton will look for revenge against Calgary at Rexall Place Thursday.

Who's hot?

Craig Anderson (Colorado) picked up both wins on the weekend, allowing just 2 goals on 75 shots. Wojtek Wolski, also from the Avs, has 3 goals and is +3 in those two games.

The Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin line (Washington) has scored 17 combined points in just 2 games.

Keith Tkachuk (St Louis) has 2 PP goals in as many starts, and 4 total points.

Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta) is shooting at 100% so far - 2 goals from 2 shots in the season opener.

Who's not?

Roberto Luongo (Vancouver) lost both starts this weekend and sits at just 0.857 save percentage

Francois Beauchemin (Toronto) was also ice cold, with no points and a league-worst -4. Vesa Toskala is just under 5 GAA and has a save percentage of 0.800

Apologies

2009-09-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

Apparently, my computer has seen fit to swallow up my West predictions that I poured so much time and effort into - so I won't have them out before the season starts. :(

In more upbeat news, I have taken a small writing job over at The Sens Forum as the weekly hockey roundup guy. If you haven't been over to that corner of cyberspace yet, give it a look see, it's a great place to interact with hockey fans (and obviously Sens fans in particular).

Link is here >>> http://www.thesensforum.com

LESS THAN 24HRS TO GO!!! :)

Season Predictions - East

2009-09-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the new season is upon us, and now it's time to make my predictions. So here they are, team by team - starting with the Eastern conference teams.

Atlanta Thrashers
Last season: Finished 13th in the East. Quite disappointing, but at this stage it's all par for the course for the lowly Thrashers.

Off season: Traded Garnet Exelby and Colin Stuart in exchange for Pavel Kubina and Tim Stapleton, which should help on an undermanned blueline. Also signed free agent centre Nik Antropov.

This season: Addition of Leafs reject players aside, this is a largely unchanged team with a largely unchanged outlook. Could finish in a higher rank if goalie Lehtonen manages to stay healthy (he's already had a back surgery in the off-season) and Antropov catches fire. The re-sign or trade debate on Ilya Kovalchuk will be an ever increasing sideshow.

Boston Bruins
Last season: Dominated the North-East division and ended up clinching the East conference. Somewhat unlucky to be beaten in overtime of game 7 in 2nd round.

Off season: Signed Derek Morris to an already scary good back end, and turned unaffordable Phil Kessel into 2 (!!!) first round draft picks from the Leafs. Also managed to dump the salary of Aaron Ward to the Canes AND secure an extra 4th rounder.

This season: The loss of Kessel is not such a loss to a deep team like the Bruins. They will continue to be a defensive juggernaut, led by Chara and Tim Thomas. Should take the North-East division this year without much contest.

Buffalo Sabres
Last season: Lost their way when Ryan Miller got injured. Lalime, sadly, just doesn't cut it anymore. A disappointing finish out of the playoffs for a team that was close to a Stanley Cup in 2007 (sound familiar?)

Off season: Not a whole lot. They did sign Mike Grier and turf Maxim Afinogenov.

This season: Buffalo are rolling the dice with what they've got. Vanek, Pominville, Roy, Miller...the star power is there. However, losing Numminen and Spacek will hurt the D, which never really fully recovered from losing Brian Campbell. Will likely be in a battle for a late playoff spot.

Carolina Hurricanes
Last season: A late surge after the trade deadline acquisition of Erik Cole saw the Hurricanes scrape into the playoffs. They upset the Devils and Bruins for good measure once they got there.

Off season: A few minor moves here and there, they did re-sign Erik Cole and pick up Aaron Ward from the Bruins.

This season: With Cam Ward in form and Ward and Staal re-united, the Hurricanes should continue on current form. They will benefit from a tame South-East division. Should finish in the middle of the playoff pack.

Florida Panthers

Last season: Florida surprised people in the hockey world when they almost squeaked into the playoffs. Craig Anderson in particular impressed when he stole the starter's job from Tomas Voukoun. However, the Panthers certainly benefited from playing in a very weak division last year.

Off season: After losing Anderson to Colorado, Florida went with another backup who impressed last season in Scott Clemmensen. The big loss this off-season of course was Jay Bouwmeester, but the Panthers did well to get at least Jordan Leopold in a trade for his rights. They also secured Dennis Seidenberg as a free agent.

This season: Not a lot has changed in the Florida camp. They are still the same young group of players who are missing that certain something to take them over the edge. Plus now there's no Jay Bouwmeester. They figure to contend for that final playoff spot again this season.

Montreal Canadiens

Last season: The Habs were all hyped up for a centennial season that never really got off the ground. The team battled consistency issues all year. Carey Price was again shaky at times, and Alexei Kovalev was asked to stay home to "clear his head" for a few games when the team went on a road trip. The move worked and they did just scrape into the playoffs, only to be steamrolled by the Bruins.

Off season: Where do we start. Montreal have made so many changes to the squad this off season it's hard to know where to start. At forward, there is Cammaleri, Gionta, Gomez and Moen. On D, there's Spacek, Mara and Gill. And throw in Curtis Sanford for good measure in goal. Jacques Martin also becomes the new coach.

This season: It's hard to tell. This team is very different from the one that took the ice last year. There are going to be concerns about how the team plays together, and overall size is a problem (not one top 6 forward is more than 6 feet tall). The Habs are one of a number of fringe playoff teams this year.

New Jersey Devils
Last season: Despite losing Martin Brodeur for an extended period, the Devils easily won their division when Scott Clemmensen filled in admirably. Breakout seasons up front for Travis Zajac and Zach Parise certainly helped.

Off season: There wasn't a whole lot going on for NJ until they managed to sign free agent Rob Neidermeyer a few days ago. They also picked up Yann Danis from the Islanders to replace Scott Clemmensen and Kevin Weekes. The only notable loss was John Madden, who now plays for the Hawks. Why change a winning formula?

This season: With Brodeur back and the rest of the team intact, look for more of the same. The only concern should be that if Brodeur is injured again, the Devils have a long drop in talent to Yann Danis. Otherwise, he should be more than capable of playing the 5-10 games that Brodeur has a rest in.

New York Islanders
Last season: An abysmal year for a bit-part team. Rick DiPietro was injured AGAIN and played just 5 games. In fact, injury was the key word - the Islanders lost more than 550 man-games to injury, more than any other team in the NHL. Mark Streit shone, scoring a team high 56 points and going +5.

Off season: The buzz is all about young draftee John Tavares. He set and broke many OHL records in his junior career, and now it's pro time. The Islanders also locked up the goalcrease, signing both Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron.

This season: The problems on the island are too many to overcome in one season, however, the team is headed in the right direction. Roloson and Biron are more than capable of sharing a season should DiPietro stay injured. The D in particular needs to stay healthier. It's also time for Okposo and Bailey to step it up. Could surprise a few teams this season, but probably not yet playoff material.

New York Rangers
Last season: The Rangers struggled at times but eventually came home strong enough to make the playoffs. They also scared Washington in the first round, going 7 games.

Off season: The Rangers capitalised in trades this year - sending away the grossly inflated salary of Scott Gomez and bringing in Chris Higgins from the Habs. Then New York signed gifted goal-scorer Marian Gaborik. For good measure, they also secured Ales Kotalik and Vaclav Prospal for secondary scoring and Donald Brashear to be the enforcer.

This season: What was already a decent team has filled out with some really good acquisitions. The Rangers are obviously on a mission this season. There is always concern for Gaborik's health and Kotalik's consistency, but overall this team definitely looks better on paper than it did 12 months ago. Should make the playoffs.

Ottawa Senators
Last season: The Senators experienced a meltdown. The top line didn't produce, the goaltending faltered (big time), and the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 seasonHowever, new coach Cory Clouston did manager to get a better all-round effort from his team, going 19-11-4 to end the season.

Off season: New #1 goalie Pascal Leclaire was obtained at the trade deadline. However, most of the off season was spent trying to get rid of Dany Heatley, who shocked Senators management and fans alike when he demanded a trade, then refused to go to Edmonton when a deal was reached. However, they did manage to add Alexei Kovalev from the Habs, and eventually landed Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo from the Sharks in exchange for Heatley.

This season: The Sens face an uphill battle. It remains to be seen if Kovalev will find chemistry with the existing forward group. Everyone on this team underperformed last year, but if the effort is consistent under new coach Clouston and Leclaire stays healthy, the Senators should scrape into the bottom half of the playoff race.

Philadelphia Flyers

Last season: A Flyer of a year for Jeff Carter and Mike Richards meant that the team did not really miss the absence of Daniel Briere and easily made the playoffs. Undisciplined play prevented them from capitalising, however, against the Pens in the first round.

Off season: In an effort to get even tougher, Chris Pronger was acquired from the Ducks, and Ian Laperriere from the Avalanche. In goal, Philly turfed both goalies and decided to go with Russian exile Ray Emery, formerly of the Senators, and Brian Boucher who played last season with the Sharks.

This season: The Flyers have a scary-good looking team on paper, however, there are a few question marks. A team with this much sandpaper is going to take lots of penalties, can Richards and Co. manage the workload? They did a great job last season. The bigger concern is in goal. Will Emery and Boucher be a good enough tandem? The key is offense for the Flyers. Score, score, score, and the goalies will only have to be decent and not spectacular. They have the firepower and should challenge for the division title.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Last season: The eventual Stanley Cup champs did not enjoy an easy ride. In fact, until AHL coach Dan Bylsma came in, the Pens were 5 points out of the playoff race. The team produced under his run, secured veteran leader Bill Guerin and ran all the way to the top.

Off season: There wasn't too much that needed changing, but the Pens did add Jay McKee (Blues), Mike Rupp (Devils), and toughman Wade Brookbank (Hurricanes). Brent Johnson from Washington was also added as insurance for Fleury in goal.

This season: The Stanley Cup hangover shouldn't be too much of a problem for a team that boasts so much front-end talent and star goaltending. An early injury to Sidney Crosby is worrysome but it doesn't look serious at this stage. The Pens should make the playoffs again this year.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Last season: After all the hype and boasting last year from the new Lightning owners, not a whole lot went right. An early injury to Olaf Kolzig brought out the backup tenders for the rest of the season. Then there was the constant chatter that the Bolts would sell Vinny Lecavalier to the highest bidder. The coach was canned but that didn't do much for respectability.

Off season: The Lightning struck early and often in free agency, particularly on the blueline, managing to secure Mattias Ohlund, Kurtis Foster and Matt Walker. After signing Philly backup Niittymaki to a cheap-as-chips contract, the big splash came late, locking up Alex Tanguay to play on a French superstar line of Tanguay-Lecavalier-St Loius.

This season: As much as you want to believe that Tampa are going to take a serious run this year, these are all the same rumblings we heard last year. The proof will be in the pudding. There is a lack of forward depth after that first line. Also of concern is that the Bolts still don't have a #1 goalie. It will be a struggle to make the playoffs this season.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Last season: Not much was expected of the Leafs last year with a bit-part roster. But they played solidly, scoring much more than other teams expected and playing fast and furious. The goaltending let them down however, Vesa Toskala looked as if he was going to join the goalie graveyard and Martin Gerber received his last rites after being waived from the Senators.

Off season: For all his bluster and talk, Brian Burke failed to achieve his two big targets at the draft, Tavares and Luke's younger brother Brayden Schenn. But the one thing the Leafs did get was tougher. Colton Orr, Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin were all signed. In goal, they secured the services of Jonas Gustavsson, who has already impressed in the off-season. But the big move was saved for acquiring Bruins sniper Phil Kessel for 5 years.

This season: The Leafs had no problem with tempo and overall effort, they just needed that extra bit of skill. How Kessel plays once he is healthy will determine a lot. Also, Toskala as a starting goaltender is on shaky ground with the young Monster breathing down his neck. Overall, the Leafs are just 1 or 2 exceptional performances away from qualifying for the playoffs.

Washington Capitals
Last season: Ovechkin. Backstrom. Semin. Green. So many scoring talents on one team. And the Caps capitalised. However, Jose Theodore looked very shaky in goal and the team's defense was not crash hot.

Off season: The Caps top line just got that much scarier, with the addition of long-time Flyer Mike Knuble. Also signed were veteran forward Brendan Morrison, and journeyman AHL starter Jason Bacashihua.

This season: There's going to be no shortage of attack from this team, but the defensive struggles will continue. Theodore in net is no sure thing, and the Caps will be heavily relying on young goalie prospect Simeon Varlamov to help shoulder the load. Playing in an otherwise weak division suits the Caps just fine and they will have little problem cracking the playoff rankings this year.

The Trade

2009-09-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

Well I'm a little late onto this story as I was away for the weekend, but here is my analysis of the trade that went through

Dany Heatley
5th round pick 2010

for

Milan Michalek
Jonathan Cheechoo
2nd round pick 2010

Now most of you are aware, this trade is a bit of a letdown in terms of what was being rumoured and what the Sens hoped to get out of this. But look at the details of this closely...I like this trade more and more as I think about it.

1. Dany Heatley is GONE - this for me is the biggest upside to this. BM certainly took this into account when accepting the deal. It's the sort of intangible stat that won't be able to be measured by goals or assists or games won...but I guarantee you the Sens dressing room is a lot more at peace now that he is gone, and players will be able to focus more on their game.

2. Milan Michalek - this kid has a lot of potential. At age 24 he has had 3 consecutive 55+ point seasons. He's incredibly quick. He has size. I like the look of this guy as a direct replacement to Heatley. He's obviously not going to put up Heatley numbers just yet, but you know what I mean.

3. We took no defensemen back - A smart move. Take one look at the Sens blueline and even with Smith retiring recently, there is a logjam there. Phillips, Volchenkov, Kuba and Campoli will all be there this season - but then there's Picard, Lee, Schubert and Karlsson fighting for the last 2 spots. Look for one of these players to be on the trading block soon...

4. Our top 2 lines look balanced now - I can see Michalek-Spezza-Alfredsson with Kovalev-Fisher-Cheechoo. Lots of skill on the first line and lots of power/grit on the 2nd.

Now that Heatley's been traded and the season nears, I plan to be a bit more active (let's hope). We are just over 2 weeks away from regular season hockey people!!! :D

The Waiting Game

2009-09-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

Well here we are, very VERY early on a Thursday morning - a couple of days before training camp. And lo and behold, we have another Dany Heatley saga unfolding right before our eyes.

Around 10 or 11 last night (i.e. a few hours ago), my Twitter burst into a hive of activity not seen since the first arbitrary trading deadline came...and went. The buzz seems to be around two separate things.

1. An article from Mr Garrioch of the Sun, stating "2 league executives" had informed him that the Kings, Sharks and the Sens had been talking 3-way trade. The payoff for Ottawa apparently includes Jarrett Stoll and Alex Frolov. Link is here >>> http://tiny.cc/fIeZN

2. A number of people on Twitter have been posting that the deal for Heatley has already been reached and will be announced in the morning. I cannot determine where this one started but some posts suggest the Rangers are the team and others say the Rangers can be ruled out.

Whatever happens, it's going to be an interesting morning. Let's just see if this time, the hype is worth it.

The Ottawa Roster (part 3 of 3)

2009-08-21T15:58:00.001-07:00

The final part of this blog looks at the Ottawa trading block

Trading block forwards: Dany Heatley

Now, this one is obvious given what has transpired over the summer. But I am even more alarmed and concerned by what I have heard today in his press conference. He REALLY doesn't want to play here. His attitude today stank richly of a sense of entitlement and a definite sense of looking out for #1.

His trade stock probably plummeted with the performance he put on today, but there is no reason the Sens shouldn't get something serviceable back. The Edmonton offer of Penner, Cogliano and Smid should be used as a template - GM Murray wants a top 6 forward, a top 4 defenseman and a prospect/pick. This seems about right. If Edmonton offered that deal again and included, say, Tom Gilbert instead of recently re-signed Smid, or perhaps Paajarvi-Svensson (or similar prospect) - the deal would be back on.

The sleeper team in this I feel is Tampa Bay. Now, I'm not claiming to be an Eklund or Senschirp here, I don't have any sources, I'm simply using commonsense. Ryan Malone is good, but he is overpaid. The Lightning need to shake things up. They have upgraded their D a lot but haven't really done anything on the front end yet. Say the package looked like Heatley for Malone, someone like Paul Ranger and a high draft pick or prospect? I think that trade actually works for both teams...but, we all know that's no guarantee that they'll want it.

Imagine a line of Heatley-Lecavalier-St Louis...pretty scary talented huh.

Outrageous, baseless rumours aside (maybe I am pulling an Eklund here come to think of it :P), let's look at the rest of the trade block:

Trading block defensemen: Christoph Schubert, Alexandre Picard, Jason Smith

Poor Schubie just can't catch a break here in Ottawa, constantly on the outer fringe of making the team on both the 4th line and the bottom-pairing D. He's copped a lot of criticism for being particularly useless up front - but as with all our bottom 6 forwards, that's not really the role a Schubert is designed to play.

If Schubie gets a shot here it will serve him well to remember his fundamentals. Forecheck with hustle. Hit players. Be more assertive. He's listed at 230lbs and he looks even bigger than that - time for him to throw some of that size around. I kinda hope he impresses enough to be kept around...but if he is traded, I can see a 4th to 6th round draft pick for him

Picard is another defenseman who has just had no luck this season. When Hartsburg finally got the boot, Picard got injured and found that his spot had been taken up by Lee and Bell. With Bell gone and Lee needing to be mentored, perhaps Picard could be swapped for a veteran defenseman presence on the blue line.

Let's face it, Jason Smith was a failed Ottawa experiment. In the final year of his contract and with a desperate need to lose salary off the books - he is almost certain to stay this season on the long-term IR. However, if a team wants him packaged into a deal I don't think BM would hesitate.

Seeing as we don't have any goaltender depth in the system, I think that wraps this post up.

Just a quick word of thanks to all you people out there reading my blog and encouraging me to keep going - the support is greatly appreciated. :)

The Ottawa Roster (part 2 of 3)

2009-08-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

Last night, I gave a play by play of what I expected the forward lines to look like as of right NOW in the Senators lineup. Tonight, I look at the rest of the team, starting with the D

Defense pairing 1: Phillips-Volchenkov

One of the better shutdown pairings in this league. The A-Train blocks lots of shots and hits, well, like a train...and Phillips has a better first pass and can help on attack at times.

A lot of fans are dismayed that this is our first pairing and want a star defenseman with some offensive talent on the first unit. I disagree. The defense is there to play just that - defense. If you get some goals out of them it's a bonus, sure, but the Senators have plenty of young prospects on D who can run a PP and make good passes. You better believe there are teams who wish they had either one of these players in their rosters (Volchenkov especially).

Defense pairing 2: Kuba-Campoli

This is a very potent and mobile pairing. Kuba passes well and can be relied upon in his own end moreso than Campoli. But Campoli can run a PP and also has a more than adequate shot that's only going to get better with age (he's only 25).

Obviously Bryan Murray likes both players a lot - he signed Kuba to an extension last year and traded away a 1st rounder for Campoli. And for me, these were both great moves. Ottawa on the PP this year are going to be very dangerous - in no small part because of these two players on the blue line.

Defense pairing 3: Lee-Picard

The depth pairing. I am going to be brutally honest here...Brian Lee looked, at times, absolutely atrocious out there last season (especially playing with Bell). But I can honestly say I have seen an improvement with each game that went by. His problem seems to be that he doesn't know what sort of defender he should be at times - the puck moving D or the stay at home D. So he plays a game that's kinda halfway between without being good at either one. Methinks he will have to battle hard to impress at camp or risk being sent down to Bingo once more.

I didn't really see much of Picard, but he has potential and hopefully he can get a decent shot on the 3rd pairing this year. There will be other prospects breathing down his neck for sure.

Goalies: Leclaire-Elliott

Ever since Pascal Leclaire was traded to Ottawa on deadline day in March, the buzz and anticipation has been constant. Last season he spent mostly on the injured list, but the season before he had 9 shutouts (in just 54 starts!!!) and posted solid numbers.

He is easily the closest thing to a #1 goaltender that the Senators have had for a while...but will the pressure get to him? And can he produce similar numbers playing behind a system that is much less defense-orientated than what he was used to in Columbus???

We saw a lot more of Brian Elliott than we expected to last year because of the Gerber meltdown. And he definitely has promise. But there are areas of his game that need work. He MUST get a better handle on his rebounds and he also needs work on being screened. If Leclaire can stay healthy and play 60-65 games then Elliott is more than capable of doing the rest.

Part 3 (hopefully coming tomorrow) will look at the trading block and what sort of returns we could expect for certain players...

The Ottawa Roster (part 1 of 3)

2009-08-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

So we all know that Dany Heatley has not been moved.

Senators GM Bryan Murray has come out and said that he will now proceed and plan for the coming season with Heatley in the line up. And what I aim to do with this post is look at what the team should look like (IMO) with Heatley staying. Bear in mind this is the CURRENT roster - minus any crazy trades or salary dumps and all that jazz. We'll start with the first line.

Line 1: Heatley-Spezza-Alfredsson

Heatley pots the goals, Spezza sets them up and Alfie works his butt off all over the ice. It's a tried and tested formula and there's no reason to tinker with it.

Now some of you may be upset that Heatley gets to stay on the first line...well, he just HAS to rebound form-wise this year. The Olympic squad is at stake and if he is serious about being traded, he will want to impress the pro scouts and GMs from around the league. And have no doubt that Clouston will demote him if he doesn't show up to play.

Line 2: Foligno-Fisher-Kovalev

Nick Foligno is in a contract year and really needs to show management if he wants to be a top 6 or bottom 6 forward. He is definitely a hard worker, but can he put up the points? The key will be how he clicks with Alex Kovalev - and I like the possibilities here.

Fisher down the middle has the size and grit on this line and can go to the net. Kovalev certainly possesses amazing puck control and scoring capability when on his game. Foligno's tenacity on the forecheck really rounds out a solid line.

Line 3: Ruutu-Kelly-Shannon

Chris Kelly is probably the most underrated Senator in the squad - he has decent size and plays a solid defensive game. He won't wow you with amazing goals or crazy dekes, but that's not his role on the team. Shannon certainly showed he can work hard and if he can improve on his 20 points from last season, he's on the right track. And don't let Ruutu's gob fool you - that's not the only skill he has. There were flashes of brilliance last season (a certain backhanded goal comes to mind) and at his pricetag hopefully we can expect more.

Line 4: Neil-Winchester-Donovan

I'm not sure I've ever seen a guy work as hard on the ice as Shean Donovan. He is devoid of almost all finishing skills, but he just never stops! Neil was somewhat of a disappointment last year but no one can fault his heart and his determination. He's also one player on the team willing to shoulder the physical load. And Winchester locked down the 4th line centre job last year with a high faceoff percentage (when you're second on the team only to Antoine Vermette, you're doing pretty well) and tight defensive play.

Spare player: Schubert

Schubie has again drawn the short straw as swingman. He really has some potential but I don't know if he's going to get a fair shot on this team. Hopefully he gets a few games under his belt this year - if for nothing else then to improve his trade value.

Part 2 is coming up soon - I'll be looking at the defense and goalies.

The Heatley Enigma

2009-08-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Well, as we all know, Dany Heatley is the one issue this summer that refuses to go away.

After an average season (if you can call 39 goals an average season) and missing the playoffs, Heatley shocked the NHL universe by requesting a trade out of the Ottawa Senators in early June. No word on why except some rumblings on not liking the coach or his minutes. He has been repeatedly asked why he is making this move and there has been no official word. None whatsoever.

And that of course leaves all of us to speculate on what he's thinking. And speculate wildly we have! The rumours include:

- He wants out because his girlfriend wants to move to California
- He wants out because of rampant drug use within the Senators organisation
- He wants out because he's been outed as having an affair with Chris Phillips' wife

Now, admittedly, I was interested in the reason why he would choose to give up on the organisation that took him in at his very difficult time when he came from Atlanta. The organisation that gave up Hossa to facilitate him. The organisation that basically bent over backwards to make sure he was looked after.

I WAS interested. 2 months ago when this all started I was interested. Now, I really could not care less. Let's just move him on out of here already, shall we?

My attention now turns to what we can turn Heatley into. I am going to briefly run through a few of the rumoured options and what they bring to the table...

Edmonton - we all know that they were the first and most enthusiastic team onto the bandwagon. The trade for Penner-Cogliano-Smid was solid if not breath-taking, but Heatley snubbed it. However, after much runaround, Edmonton appears to have dropped out of the running.

Don't be surprised if they are sneakily still keeping their eyes opened and waiting for someone to get desperate here...I wouldn't be disappointed if we got Cogliano in a revamped package, however his size is a concern.

San Jose - the new kids on the block. Personally, I don't see the upside of adding a player like Heatley with his character issues into a team that, quite frankly, has character issues. Nonetheless, the Sharks have been active and trying to push this trade through.

They have a number of young prospects to offer, the most attractive of which I would rate Devin Setoguchi...but the sticking point here is Jonathan Cheechoo. The Sharks don't want him (and can't afford him if Heatley comes to town) and neither do the Senators. Marleau's salary was also rumoured to be on the way out to make room but I just don't see that happening with his NTC.

NY Rangers - well, well, well - what a surprise this is. The Rangers are well known around this league as being the sort of team that loves to sign the superstars, no matter the cost. However, in their case, I just don't see who we would get back. Gaborik? They just signed him and I can't see them doing that. Plus the guy's made of glass. Last year I would have said Lundqvist but now that we have Leclaire...I don't see that happening either.

Buffalo - this one intrigues me somewhat because there are a few young players here that could be worth it...Derek Roy or Tim Connolly would fill our need for a 2nd line player. But Murray's not going to take a trade within the division lightly so the package would need to be spectacular. And Buffalo aren't known for spectacular.

Tampa Bay - there are a number of players that they could package that would be of interest to the Sens, and they have some cap room. Ryan Malone would be the key in a trade - Murray has already shown his hand in his willingness to take Penner that he would like to get bigger. And Malone is a lot more effective than Penner. Throw in Ranger on D and a 1st round pick and they could go somewhere with this. Imagine a line of Heatley-Lecavalier-St Louis. Truly scary!

Florida - any deal here would revolve around Nathan Horton, who seems to be wasting away down in the tropics but could be re-energised on a new team. Florida makes sense - last year they were as close to the playoffs as you can get without actually making the playoffs. Heatley is good for at least 40 goals and that is HUGE to a team that is starting to stagnate and risks financial problems if they cannot put a winning team on the ice.

All in all - lots of question marks and not a whole lot in the way of answers...here's hoping that this saga is ended and soon!

The Goalie Dilemma

2009-08-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

Seems these days your team only goes so far as your goalie will hold you up...

For example, look at New Jersey in the playoffs this year vs Carolina. Now, people were talking NJ up BIG time coming in - and they were right in doing so. During a regular season in which Martin Brodeur missed half the games injured they finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference, winning the extremely competitive Atlantic division. Hopes were high.

And then Brodeur decided he needed a few minutes off at the end of some crucial games...and the rest is history.

The NHL has teams with similar stories this season:
- Edmonton faltered at the final hurdle of the regular season because they relied on just 1 goalie, the ageing Dwayne Roloson.
- In Columbus, Steve Mason almost singlehandedly carried his team into the playoffs for the first time in that franchise's history.
- Detroit struggled all season with consistency and a Chris Osgood who for some reason only really showed up once the playoffs began.
- Anaheim goalie JS Giguere found himself and his $5M per season benched this playoff run because of previously unheralded Jonas Hiller.

And in Ottawa, Martin Gerber (again) failed to live up to expectations and the pipes were left in the care of Alex Auld and Brian Elliott.

Elliott, just 24 years of age and fresh out of the AHL (well, ok, he'd played 1 NHL game before this season...) was somewhat of a revelation to the Senators organisation, posting solid numbers and improving each game. However, his rebound control is cause for concern. Alex Auld, too, was a very solid backup but tended to run in hot and cold stretches; amazing for 5-6 games and mediocre for 5-6 more. Later in the season, GM Brian Murray turned Antoine Vermette into highly touted youngster Pascal Leclaire (and a 2nd round draft pick used on Robin Lehner). Things were starting to look up in Ottawa.

And then...Ottawa traded Alex Auld and his very reasonable 1 year, $1M contract away to Dallas - for a 6th round draft pick. That was a BAD move.

Alex Auld is 28. In goalie terms that is a youngster. He makes the right amount of money for his ability. He was only signed for 1 more year. I consider him to be one of the best #2 goalies in the league right now. And the Sens trade him for a 6th BEFORE the season even starts??? They could have signed him for similar money next season, or they could have traded him at the deadline...but this move is almost zero benefit to the team.

Pascal Leclaire has not played for the better part of a season. There is already a lot of pressure on him to perform here in Ottawa and prove that playing behind Columbus D is not the only reason for his stats.

Brian Elliott has started a grand total of 32 NHL games, and certainly has issues with his consistency and especially rebound control. Forgive me for being pessimistic but that is not who I want to be the default starter should Leclaire falter, or need more time to heal (or, heaven forbid, re-injure himself). Don't get me wrong, I am happy we signed him to a very reasonable contract ($850K for 2 years), and he shows promise...but I just don't see him being ready to take over as a starter at this very early stage of his career.

Now, I'm struggling to leave Heatley out of this blog (I'm really trying here! :P) but you gotta wonder if his trade demands have forced Murray's hand here. What I do know for sure, is that a lot of Ottawa's success this season depends on the performances it gets from its goaltenders. And no matter how you slice it - that is still one of this team's biggest question marks until proven otherwise.

Introduction

2009-08-05T13:48:00.001-07:00

Well hello all...

Most of you know me as Matt the Aussie - I have decided to start up a blog and hopefully get a discussion going amongst people...most of my topics will be to do with the Sens but I will throw in the occasional random post. Please let me know what you think of what I write (aka PLEASE COMMENT!!! :P) and hopefully this won't turn out to be a disaster! lol...

First actual blog is coming up soon.