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Why Brian Burke was scared about announcing his trade for Dion Phaneuf

February 2nd, 2010

As Brian Burke approached the press conference microphone last Sunday morning to announce the big trade he made for Dion Phaneuf, it appeared as though he looked a bit scared. His lips trembled as he gulped to catch his breathe…

Many would say “Scared, Burke? Never. He just acquired a punishing and truculent defenceman”. Fair enough – Phaneuf is all that. However, Burke was scared. Very scared.

Why? That’s the easy part. Burke was fearful of Phaneuf – the center piece of the 7-man swap –  having to play Jason Spezza and the Ottawa Senators 8 times a year for the rest of Phaneuf’s contract (at least 4 more years). This doesn’t have anything to do with Spezza’s world class puck handling skills. Instead, the root of Burke’s fear is derived from Spezza’s UFC-class fighting skills. Don’t believe me? Check this out:

So, as Leaf fans across the world eagerly watch Dion Phaneuf’s debut in blue tonight, just know Spezza is waiting for Phaneuf. The Sens and Leafs next hook up Saturday, February 6th. Clearly, this is 100% not a joke.

Stay classy, Dion Phaneuf.

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The Senators toying with everybody all this time?

January 26th, 2010

Oh how quickly things can change in today’s NHL!

Afternoon sportsfans, Champ here feeling the winds of change (insert mandatory Scorpions plug here) in the Nation’s capital with the Ottawa Senators suddenly rolling over opponents like a fat kid at the all you can eat buffet (chubby & blimpy kids association please send your hate mail to the following email address mantooth@stayclassy.net).

Daniel Alfredsson - Ottawa Senators

Daniel Alfredsson has a lot to do with the Senators recent success. Classy.

The Senators, winners of 6 straight, are looking like the Harlem Globetrotters of the NHL right now. With Daniel Alfredsson, Milan Michalek, and Jason Spezza now all back in the fold, they really look to be pushing for a top 4 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Goaltending, which was horrendous for about a 10 game stretch (almost Red-Light Rocicot-ish), is suddenly quite solid and providing the Sens with a chance of winning every night. Even the powerplay is putting pucks in the net – something Senators fans haven’t seen all season long.

The are even reports that Bryan Murray will be an active buyer at the March 3rd NHL trade deadline. Murry has made no bones about wanting to add additional scoring depth to this seemingly potent lineup. It’s believed he’s looking for a top 6 forward (Carolina’s Ray Whitney or Edmonton’s Andrew Cogliano come to mind) without changing the current roster.

It should make for an interesting conclusion to this hockey season after the Olympics. Either the Senators will keep plowing through teams or will suffer another bi-polar episode and go on a losing streak of epic proportions. It will surely keep fans glued to their televisions to see how this season plays out.

Until next time,

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators Fans.

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The Ottawa Senators Internal Strategic Planning (Chapter 4)

January 19th, 2010

For the longest time, I thought that the annual goaltender controversy in Ottawa was just a coincidence. But fortunately, I recently stumbled upon the Ottawa Senators Internal Strategic Planning document, and as it turns out, it’s not such a coincidence after all. From chapter 4, entitled “The False Sense of Doom to Re-create Excitement and Sell More Tickets Once the Team Starts Winning Again.”

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Here in Ottawa, we have a proud goaltending history. Some goaltenders have been so proud to hear they were traded to Ottawa that they actually shed a few tears. And if Damian Rhodes ever says otherwise, he has no proof, so there.

As a team, both on and off the ice, the goaltending is essential to our success as an organization. They are, after all, the gatekeepers of the net. Beyond that, they play a tremendous role in keeping the fans happy. Traditionally, we have always asked our goaltenders to be model citizens, so as to avoid altercations when they are faced with obscenities being hurled at them by irrate fans.

As part of the Strategic Plan for the Ottawa Senators, we have introduced a new practice to help sell more tickets and merchandise. Annually, we roll-out a plan so devious that if other organizations were to learn of its existence, we are unsure they would be able to even successfully implement it (attached as Appendix A is a Case Study called “Brian Burke and Goaltender Controversies; an Exercise in Futility”). The following is a step-by-step process to utilize the Annual Goaltender Controversy.

With the 82-game season that the NHL currently employs, most fans are aware that franchises will suffer through the occasional losing streak. It is at this point that we tend to make a knee-jerk reactionary move. Sometimes it’s a trade. Sometimes it’s a firing. Essentially, we take this opportunity to purge ourselves of something we don’t like as much as we used to. The logic behind this is that attention is deferred away from front office, management, coaching staff, and overpaid players.

Generally speaking, a decline is usually allowed to continue for a few more days. In Ottawa, we like to use this opportunity to ‘convince’ our starting goaltender that a few soft goals may not be such a bad idea. Once mainstream media analysis of the soft goals is complete, the coach is made aware that he is to play the back-up goaltender, or, if possible, an unproven AHLer. Logically, it is as this point that the goaltender puts on a somewhat stellar performance. We usually ask for a shutout, but a GAA under 2.00 is also acceptable. Future successes might also include the first hat-trick from a goaltender in franchise history.

At the Senators organization, we are very proud of our local media coverage of the team. It is at this point that we call on that media to overhype and overuse the term “goaltender controversy.” The kickbacks vary for using this term, but it should be noted that many media are simply able to reprint stories from previous seasons, and just replace names and scores.

If done successfully, the goaltender controversy creates antipathy at first, and eventual excitement. As an organization, we rely heavily on this time of year to (a) purge ourselves of employees who aren’t pulling their weight; (b) ensure there is more coverage of the team in the local media, and (c) sell dozens of t-shirts and jerseys with the names of our various goaltenders.

Next Chapter: The Use of the Terms “Upper and Lower Body” and How to Effectively Differentiate the Two.

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The Ottawa Senators new anthem?

January 14th, 2010

“Ya I’m free… Free falling”
The new theme song of the Ottawa Senators 2009-2010 Season

Morning Sportsfans, it appears Tom Petty hit the nail right on the head with his popular song. The Ottawa Senators seem to be spiraling out of control with no end in sight. The injury bug has bitten the team like a black fly in Muskoka at the end of June (if you’ve ever been there you’ll understand the reference).

As of writing this, Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, Filip Kuba, Milan Michalek, and Jesse Winchester are all out with various injuries. That’s a ton of money sitting on the sidelines (approximately $248,875 per game, using the cap hits from NHLNumbers.com).

To further compound the Senators problems, goaltending has been horrendous as of late (that’s probably why goaltending coach Eli Wilson was fired yesterday). Taking it a step further, it was reported this morning that Pascal Leclaire is now injured (again). The Senators are in New York tonight to face the Rangers. It’s expected Mike Brodeur (who’s 1-0 in his NHL career) will get the start in goal for Ottawa.

Oh and let’s not forget that the team also can’t seem to buy a power play goal… or any goals for that matter. The Senators have only scored five goals in their last five games. The team currently sits tied for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and every team with the exception of the Edmonton Oilers appears to be playing better than the Senators right now.

As a fan it’s difficult to watch, and numerous fans will likely start jumping off the band wagon… if they haven’t already. But those fans faithful to the Church of Alfie will see the team get through this slump once key players return from their respective injuries. Let’s just hope the Senators can regain some chemistry and make a push for the playoffs. One can only hope!

And besides… at least we still have our first round draft pick!

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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What can NHL teams do to improve atmosphere?

January 8th, 2010

It’s a tough thing, the business of in-game entertainment. A slow, boring game can sap the life out of an arena pretty quickly, and pockets of empty seats can stop “the wave” dead in its tracks.

As a frequent attendee of hockey games, I’ve been fortunate to witness the best from hockey crowds, and unfortunate to see the worst as well.

Recently, Erin Nicks at Universal Cynic posted a statement from The Real Sens Army about some mistreatment they received at Scotiabank Place. Root of the problem: the group intended to cheer loud and proud for the Ottawa Senators at a recent home game, but were shunned, exiled and even kicked out for ‘rowdy’ behaviour.

Now I don’t intend to cast guilt on either party. I wasn’t there, and I can’t speak to what happened. But it does raise some interesting issues about Scotiabank Place crowds.

So how do you get the crowd more involved? What elicits a response from crowds, and what is downright cheesy? I think there’s a few things we can look at, which hopefully find their way to the right people.

1.  Fans aren’t stupid.

- There is an absurd amount of coddling that takes place during hockey games. To think of a few: the noise-meter, the red light, the “Noise” wordmark that travels around the arena. All of these seek to create a response, but in my opinion, do nothing but offend the fan. I understand the necessity to fill dead air with noise, but fan responses are…

2.  …organic.

- That’s right. Fans are an organism. If you look at the fan base as a body or structure, it is filled up of many moving parts. In unison, it can work marvellously; however, it also has the ability to appear discombobulated without a unified goal. I know it sounds like I’m saying one thing and preaching the other, but fan responses (the best ones at least) come from the grassroots and not from a fancy graphic on the scoreboard. Not once have I ever seen the scoreboard tell fans to Boo the referee, but yet these are some of the loudest moments in a game. Same goes for booing individual players. As such, in-game entertainment should seek to complement this organic and grassroots movement, rather than force it. Which leads me to my next point.

3.  Fans often come up with better choices than they’re given.

- This might offend a few people in the marketing department, but it is a difficult point to argue against. After all, the marketing department is at the arena every single day. It must be hard to not have apathy find it’s way into the job, and sometimes it’s easier to look at what other arenas are doing and just emulate that. But like the booing of a referee or a player, fans respond better to the mob mentality than they do to big brother. Think back to a few years ago during the playoffs when the “Alfie chant” first emerged. No prompting from the scoreboard. No explanation from Stuntman Stu. Pure, unadulterated passion from the fans. In my opinion, the marketing department should be taking a long look at stuff like that, and trying to complement it rather than replace it. I think throwing “Alfie, Alfie, Alfie” on the scoreboard is a lot more effective than “Noise!”

4.  We’re there for the hockey game, but the marketing should be about us.

- The Senators have tried this over the past few years, but ‘Sens Army’ just hasn’t taken off as well as I thought it would. But the marketing should be about the fans and their contributions to the game and the team. The 13th Man for the Saskatchewan Roughriders (sorry, the irony is too much) is a classic example. But again, fans aren’t stupid. A simple slogan of ‘Wear Red’ might work for a few, but pictures and movies of an arena awash in red is much more effective. We want to know that our contributions to the game are being recognized, rather than being told what to do. The Senators have done an okay job at this, sometimes. A few years ago they had a video playing about the run to the cup, but this is still the closest I’ve seen them get to celebrating the fans. The Montreal Canadiens, on the other hand, make you feel like you’ve been around for the entire 100 years of the organization; that in some microcosmic way, the fans have contributed to the franchise’s success. I don’t need to see highlights of goals and saves anymore. I need to see the fans.

5.  Fans respond to one another.

- This is the simplest of all. It’s a mob mentality out there, but good ideas don’t go unnoticed. Even the shyest individuals will join a chant if enough people are involved. I like to think of the J-Block at Arthur Ashes stadium as a classic example. Whenever James Blake plays in the U.S. Open, the J-Block is full of fans cheering for Jason Blake, wearing matching shirts and going absolutely nuts for him. Why not block off a section of Scotiabank Place, and advertise it as a fan zone. But not a GM Fan Zone. Advertise that this is for real fans only. Noisemakers, signs, capes and flags are not only there, but strongly encouraged. I have no doubt that it would take off and maybe even grow.

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I’m not sure if any of these ideas will actually go anywhere, but I had to write it down. I’ve grown so tired of going to games and watching fans sit on their thumbs. Maybe I’m way off base on these ideas, but hey, I tried. And I’m not even getting paid for this.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators crowds.

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Thoughts on last night’s Senators-Capitals game

January 8th, 2010

Washington Capitals- 5, Ottawa Senators- 2

Well, last night’s game was quite the stinker, wasn’t it? It was one of those games that you knew how it was going to end within minutes of the opening puck drop. For most of this game, it was 2-0 and 2-1 for the Washington Capitals when it felt like it should have been 5-1 or 5-0. In the end, the score worked itself out to be a little more telling as to how much better the Capitals were last night.

Pascal Leclaire had a night to forget. It would be too easy for me to give Leclaire last night’s Non-Classy. So instead, I’ll address it and get it out of the way prior to getting into other aspects of last night’s game.

Of Washington’s five goals, two of them were complete Leclaire errors. Actually, they were both Nicklas Backstrom goals. Leclaire had no chance on the first two goals thanks to poor defensive coverage and bad decisions. And of course, Alex Ovechkin’s goal was a goal the second he got the puck. Here’s what I don’t get about Leclaire. He’s not a bad goalie, yet it’s very regular for him to let in a weak goal (usually early in games) in most games. And then he’ll come back and make a few highlight reel saves. The best way I can sum up Leclaire so far this season for the Ottawa Senators is consistently inconsistent.

Although both his goals were weak, I absolutely love Nick Backstrom and what he brings to the Capitals. I think he’s one of the top five playmakers in the NHL. I predict he’ll turn a lot of heads at the Vancouver Olympics for Team Sweden.

Without further delay, here are the Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier moments from the Senators-Capitals game.

The Classy

I thought TSN’s Ray Ferraro hit the nail on the head during last night’s telecast when talking about Erik Karlsson’s play. Erik Karlsson was excellent for the Ottawa Senators. Actually, he was the only Senator who played hard all game and who’s name I can use in the same sentence as the word excellent. Karlsson’s positioning was bang on and he used his speed and intelligence to win man-on-man battles. He moved pucks very well and helped create some (albeit small) offensive pressure. This was by far the best game Karlsson has played in the NHL. I believe this is Karlsson’s first Classy performance too.

Non-Classy

I really didn’t like the way the Senators were completely outworked all game. Whether it was 5-on-5 or on powerplays, Washington worked harder, won puck battles, and clearly wanted to win more than the Senators did. A great example of this came from a first period Senators powerplay that saw Mike Green dive to clear the zone while the Senators sat back and watched. I don’t want to put words in the mouths of the Senators players, but their play last night looked like them shrugging their shoulders saying “we can’t match the firepower the Caps have”. That’s true, but you don’t need star players to work hard. Washington’s star players and role players all worked far harder than the majority of the Sens. That’s the bottom line.

An honourable mention for the Non-Classy goes to the powerplay, again. It’s not working and I think I know why. The Senators are not moving around enough. The more every player moves around and cycles, the more it pulls the defending team’s players out of position. The Senators need to employ multiple powerplay set ups in the same shift in order to do this. Right now, the Senators players are standing around and it’s easy for the opposition to set up a box and aggressively attack the Senators standstill set up. They should listen to me for no other reason than because what they are doing right now isn’t working and hasn’t for the last few weeks dating back to 2009.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

Ottawa had limited scoring chances against the Capitals last night. Partly because the Capitals did a great job shutting them down and partly because Ottawa didn’t play well enough. The chances Ottawa did get were blown by bad shots on goal. How many quality scoring chances did the Senators get where the shot hit Caps goalie Jose Theodore right in the chest? I think to Nick Foligno’s nice deke/walk out or the Jonathan Cheechoo shot on the 3 on 1, plus many other point shots from Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips. It’s not like the Senators had any kind of net presence either. A shot at the chest of an NHL goalie with no net presence or screens has a likeliness of 0.000121 per cent chance of going in. Maybe less. Theodore didn’t have to be spectacular last night, but Ottawa didn’t really test him.

Honourable Mention for Could-Have-Been-Classier goes to the Senators dump-ins. There were way too many dump ins that weren’t well placed or followed by aggressive forechecking. Even when changing lines on the fly, there should be one player going in to push the other team. That either didn’t happen or the player couldn’t do anything effective because the dump ins weren’t shot into strategic areas. Rarely did any dump in last night give Ottawa a chance to win an offensive battle and stood as a big reason why Ottawa didn’t have much going in the way of puck possession time in Washington’s zone.

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Up next for the Senators is a Saturday night home game against the struggling Florida Panthers. The Panthers have lost five of their last six games, despite finally having Nathan Horton and Steven Weiss (finally) play well. Following Saturday’s game, the Senators start a five game road trip that will see them play the Hurricanes, Thrashers, Rangers, Canadiens, and Bruins within eight days. Five road games in eight nights might prove ugly with the Senators injury woes and poor play.

Lastly, Milan Michalek left last night’s game in the first period with what’s believed to be an upper body injury. Michalek didn’t return to the ice following a collision with Mike Green. For those keeping track, that’s the Senators entire first line injured. At the moment, Michalek is expected to miss at least the next two Senators games starting Saturday against the Panthers.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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Thoughts on this afternoon’s Flyers-Senators game

January 3rd, 2010

Ottawa Senators- 7, Philadelphia Flyers- 4

Before getting going on this game recap, the score should probably read Alex Kovalev defeats the Flyers or something to that extent.

For everyone who didn’t watch the Flyers-Senators game, this wasn’t a dominant Senators blowout win. Far from it, sort of. After jumping out to a quick 1-0 lead (on Pascal Leclaire’s first of three weak goals against), the Flyers played terribly and allowed the Senators to score four more before the end of the first period. In the second period, the Senators and Flyers reversed roles. The Senators didn’t show up for the second period and let the Flyers back into the game, ending the period tied at four. In the third period, the Senators woke up and capitalized on more bad Flyers defensive play. Both starting goalies (Leclaire and Michael Leighton) were pulled before the half-way mark of the game, too. This game was one of the strangest Senators games I’ve watched in awhile. The way each team played, it felt like I was watching a junior game and not an NHL game. There were too many simple mistakes made, turnovers handed out like gifts, and momentum tossed back and forth like it was Tiger Woods call girl.

At any rate, here’s the Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier moments from the Flyers-Senators game.

The Classy

For the first time in awhile, Alex Kovalev showed up for the Ottawa Senators. And he did so in a very big way. Kovalev was the game’s first star, scoring four goals and adding an assist in the win. Kovalev has stepped up for the Senators over the last few games dating back to shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres after Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza went down with long term injuries. This afternoon’s game against the Flyers was Kovalev’s “coming out party”, of sorts (sorry – that’s a terrible nod to TSN’s Bob McKenzie whom I greatly respect). For all the goals Kovalev scored in last night’s game, I was equally impressed with his skating and desire to get to open area’s of the offensive zone. And given how well Kovalev skated in this game, I’ll temporarily relinquish the “Koastalev” nickname. This was the second game this year Kovalev has scored three or more goals in a game for the Senators (he has 11 goals this season).

Honourable mentions to go both Chris Kelly and Ryan Shannon. Like Kovalev, Shannon and Kelly have elevated their play as of late and have helped make a difference for the Senators in a key time. The team are 3-1 4-1 since Alfredsson’s injury and many (myself included) questioned if the key players like Kelly and Shannon could step up for the team. It’s nice to see players like this rise to the challenge.

Non-Classy

In a game like this one, it’s easy to pick out Non-Classy moments or players. Don’t worry, I have a few. The easy one is Pascal Leclaire who allowed three goals on 10 shots and generally looked out of it during his limited action. There isn’t much else to say on Leclaire’s performance from this game. Needless to say, he’ll look to be better in his next outing.

In a game where the Senators scored seven goals and nine players got points, it’s surprising Milan Michalek wasn’t one of them. In fact, Michalek hasn’t scored a point in his last seven games. Since scoring two goals and playing a strong game against his former team – the San Jose Sharks – on December 1st, Michalek has just one goal and one assist in his last 17 games. Non-Classy.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

While Ottawa’s powerplay continues to struggle, this game’s Could-Have-Been Classier goes to Nick Foligno and his head down tendencies. He never makes the right play because his head is always down looking at the puck. He frequently drives nets with speed (which is good), but never realizes how little space he has to shoot/make a move/pass the puck. It drives me up the wall because Foligno has all the things you want in a checking forward; skill, size, heart, etc…

Most players are taught to skate with their head up at the Peewee level (approx. 12 or 13 years old), yet Foligno continues to do his thing. I know it’s another nit-picky point of mine, however, I strongly feel if Foligno played with his head up, he could score 20-25 goals per year and perhaps be the top 6 forward the Senators so desperately want him to be.

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Up next for the Senators is the final game of a five-game homestand against the Boston Bruins. The Senators have been very strong on home ice this season with a record of 16-6-3 at Scotiabank Place. It’s another critical game between these two Northeast opponents as the Bruins currently sit one point above the Senators for second place in the division. It’s possible Milan Lucic could return from his injury for this contest.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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Thoughts on last night’s Avalanche-Senators game

December 31st, 2009

Colorado Avalanche- 4, Ottawa Senators- 3

Kind of a predictable game and result from the Avalanche and Senators last night. Craig Anderson had another strong performance (it’s becoming routine this year), the Senators finished the game off strong despite some weak play early on, and breaking out of their own end proved to be difficult for the Senators (as it has all season long). Colorado’s speed was difficult for the Senators to handle and the young Avalanche kids were certainly a factor all game long. It was nice to see Alex Kovalev (or Koastalev as he’s known to our classier readers) driving the net and Ryan Shannon showing some strong play Senators fans got used to towards the end of last season. It should be noted Nick Foligno returned after missing seven games and Erik Karlsson was a healthy scatch for the third straight game.

Here’s the Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier moments of last night’s Avalanche-Senators game.

The Classy

Hey, what’s up with Ryan Shannon lately? He’s like… scoring. Weird. Shannon now has four goals in his last three games and he came through with some big goals for the Senators last night. Yes the first goal went off  Kyle Cuminskey’s skate, but his second goal was a great shot and came at a critical time in the game. I found Shannon’s positioning excellent all game. He’s finding dead area’s in the offensive zone and is moving his feet well. When he’s on his game, he reminds me of a less (much less) physical Mike Fisher. When he’s not on his game… I don’t notice him. Like Jonathan Cheechoo or Alex Kovalev (wow, two low blows!). For Shannon’s sake (and the Senators), I hope he can continue this kind of play. His improved play has really helped this team since Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson went down with serious injuries.

Non-Classy

The sum of Pascal Leclaire’s rebounds and the Ottawa Senators defencemen (and forwards)’s inability to clear Leclaire’s rebounds makes last night’s Non-Classy mention. I lost track of how many routine shots became high risk rebounds… and three of those rebounds turned into Avalanche goals. To Leclaire’s credit, he didn’t have much chance on those goals, but the defence was suspect to say the least. The Senators defencemen were simply out of position or standing around on each of those three goals. Ryan O’Reilly’s game winning goal was a great example of Jonathan Cheechoo not paying attention. Chris Kelly did a great job to hustle back into the play (and nearly caught Darcy Tucker), but it was the third trailing man (O’Reilly) that Cheechoo needed to pick up. He didn’t and the Sens lost because of it. As far as the Matt Duchene goal, I’m sure it’s one Leclaire would like to have back (on a side note: that was a bullet of a shot from Duchene).

Could-Have-Been-Classier

Maybe this is a small thing I’m giving too much attention to, but did anyone else notice Adam Foote dropping to his knees more often than a Tiger Woods transgressioner? It seemed like his default “defensive positioning” to drop down on his knees to take away shots and passes each time the Senators had decent in-zone pressure. However, in doing so, he was leaving just enough room for the super Senators puck handlers to deke around. Don’t worry Adam, Cheechoo, Shannon, and Kovalev thank you. Call it a late Christmas gift or something, but only Shannon could cash in.

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Up next for the Senators is a game tonight against John Tavares and the New York Islanders. The Islanders are 5-5 in their last 10 games and are coming off a home shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. I’m sure many broadcasters will be all over the fact that a year ago today at Scotiabank Place, Tavares had the huge hat-trick performance against the United States in that epic World Junior Canada/US battle. Prediction: the billing will read “Can Tavares do it again?” or something to that extent. I predict the Senators to win the game with Brian Elliott in goal.

Please note we won’t be providing thought’s from the Islanders/Senators game as our complete and undivided attention will be on the World Junior showdown between Canada and the United States. And as well, we’ll be “recovering” from various pool parties. That said, you can expect a full Winter Classic review on the evening of New Years Day.

Happy New Years Eve, classy readers.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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Ottawa Senators game day predictions (Avalanche/Senators)

December 30th, 2009

Tonight the Ottawa Senators will host one of the Western Conference powerhouse teams, the Colorado Avalanche (who thought you’d reading that prior to this season starting?). The Avalanche are a quick team with young stars like Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly, as well as veteran players like Milan Hedjduk, Wojtek Wolski, and Kyle Quincey. Goaltending for Colorado is one of the main reasons the team has won so many games. Craig Anderson has been one of the best goalies in the the NHL this season.

Meanwhile, the Senators continue to move forward, despite injuries to key players like Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson.  Nick Foligno is expected to return to the line up as the Sens go for their third straight win.

Here’s our predictions - do you agree? Let us know below.

Colorado Avalanche vs Ottawa Senators, 7:30pm, TSN

Burgundy: Colorado- 4, Ottawa- 2; At some point, the Senators injuries are going to catch up with them and I expect that to be the case tonight against the Avalanche. Although the Sens have been getting big goals from unlikely players (Shannon, Neil), their defensive play is suspect. I don’t think they’ll be able to get away with it against Colorado like they did against Montreal. Finally, I believe Anderson will outplay Leclaire.

Champ: Colorado- 4, Ottawa- 3 (SO); Avs are a surprisingly strong team this year and the Sens will have their hands full. Look for Leclaire to have another strong outing.

Fantana: Ottawa- 3, Colorado- 2; Ottawa has been playing strong hockey as of late, and have been led by their role players. Look for this trend to continue against the Avs tonight. Having said that, Colorado are no slouches either, having won 7 of their last 10 games. This will be a fast-skating game but it’s difficult to argue with the Sens Eastern Conference leading 14 home ice wins.

Mantooth: Ottawa- 3, Colorado- 1; First and only meeting of these two teams this season. The Avs are starting a three game road trip here in Ottawa. The Sens are coming off a great comeback win against the Canadiens, without superstars Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza in the lineup. Expect guys like Mike Fisher and Chris Neil to continue to step up in their absence.

Stay classy, Colorado Avalanche.

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Thoughts on last night’s Canadiens-Senators game

December 29th, 2009

Ottawa Senators- 4, Montreal Canadiens- 2

And just like that, the Ottawa Senators have won two straight games without Jason Spezza or Daniel Alfredsson in very unlikely ways: shootouts and timely powerplay goals.

Watching the Canadiens-Senators game on Monday night was like watching two half games. The first game stunk of another terrible Senators performance against the Canadiens and the second game being one of those gritty-team building games. As hard as the Canadiens pushed early on in this game, I kept thinking Pascal Leclaire’s play could steal a win for the Senators and that ended up being the case.

Although Sens fans walk away happy with Ottawa’s comeback win, last night’s game was far from perfect. But hey, at least the powerplay scored, right? Let’s take a closer look with the Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier moments of last night’s Canadiens-Senators game.

The Classy

Without a doubt, the classy for last night’s game goes to Pascal Leclaire. Leclaire was the only reason the score was 2-1 after the first period and the only Senator to play a full 60 minutes. I’m not sure where to start with Leclaire’s performance. He made the saves he needed to make, he made timely saves (the toe save on Kostitsyn just after the Regin goal was huge), and he wasn’t at fault for either of Montreal’s goals. I thought Leclaire’s confidence grew as the game wore on. He was playing way out of his crease, challenging Montreal shooters, even at the side of the net/off angles. This is one of the few games I’ve truly felt Leclaire stole for the Senators this season. He gave his team a chance to win and the Senators, led by Mike Fisher and Chris Neil were able to gain momentum from Leclaire’s amazing effort. Big time kudos, Pascal.

Honourable mention goes to Chris Neil who’s been nothing short of a driving force in Ottawa’s last two wins. Neil carried the same pest presence into this game and contributed big time, assisting on Peter Regin’s goal and eventually scoring the game winner in the third period. Neil’s impact was best felt in front of Jaroslav Halak and caused the Canadiens problems all night. Welcome back, Chris.

Non-Classy

Again, the Non-Classy element of last night’s game (from a Senators perspective) is their defensive play. It’s not just Ottawa’s defencemen, it’s the forwards too. Both of Montreal’s goals came from the slot – somewhere the centerman should be. Both goals looked more like penalty kills as the Senators boxed out four of Montreal’s players but left a man open and alone in the slot. I can’t believe this only burned the Senators twice. They can thank Leclaire for bailing them out as much and as often as he did. It’s worth mentioning last night was one of Filip Kuba’s worst games in recent memory.

And as far as actual Ottawa defencemen go – breaking out continues to be a problem. Watching the Senators run into Montreal’s neutral zone wall time and time again last night was frustrating. I found Chris Campoli’s empty net goal somewhat ironic considering how well it summed up Ottawa’s difficulties breaking out all night. Campoli wasn’t trying to score. He was trying to pass to Neil, but in keeping with the bad breakout passes theme, ended up scoring on the empty net. The puck wasn’t even close to Neil or his stick.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

I think I can confidently say both Senators and Canadiens fans will agree with me here. Between the penalties called and not called, as well as the Mike Fisher disallowed goal at the end of the second period, I think reffing could have been classier. As far Fisher’s non-goal, I’ve never understood why referees don’t go to video replay to ensure the right call is made. The emphasis seems to be on making sure the ref’s don’t look stupid. Given the importance on every call, let’s put the emphasis on getting the right call made. In this case, Kerry Fraser’s gut decision – Neil interfering with Halak – was incorrect. Imagine if Montreal had won 3-2? The NHL needs to stop worrying about hurting referees feelings. Just my take…

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Up next for the Senators is a game on Wednesday at home to Matt Duchene and the Colorado Avalanche. The Senators are going to be in tough against one of the biggest surprise teams of the year. The Avalanche are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and last played on Saturday in a win over the Dallas Stars. Ottawa will need to play strong the whole game (not just the third period) and ensure their forechecking is hard on a slick Avalanche team that moves pucks quickly and well. For many in Ottawa, this will be the first time to get a live look at a potential Calder candidate in Duchene. It should be a treat to watch him and other young stars on the Avalanche roster like Ryan O’Reilly and Kyle Quincey among others.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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