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.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Daily Roundup: 12/03/2010
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?
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?
Monday, March 8, 2010
Headshots
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Weekly Preview #3
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.
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.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Weekly Preview #2 (October 12 to 18)
*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
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)
*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
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 #1 (October 5 to 11)
*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
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
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