-Both The Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch (link) and The Ottawa Citizen‘s Ken Warren (link) talk about the Sens numbers so far this year. Garrioch provides the following list: 1. Second best power play (behind Colorado), 2. Craig Anderson‘s brutal numbers, 3. Fifth in goals scored, 4. Erik Karlsson leads blueliners in assists and is tied with Tampa Bay’s Marc-Andre Bergeron in points, 5. They’ve allowed the most powerplay goals in the league and are the most penalized team in the league. Warren talks more generally about Anderson and the PK, including comments from Paul MacLean, “Our goalie is as good as our team. When our team is good, our goalie is good. When our team isn’t good, it makes it hard for our goalie and our goalie isn’t good. On the nights when we could all be better, he could be better, too.” And “It’s a hard thing to learn and right now, the learning curve is pretty flat. We have good people we’re working with, but they’re playing against good people in a hard league. They’re going to get it. I just can’t tell you when they’re going to get it, but they’re getting better at it. I will tell you that.” Craig Anderson, for once, did not throw the team under the bus saying, “It has to be a collective effort and everybody’s got to be better, starting with me.”
-Garrioch, in another article link, writes about Nick Foligno wanting to step up, “I think they know what to expect of me. I know it’s been a tough couple of years for everybody in the organization with regards to some things that have happened. Now, it’s almost a clean slate. I’m looking forward to showing them the player that I can be and will be. It starts with the start that I’ve had (six points in 13 games) and I need to continue it. But I feel like I’m a guy that can help the team in an offensive category as well as being really reliable defensively.”
-Garrioch writes about Peter Regin‘s injury, who will miss another six weeks, but the center sounds optimistic going forward (link), “I’m pretty happy that it’s only rehab and I can get back to playing. With problems with the same shoulder I thought I might have to go back (for surgery), but the results showed that it wasn’t necessary. I talked to different doctors just to make sure and everybody I spoke to said (surgery) wouldn’t help me much right now. I’m going to give it a couple more weeks to make sure I’m strong enough when I get back. It sounds long, but it’s not that bad, it’s six weeks from now and hopefully I can play the rest of the games after that. I’m happy that I can do my rehab and, hopefully, get back soon.”
-Warren writes about Brendan Shanahan’s explanation for not suspending Wojtek Wolski (link), with Shanahan saying, “Wolski’s not a dirty player, and has no history of being a dirty player. There are collisions that occur on the ice where, unfortunately, one player sees it just prior. On this play here, Wolski has got to get out to this point. You see here, (Marian) Gaborik, the left winger, has to come all the way to Wolski’s point on the right side because Wolski’s not there. [Wolski] ran into Alfredsson trying to get there. We’ve seen enough of these now — and I don’t like these — but seen enough of them where when one player sees [the hit] just prior, he tenses up. And sometimes he even leans in, because he’s bracing for an impact. When both guys see it, it’s two guys tensing up and they bounce off each other and everybody’s fine. It’s really unfortunate here, when one player doesn’t see it and the other guy does. Now, if I felt this was intentional, or if it wasn’t at the last instant, just prior. [If] I might have felt there was any kind of sneakiness or history of these types of offenses for Wolski, he would have been suspended.” So, in essence, it was a reputation non-call.
-For a moment-by-moment look at the Wolski hit, check out Sports Illustrated‘s Stu Hackel’s article (link)
-Rob Brodie has a Q&A with Colin Greening (link) as well as an interview with Nick Foligno (link)
–The Hockey News‘ Ryan Kennedy writes about over and underachievers (link), including Ottawa in the former category, “The Sens have a 102.3 special teams rating, but have been outscored by eight goals through 13 games. Pretty sure we just saw what will be their longest winning streak of the season end against Boston. Bottom line: special teams can’t win the game if you’re being outscored at even strength.” Kennedy is generalising, since teams have had success in that case (Montreal is the most recent example), but it’s unlikely Ottawa will remain in a playoff position if those stats don’t improve.
–Hockey Futures’ John Henkelman takes a look at Ottawa’s depth (link). There’s nothing new here, although Henkelman puts Wacey Hamilton on left wing (instead of center) and includes Roman Wick (who I suppose could come back from Switzerland, but it hardly seems likely)
-The Binghamton Senators lost 3-2 to Albany last night. I did not see the game so I’m reliant on reports about it. For the box score go here link, for Joy Lindsay’s game summary go here link. Mark Borowiecki scored his first professional goal, while veteran Mark Parrish added the other. Mike McKenna took the loss, with his record this season falling to 1-4. Parrish and Jim O’Brien finished -2.
-Joy Lindsay Tweets Kaspars Daugavins is skating with Binghamton this morning
–Robin Lehner has joined the Binghamton horde on Twitter (link)
-For those interesting, Sportsnet‘s Ian Mendes has the story behind why every Senator wears his particular number (link)
eyeonthesens 