-Binghamton lost 1-0 in a shootout to Wilkes-Barre last night. It was not the most entertaining tilt of the season, but it had some good moments and the B-Sens could have won the game. The PK was superb, as was Robin Lehner. The powerplay and scoring woes continued despite the line juggling. It was an uncharacteristic off-night for Andre Benoit who was guilty of a number of unforced turnovers. I thought Patrick Wiercioch played a strong game, as did Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad and Petersson scored in the shootout for Bingo. One notable play was when ECHL call-up Bobby Farnham ran Robin Lehner, resulting in Andre Petersson making a leaping check at him. Despite that altercation it was not a particularly physical contest. Corey Cowick lead the team with 6 shots and was inches away from winning the game late.
-Elmira lost 6-3 to Florida, with Cheverie pulled after allowing three goals; Darren Kramer scored his first professional goal, while Dustin Gazley picked up a goal and an assist; Brad Peltz and Jack Downing were held off the score sheet. Danny New did not play (he has been placed on reserve). Here’s the recap.
–Nichols delves into the “Sens for sale” rumour Doug MacLean has happily been talking about and lays out additional information. Everything remains fundamentally vague as MacLean can only back up that the books have been looked at, which Nichols (I think rightly) believes is in connection to his divorce proceedings (as suggested by Scott on Monday). I’ll simply reiterate that Doug MacLean is not a good source for information.
–Mark Spector wrings his hands because he doesn’t think all the NHL clubs are financially viable. (Some) franchise values are decreasing and it’s getting difficult for small markets to compete. I have read and heard these comments frequently from sports journalists over the years and I have innumerable problems with them. Just a few basic points: if the league is meant to be a bastion of free market capitalism then let the weak teams fall. If a market can’t sustain a team, move it to where it works or fold it. That’s in the true spirit of a pure profit motive. If that’s too Darwinian and we believe that a healthy league helps everyone, then the league can easily share revenue between the profitable teams and those which are not. The NHL doesn’t like either of those scenarios–they want their employees (the players) to sacrifice to mitigate their loses. I remain amazed how committed the league has been in floating teams that don’t work in particular markets, but presumably they prefer the short term financial windfall of an expansion franchise rather than the discount price of a team forced to move.
This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)
Leave a comment
No comments yet.
eyeonthesens 
Leave a Reply