–Craig Anderson has injured his hand (at home making dinner according to Allen Panzeri), so Robin Lehner has been recalled.  Bruce Garrioch reports that the injury required surgery and he could be out from 10 days to 6-8 weeks (10 days to 2 weeks according to Panzeri).  Garrioch hits the panic button looking for a goaltending change, but it’s hard to imagine given the watery thin market and the fact that both Anderson and Lehner are long-term pieces.  I suspect Lehner will be given the ball and the team will stand pat.

–Allen Panzeri wonders about Jim O’Brien‘s future, with Paul MacLean saying, “He’s come up and with the injury to Jesse Winchester we felt there was the need for that person and he was the obvious choice and to this point he’s done a good job. Now what that turns into we’ll find out at the end of the year and into the future. But to this point in time, he’s done a real good job for us.”  O’Brien said, “I’m just going out there and treating every game as a tryout. For me it’s just day-to-day, so I have to keep showing up, working hard, and playing good. Good things usually happen when you do that.”

–Scott Burnside weighs in on Erik Karlsson‘s Norris Trophy chances, “The exact wording suggests the award should go the defenseman who displays the “greatest all-around ability in the position.” Is that Karlsson? Certainly he is a key component of a surprising Ottawa team that looks like a lock to make the playoffs and is now shockingly challenging Boston for the top spot in the Northeast Division. As of this writing, Karlsson’s 60 points put him a whopping 20 points ahead of Brian Campbell of the Florida Panthers in the point race among rearguards. 20 points. Karlsson’s 47 assists have him tied for second among all NHL players, his 52 takeaways lead all defensemen, and he is ninth overall in scoring. When Mike Green was posting back-to-back 70-point seasons (76 and 73, to be exact) for the Washington Capitals, he was a finalist for the Norris but did not win. Could Karlsson be in the same boat? With Nashville’s twin towers Shea Weber and Ryan Suter both enjoying Norris-worthy seasons and Zdeno Chara another strong candidate, Karlsson’s inclusion as a Norris finalist might come down to a battle against stay-at-home defenseman (and fellow All-Star Game participant) Daniel Girardi of the New York Rangers. Talk about yin and yang. While Karlsson is explosive offensively but more prone to mistakes in his own zone (he is still a respectable plus-15, a marked improvement over last season’s minus-30), Girardi leads the NHL in average ice time per game and has been an anchor on a team that leads the Eastern Conference in goals allowed per game and is second in the league in that category. Flashy? Not really, but worthy of Norris Trophy consideration? Definitely. In short, tough times ahead for voters.”

-As expected, with Robin Lehner in Ottawa Brian Stewart has been recalled from Elmira.  Joy Lindsay provides the lines for tonight’s game: Mike Hoffman-Corey Locke-Mike Bartlett, Rob Klinkhammer-Stephane Da Costa-Andre Petersson, David Dziurzynski-Pat Cannone-Jack Downing, Derek Grant-Wacey Hamilton-Francis Lessard;Mark Borowiecki-Eric Gryba, Dan Henningson-Tim Conboy, Patrick Wiercioch-Craig Schira.  Mike McKenna will start.

–The Silver Seven‘s bobbykelly continues his look at prospects with Fredrik Claesson, speculating “If Claesson‘s going to break into Ottawa’s defence corps in the coming seasons, he’s going to have to outplay some other more experienced defensive defencemen in order to do so.”  In context I think bobbykelly means older prospects like Eric Gryba and Mark Borowiecki, which is a reasonable supposition.  Here’s my review of the pick when he was drafted (link), “Ranked as the #27 European skater by Central Scouting, Claesson spent most of the year playing with Zibanejad‘s Djurgarden’s SEL squad (he also played with Sens draft pick Marcus Sorensen, who will play with Skelleftea next year).  He was the youngest blueliner to dress for the team.  Last year he won a silver medal at the under-18 WJC.  The organisation has compared him to Anton Volchenkov, which is high praise indeed, but he’ll return to Sweden for at least another year.  Other rankings: ISS #112 and FC #172.”

–Grant McCagg looks at risers and fallers looking ahead to the 2012 draft, with Radek Faksa, Teuvo Teravainen, Brendan Gaunce, Sebastien Collberg raising and Mikhail Grigorenko, Phil Di Giuseppe, Martin Frk and Malcolm Subban falling.

February 24, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–Milan Michalek reached a career high in goals last night (27) and will have over 30 for the first time in his career if he can stay healthy.  He isn’t on pace to beat his career high in points (66 in 2006-07), but he’s on track to reach his San Jose production numbers (56).  I think the key to his year has been his health and the Sens can only hope he can stay that way for the rest of the season.

–Norm Maciver‘s expansion year records are finally disappearing from the Senator record book.  Erik Karlsson passed his assist total last night (46) and is four points behind his points total (63).  I think the main factor that’s kept Maciver‘s record safe for so long is the era he earned them–92-93 was one of the last seasons before the dead puck era.  When the lockout lifted Wade Redden was on pace to tie it (05-06), but couldn’t stay healthy enough to do it.  Since then none of Ottawa’s blueliners have had the gifts to challenge the number until now.  To provide a little perspective, last year only one NHL blueliner had more than Maciver‘s totals (Lubomir Visnovsky), and only two in each of the three seasons before that.

–Stu Hackel looks at the history of deadline deals and their impact.  He starts with the most well-knownt, the Islanders dealing for Butch Goring from the Kings.  Hackel points out that high end players rarely move at the deadline, which is why there is so much excitement around a potential Rick Nash deal.  For the most part, I think non-playoff teams are the winners this time of year because of how much contending teams over pay for players.

–The Silver Seven‘s bobbykelly continues his look at Ottawa’s top prospects with Derek Grant.  Unlike his Jim O’Brien article (my comments) he’s changed his comparative criteria to the round in which Grant was picked (the fourth) instead of just the next ten picks.  This could be a slightly better way of comparing, but given that Grant was the third-last player picked in the round I’m not sure what it establishes.  For me, as I said in response to his other article, you want to look at the players Ottawa could have selected through to their next selection (Mark Borowiecki).  In that range of 19 picks you have prospects like Gustav Nyqvist (Det), Andrei Loktionov (LA), Kevin Poulin (NYI), Matt Calvert (Clb) and Tomas Kubalik (Clb).  For a detailed look at Grant as a prospect you can go here.  Bobbykelly compares Grant to Erik Condra, which is a reasonable comparison.

–Wacey Hamilton, Josh Godfrey, and Jack Downing were sent down t0 Elmira yesterday (link).  The Jackals won 5-3 last night, Brian Stewart picking up the win and Hamilton and Downing adding assists (Caporusso remains injured).  The trio was then returned to Binghamton.

–Joy Lindsay Tweets Binghamton’s lines at practice: Hoffman-Locke-Bartlett, Klinkhammer-Da Costa-Petersson, Dziurzynski-Cannone-Downing, Grant-Hamilton-Lessard; Borowiecki-Gryba, Henningson-Conboy, Wiercioch-Schira, Raymond-Godfrey.  Robin Lehner is expected to start tomorrow against Norfolk.

–Nathan Perkovich was suspended for three games for his hit on Mark Parrish.

-An update on my list of intriguing European free agents (link) and how they are performing (recent performance is in brackets):
Richard Gynge (AIK, SEL) 48-22-14-36 (12-4-3-7)
Vadim Shipachyov (Severstal, KHL) 47-18-33-51 (8-2-2-4)
Sakari Salminen (KalPa, SM-Liiga) 45-20-18-38 (11-4-4-8)
Simon Moser (Langnau, NLA) 46-16-16-32 (8-1-0-1)
David Wolf (Hamburg, DEL) 39-11-19-30 (9-2-2-4)

February 23, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-Bryan Murray talked about the team’s playoff chances, “If we continue to play the way we are, we’re comparable to many of the good teams in this league. Are we the best team? Obviously, the standings say we’re not at this point. But we’re a competitive hockey team every night when we work hard, and we’re competitive because our back end produces a lot of points for us. This is the way the game is today, I believe. Your forwards get shut down pretty well late in important games, but if you have the back end that can produce plays and points, you have a chance.  I say all that, and we’d like to win in the playoffs. We’d like to be in the playoffs, and we’d like to win. So if something came along that makes us change our mind on a particular person, or a player that’s elsewhere now, we would do that.”

-Murray also talked about trades, saying “If we could get a younger player coming in that could help us now but has a good future going forward, that’s the type of thing I much prefer to do, over trading away a young player for a veteran guy that is unrestricted and you will really have a hard time keeping here.”

–The Hockey News, Sports Illustrated, and TSN have their latest power rankings out, with Ottawa 13th, 15th, and 12th.

–Joy Lindsay Tweets Binghamton’s lines at practice: Hoffman-Locke-Bartlett, Klinkhammer-Da Costa-Petersson, Dziurzynski-Cannone-Downing, Grant-Hamilton-Lessard.

-Elmira won Monday night, with Corey Cowick scoring; Brian Stewart backed up and Louie Caporusso continues to be out with an injury.

-Many of you are familiar with Dwayne Klessel’s (Eklund) site Hockeybuzz.  Years ago I came across it seeking Sens news (I’m apparently one of the few people who did not go to the site because of its rumours), but it didn’t take long to find better sources of information.  Eklund and his site come to mind because Sam Page wrote a piece mocking him recently (referencing Hog‘s classic deconstruction).  I remain amazed at the amount of hostility he generates, as I didn’t think anyone took him seriously anymore.  Regardless, both articles are worth reading (for a chuckle if nothing else).

February 22, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

-No lineup changes are expected today against the Islanders.

–Sergei Gonchar would prefer to stay in Ottawa rather than be traded, “We have good chemistry and it seems like all the guys are getting along very well. It’s not my decision, but I would say, ‘Yes’ (he’d like to stay). When we into this season, nobody really counted on us. They didn’t think we were going to make the playoffs. We were picked No. 15 in the league. Everybody felt this was going to be one of those years and next year would be the year we’d play better. We’ve surprised everybody and we’ve got a real good chance to make the playoffs.”  The days of being the whipping boy earlier this year are clearly forgotten (link).

–Steve Lloyd Tweets that Eugene Melnyk told a Toronto radio station that the team is sticking with their 3-year plan and will continue to get rid of expensive, older players.  Lloyd concludes this means moving someone like Filip Kuba, but I don’t think that’s the only conclusion you can draw–if it’s indicative of anything it’s that Kuba won’t be back next year.

–Bruce Garrioch writes about the poll Hockey Night in Canada conducted about underrated teams (the Sens were tied for third with Florida).

–ESPN‘s power rankings are out with Ottawa 14th.

-Binghamton blew a 2-0 lead to lose 4-2 to Albany.  Mike McKenna made 35 stops in the loss.  Pat Cannone and Mark Borowiecki scored (both had two point nights).  Mike Bartlett was a team worst -2.  Here’s the box score and Joy Lindsay‘s game summary.

-Prospect updates (their position in team scoring is noted in brackets, defence compared to defence; I’ve also indicated if the player’s scoring position has change (with a + for up, – for down, and = for unchanged):
CHL
Mark Stone (RW, Brandon, WHL) 55-38-63-101 (1st=)
Shane Prince (C/LW, Ottawa 67s, OHL) 46-35-40-75 (2nd=)
Stefan Noesen (C/RW, Plymouth, OHL) 52-26-39-65 (1st=)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (RW, Chicoutimi, QMJHL) 39-31-28-59 (3rd-)
Darren Kramer (C/LW, Spokane, WHL) 57-19-16-35 (6th=)
Matt Puempel (LW, Peterborough, OHL) 30-17-16-33 (injured)
Jakub Culek (C/LW, Rimouski, QMJHL) 45-11-18-29 (6th=)
Jordan Fransoo (D, Victoria, WHL) 58-2-14-16 (2nd=)
SEL
Jakob Silfverberg (C/RW, Brynas) 42-19-24-43 (1st=)
Mika Zibanejad (C/RW, Djurgarden) 19-4-5-9 (16th=)
Fredrik Claesson (D, Djurgarden) 42-1-6-7 (5th=)
Allsvenskan
Marcus Sorensen (RW, Boras) 24-7-6-13 (8th-)
NCAA
Ryan Dzingel (C, CCHA-Ohio State) 29-7-16-23 (2nd=)
Max McCormick (LW, CCHA-Ohio State) 23-10-11-21 (t-3rd=)
Michael Sdao (D, ECAC-Princeton) 25-8-9-17 (1st=)
Bryce Aneloski (D, WCHA-Nebraska-Omaha) 32-6-13-19 (1st=)
Chris Wideman (D, CCHA-Miami) 34-1-16-17 (1st=)
Ben Blood (D, WCHA-North Dakota) 31-2-12-14 (2nd=)
Jeff Costello (LW, CCHA-Notre Dame) 22-3-6-9 (11th=)
Brad Peltz (LW, ECAC-Yale) 9-1-0-1 (20th=)

February 20, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–Daniel Alfredsson likes the Sens quiet, late season schedule, “What I like about it is that the other teams have tougher schedules with a lot more games. I would not want to be in a situation where we have to play four more games (down the stretch) vs. four teams having games in hand on us. I like our situation a lot. We get this break and travelling-wise our schedule is pretty good as well. We have a two-game trip to Florida (in March), but everybody looks forward to going there, anyway. We can get the rest we need.”

–Bruce Garrioch confirms the Sens are not in the Rick Nash sweepstakes

-Binghamton hammered Portland last night despite being outshot 38-33.  Robin Lehner picked up the win and Mike Hoffman lead the way with three assists (Mark Parrish scored twice, while Corey Locke, Mike Bartlett, Eric Gryba, and Dan Henningson added singles).  Tim Conboy was a team-best +3.  Here’s the box score and Joy Lindsay‘s game summary.

–Andre Petersson is being booed by Binghamton fans after his disparaging comments about the city were reported.  He’s responded in the right way by addressing it immediately, saying “It was a long interview, first of all. It was in Manchester. We talked occasionally, outside of the locker room. They didn’t know anything about it. I said some really stupid stuff, but I really, really, regret it. I really like the crowd here. I like the team we have, all the guys. It’s fun playing here. It was really stupid. I don’t remember exactly what I said. But as I said, it was a one-hour interview, and we just talked, like a normal conversation. … It probably wasn’t exactly the words I used, either, twisted in some weird way. I’d like to say I’m really, really sorry. I really like the fans here. We have the best fans I’ve played for (in front of) in this league. There’s always a lot of people here. When I realized what was going on [fans booing], I wasn’t that surprised. Everything feels weird, and I’m really sorry for what I’ve done. I just want to play hockey every day and become the best player I can be” (link).  He shouldn’t have said what he said, but he’s reacting the right way and it will be interesting to see if Binghamton fans forgive him or not.  I think the fact that he’s a very talented player could help mend the fences.

-Elmira lost 8-1 last night, with Corey Cowick scoring the only goal and Brian Stewart taking the loss (Louie Caporusso did not play).

–The Silver Seven‘s SwedeTom writes his opinion of Jakob Silfverberg‘s season for Brynas in the SEL, “Jakob had a bit of a slow start att the beginning of the season, partly due to an injury that kept him off ice for a few games but some of us thougth he looked tired from the very beginning of the matches. Then something happened, the team captain and former Ottawa forward Andreas Dackell got a long term injury and Silfverberg was appointed as the new captain. From that moment Silfverberg grew as a player and as a leader. If we look at his stats he´s the scoring leader of his team with 19 goals and 43points total, 3rd in the league but with less games playd than #1 and 2. He averages just above one point a game wich is very good in the SEL. Several experts name him as the best Swedish winger outside of the NHL at the moment. I know that many of you would have wanted for him to not go back to Sweden for this season. Jakob gave an explanation to why he chose to do so in an interwiew recently. ‘It’s a big step to take,’ he said, ‘and I didn’t feel mature enough to take that step. I needed this year to make sure I’m ready for it and now I’m sure. I´m ready.’ To the question if he would return to Sweden next season if he got sent to the AHL he answered, ‘No, my goal is to play in the NHL, if Ottawa thinks I need time in the AHL to reach that goal, thats what I’ll do.’“

February 19, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

–Matt Carkner talks about wanting to be re-signed by the Sens, “I’d love to be back here next year. But again, those are things that aren’t in my hands. All I can do is worry about myself, worry about playing, and right now it’s practising. I’m practising hard and obviously you never know what happens during the year. I’ve always worked hard to get back on the ice and that’s all I have to do.”  There’s a lot to like about Carkner‘s work ethic and his appeal as a “glue” guy, but I have to think his future with Ottawa has declined along with the disappearance of NHL heavy weights.

–Don Brennan writes about Jim O’Brien through Paul MacLean’s eyes, “MacLean says O’Brien has taken his game to another level since he first saw him in training camp, when the former first-rounder struggled with taking direction and paying attention to detail. Where does MacLean see O’Brien settling in? ‘Down the road right now is where he is right now,’ said MacLean. ‘That’s where I would say at this point he’s going to stay, in that third-, fourth-line centre spot, killing penalties. He’s a right-handed centre, he can help us out. He brings a great work ethic to the game and he can get around the game. His mobility is fine and he defends real well. He can provide some offence. We’re not expecting huge numbers from him. Just a player you can put on the ice and you know you’re going to have a good shift.'”  This is a great compliment from MacLean and bad news for the futures of Zenon Konopka and Jesse Winchester.

–Brennan also writes about Guy Ouellette, the Sens “tactical aggressions specialist” who helps players learn how to protect themselves on the ice and become better fighters.  Ouellette was in Binghamton this week as well.

–Wayne Scanlan writes about the long-term drop in the number of powerplays since the lockout and worries the NHL is sliding back into the clutch-and-grab insanity of the pre-lockout world.  Although it isn’t mentioned, this drop is directly related with the drop in goal-scoring over the same period.  As a fan what drives me insane is the inconsistency of the officiating, but I don’t expect the NHL to correct that any time soon.

-Binghamton got hammered last night, with Robin Lehner taking the loss.  Corey Locke had the only goal, while Josh Godfrey, Wacey Hamilton, and Mike Bartlett lead the way at -3.  Here is the box score and Joy Lindsay‘s game summary.

–Joy Tweets that no changes are expected to the B-Sens lineup tonight.

-Elmira lost last night, with Corey Cowick held off the score sheet (neither Brian Stewart nor Louie Caporusso played).

–Hockey’s Future‘s DJ Powers lists prospect Ben Blood as tied for 10th among the top-ranked NCAA blueliners, writing “Blood is having the best year of his collegiate career right now, but a recent incident versus the University of Minnesota on January 14th has somewhat tainted that. The result was Blood being stripped of his assistant captaincy (He did issue an apology for his actions). Nevertheless, Blood is a player with excellent potential for success at the pro level. The Plymouth, MN native has played in all 29 games thus far, posting 14 points (two goals, 12 assists). His 14 points tie a career-best, which was set in his sophomore year two seasons ago. Despite the Minnesota incident, Blood has been a strong leader on North Dakota’s predominantly young blue line this season. One area that has developed quite nicely during Blood‘s collegiate career is his offensive side. He has shown to be an adept puck-handler that can help run the power play as well as set up and finish plays. While it is unlikely that he’ll post big numbers at the next level, Blood has the ability to be a solid offensive contributor from the blue line. Blood was offered a contract by Ottawa at the end of last season, but opted to return to North Dakota to finish out his collegiate career. Barring anything unexpected, the Senators will likely offer him another contract at the end of the season.”  None of Ottawa’s other NCAA blueliners warranted an honourable mention from Powers (Bryce Aneloski, Chris Wideman, or Michael Sdao).  It’s a no-brainer that the Sens will offer Blood a contract at the end of the season.

February 18, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–Don Brennan writes about Kaspers Daugavins who offered a number of comments, “It felt great. Because it gave us a 2-1 lead, first of all. And with my dad here, it’s kind of special. It was his first time watching me play pro here. It was a great feeling.”  Talking about his father, Armands, being along, “He’ll be happy for me. He just enjoys being here and watching NHL hockey. It’s tough waking up every morning at 2:30 in Latvia and watching it on TV. It’s not as nice. Here now you can watch it live and see a lot of great hockey players, not only me. You can see all these players and see real life how it is. He came to watch me over in the (OHL), but he never watched me in Binghamton or here. Finally, cool for him to see it live, pro hockey. He was giving it to me last night in the room, saying ‘Oh I spent all this time flying, you better score.”  And about his play, “Obviously, I try to work hard. Obviously, I know scoring is not my main job, it’s to play good defence and PK, mix in a couple of big blocked shots. It’s nice to score. You still try to play offence, but my priorities are defence.”

–Brennan writes that Jason Spezza should get Hart consideration if he continues to remain among the top scorers, but I think it’s extremely unlikely.  You never hear his name when the great players are discussed and that’s indicative of how those who vote for the trophy consider him.  Darryl Dobbs writes about how Spezza‘s production has increased towards the end of the season the previous three years.

–Pierre LeBrun writes about the trade market, including Ottawa’s plans.  “The Senators have looked around the league and made calls regarding a forward, but the asking price is more often than not one of Ottawa’s top prospects.  And that’s a no-go. ‘I’m not doing that, I can tell you that,’ Sens GM Bryan Murray told ESPN.com Thursday. ‘I’m not looking for a short-term fix.’ The Senators still have their eye on the big picture, which is to continue with their plan of developing a young and talented team. No shortcuts. Still, if a top-six winger with an expiring contract is available without requiring the Sens to give up the farm, Murray will look at it. ‘I’d be OK with a rental if it was the right price,’ said Murray.”  I’m a fan of the patient approach and I’m glad Murray won’t give up any important assets.

–Adam Proteau has an article about potential player buyouts assuming an amnesty in the next collective bargaining agreement.  Here’s his Ottawa piece: “Likeliest buyout: Craig Anderson. If you’d asked the whom-to-amnesty question last year, the easy answer would have been Sergei Gonchar. But the veteran D-man has rebounded with a solid season. And although Anderson has stabilized Ottawa’s net somewhat, his numbers (.910 save percentage, 2.93 goals-against average) are rather ordinary and he’s got a cap hit of more than $3.1 million for three more years. If the team really believes in prospect Robin Lehner, does it make sense to pay Anderson that as a backup/tutor? I say no. Likelihood team buys him out: 2. The Sens don’t have a wealth of goalie prospects on the horizon and backup Alex Auld is an unrestricted free agent this summer. With more than $28 million in projected available cap space next year, owner Eugene Melnyk likely will instruct GM Bryan Murray to stick with what he’s got. ”  I’m not sure what point Proteau is trying to make by bringing up Anderson only to dismiss the possibility.  I don’t like the length of the contract either, but it does serve as a safety valve if Lehner struggles.

–Joy Lindsay provides tonight’s lineup: David Dziurzynski-Corey Locke-Mark Parrish, Rob Klinkhammer-Stephane Da Costa-Jack Downing, Mike Hoffman-Pat Cannone-Andre Petersson, Derek Grant-Wacey Hamilton-Mike Bartlett; Mark Borowiecki-Eric Gryba, Dan Henningson-Tim Conboy, Patrick Wiercioch-Josh Godfrey.

-Elmira won last night, with Corey Cowick picking up two assists and Brian Stewart earning the win (Louie Caporusso did not play).

February 17, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment