Posts Tagged ‘Pascal LeClaire’

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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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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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Marty Turco can actually learn something from Sean Avery

January 7th, 2010

Yeah, I know. I never thought Marty Turco could learn anything from Sean Avery (except fashion tips?), but the NHL is full of surprises.

Last night, the New York Rangers hosted the Dallas Stars at MSG in what was the second game between the Stars and Avery, since exiling him two seasons ago. For whatever reason, Avery hasn’t been as productive this season as he has normally been for the Rangers. In fact, he hasn’t even been as annoying (I believe Flyers thug Dan Carcillo has since taken the title as the NHL’s problem child).

Anyways, the Rangers beat the Stars 5-2 and Avery lead the charge scoring a goal and adding three assists. A 4-point night for Avery who from all accounts was the difference maker in the Rangers win.

Fact: Sean Avery has a lot more skill than he often shows.

Fact: Sean Avery often behaves like an idiot.

Yet following the game, when interviewed about Avery’s 1st star performance, this is what Marty Turco had to say:

“I would have liked to see that delinquent do that for us last year. I didn’t think it was possible, really.”
- Marty Turco on Sean Avery’s 4-point night against the Dallas Stars

Seriously, Marty? I have no issue with one player calling another player out like that. Unless your performance was so bad that it makes Pascal Leclaire seem like a good replacement. (Kidding, Sens fans). Turco’s fall from grace has been well documented over the years (remember he was the 3rd goalie for the 2006 Canadian Olympic team). But for those who didn’t see the game or highlights from the Stars/Rangers game, check this out:

That’s pretty weak goaltending from Turco. Yes, some of the breakdowns were the Stars fault (not just Turco), but I look at the Avery slapshot goal as a save Turco has to make. OK – Avery had one good game but has been invisible for most of the season. Regardless, he stepped up in what was probably a big game for him on a personal level.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Avery, but he backed up his act with a fine performance last night. Turco didn’t. Isn’t that the cardinal rule of trash-talking? As much as it pains me to say this, Turco could learn a thing or two from Avery. And yes, Hell has officially frozen over.

Stay classy, Sean Avery. You actually were more classy than Marty Turco last night.

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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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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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Thoughts on last night’s Senators-Penguins game

December 24th, 2009

Pittsburgh Penguins- 8, Ottawa Senators- 2

Let’s not pull any punches – last night’s game was one of the worst performances from the Ottawa Senators in a long time. I know we said the same about a Sens loss to the Montreal Canadiens earlier this month, but this game was that bad. Last night’s game looked like men against boys and to make matters worse, the Senators lost captain Daniel Alfredsson with a suspected shoulder injury. TSN reported on Wednesday night that Alfredsson is expected to miss “a few weeks” with the injury.

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

The Classy

Nothing. I shouldn’t saying nothing. The first period featured some class. Especially the last 12 or so minutes. The Senators did all the things they needed to do in order to give themselves a chance against one of the NHL’s best teams. They cycled the puck well, they moved their feet, and they drove hard to the net. For most of the first period, Marc-Andre Fleury had to be very good, facing terrific screens and solid Senators net presence. And once the first period buzzer sounded, that was it for the night. (From a Senators-pressure perspective).

Non-Classy

The collapse the Senators displayed between the first and second period was something fierce. The most notable aspect of this collapse was the terrible defensive coverage. For those of you who didn’t catch the game, I can’t tell you how many 2 on 1’s were given up to the Penguins… maybe 8-10. To take this a step further, I’m going to outline which defenceman’s fault each goal was. It was that bad.

Goal 1: Filip Kuba wasn’t paying attention to the back door-cross ice pass to Evgeni Malkin. How was Malkin left wide open like that? It doesn’t make sense to play a tight box against such a star-studded powerplay like Pittsburgh’s.

Goal 2: Bill Guerrin walked out from the corner, took a shot and scored on his own rebound. He literally walked through or around Anton Volchenkov to do this. Why didn’t A-Train body check Guerrin, or at least get in his way?

Goal 3: First Erik Karlsson made a bad read on the 3 on 2, playing the puck and not the pass. He missed and the rush turned into a 2 on 1. Then Kuba does the exact same thing. He didn’t take away the pass like they teach in minor hockey, goes for the shooter and suddenly Ruslan Fedotenko was left with the puck and an open net.

Goal 4: Matt Carkner and Jonathan Cheechoo combined for the world’s worst breakout, ever. The result was a clean turnover (which looked more like a pass) to Guerrin who made a great tip-pass to Chris Kunitz, who’s left wide open as Alexandre Picard was nowhere to be found in the slot. Generally, when your defensive partner is behind the net making a breakout pass, the other defenceman stands in front of their net guarding the slot. Clearly this didn’t happen.

Goal 5: This was a 3 on 1 goal that made Carkner look ridiculous. Ottawa took a chance going for a shorthanded 3 on 2 rush and got burned. I don’t mind the risk – at this point it was 4-1 for the Penguins – but having Mike Fisher on that rush with Kuba and Jarrko Ruutu isn’t the most dangerous looking rush from a Penguins perspective. I wouldn’t take it seriously either.

Goal 6: Chris Phillips chased a Penguin all the way up to the blue line and Chris Neil dropped back for support. So far so good. Then, knowing he’s covering for a defenceman, Chris Neil delivered a soft pass right up the middle of the high slot (another no-no lesson from minor hockey) right on Kunitz’ stick, setting up for a 2 on 1 for Kunitz and Malkin. Of course, Picard being the lone defenceman doesn’t take away the pass hanging Leclaire out to dry.

Goal 7: Sergei Gonchar snuck into the slot and scored on a one timer, right in front of Kuba. No slot coverage at all. Nice.

Goal 8:  Ryan Shannon is the lone Senator playing defence in the offensive zone. Chris Phillips saw this from the half-boards, sends a bad pass to Shannon (that he had to receive on his backhand), setting up for 2 on 0 with Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Result: Malkin hat-trick.

Yes, Pascal Leclaire didn’t look good in his Senators return, but he wasn’t given any help whatsoever. I find it hard to blame Leclaire when the defence played this poorly.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

One area (of many) the Ottawa Senators could have been classier in was discipline. For a team who publicly complained about the lack of powerplays they’d been receiving, they didn’t help themselves last night. The Pittsburgh Penguins scored on 3 of their 8 powerplays… and they have the league’s worst powerplay. I found a lot of the penalties taken were unnecessary – Jonathan Cheechoo’s back-to-back penalties come to mind, especially given the timing of the penalties. The Senators were tied at 1 at that point. Basically, this was a pretty big fail by the Sens. “Penalty-Fail”.

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Luckily for Alfredsson and the Senators, they’ll have a few days off between games. In fact, their next game is on Saturday night in Buffalo against Ryan Miller and the Sabres. I don’t even know what else to say. Hopefully for Senators fans, there’s a much better effort from the club.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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Ottawa Senators game day predictions (Sens/Penguins)

December 23rd, 2009

The Ottawa Senators visit the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Igloo for an evening game on the day of Festivus. For both clubs, its the last game before a brief Christmas break. While there is potential for players to be distracted with a small break looming, I’d say chances are pretty slim.

The Penguins and Senators have each won a game in the season series this year (Pit: 4-1 and Ott: 6-2). The Penguins were riding a 5 game winning streak prior to being the 104th shutout victim of Marty Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils on Monday night. There’s no doubt the Penguins will be looking for a bounce back game tonight.

The Senators, who were also shutout on Monday by the Boston Bruins, are 5-5 in their last 10 games played. For whatever it’s worth, the team hasn’t scored a goal in the last 77 minutes worth of hockey… I’d be surprised if they didn’t come out strong as well.

And if you didn’t already know, the Senators will have a huge boost as both Pascal Leclaire and Chris Neil are expected to return to the line up for tonight’s game.

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

Ottawa Senators vs Pittsburgh Penguins – 7:00pm EST, FS-P, Sportsnet East

Burgundy: Pittsburgh- 4, Ottawa- 2; The Penguins are a much better at home than the Senators are on the road. While Ottawa will get a nice boost with the Leclaire and Neil, Pittsburgh’s high-end offence will prove to be too much for Leclaire who will make a few great saves but let in a soft goal in the 2nd period. Look for Tyler Kennedy, Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal to have strong games for the Penguins, while Jesse Winchester will continue to look strong for the Senators.

Fantana: Ottawa- 4, Pittsburgh- 1; Tonight’s tilt against the Penguins is all about the two players Ottawa is getting back in their lineup. Chris Neil will have a physical impact on the game and will create some space for Ottawa’s offence to work with, while Pascal Leclaire will be fresh and focused in net. Look for Daniel Alfredsson to play a strong game too. I’m predicting he’ll score a couple goals to lead the way.

Mantooth: Ottawa- 3, Pittsburgh- 1; The return of Neil and Leclaire!!!! I don’t have much to say, but when the Penguins can’t score one on Marty Brodeur, we have a chance to take this. The Senators are coming off a disappointing loss to the Bruins isn’t going to hamper them too much. Expect Neil to throw some big hits early in the game to get his team going.

Stay classy, Pittsburgh Penguins. And Happy Festivus to all.

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Ottawa Senators game day predictions (Sabres/Sens)

December 16th, 2009

A win tonight will be a tall order for the Ottawa Senators as they take on the 3rd best team in the Eastern Conference, the Buffalo Sabres. For Buffalo, this is the 3rd and final game of their brief road trip (both games they’ve won… hell, they’ve won their last 4 games) and it’s expected that Ryan Miller will get the start. Patty Lalime never plays well in Ottawa and played last Friday night in Chicago. For Ottawa, Brian “Don’t shoot five-hole” Elliott is expected to make his 14th straight start.

The Buffalo Sabres are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games while the Ottawa Senators are 4-5-1 in their last 10.

As far as injuries go, the Senators will be without Jason Spezza, Pascal Leclaire, and Chris Neil. It’s expected Josh Hennessy, Jesse Winchester, and Chris Kelly will benefit from added responsibilities. No word on who’s ready to shoulder the goaltending load with Leclaire not expected back until next weekend…

Enough of this preamble. Here’s our predictions - do you agree? Let us know below.

Buffalo Sabres vs Ottawa Senators – 7:30pm EST, TSN2, MSG-B

Burgundy: Buffalo- 3, Ottawa- 1; This game will be a low scoring-tight checking affair from both teams. Without Jason Spezza, the Senators will play a much more conservative game, letting off the typical Clouston aggression. Tyler Myers will continue to show everyone he’s worthy of Calder trophy discussions and Ryan Miller will prove why he’s the best goalie in the league. Oh, and Mike Fisher will play well (that’s about the only constant I can bet on for the Senators right now).

Champ: Buffalo- 5, Ottawa- 1; This one could be real ugly… If these injuries keep up the Binghamton Senators will be promoted to the NHL because 3/4 of their normal lineup with be already playing.

Fantana: Buffalo- 4, Ottawa- 1; I think Ottawa will play a strong game, but they’re going to run into the wall known as Ryan Miller. Miller is playing the best hockey of his career and has a 1.88 G.A.A this season. Add that to the fact that Buffalo have won 4 straight and 8 of their last 10 games and I think you’ve got your answer for tonight’s winner.

Mantooth: Buffalo- 4, Ottawa- 1; Brutal injuries to Spezza, Neil, Donovan, and Leclaire are going to be just too much for the Sens. Elliot is looking like he needs a break out of nets, after not doing too much on a few of the goals the other night against Toronto. And the Sens Defence wasn’t much help either. Ryan Miller is going to get the start for the hot Sabres, and will most likely be a wall in there. Expect Kaleta to maintain his hot streak in Ottawa. As for Koastalev… Expect the regular play from him, not so good.

Tambland: Buffalo- 3, Ottawa- 2; Just when you think players might be making progress, they get injured. The loss of Jason Spezza, despite having a so-so season, is going to make Sens fans appreciate him even more. When he’s in the lineup, it is another offensive threat. Without him, the Sens will be a much easier team to shut down.

Stay classy, Buffalo Sabres.

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Thoughts on last night’s Canadiens-Senators game

December 9th, 2009

Montreal Canadiens- 4, Ottawa Senators- 1

Olay, olay, olay olay! Or something like that.

Let’s be clear about one thing. The Montreal Canadiens will not win a Stanley Cup, despite the fact that they’ve now pulled into a playoff spot and have tied Ottawa in points. They will not win a Stanley Cup, despite the sense of entitlement that the organization seems to have in their Centennial Season Version 2.0.

Let’s be clear about one more thing though. The Senators got schooled last night. Well, save for the first period. Until Montreal scored. After that it went downhill.

With that said, here are last night’s Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier moments.

The Classy

Absolutely nothing.

Well, maybe Fisher for the goal and going 18/24 (75%) in faceoffs. Oh, and for being the only Senator to hit anyone.

Alternatively, the third/fourth line of Winchester, Regin and Shannon. I wonder if Cory Clouston ever considered that his most dominant line should somehow get more icetime, given that they’ve earned it with their play.

Also, Daniel Alfredsson is awesome. But that’s a given.

Non-Classy

As much as I hate to quote Jason Portuando (I really do hate it- ask Burgundy), our Defense was like E-fense last night. There was no ‘D’. In all fairness and truthiness, I haven’t seen the Sens defence that bad in a very long time. A very, very long time.

I’ve often spoken about how much fun it is to watch a Senators defenseman pinch into the offensive zone and make a smart play. Well, I guess they forgot about the ’smart’ part of that equation last night. A number of pinches failed miserably, and left the Sens open for what would normally be avoidable 2-on-1’s. On that topic as well, Montreal’s first goal of the night is a classic example why you take the pass, and NEVER the shooter on a 2-on-1. The goalie will take the shot. Frig.

Oh, and another thing. When you’re given that much Powerplay time, score, okay? We’re clear?

Could-Have-Been-Classier

Wayne Gretzky once said that 100% of the shots you don’t take, won’t go in. But that was Gretzky. Practically 100% of the shots he took always went in. The Ottawa Senators=Not Wayne Gretzky.

Ottawa outshot the Canadiens by a considerable margin last night, but it’s not really a good shot if you shoot it at the goalie. Shoot for the holes, you fools.

Also, the Sens won  67% of the offensive faceoffs. However, it was what they did with the puck that Could-Have-Been-Classier. They didn’t get any sustained pressure in the offensive zone (except for Regin-Winchester-Shannon), and they didn’t get enough quality chances from the point.

- -

Well, let’s put that one behind us why don’t we, and look to Thursday’s game. I have a couple requests, however. 1) Chris Neil, can you please return. Honestly, you seem to add just enough life to the team when they’re down. 2) Pascal Leclaire, can you please return. You seem to add just enough life to the team when they’re down. 3) Jason Spezza, can you please return to your form from previous years.

I don’t even care about the next game. It’s against the Flyers in Philly. I’m getting a little tired of this win-one, lose-three philosophy that we’ve adopted.

Get classy Senators.

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