Don't Call It A Crawlback: The Temporary Return of Stranger In Leaf Nation

(Photo via sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

It's been a Recchi age since I've dropped a post for y'all on SILN. The main reason is mostly laziness, or as most people call it these days, "being busy". The other secondary reasons are the Sens inactivity since they decided not to make the playoffs this year, watching other teams play while offering them my temporary allegiance (Canucks) and trying to get Paqman & Bull to a top 100 ranking with Technorati (we were a Top 100 hockey blog for a few weeks). You can check out a few of my hockey related posts here and here.

A few stories of interest to pass along:

- The BSens have won the Calder Cup in 6 games thanks to everybody's favorite Swedish ticking timebomb and your 2011 AHL playoff MVP Robin Lehner. From what I've read on the Sens blogosphere, the Kid was lights out. The incredible part about his first year with the Pros was his journey. He was the franchise's yo-yo: called up, sent back down, played in the WJC...basically no stability. Some said that it would seriously hinder his development. So much for that. This kid has a bright future ahead of him.

- Alfie opted to get surgery to repair his nagging back issues. He should be good to go in a month and a half. Knowing Alfredsson, he'll be fully recovered the next day and will start his summer training. He is Wolverine, with more ginger.

- I lost my Sens cap! So pissed since I can't find the same style...if you see a fitted black Sens hat with a monochrome logo on the front and the "O" on the back, take that thieving mofo out and email me for shipping details.

- Looks like the Cory Clouston Fashion Review broke up with me without letting me know...which is cool since I wasn't contributing much. I still have nothing but love for that blog, and I'm a huge fan of James. I've never seen a blogger post such sporadic, borderline insane posts that are absolutely brilliant and hilarious at the same time. Anyone who drops that many Wu-Tang references is top notch in my book! Kudos to the CCFR crew and I really hope they keep the name even though Clouston is a goner. Maybe someday SILN and CCFR will make up in the McDonald's washroom on Rideau street. Only time will tell.

- I've been asked to help out a new hockey blog collective called yourhockeysite.ca. I've contributed one post so far, and will probably keep up a "post a month" pace for the time being.

- Enough with the Spezza trade talk/bullshit. Seriously.

- Once the playoffs are done, I'm gonna write about the Sens Effect on the 2011 NHL Playoffs. ***spoiler alert: it will be awesome.***

- Did I mention my other blog, Paqman & Bull? WTF are you waiting for? Go now!

- The entry draft is around the corner and it looks like we'll get a fine prospect. I'm hoping the Sens can snag a cat like Couturier, Strome or Landeskog at the 6th spot.

If you've been waiting for a new post over the last 2 months...sorry. Expect posts every once a while until the season starts again, them I'm going hard! If you don't give a shit, I'm sorry you're a Leafs fan and a jerk.

-Marc P

The Spezzanswer Comes Through Again

Practice??!! I ain't...I mean...I love practice! (Photo kinda via jestdms.blogspot.com)

20 points in 13 games. 4 points against the Flyers last night. Simply awesome. When the Captain is away, Spezza plays. We all know why Old Man Murray never traded away Spezza. It comes down to the fact that he's kinda important. All the criticism he's received over the years is irrelevant. He has become so crutial since last years booing incident that resulted in the potential of another Heatley saga. And this really shows the major difference between the afformentioned diva and the Sens #1 centre: he isn't a douchebag. Spezza has always been an essential cog in this machine and will continue to play that role until his time in O-town is over. His defensive game has flourished with his added responsibility, especially on the PK. Does anyone miss Kelly or Fisher? I certainly don't. The team has killed 86 of their last 92 penalty kills coming in at a cool 93% (by my count). Impressive indeed.

Quit Yer Crying

Dear Sens Fans, stop crying over our draft position. Sure they might pick between 4th to 6th but that prospect will be a fine addition to the system. Taking into consideration what the team currently has in term of young blood, I think we're doing ok. I'm enjoying their play as of late. A sign of things to come? Most definetly positively yes. The kids are playing like every game is their last game. Hope this carries over to training camp.

Mais DeCosta...Ou est-il???

Êtes-vous surpris des résultats du jeune DaCosta depuis son arrivée avec les Sénateurs? Si vous avez dit oui, il faut comprendre qu'il arrive d'un système collégial. Il faudrait aussi comprendre qu'il a joué avec des athlètes de son âge et n'a pas d'expérience dans la LNH contre des vétérans d'expérience. Tous comme Bobby Butler, qui a compté son premier but au rang des professionnels à son 12e match, il faut démontrer la patience et lui donner le temps de développer son jeu et rôle avec les Sénateurs. J'espère grandement qu'il aura la chance de jouer avec Les Sénateurs de Binghamton durant les séries éliminatoire de la LAH. Cette expérience lui permettra de s'adapter au style de jeu que je digne nécessaire pour son succès. Alors, bonne chance M. DaCosta! Je vous souhaite que du succès...that took forever. A little rusty on that front.

Clouston Can't Get a Clue

Word on the street is that Sir Cory of Clouston wants to stay behind the bench next season. The Euge announced that he will make his decision within the next few days. Will the Sens recent surge validate a new contract for Clouston? Some might say yes...I'm saying no. He's not the right guy for this club. If he grew a backbone and stuck to want he was trying to sell...then maybe. I heard that Guy Carbonneau is a possible candidate (which the Gatineau residents would love) but I'm on Team Muller. I like Captain Kirk and believe that he would be the right fit, as long as Martin didn't rub off on him too much.

The Cloustonian Tie Color Effect hasn't been updated for quite a long time for a few reasons: 1) I was sick and tired of adding up the loses in the totals, 2) I couldn't catch the games on TV or via stream and 3) I got lazy. With that said, the winning tie that would've brought them fashionable success in the playoffs is......

Aubergine with Purple and White Stripes - 2 W 0 L

Experiment complete.

Everybody Loves a Non-Winner

I'm trying to not hurt any feelings by using non-winner...who am I kidding...Leafs are yet again losers and miss the playoffs for a 6th straight year. I found it quite comical when Leafs Nation TV Toronto Sports Network TSN claimed that the Leafs had a "great" season..or was it a "successful" season...doesn't matter how you spin it, it was a fail. Anything short of the playoffs = unsuccessful and not great. But I did take great joy in pumping up the spirits of Leafs fans for the last month by telling them that they were making the playoffs. I had a gut feeling (that pattern from the last 6 years aslo helped) that they were not going to make the cut.

This is what happens when the team you cheer for has a shitty season. You try to bring others down with you.

-Marc P

Matt Cooke Wears a Ronaldo Jersey

You can kick a goal in on this playing surface, sir. (Photo kinda via cbc,ca)

Defense! Where have you gone? I know you don't like hanging out in Ottawa but I wish you would live here permanently.

Here are a few things you might like about Ottawa:

- Beaver Tails: I know that you have a sweet tooth Big D. This pastry delight will satisfy your needs.

- the Byward Market: the epicenter of the Nation's Capital. You can enjoy shopping, eating and the Parliament is but a hop and skip away. Will lead to the perfect opportunity to lobby the Harper Government the Conservatives Rising Stevie and the Harperites the Government of Canada to make them understand that headshots and blindside hits are regular every game hockey plays. Concussions are a myth.

- Empty Streets: no one is on the streets after 8 PM from Sunday to Thursday. A perfect haven for street hockey.

So there you have it, dear Defense. Ottawa is a city of choice.

Coaching Ain't Easy (Unless Your Name is Bylsma)

Bylsma should get the Jack Adams. Disco Dan is icing a team without 2 offensive juggernauts (who happen to be All-Stars) and the Pens consistently win. How is this possible? Dude can coach. His players have totally commited to his system. As we've seen on 24/7, he's a new school manager. It's easy to Boudreau the shit out of your players, but he doesn't (btw Boudreau should stop talking to the Media and eliminate the Joe Louis/twinkies/gravy on a Kaiser snack from his diet).

The way I saw it streamed last night, Clouston was outcoached from the jump. So much for that last change advantage.

Kickin' It

Here's what the rule book says about using your skate to score a goal:

Rule 49 - Kicking

49.1 Kicking – The action of a player deliberately using his skate(s) with a kicking motion to propel the puck or to contact an opponent.

49.2 Goals - Kicking the puck shall be permitted in all zones. A goal cannot be scored by an attacking player who uses a distinct kicking motion to propel the puck into the net. A goal cannot be scored by an attacking player who kicks a puck that deflects into the net off any player, goalkeeper or official.

A puck that deflects into the net off an attacking player’s skate who does not use a distinct kicking motion is a legitimate goal. A puck that is directed into the net by an attacking player’s skate shall be a legitimate goal as long as no distinct kicking motion is evident.

Let me start by saying that this rule is dumb. Whether its a redirection or a kicking motion I believe it should count. I can see how a "skate kick" can lead to injuries with that blade, all sharp and all. Safety first, right?
Most NHL teams kick around a soccer ball as a pre game warm up. They sometimes use their skates as a scoring method which might happen by instinct. In the end, rules are rules and the Cooke goal should not have counted. According to what I saw, that was a distinct kicking motion that resulted in a goal (that deflected off Anderson). The goal gave the Pens a 3 goal lead and that was it. Not saying that this is the reason they lost the game (they played a poor game...really poor game). It certainly didn't help.

Red Card

The more the press, Goverment and NHL sponsors talk about headshots, the more they are happening. Heatley (puke in mouth), Murray and Marchand all decided to get in on the fun last night. Heatley got 2 games for his headshot. The others...who knows? The NHL Wheel of Justice will decide.

I can talk about this for days. In the end, the responsibility falls on the players. You can have new rules, fancy new league approved gear, gym mattresses pasted along the board...the players are accountable for their actions and that's it. The League should be more aggressive on this hot subject...or the NHLPA should create a board to deal with their members. Justice can be served, unless the head hunter plays for the Bruins.

PS I hate Kuba

-Marc P

3 for 1 sale: Brown Paper Bag Extravaganza.

Locate your eyes.

Followed by the mouth.

Start cutting away to create your very own custom Senators paper bag of shame! Using the scissors to cut your wrists is optional. (All photos via ehow.com)

The Sens are number 1...in negative goal differential with a mind boggling -57. They are the 27th worst team in the league. In other news, Spezza is back. Clouston is coaching (if you want to call it that). Kuba still sucks.

My prediction did not come to fruition. I saw the future and stated that the Sens would break their losing skid by beating the Isles. This was after the Sens beat them in January. Sweet Sidorkiewicz...I can't remember the last time it was this bad.

Here's your post all-star 3 game recap:

Empty Bag of Tricks

The Devils decided to start playing hockey again. And they beat the Sens 2 to 1. Didn't get to watch this game, but from I saw in the highlights they were beat by another broken play. A bounce, bad luck, and a goal. Lehner held his own. The Sens were terribly outshot 33 to 16. The Devils had the same amount of shots in the second period as the Sens had in the entire game. 

Kovalev is starting to heat up as he scores the only goal in the game. Clouston still hates him.

"Too Much Breaks the Bag" - Spanish Proverb

The Sens scored 5 goals!! Only problem is that Detroit scored 7. 

The Sens 6th goal, which was called a "no goal" on the ice before they consuted the NHL war room, was a killer. That denied marker would've tied the game up. I didn't understand why the refs reviewed that goal since it really didn't matter if it crossed the line or not. It was immediately waved off  thanks to that "intent to whistle" bullshit. So, that was the end of that game.

I would love to be a coach for a week. Aside from the hookers and drug buffets, I'm positive that it would be tons of fun. Here's the reason I'm saying this: I would have given Lehner the chance to finish the 2nd period, if not the entire game. Inspector Clouston yanked the young Swede after he surrendered the 4th Detroit goal. It was 4-3 in the 2nd with 10 minutes left. Everything was going in that night. The worst possible scenario happened...enter: Elliott. He thanked the coach by letting in a soft goal by Franzen, who shot from the hash marks. No screen. No deflection. 


Kovalev gets 2 goals making him the Senators MVP this year. He's so in line for a raise next season...with a different team.

Pack Those Bags

The most anticipated match up from Saturday's lineup of games: the 29th ranked team versus the 27th. There hasn't been this much buzz around a televised program since Seinfeld's "The Contest" was on it's 100th rerun. In one of the best coaching moves in recent memory, Clouston decided to put in Elliott even though Lehner beat the Isles in his last start. The result: Elliott shits the bed yet again. Lehner is put into the game to start the 2nd period.


Kovalev scored his 4th goal in 3 games which brings his total to 11. For those of you keeping track out there in the blogosphere, Kovalev scored 7 goals in 44 games before his streak of hotness. Truly, by definition, the poster boy for consistency.


The highlight of the game was Lehner standing his ground and letting the world know that getting in his way is a no-no. The 2nd period was over and Lehner was skating to the dressing room. Poulin, the Isles 5th string goalie, was skating on the same path as Lehner. It was a game of goalie chicken. Lehner decided to throw out an elbow for good measure and knocked Poulin on his ass. The 2 were seperated but it looked like the young Swede wanted to brawl. This kid is fiery. You might say he's a hot head, but he's also only 19. This is why I believe this is significant: this team needs a new attitude and Lehner has kick started the character shift. He hates to lose. I hate it when the Sens lose. We're going to be good friends.


The Ottawa Senators are on their annual Canadian west coast swing, playing the Canucks on Monday night. They return to the 613 on Wednesday, February 15th, against those Isles again. Man, I hope they end this streak before then.


-MP 

The Cory Clouston Fashion Review..For Real

(photo via straighttalkjess.com)

I convinced my fiancé to write a fashion review of everybody's favorite Ottawa Senators coach. In case you didn't know, I've been contributing to another blog, the Cory Clouston Fashion Review, and I thought it would be fitting for it to appear on that blog instead of the one your reading right now.

Here's the direct link to the post:

http://theccfr.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/2011-02-01-in-which-we-get-quite-literal/

And my fiancé's tumblr page, which you should tell your significant other about, or follow yourself.

Lehner starts tonight, Greening gets his first NHL appearance, Butler is your AHL all star MVP and the last, painful part of the season starts now!

-MP

No Time = Lack of Updates

UPDATE: MY STRIKE IS OVER!! Thanks to the win over the Isles, I will get back to watching the Sens. Trying to figure out if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

Sorry for the lack of consistency in my posts. Speaking of lack of consistency, the Sens are 2 points behind the Leafs and the losses keep piling up. It can only go somewhere from here. I want to say up, but they need a couple wins before I can get back on the positive tip.

On the bright side, the Cloustonian Tie Color Effect has been updated and it looks like the Silver with Grey Stripes tie is the clear runaway winner at this point, with a whopping 2 wins and no losses. If anyone in the Senators organisation is reading, please pass this message to Cory.

My goal is to get a couple posts out a week until the end of January, then kick it up a notch by doing a post every 1 to 3 days for the rest of the year.

If you're reading this, thanks for the support.

-MP

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'...

...Get Those Heads-a-Rollin'. (Photo via loonwatch.com )

The Leafs and Sens played nationally on the CBC last night, so I watched the Winter Classic. Even though Ottawa haven't played on a Saturday night in what seems like an eternity (especially on the CBC), they found a way to show the country that they are a bottom tier team that is close to hitting rock bottom. 5 unanswered goals by the Leafs to start the game. How can you possibly come back from such a huge deficit?

This might feel like an ongoing theme throughout my posts over the last few weeks but....Kuba. Is this shit for real? Is Clouston trying to get his ass fired? He's a giveaway machine that doesn't understand the fundamentals of defense. Speed and efficiency are not a part of his lexicon. Is Wade Redden available on the cheap?

Chris "The Truth" Neil

Here's the line on Neil's game last night: 10:10 TOI, 3 shots, 5 hits and 3 penalties for 17 PIMs. The whole world knows that he's a warrior and I sometimes wonder how much other teams would love to have him on their roster. If you haven't read the Ottawa Sun article titled "Neil calls out teammates ... again", here's the brief breakdown:

The frustration level is definitely there. I think you need every one to compete hard, finish checks, get pucks in deep.

The simple truth: get out there, bring the highest level of competition and do the work to make you successful.

You need every one on the same page. We didn't have that tonight. I think the first period and a half in Columbus, we didn’t have that either.

The fundamentals of a successful hockey club: be prepared and stay focused for 60 minutes. Not a ridiculous claim.

It’s like you think you have a switch and you can turn it on, but it doesn’t work that way. You’ve got to go out and work hard every shift.

Back in the good old days, they had a "score on demand" switch which left when most of the talent was purged or walked away. This theoretical switch needs to be on when the National anthems are getting their run through.

Obviously, the other team is going to have some chances as well, but it’s how you rebound from them. We weren’t able to do that tonight.

This is the story of the season in a puckshell.  Neil is know for throwing bombs via fists and hits. Last night he dropped some serious truth bombs. I don't see these post game comments as calling out his teammates. Everyone knows what he was talking about and someone needed to say it.

Wherein Melnyk is Losing his Friggin' Mind

You can imagine where Melnyk's head is at right now. I heard from a friend who knows someone that works at Scotiabank Place that the Owner will clean shop, meaning Murray and Clouston, during the All-Star break. I know, I know...the whole "I heard some juicy news from a friend's friends second cousin who works at the arena who happened to walk by the dressing room at the right time" bullshit is lame, but I kinda believe it. Melnyk is losing patience fast and these changes are inevitable.

When the Sens were the Beast in the East, the team was built on defense. As much as pundits harped on Jacques Martin, his defensive system was effective. The only knock on the team was the goal tending. They were dominating teams by forcing turnovers and capitalizing on their mistakes. The table has turned. Opposing teams are doing this to your favorite club and there is no quick solution to remedy this.

Gimme What I Want

I heard a rumor. Murray has received calls for both Phillips and Fisher from interested teams. I say pull that trigger and get 'er done (no trade and no movement clauses pending of course). This would be the perfect time to get the youth movement started and give them the experience they need to get this team back on the right track. Once Kovalev, Ruutu and Leclaire are off the books, there will be more opportunity for the kids to get in that lineup...Can't believe that Kuba is under contract next year. Besides buying him out, what else can be done? Pull a Sather and throw him in the minors. Oh man I would love to see that.

Next game is against the Blackhawks in Chi-Town. O'Brien and Brodeur have been sent back down which, in my opinion, is a mistake. This might be a temporary assignment since they have 5 days off. That's what I'm hoping.

-MP

New Year's Resolutions (Besides Scoring More Goals)

UPDATE: According to the official Ottawa Senators twitter account, O'Brien and Lee are in, Kuba and Ruutu are out. Oh hell yeah!!

Kovalev let Murray know that he's doing a great job...no changes necessary (photo via randomjottings.net)

My plan to attend the game on Wednesday didn't come to fruition, which ended up not being such a huge loss (pun somewhat intended). As is always the case during the holidays, friends and family are first in line. 2nd is beer (which can be mixed with holiday option #1). 3rd is the World Junior Championship. And last but not least is pretty much everything else, from hockey to sleep.

All I saw from Wednesday night's game were the highlights from NHL.com and it looked like the Sens had their chances. I also cruised through the World O Senators blogs to get some background for this post and the conclusion is a 2 part breakdown: missed opportunities and weak defensive play.

It looked like Elliott let in a few softies with no thanks given to his first line of defense. Kuba....what more can be said about the high priced veteran? He brings nothing to this team except giveaways and turnovers.

Well it's time to go over a few New Year's resolutions for your favorite Ottawa based pro team located in Kanata:

Filip Kuba

Work on hitting offensive players from the opposing team, remember that clearing the puck out of the defensive zone is a good tactic and stop with the giveaways.

Mike Fisher

Take the rest of the season off to get healthy and realize that he's a 3rd line centre getting primo minutes. Be thankful.

Chris Kelly

Thank the good people at Easton for the magical sticks of goal scoring. Get more.

Alexei Kovalev

Ease off the saxophone practice and work on attacking the offensive zone alone against 5 defenders.

Jason Spezza

Stop crying himself to bed while clutching his Heatley plush doll and repeating "I'm a creative guy and those turnovers are gonna happen."

Cory Clouston

Buy a Hugo Boss suit and hire Ray Emery as his personal fashion advisor.

Erik Karlsson

Continue to embarrass the forwards on the team. Out: Two and a Half Men. In: CSI: Byward Market.

Brian Lee

Start a food vendor business at Scotiabank Place featuring the Lee Me Down: a battered deep fried burger topped with jalapeno cheese and chicken fingers (preferably dinosaur shaped) and 2 regular burger patties used as buns.

Daniel Alfredson

Keep doing what he does and continue to bleed out profusely for this team...and not complain about it. Can someone give this guy the fuckin Order of Canada already?

Bryan Murray

Get a nice letter of recommendation from Melnyk and ask players to give recommendations on LinkedIn.

New Year's Eve Showdown

Columbus is on tap tonight with Jim O'Brien getting the call up to play. So I'm assuming that Mr. Smith will hang out with Lee in the press box and Jimmy O will get his shot. Looking forward to seeing the kid play.

Also looking forward to the Canada / Sweden tilt today which will showcase the future of Ottawa's last line of defense: Lehner from Sweden and Cowen from Canada.

-MP

Groundhog Day in December

Kuba decided to continue hibernating for another 6 weeks.

It happened again. The Sens score 3 or more goals,  outshoot their opponents and lose in overtime. Some of the players are saying that they are missing the killer instinct. I would say that they're missing the defensive instinct. And Mr. Clouston, please stop with the trap when you have the lead. That sh!t never works. Oldest hockey cliche # 2: your best defense is great offense. It works. Yellow ties with black dots don't.

Bill Murray-ian Effort

Alfie scored another goal which now brings his total to 3 in 3 games. Looks like the Alfie-Fisher-Foligno line is starting to come together which is great news. Now if the Spezza line can start getting some points on the board (and stop being a wimp), the Sens will have 2 strong offensive units. Now they should find a way to fix that defense thing, which is kinda important.

Scared of Their Own Shadow

So you figure that scoring 5 goals would be enough to win a game. You figured wrong. This defense is porous  at best. It would be easy to continue to point out that everyone's favorite shot blocking Russian left a big hole on the defense, but he's only one dude. You can't replace a defender of his ilk with an offensive minded Dman like Gonchar. Too many puck moving cats, and not enough defensemen that thrive on playing...well...defense. PS Kuba was terrible once again.

I'm Such a Douch-ene Bag

In my last post, I said that I was looking forward to seeing Duchene play since we don't get exposed to much Western hockey. Well he showed the Sens why he's a young star on the rise. Smarts, speed and that killer instinct I spoke about earlier. His goal in OT demonstrated how vulnerable the Ottawa defensive can be...and is. Fun to see him play. Not so fun seeing him take care of business against the Sens.

The Header is Alright

I upgraded my blog's header image. From a Chevette to a Cadillac. This is due to using Photoshop instead of Paint. This is my first time using the program and it was a bit frustrating, but I'm pretty happy with the results. I also created the pic for this post (Kuba-hog) and I'm hoping to do some more...well at least until the Photoshop trial runs out.

Capital Cup is going down tonight. Caps. Sens. 2 struggling teams playing on a Sunday. Should be a barn burner.

-MP

Spezza Giveth And Giveth Away

Jason Spezza picked Bryan Little for the NHL's secret santa exchange (Image via pajamahearts.com) 

Did anyone else fist pump the shit out of the air in front of their TV when Spezza scored on that penalty shot? For a quick second I convinced myself of the "turning the corner" moment. 3 unanswered goals to tie it up, agressive forecheck, Clouston's grey tie..it was all there.

The Gift of Alfie

After what seemed like an eternity, the Captain got on the board. They were playing well up to the point when he scored, even though they were down by 3. Isn't it absolutely mental that Alfredsson is the team's leading offensive player even though he had an 10 game pointless streak? As Alfie goes, the team goes. And the team rallied back to tie it until...

The Charitiosity of Spezza (the giveaway was so ridiculous that the creation of a new word was necessary)

Spezza got into the holiday spirit by giving Ottawa the lead, then charitably turned over the puck in OT where Little scored the winner. He'll learn his lesson someday, right? I don't mean to go all Pierre McGuire on you by stating the obvious, but Giggles has done this before and will continue to do so until he retires.

The Fall from Grace O'Malley's

All of y'all screaming for a trade or hiroshiming the club need to realize this: the Senators have had a great run over the last 12 years and its time for a new plan. A plan sans Murray and possibly Clouston. Both of their contracts are up this year and we can expect them to be working in a different postal code.

...but cheer up Ye Faithful! 104 potential points are up for grabs.

- MP

Broken Glass Everywhere

UPDATE: 100 pageviews! Awesome!

Alfredsson skates by as Leclaire tries to put his shattered self together  (picture via rpccrazy on Flickr)

Leclaire is injured again. I'm as shocked as you are. I'm going to start a rumor: Leclaire to the Islanders for Dipietro. Problem solved...No clue who will be called up yet since Lehner will be loaned to Sweden for the World Junior Championship.

Shattered Dreams

Kovalev is unhappy. Clouston is unimpressed. Murray hates Melnyk for convincing him to sign Kovalev. Sens Army is confused, but not surprised. In the end, here's the deal: Kovalev holds all the cards here since he has a no movement clause in his contract, and if any team is crazy enough to want this guy, he can kill the deal. According to everyone's favorite daily tabloid rag newspaper the Ottawa Sun, a hockey team from Missouri actually wants this guy. What's up with pre-madonna forwards and the Senators? 

2 points

The Leafs are 2 points behind the Sens with 2 games in hand. Toronto easily beat the Habs last night (yes I know that Carey Price wasn't playing) 3 to 1. They have beat some tough teams recently, which is more than Ottawa can say. The Sens beat the Devils...that's like saying that I beat my 2 year old niece at tic tac toe. 

How fun has Crosby been to watch this year? This cat is on a mad tear and I hope he keeps his point streak going as long as possible. An 18 game point streak while the team has won 12 in row. What makes this even more incredible is that he plays with Dupuis and Kunitz. I hope I get a chance to see him when I'm in Ottawa for the holidays. Got December 26th marked down on the calendar.

Unsolved Mysteries

When will Alfie get a damn point? Who will be Elliott's back-up? Will Kovalev accept a trade and how quickly can they get that done? Is Jared Cowen the real deal? Is grey the winning Cloustonian tie color?

-MP

The Weak Shall Inherit the Earth

Clouston prepared his house for the upcoming apocalypse (Image via bigfishgames.com)

How many times can you hold the lead until you lose a game? According to last night's performance, the answer is 3. Sens are winners of 1 of their last 6 and the Fearless Captain hasn't collected a point in 10 games, which is freaking me out. Getting a shotgun, boarding up the windows and doors, hiding in the bunker with 2 years of supplies freaking out.

Glimmer of Hope

Spezza and Butler: good. Butler looked much more comfortable and had a few quality chance. The kid can play and can make those thread the needle passes. Spezza was playing with blazing speed yesterday which I thought would've rubbed off on the rest of the team. It didn't but...Fisher and Foligno: gooder. Fisher scored a few and played well with Foligno. That Foligno kid has game. Needs to bring it consistently or pretend its the pre-season.

Couldn't Hold Down the Fort

When your best D-man is Campoli, there's a problem. This is not a knock on his play. From where in sitting near Queen and Yonge, he's been the most consistent blueliner for a bit. Speed, quick decisions and intensity. If I see the defense back off one more time when opposing forwards enter Ottawa's zone, I might throw my remote through my LCD. The first Ranger goal was preventable but Gonchar let Stepan get to the net with ease. And Kuba...what's point of talking about him again.

This defense needs serious help. If the team can address this issue, the wins will come.

Elliot had a bad game too. Consider this your mulligan, sir.

Hit me!

Please send me some feedback on the blog so far. Would love to hear what you have to say.

-MP

It Could only Happen on Sunday

Chris Kelly destroys donuts (Photo via nomnommonster.com)

Chris Kelly the Hart Trophy nominated scoring dynamo single handedly won the game by netting a hat trick this late afternoon. Oh yeah that Leclaire guy played well too. 

For those of you on the Butler watch, under 15 mins of play time with no shots and a -1. Didn't notice him on the ice but I was streaming the game watching it through a pixelated filter. Thanks for the blackout Sportsnet! Sportsnet will be the star of a post in the near future.

We need answers!

When is Alfie going to get a point? Will Clouston continue to alternate Ottawa's net minders or is he playing the win and stay in game? Is Kelly on pace for a career high 18 goals? Will Cox and Brennan finally have that Death Match we've all been waiting for?

The Cloustonian Tie Color Effect

The CTCE tracker is now live and found on the right side of the page. It's a social experiment to measure the correlation between Clouston's tie color and the teams performance. My report will be sent to the Sens brass with my recommendations for the appropriate tie color for the playoffs (should they make the tournament).

- MP