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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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Thoughts on last night’s Senators-Sabres game

December 27th, 2009

Ottawa Senators- 3, Buffalo Sabres- 2, Shootout

The Ottawa Senators shootout win on Saturday night continued their recent dominance over the Buffalo Sabres. Coming into last night’s game, the Senators had won six straight games against the Sabres. Make it seven. Last night’s Senators win was pretty big for a struggling Ottawa club who were missing Jason Spezza and captain Daniel Alfredsson with long term injuries. Earlier on Saturday, the club announced Alfredsson having a separated left shoulder and could be sidelined for up to six weeks.

While the Senators outshot the Sabres 40-22, this wasn’t a runaway game. Sure, the Sabres registered only one shot on goal in the first period, but this wasn’t a pretty performance from the Senators. This was one of those games many would describe as gritty and “blue collared”. The Senators understood that they’d need to get into the tough areas and win one-on-one battles without their top two stars.

Without further delay, here are the Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier moments of last night’s Senators-Sabres game.

The Classy

Last night’s classy player of the game was Chris Neil. Neil made the most of his 16:44 of ice time, proving to be a thorn in the Sabres side and even contributing on the scoreboard (Neil scored the Senators second goal). Neil played the ‘love him on your team, hate him against your team‘ role perfectly while agitating most of the Sabres roster, most notably Adam Mair. This was exactly what Ottawa missed when Neil was out of the line up for most of December. It was nice to see Neil find his groove after running around a little too much in Wednesday’s disastrous loss to Pittsburgh.

Non-Classy

Coming into Saturday night’s game, the Senators hadn’t scored a goal in their last 18 powerplays. You can make it 0-21. To say Ottawa’s powerplay is scoring as much as Tiger Woods is with his wife, Elin Nordegren is probably accurate. In the Senators final powerplay of the game – with three minutes remaining – there seemed to be little urgency or puck pressure. Long gone are the days of the Senators sending a defenseman down for the back door play (a throwback to the Redden or Chara’s hay days). Those plays are all I could think of watching Kovalev handle the puck on the half wall, looking for a pass – not seeing a pass – and ultimately taking a weak shot on the NHL’s hottest goalie Ryan Miller.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

In what seems to be a troubling pattern, the Senators came out very strong in the first period and died off as the game wore on. By the time the Senators got into overtime, it seemed apparent they weren’t trying to win the game, but rather, trying to ‘not lose the game’. A perfect example came off the opening faceoff in overtime. Buffalo won the faceoff and immediately sent both forwards and defenseman Tyler Myers into Ottawa’s zone. Moments later, after finally breaking out of their zone without a turnover (yeah, it took a while), the Senators offensive rush featured Milan Michalek on a 1-on-3. I saw this same sequence happen over and over again during the quick overtime period. It’s not like the Senators were playing for the shootout (the Senators are a miserable 13-26 all time in shootouts prior to Saturday’s game). It can’t be…

An honourable mention for Could-Have-Been-Classier goes to Alex Kovalev. While he registered an assist and scored the winning shootout goal, he was invisible throughout most of the game. In a time where the Senators need him most (I know, it’s becoming as cliche as calling every December game a “must win game”, but still…), he barely showed up. Talking with friends on Twitter, it was agreed he showed some signs of life. While true, he’s got to show much more than that if the Senators hope to survive the next month without Spezza and Alfredsson.

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Up next for the Senators is a game on Monday night against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotibank Place. This game is the first of a five game home stand for the Senators – a critical stretch of the season to distance themselves away other teams trying to sneak into the playoffs. Ottawa’s December slump finds them with only two points more than the 9th place New York Rangers. With their big OT win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens are one point back of the Senators for 6th in the Eastern Conference.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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Thoughts on last night’s Hurricanes-Senators game

December 13th, 2009

Ottawa Senators- 4, Carolina Hurricanes- 2

After a rough road trip and some up-and-down play, the Ottawa Senators find themselves on a 2 game winning streak, thanks to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. Sure, these 2 wins come against teams the Senators should beat, however, there are no guaranteed wins in the NHL and the Senators deserve credit for winning the games they are winning.

Saturday night’s win was a big one for the Senators, as they were able to put some distance between themselves and the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference playoff race (the Canadiens lost to the Thrashers on Saturday night). It’s probably too early in the season to look at games played/games remaining, but for the record, the Canadiens have played 2 more games than Ottawa (Montreal has played 33 games while Ottawa has played 31), yet the Senators hold a 3 point lead in overall standings.

But you probably don’t care about that… you just want to know the Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier moments of last night’s Hurricanes-Senators game. Here they are!

The Classy

This one is kind of a no brainer. The Senators high priced UFA Alex Kovalev delivered his strongest game of the season on Saturday night scoring 3 goals in the victory (including his 400th career goal). It was a welcome sight to all Senators fans, management, and especially owner Eugene Melnyk who recently called out Kovalev (and Jason Spezza among others) for a lack of production. To say this was Kovalev’s best game as a Senator would be an understatement. While he’s the champion of “enigmatic play” (whatever that really means), he was engaged, passionate, and even dove for a puck during a 2nd period powerplay during Saturday’s game. It’s worth noting the line of Kovalev-Mike Fisher-Nick Foligno worked very well for the Senators, particularly in outworking the opposition in offensive corners, winning the one-on-one battles along the boards, and in physical play that lead to offensive chances. I felt Fisher and Foligno did a great job of creating space for Kovalev all night.

An honourable mention goes to Jason Spezza who also played a good game for the Senators. Spezza snapped his goal scoring slump and played with more ‘jam’ than we’ve seen lately. It’s worth noting Spezza had a defensive play that probably saved the game for the Senators when he stuffed a lose puck back under Elliott’s pads. For Spezza and Kovalev, it’s a step in the right direction.

Non-Classy

As expected, the Ottawa Senators played a solid 1st period against a tired road team who’d played the night before, but completely let up in the 2nd period. The 2nd period lacked the execution and intensity the Senators delivered earlier and allowed the Hurricanes back into the game. While the Senators may be able to get away with this on home ice against the league’s worst team, they won’t be able to in most other games. The Senators need to ensure they play a complete 60 minute game or they could easily find themselves chasing leads in the future.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

Often any given team hangs their hopes on their goaltender, whether they want to admit it or not. And although Brian Elliott got the win for the Senators, it never felt as though Elliott himself was confident he could deliver a win, or a save. Sure, goalies are always picked on for this section, but in this case, both Hurricane goals were “would liked to have back” type goals. I’m still unsure how they beat Elliott. On the other hand, Elliott made up for those weak goals by making big stops at key moments. Elliott lacks consistency and it shows by the way his team plays in front of him. While Elliott delivered a win, it didn’t come without its fair share of Could-Have-Been-Classier moments.

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It’s worth noting rookie defenseman Erik Karlsson had one of his stronger games last night, too. He did a great job anchoring the Senators struggling powerplay and seems to have cut down on neutral zone mistakes that have plagued the defensive portion of his game all season. As a whole, the Senators defense seemed to do a better job of playing aggressively in the offensive zone without risking many  2-on-1s or scoring chances going the other way. At times I’ve been critical of the risks the Senators defense has been taking, but I thought last night was well done by them. It helped that the forwards were well positioned, too.

Speaking of forwards, I thought the Senators forwards did a good job controlling the neutral zone all game and showed good, quick speed when attacking. This is what the Senators need to continue doing in order to string off multiple victories.

So there you have it, a Senators win lead by two players shedding the proverbial monkey from their backs. We’ll see if they can keep it going Monday when the Senators face-off against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 3rd Battle of Ontario this season.

Stay classy, monkey shedding Senators.

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Ottawa Senators game day predictions (Sens/Flyers)

December 10th, 2009

On paper, the Philadelphia Flyers are a strong team. A deep set of forwards up front and great defensemen like Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Cobourn, etc… But as it turns out, they have 3 less points than the Ottawa Senators. OK, we all know the Flyers have been slumping recently, but a new coach with a new attitude might be enough to turn them around. They smoked the New York Islanders the other night, a team who’s playing better than the Senators right now.

This game has potential to be an exciting game featuring 2 desperate teams, but then again, sometimes 2 bad teams make for 1 terrible game.

Without further delay, here’s our predictions - do you agree? Let us know below.

Ottawa Senators vs Philadelphia Flyers – 7:00pm EST, TSN2, CSN-PH

Burgundy: Philadelphia- 4, Ottawa- 1; Remember the last time Ottawa played in Philadelphia? It was probably the most boring game of the year. And the Flyers killed the Senators. In order for Ottawa to turn their recent play around, they need to hit rock bottom as a team and I don’t believe that’s happened yet. I look for more terrible defensive reads, more Alex Kovalev shoulder shrugs, more commentators saying “Will this be Jason Spezza’s breakout game?”, and Ottawa’s top line doing the only hard skating.

Champ: Philadelphia- 5, Ottawa- 4 (OT); Brian Elliot finally gets pulled this game after Flyers take 4-0 lead. Mike Brodeur comes in and shuts the door, Sens score 4 goals in 72 seconds but lose in overtime when power flickers and Kuba scores on own net. Ridiculous, probably but given the luck the Sens have had lately everything is possible.

Tambland: Philadelphia- 4, Ottawa- 2; According to recent patterns of behaviour, most of us will be calling for a bounce back game from Ottawa. But according to recent patterns of behaviour, Ottawa is just going to come up short. They’re going to play a spirited game, and hell, Kovalev might even score, but it won’t be enough against a floundering Flyers squad. A squad that also happens to be trying to get out of a funk. Look for a big victory on Saturday though, when the league’s worst team limps into Ottawa!

Fantana: Philadelphia- 4, Ottawa- 3; I think Ottawa will play a good game but Philadelphia are going to be back with a vengence as new coach Peter Laviolette whips them back into shape. Look for Mike Richards to pick up where he left off against the Islanders on Tuesday night and I’m sure Chris Pronger will remind Sens fans why they hate him so much.

Mantooth: Philadelphia- 6, Ottawa- 4; Goaltending is going to take a beating in this game if each teams defense doesn’t step up to the plate! If the Sens can find a way to put the puck on net, and not directly at the goalie, expect to see some points on the board. The Flyers offense was clicking on Tuesday against the Islanders, and expect that to continue.

Baxter: Philadelphia- 4, Ottawa- 2; Emery is out, Boucher is in. Pressure is on for Philly to win at home (following a big win over the Islanders), especially after dropping a few losses under Peter Laviolette. Watch for Kovalev and Spezza to stay asleep.

Stay classy, Philadelphia Flyers.

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Ottawa Senators game day predictions (Sens/Bruins)

November 28th, 2009

Ottawa Senators game day predictions is the newest feature here at Stayclassy.net. We figured this would be a fun thing to do amongst ourselves and because James Gordon at the Ottawa Citizen didn’t ask for our input on their predictions.

Just like the playoffs last year, we’ll have predictions followed by a quick explanation. We’d love to hear you disagree with us and why. (or agree… we like that too).

Ottawa Senators vs Boston Bruins – 7pm EST, CBC, NESN

Burgundy: Boston- 4, Ottawa- 3; Neither the Senators or Bruins have lost too much in their last 10 games (6-3-1 and 6-1-3, respectively), however, the Senators haven’t been good on the road this season. This game features an interesting goalie match-up of Tim Thomas and Brian Elliott – Elliott who’s played solid hockey as of late and Thomas who always plays well against the Senators.

Mantooth: Ottawa- 3, Boston- 2; In the last meeting of these 2 teams, the Bruins came out on top in the shootout. Tonight, I’m calling the Sens turn. The Bruins with a shootout loss yesterday vs. the Devils, Back-to-Back games, and Milan Lucic out with the high ankle sprain give the edge to Ottawa. Now the Sens have issues of their own, with injuries, we will get to see Karlsson back in the lineup tonight, the young gun will be out to prove he deserves to play with the big boys, and Elliot’s confidence has been on the rise with his impressive playing as of late. Expect a great close game tonight!

Tambland: Ottawa- 4, Boston- 1; The return of Mike Fisher coupled with Boston’s loss of Milan Lucic will show the different physical makeups of these teams. Not to mention that both Milan Michalek and Alex Kovalev are due again, so expect some high flying antics from Ottawa.

Baxter: Ottawa- 3, Boston-2; This will the 5th game in the last seven nights for the Sens and the first of a long road trip. They will be running on vapour fumes tonight. Then again, Lucic is out for 4 weeks with a high-ankle sprain. Bruins are coming off a tough 2-1 loss in OT to the Devils. Thomas may sit out again, with a possible broken hand.

Champ: Ottawa- 4, Boston-3 (OT); Was a close matchup last time around, look for Elliott to have another strong outing.

Stay classy Ottawa Senators (and James Gordon!).

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Thought’s on last nights Leafs-Senators game

November 18th, 2009

Ottawa Senators- 3, Toronto Maple Leafs- 2

Well that’s a relief, eh?

All and all, that was a really entertaining game. The hockey was ugly at times, with turnovers abound, but it’s so nice to be entertained watching a Senators game again.

Clearly Mike Fisher has found some sort of secret potion that has turned him into the player we all want him to be. Some of his goals are flukey, but others are shear beauty. And friggin Alex Kovalev; god how I curse your name. You can feather a pass all the way to my boy Fish, but you can’t shoot the puck on your own? I’ve seen you sink pucks into baskets from the other end of the ice. SHOOT the puck!

All in all, an entertaining game. It’s always nice to see them beat the Leafs too. So here it is, the Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier from last night’s game.

The Classy

What can you say about Mike Fisher? Rugged. Devilishly handsome. Baby blue eyes that cut through you like a hot knife through butter. Oh, and he’s a pretty good hockey player too. Whether its a fumbling knucklepuck, or a laser shot to the far corner, Mikey is showing that we could all use a little Carrie Underwood in our lives. He’s clearly the Classy from last night’s game, and Classy in all of our hearts.

Honourable mention should go to Jesse Winchester, Matt Carnker, Chris Neil and Jarkko Ruutu; all of whom made this game more fun to watch then it already was.

Non-Classy

The Non-Classy of this game doesn’t go to Pascal Leclaire. What it does go to is the timing of Phil Kessel’s tying goal. I mean, we were just starting to get really excited. The Sens fans were into it, the Leafs fans were subdued. Maybe we could have held off a little bit longer to let that one in? I know that goal made it a far more entertaining game. But maybe it could have come a minute or two later? Just sayin.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

Poor poor Luke Schenn. That guy just didn’t have anything going for him last night. But he wasn’t what Could-Have-Been-Classier. What Could-Have-Been-Classier was Schenn’s teammates. They have to stop putting that kid into awkward situations that leave him open for big hits. I will say this; it’s incredibly satisfying to watch him fly through the air. You just see his sense of self-entitlement wash away as his body contorts aimlessly after a big Chris Neil hit.

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Next up for the Senators is an actual NHL opponent, in the form of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Senators still have some things to work on after a game like last night, but I will stress this again: if they can at least start to string some wins together, this may finally start to be working out.

They’ve got some real potential to do some damage. It’s just whether they can do it consistently that is the question.

Stay classy, first Battle of Ontario of this season. You are no longer a skirmish.

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Thoughts from last night’s Senators-Flyers game

November 13th, 2009

Philadelphia Flyers-5, Ottawa Senators- 1

One warm spring day in June, as I’m sitting in my living room in a Stanley Cup induced coma of euphoria, I’m going to look back on November 12 and I’m going to laugh. It’s going to be a hearty laugh, and a laugh filled with relief. Pain and suffering from the past will just roll off my shoulders. And that’s the solace I’m taking out of last night’s game.

What do you say about last night’s game? Um, it was awful? All three periods were incredibly boring? Neither team had any life? My HD feed makes those bright orange jerseys a little too bright? Maybe we should have held onto Ray Emery? Ed. note- Tambland has been saying for years that we should have kept Ray Emery.

In essence, this was an awful game for the Senators. So without further introduction, I’m going to attempt to find something Classy, sort through the abundance of Non-Classy, and maybe find hope that someone out there Could-Have-Been-Classier…

The Classy

So, um, yeah.

Trying to find the Classy from this game is like trying to avoid police surveillance in Ottawa when driving a white Hummer. It just doesn’t happen.

But, since I owe the readers something, I thought of one Classy moment: Mike Fisher’s powerplay goal on Ray Emery. Not only did he beat him far side and caught Emery cheating a bit, but he beat him with his back to the goal on a backhanded laser shot. It really was a thing of beauty, and Fisher continues to show that this is going to be a great bounce-back year for him. So well done Fish; you’re the only Classy moment of the night.

Non-Classy

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the Ottawa Senators. Oh, and Alex Kovalev. But we were just thinking about changing the category name to the Kovalev Moment of the Night anyway.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

Holy crap Pascal Leclaire. I thought I kind of put you on notice about those soft goals. I get that they’re going to happen, but they shouldn’t be happening to us first! That’s Martin Gerber Bush League Goaltending. You’ve got to step it up a bit here buddy. I understand there’s a lot of pressure to playing in a Canadian market, and I get that you had the flu, but there was a reason we were so excited only 15 short games ago. You seemed to deflect everything; point shots, criticism, redirections, invitations to the orthodontist. You name it, and you just weren’t having it. Find your mojo Pascal, and do it quick. Brian Elliott is chomping at the bit.

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This is really starting to become a horrible trend. Win one, lose two. Win one, lose three. I can’t really remember what a winning streak felt like. The Senators have better start to get their game figured out, because these November games will mean a lot down the road. Especially in this crammed Olympic year schedule.

Next up is an AFTERNOON game (for those of you with tickets that say 7:00, they’ve moved it to 2:00) against the New York Rangers. The last time these two teams met, we were so full of youthful exuburence and optimism for the future. Even though we lost, we were excited about any number of things, including: Some pugnacity from Mike Fisher at the end of the game, an amazing second period from Pascal “Chuck Norris” Leclaire, the emergence of Matt Carkner as, well, Matt Carkner. There’s good things with this team; they just need to find out how to make it all click again.

Stay classy, Senators games that completely bore me to tears.

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Thoughts on last night’s Lightning-Senators game

November 6th, 2009

Last night’s game was a bit like… well, the other two Tampa Bay Lightning games we’ve seen in the last month, but mixed. The Ottawa Senators didn’t dominate the Lightning 7-1 like they did on October 15th and they weren’t dominated like the 5-2 drubbing from the Bolts last week. And I’m pretty sure Steve Stamkos has scored in all three Sens/Bolts games.

Coming off a four day break since their last game (a 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers), the Senators got off to a bit of a slow start. Getting doubled in shots and taking three penalties in the first period isn’t a great start. The third period was a bit weird too, with two goals called back late in the game (although the Kelly tip was pretty hard to argue). The Senators pulled out a pretty clutch win on a Jason Spezza powerplay goal to earn the two points, pushing their record to 7-4-2. Strangely, I expected a bit more bad blood between these two teams but the game felt  hollow at times, especially with Chris Neil’s huge hit on Victor Hedman.

But anyways, without further delay, here are the Classy, Non-Classy and Could-Have-Been-Classier from last night’s game.

The Classy

Without a doubt, this one goes to star center Jason Spezza. Fresh off his upper body injury which saw him miss two games (Lightning and Thrashers), Spezza returned in a very big way. Setting up the 2nd period Mike Fisher powerplay goal with a great cross-ice saucer pass to Alex Kovalev (who passed it to Fisher) was something only few playmakers in the NHL can do. However, this one-upped by his game winning goal. Spezza’s slapshot from the top of the faceoff circle on the Senators 4-on-3 overtime powerplay was an absolute rocket. Lightning goalie Antero Nittymaki stood no chance on the shot. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s still trying to find the puck. Nice to see Spezza’s first goal this season be such a big one for the team.

An honorable mention goes to the speed of Milan Michalek. As each game goes by, I’m becoming more and more impressed with his speed and hockey smarts. He reads the play so well and always gets himself in the right places on the ice.

The Non-Classy

A few things come to mind here and we’ve discussed this before, but how about the ridiculous NHL schedule? Ottawa Senators fans will go from one or two games per week to one every other night in November and December. The Ottawa Senators have already had three series of three days off or more between games in this young season. What’s up with that? A little consistency never hurt anyone. Just sayin’.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

Zenon Konopka. Yeah, I know – who?? Seriously, this guy makes me laugh. He definitely could have been classier in his post game remarks suggesting Chris Neil should be disciplined for his hit on Victor Hedman. Konopka enlightened his media audience that if he were the NHL commissioner, punishment would be handed out to Neil. Konopka suggested Neil’s hit had bad taste as a result of the devastating OHL hit from last weekend. In the same sentence, Konopka admitted he’d be making significantly more money if he were the commissioner… Classy.

In a response to Konopka’s comments, this is what Chris Neil had to say of his big hit to Hedman:

“I think it was a clean hit; I didn’t leave my feet. Even if I did leave my feet, I probably still wouldn’t of hit him in the head – he’s like 8 feet tall.”

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Next up, the Senators host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. This marks the first time this season the two clubs play each other. It should be noted the Devils are a perfect 7-0 on the road this season.

Stay classy, clutch scoring-big hitting Ottawa Senators.

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The reincarnation of the Ottawa Senators

November 5th, 2009

Ever sat through a movie or a T.V. Show and found yourself wondering if you haven’t already seen it? That is kind of what it was like when I was watching the Ottawa Senators the other day. It is kind of like a movie I’ve already seen.

I simply say this because there are so many players on this team that seem like they have been here before. And when I watch Daniel Alfredsson, I can’t help but think that even he is a little nonchalant about some of the newbies.

Now, I’m not insinuating that the team will suffer the same results as the previous incarnations of the Senators; just that a few of these guys have already been here before. So sit back, relax, and prepare to be awe-struck at my ability to make something out of nothing.

Alex Kovalev = Alexei Yashin

Nevermind the fact that both of these guys are big Russian forwards. It is the play of AK27 that reminds me so much of Yash. You see, even before we signed Kovalev to a 2-year deal, we already had our resident enigma.

Yashin had all the potential to steal a game. He had size, strength, vision and great hands. But he also had the ability to be completely invisible on the ice. We used to jke that if Yashin didn’t do something in the game early, you wouldn’t even see him for the rest of the game. Apparently if Yashin didn’t do something in the playoffs, you wouldn’t even see him the next season. But that is a different topic altogether.

Milan Michalek = Marian Hossa

Isn’t it kind of funny that we’ve come full circle on this. We traded Hossa for Heatley, enjoyed some of his production for a while, and then traded Heatley for Hossa V 2.0.

Michalek’s speed and size reminds me so much of Hossa; particularly as he drives the left side on his way to the front of the net. Like Hossa before him, Michalek is also a huge threat on the PK. All he needs now is a tinted visor and a sketchy contract.

Jonathan Cheechoo = Bill Muckalt

This could change… and not when Cheechoo scores his first goal.

But like Muckalt, Cheechoo was the afterthought in the trade that finally got rid of a disgruntled player. As m,y of us so fondly remember, Muckalt came over with Zdeno Chara and a first round draft pick that became Jason Spezza in exchange for Alexei Yashin. So all things being equal, we may be able to assume that San Jose’s pick will become a superstar.

Peter Regin = Todd White

They both have 5 letters in their last names. Crazy eh.

Pascal Leclaire = Dominik Hasek

I say this for a couple reasons. 1) Pascal is probably the best goaltender this team has had since the Dominator, and 2) They really seem to have similar personalities.

You see, they both seem like really fun loving guys who relish the media spotlight and the attention they get in Ottawa. Neither seems particulary phased by much, and they’re both just a bit quirky Pascal, for instance, has admitted several times that he talks to himself during games.

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So there you have it folks. A clear list that we have already seen these players before. And while I don’t think we have to worry about the same outcomes with any of these guys, it sure is hilarous to talk about the similarities.

Stay classy, old Senator players who have been reincarnated as new Senator players.

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