Official Ottawa Senators Thread

[hockeyfan1]

From:  http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/44551-Campbell-Senators-caught-between-rebuild-and-playoff-push.html

...with the Feb. 27 trade deadline looming, Murray is a GM who is more betwixt and between than perhaps any other.

That?s kind of a good thing, considering the Senators were viewed by almost everyone as bottom feeders in the Eastern Conference this season, and here we are with roughly two months to go and the Senators are sixth in the conference.
On one hand, they?ve played more games than everyone else and those games will be made up at some point. But on the other, teams such as the Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets and Tampa Bay Lightning have spent the season throwing away their chances of making the playoffs.

So what?s Murray to do? Does he go out and make a trade for an impact player such as impending unrestricted free agent Tuomo Ruutu of the Carolina Hurricanes or does he stick to the rebuild philosophy and hope that?s enough to get his team into the playoffs this season?

... Erik Karlsson was good, but not this good...Daniel Alfredsson was a proud veteran who didn?t want to fade away with mediocre play... Colin Greening, Bobby Butler, Zack Smith and Erik Condra were NHL players, but nobody thought they were going to have this kind of impact.

Murray has made it clear, however, that top prospects such as Mika Zibanejad, Mark Stone, Matt Puempel and Jakob Silfverberg are off limits. ?We have one or two young guys in our system that we might be willing to trade,? he said. ?But there is no way we?re going to be trading that kind of asset.?

The problem for the Senators is they likely won?t know whether they?re in or out of the playoffs until long after the deadline, perhaps even to the last weekend of the season.

..the Senators appear to be on the right path for a long-term rebuild regardless of whether they end up on the north or south side of the Eastern Conference this season.

...they are much better than everyone thought they would be and that their route back to contender status is going to be much less circuitous than first projected.

And Murray knows it doesn?t make a lot of sense to mess with that.

 

[Madferret]

Nashville Predators (32-17-5) at Ottawa Senators (27-22-7)

SPECIAL TEAMS

OTT: PP 17.0%, No. 18; PK 81.3%, No. 21
NSH: PP 21.7%, No. 3; PK 82.1%, No. 17

PREDATORS LINES

    Colin Wilson-David Legwand-Patric Hornqvist
    Sergei Kostitsyn-Mike Fisher-Martin Erat
    Brandon Yip-Nick Spaling-Jordin Tootoo
    Matt Halischuk-Craig Smith-Jerred Smithson

Defence

    Ryan Suter-Shea Weber
    Roman Josi-Kevin Klein
    Francis Bouillon-Ryan Ellis

Goaltenders

    Pekka Rinne
    Anders Lindback

SENATORS LINES

    Milan Michalek-Jason Spezza-Bobby Butler
    Colin Greening Kyle Turris-Daniel Alfredsson
    Nick Foligno-Zenon Konopka-Chris Neil
    Kaspars Daugavins-Zack Smith-Erik Condra

Defence

    Filip Kuba-Erik Karlsson
    Jared Cowen-Sergei Gonchar
    Chris Phillips-Matt Carkner

Goaltenders

    Craig Anderson
    Alex Auld

 

[Sucker Punch]

Auld is starting.  Let's try to lose by two goals or less.

 

[crazyperfectdevil]

Auld is starting.  Let's try to lose by two goals or less.

you never know..nashville might take you guys lightly ..that combined with how much the sens want to win might be more than enough ...also the night off is probably good for anderson..give him a game to regroup

 

[Madferret]

Phillips might have just saved the season

 

[Madferret]

- 3 out of 4 possible points in the past 2 is a little more like it
- Karlsson became the first defenseman to hit 50 pts last night
- Alfie sitting on 19 goals
- Who lets Taylor Hall skate in uncontested in OT?

TB is next up on Tuesday...

 

[Sucker Punch]

- 3 out of 4 possible points in the past 2 is a little more like it

But we also have 1 win in our last 9, and have earned 4 of a possible 18 points through that span.  They need to make a big change, and soon, or we'll be pulling a Toronto and wasting an entire year by finishing 9th.

 

[Madferret]

- 3 out of 4 possible points in the past 2 is a little more like it

But we also have 1 win in our last 9, and have earned 4 of a possible 18 points through that span.  They need to make a big change, and soon, or we'll be pulling a Toronto and wasting an entire year by finishing 9th.

And miraculously we're still in 7th and ahead of said Leafs. I agree with you - we've been sputtering bad but if we finish 9th so be it - we can't have it both ways. What kind of big move are you thinking?

 

[Madferret]

If anything they look like they're getting their legs back a bit at least.

 

[Sucker Punch]

- 3 out of 4 possible points in the past 2 is a little more like it

But we also have 1 win in our last 9, and have earned 4 of a possible 18 points through that span.  They need to make a big change, and soon, or we'll be pulling a Toronto and wasting an entire year by finishing 9th.

And miraculously we're still in 7th and ahead of said Leafs. I agree with you - we've been sputtering bad but if we finish 9th so be it - we can't have it both ways. What kind of big move are you thinking?

I don't mean a trade or anything.  I just meant they have to turn up the good and turn down the suck.  They've had the suck knob cranked all the way up to 10 for a while.

The only thing I want to do at the trade deadline is dump Chris Neil for a pick.  He's terrible at hockey.

 

[Madferret]

- 3 out of 4 possible points in the past 2 is a little more like it

But we also have 1 win in our last 9, and have earned 4 of a possible 18 points through that span.  They need to make a big change, and soon, or we'll be pulling a Toronto and wasting an entire year by finishing 9th.

And miraculously we're still in 7th and ahead of said Leafs. I agree with you - we've been sputtering bad but if we finish 9th so be it - we can't have it both ways. What kind of big move are you thinking?

I don't mean a trade or anything.  I just meant they have to turn up the good and turn down the suck.  They've had the suck knob cranked all the way up to 10 for a while.

The only thing I want to do at the trade deadline is dump Chris Neil for a pick.  He's terrible at hockey.

Mind blown!

 

[Sucker Punch]

Over the last 20 or so games, Chris Neil has really begun to irritate the crap out of me.

All he ever does when he's on the ice is give up the puck.  He fumbles it, he misses passes, he passes to the other team.  I can't figure out why he plays every game (and gets power play time ffs) while Zenon Konopka is a healthy scratch.  At least Konopka wins faceoffs, I can't think of a single thing Neil does better than him.

 

[Madferret]

Over the last 20 or so games, Chris Neil has really begun to irritate the crap out of me.

All he ever does when he's on the ice is give up the puck.  He fumbles it, he misses passes, he passes to the other team.  I can't figure out why he plays every game (and gets power play time ffs) while Zenon Konopka is a healthy scratch.  At least Konopka wins faceoffs, I can't think of a single thing Neil does better than him.

Konopka 3G 2 A
Neil 9G 9A

 

[Sucker Punch]

Granted, but I think that would be a lot closer if Konopka got the ice time with the linemates and the regular PP time that Neil gets.

EDIT: I can't find the tweet now, but someone wrote after the Blues game (I think) that we outchanced the Blues when Neil was on the bench, but when he hit the ice, we got heavily outchanced.  Just confirmed my suspicions that Neil takes everything good and turns it to crap.

EDIT2:
[quote author=@sens_adnan]Neil was outchanced 8-1. When he wasn't on, Sens outchanced Blues 18-5.[/quote]

 

[Madferret]

Granted, but I think that would be a lot closer if Konopka got the ice time with the linemates and the regular PP time that Neil gets.

EDIT: I can't find the tweet now, but someone wrote after the Blues game (I think) that we outchanced the Blues when Neil was on the bench, but when he hit the ice, we got heavily outchanced.  Just confirmed my suspicions that Neil takes everything good and turns it to crap.

EDIT2:
[quote author=@sens_adnan]Neil was outchanced 8-1. When he wasn't on, Sens outchanced Blues 18-5.

[/quote]

Konopka is great in the circle but thats about where it ends. Neil had a bad game against the Blues - but he wasn't the only one. Tell adnan he should be looking a little closer at Gonchar if he wants to rip on someone. 

 

[Sucker Punch]

Oh, Konopka's pretty much useless too, but he does at least win faceoffs, doesn't make as many brutal giveaways, and does it at one third the price.

Gonchar hasn't been very good, but on defense I think Cowen has been struggling the most.  When Kuba and Gonchar were out, he was playing 26+ minutes a night with Karlsson on the top pairing and playing like he belonged there.  Since they came back though, he's gradually gotten worse.  Now he's playing half that time from the third pairing.

We know how good he can be, he's just gotta get his head straight.  He's been consistently making some awful decisions in his own zone over the course of this slump.

 

[Madferret]

Oh, Konopka's pretty much useless too, but he does at least win faceoffs, doesn't make as many brutal giveaways, and does it at one third the price.

Gonchar hasn't been very good, but on defense I think Cowen has been struggling the most.  When Kuba and Gonchar were out, he was playing 26+ minutes a night with Karlsson on the top pairing and playing like he belonged there.  Since they came back though, he's gradually gotten worse.  Now he's playing half that time from the third pairing.

We know how good he can be, he's just gotta get his head straight.  He's been consistently making some awful decisions in his own zone over the course of this slump.

I have zero qualms with what both of them have brought to the table this year - when was the last game you saw anyone messing with Alfie / Spezza / Karlsson / Michalek?

Cowen's play has dropped off a bit but he's still doing his job. I'm sure physically he feels like he has hit a wall - for someone whose career is barely 5 months old he's played a lot of big minute hockey so far this season. Gonchar has been straight up playing like a dog...woof! <Buzz's girlfriend>

 

[Madferret]

Senators doing it for dads
Players hope to get spark out of father-son trip to Florida

OTTAWA - Nine months from his 40th birthday and with an long list of personal accomplishments, Daniel Alfredsson is still like a kid when a particular person is in the stands.

As he did growing up playing minor hockey in Gothenburg, Sweden, he tries to put on a show for his dad.

?You couldn?t tell?? the Senators captain asked with a chuckle after a strong performance in a point-salvaging 4-3 loss Saturday to the Edmonton Oilers before a crowd that included Hasse Alfredsson at Scotiabank Place. ?It?s not always going to happen, but I think everybody wants to show off for their dads, and I don?t think that?s ever going to change. Your old man is your old man. He?s not going to be impressed with too much. You?ve got to make sure you do something extra.?

Alfredsson is like every other player in that sense, which means he and his teammates should have an extra hop in their step for back-to-back games against Tampa and Florida this week. In what has become an annual tradition, they will be accompanied on the trip to the Sunshine State by their dads.

That means they?ll travel, room, eat and spend plenty of quality with the men who very much helped them get to the NHL.

?It?s a great thrill for them and it?s a great thrill for us, with a lot of changes the last few years,? said Alfredsson. ?You meet a lot of different dads, and hang out, mingle and get to know each other better. You kind of expand the whole family in the locker room, to the extended family. It?s something we really look forward to, and something I know the dads are exuberant about.

?I know my dad couldn?t wait for this moment, and going on another trip, even though he?s done a few before.?

There was no such thing as a ?fathers trip? when coach Paul MacLean played, because teams travelled on commercial flights.

?I had a couple of dads sitting beside me going into Winnipeg once, but it wasn?t much,? he joked. ?I think it?s positive. I think any time you spend some time with your dad or mom and show them the situation you?re working in, in your work place, especially the notoriety we get playing in the NHL, a lot of parents are real proud ? dads are real proud that their sons are playing in the NHL.

?They don?t always get to see the daily grind of it, they actually get to see how Groundhog Day-ish it is. It?s the same thing over and over again. It?s not really as pretty as everybody expects it to be. It?s actually a real hard job.?

At this time of year, it?s still a nice break from the cold and snow in Ottawa. But if you think the sun and heat can be a distraction from the job at hand, such has not been the case in recent years.

The Senators are 19-11-2-3 all-time and 12-4 in their last 16 visits to Tampa, where they face off against the Lightning on Tuesday. And they?ve been even better when visiting the Florida Panthers - which they?ll do Wednesday in Sunrise - with a 20-12-1 all time mark, a current four-game winning streak and 15-3 record in their last 18 games.

?I don?t know what the reason for that (success) would be,? said Chris Phillips. ?It's nice to get down there, especially when you?re in the dead of winter here, to relax for a day, and soak up some rays and for a day to be able to forget about hockey, enjoy the time we have down there, the things we have planned. It?s good bonding stuff for the team.?

Said Alfredsson: ?Just to sit on a patio and have lunch or dinner, it gives you energy, no question. I don?t know if it?s the reason we?ve done well there lately, I know we?ve been up and down throughout the years I?ve been here, with success down there, but especially now, with it being the father?s trip as well, it?s going to be an exciting trip for everybody. Hopefully we can put on a good show for the old folks.?

Having only claimed four of a possible 10 points from a five-game homestand, the Senators are 15-11-3 at The Bank. On the road, they?re 13-11-5.

They?ll try to build on the last two outings, from which they?ve snagged three of a possible four points.

As they battle with the Panthers for a playoff spot, MacLean isn?t worried that the Senators will forget the reason they?re down there. Even with the dads on board, it?s still a business trip. A very important one, at that.

?I think at this time of the year, you should be pretty focused on the games at hand, no matter where they play,? he said. ?If you want to play them in the parking lot, they should be ready to play.?

 

[Sucker Punch]

Robin Lehner got screeched in last night.  Here's a pic of him kissing a cod.  You can thank St. John's IceCap Carl Klingberg for the masterful camerawork.

 

[Madferret]

Robin Lehner got screeched in last night.  Here's a pic of him kissing a cod.  You can thank St. John's IceCap Carl Klingberg for the masterful camerawork.

"I'm hunting the cod in front of me"