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

Anderson Running Away With Your Votes

Anderson really wants Karzai's hat. Trade for Senators PJs? (Photo kinda via daylife.com)

As a Federal election looms, a new candidate has burst onto the scene. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present your new representative for Carleton-Mississippi Mills and Prime Minister hopeful: Craig Anderson.

His platform includes:

- heavy investments in the Department of Defense
- option to veto any new Senators
- zero tolerance for "elitist" Media dissension towards his team
- infusion of young talent into his party for a fresh perspective and palpable energy

Mr Anderson is committed to a four year term and will consider his options once that time has passed.

His catch line: 'I'll take one in the chest, arm, or leg for the team."

Harper doesn't stand a chance. I'm positive he'll throw mud at the Anderson Movement with statements like "He didn't come here for you" or "Anderson formed a previous coalition", but do not believe a word of it. Be strong and make the right choice.

4 More Years

This is late (so don't hate). I wanted to wait a few days before posting my opinion on Anderson's new contract with the Sens. My initial thoughts on the signing remain: money for the new #1 is fair, NTC and NMC are absent which is great and length of the contract is...well...too long. Anderson had most of the chips during the negotiations, and it seems like he wanted security with the 4 year re-up. On the flip side, it wasn't a 5 to 7 year deal. If that would've been the case, I would've lost my mind. 4 years is a mid sized contract in term of years. I prefer 2 to 3 years, especially for a guy that has played such a small sample of games for Ottawa, to assure that the investment isn't a knee jerk reaction. Others will say that the team needed a guy like Anderson. I'll be the first to admit that he has brings confidence and swagger to the club, which was terribly needed. This signing gets the SILN seal of approval...still feel that's it 1 year too long.

What about Lehner? According to an interview that I read with Lehner and Bingo beat writer Joy Lindsay, he is learning the English language and is ready to play with the B-Sens for the next few years to develop his game after meeting with Old Man Murray. So we can expect the Lehner-niac to challenge for the #1 spot within the next few years.

Winning by Committee

The Sens have been without their Captain for what seems like an eternity. Another sad chapter in the longest season in ages. It's weird seeing this team play without their Captain for a huge portion of the year. But there is a bright side to all of this: Spezza has stepped up huge since Alfie went down. Kinda makes me wonder what would have been if Spezza was around during that massive losing streak that determined the fate of this season. What if they went .500 during the losing streak? Or even .750? Would they be fighting for a playoff spot?

The kids keep impressing and are producing with the ice time they have be awarded. Greening, Condra, and Butler continue to show that they belong with the club and are putting up impressive auditions for next year. This team will be fun to watch for the next few years, even though they might really suck.

Another Saturday Hiatus

The Sens are playing this afternoon at 2 against the Thrashers, which is the Game of the Day in Uzbekistan. Anderson starts again for a team that has won 7 of their last 10 games. So they are one of the hottest clubs in the league. Too bad it doesn't count for much except pride. The pride of winning when it doesn't count and working for next season. Awesome.

-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 

A Costly Win

Raise your hands if you have a long term shoulder injury? (photo via CBC )

According to the the news out there in the webosphere, Spezza is out long term with an upper body injury (shoulder) for at least 6 weeks. So what does this mean for Ottawa's first line centre? Tons more time to spend with his loved ones during the holidays and comedy movie marathons to work on his laughter execution. So what does this mean for the Ottawa Senators? One lucky farm boy will get a chance to impress the big wigs in the big city. And your options are: Locke, Bass and O'Brien. My choice would be O'Brien. I heard that he picked up his game and the Tim Murray interview praising the "lost" prospect during yesterdays game kinda sold it for me. He's also 6'2" - 200 lbs. But according to NHL.com and the Ottawa Sun, Bass is getting the call.  All we are saying, is give Jim a chance. Dude hasn't played one regular season game and he's been with the franchise for 5 years (Bingo for 2 full season including this year).

Karlsson : Priceless

Don't think I've ever seen this on any Sens team since the inaugural season: a defenseman as the leading scorer. I don't have an issue with it, makes me wonder what the forwards are doing in terms in offense. Pessimism aside, Karlsson is an all star in the making and without a doubt the puck moving dman we've been waiting for all these years. He's the catalyst for the offense and is surprising teams with his skill. Can't wait to see what Byslma says about number 65 during the intermission in HBO's 24.

Getting Elliott's Full Value

Elliott played his best game since Leglass went down by delivering a career game. He made 44 saves for the win and almost got a shutout (I'm blaming someone on twitter for claiming a shutout after the second intermission. Can't remember who it was but shame on them. Speaking of twitter, this might be a sign I'm getting old but what's up with some of the hockey fans in twitville and the constant need to tweet profanity? Don't get it and a quick unfollow usually does the trick). So, no shutout for Elliott. This seems to be the life of Brian this year: close but not close enough. I am cool with Crosby getting the goal to continue his streak. It would be nice to see him ride this for a long stretch. Don't see him breaking Gretzky's season point streak which stands at 51 games. Not impossible, but will be a challenge for the Kid.

Paying for Not Going to the Game

I was planning on attending last night's game against the Pens but I was faced with a tough choice: go to Scotiabank Place and miss a large part of the WJC Canada - Russia game or stay at home to watch both games and prevent getting a second mortgage on my condo to buy beer at the arena. Well I stayed home and it was somewhat bittersweet. But the beer was cheap and that makes any red blooded guy happy. I will try to check out the Carolina game on Wednesday if the price is right.

Quickies

Clouston wore the same tie for the first time since I've been tracking the Cloustonian Tie Color Effect. Yellow with black dots now sits at 1 W1 L.

Kuba looked terrible again. And to make matters worse, he's playing with Gonchar.

The Letang hit on Spezza didn't look intentional but the fans rained down with the boos every time he touched the puck. I'm sure the chorus of disapproval really hurt his feelings.

On the flip side, the Cooke elbow to Shannon's face wasn't even called. Shannon got a penalty for jumping on Letang after Spezza fell into the boards. Cooke got off scott free.

Ottawa is 4 point behind the 8th place Bruins, who have 4 games in hand.

The Leafs beat the Devils last night, which doesn't mean jack to anyone (except maybe Boston).

Kuba looked really terrible last night.

Didn't notice Cowen that much during Canada's 6-3 win over Russia.

-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

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