It was a busy weekend in Sens land so let’s get to it, shall we?
Ottawa beat Boston 2-1 in overtime and then got steamrolled 7-1 by Washington. I’m not sure there’s any lesson to learn here other than the Sens are a mediocre team performing how you’d expect them to be given their talent/coaching.
Nichols indulges in lengthy trade speculation which, while a lot of fun, never asks the questions the organisation really cares about: is player X good in the corners? Will they drop the gloves? Are they a local kid? I’m not sure anything else really matters to Murray these days.
Binghamton played a trio of games starting on Friday when Tobias Lindberg and David Dziurzynski joined the lineup (Travis Ewanyk was scratched and Danny Hobbs dispatched to Evansville). Driedger got the start for the team’s 6-3 win over 5th place Utica. play-by-play:
-Pretty funny to hear the BSens repeat Richardson’s mantra when to comes to Lindberg (the usual, “needs to be more responsible and make safe plays” stuff), given that he hasn’t been a problem in either case this season
–Stortini takes a dumb, offensive-zone penalty
1. Schneider keeps on a 2-on-1 shorthanded and scores shortside (under the arm)
2. Stortini cleans up the garbage off Lindberg‘s shot (you can tell the Swede was looking to bounce the puck off the ‘tender to his teammate)
–Dziurzynski takes essentially the exact same dumb penalty Stortini took above
-Great stick check by Fraser to deflect a pass on the PK
3. With a powerplay on the way after O’Dell was taken down, Lepine scores on a weak shot on a bad angle with no traffic–Utica ‘tender pulled
–Mullen with a giveaway right up the gut, but nothing comes of it
-Great pass by Lindberg to Paul between the circles but he shoots it high and wide
4. The puck bounces in off Kostka‘s skate into his own net
–Fraser jumps a Utica player for no particular reason at the blueline and gets the extra minor
Second
-Utica scores, but the goal is waived off because of a hand-pass
5. O’Dell falls and off the turnover Driedger is beaten from the slot
6. Penny picks the puck out of a scrum along the boards and works the give-and-go with Lepine, jamming the puck in off his own rebound
–Sdao takes a dumb slashing call
-Utica hits the post off a deflection on the PP
–Driedger makes a great stop while on his back
–O’Dell saves a goal as the puck goes through Driedger‘s legs
-Good chance for Lindberg at the top of the circle
–Kostka takes a dumb boarding penalty
-Binghamton’s broadcast was complaining about the penalties, but given the leagues crackdown on dangerous hits/plays they shouldn’t be surprised
7. Greening picks up a loose puck and then off a rebound Flanagan scores
Third
-Fantastic save by Driedger off a wide open Utica forward
8. Kostka floats a shot in from the point on the PP (looked like it deflected off a Utica defenseman)
9. Paul turns it over and Driedger is beaten when the rebound bounces in off Kostka‘s backside
-Driedger with a nice pokecheck in front
–Lindberg sets up Paul in the slot
–Carlisle is very fortunate not to be called as he rams the head of a Utica player into the dasher
–Fraser with a nice shot block
Despite the score Binghamton was fortunate to win this game–they were outshot (badly until the second half of the third), were shorthanded five times (all bad penalties), and scored at a .333 clip (six goals on their first 18 shots)–none of this is sustainable. That said, there good performances for the fans to enjoy (along with the win).
There were no lineup changes on Saturday (including Driedger in net) as they lost to 6th place Rochester 2-1. The play-by-play:
–Fraser takes yet another dumb penalty
1. Sens lose the faceoff and the point shot gets through via a screen
–Robinson follows up with a dumb penalty of his own
2. Kostka is just a touch late to the front of the net allowing the Amerk forward to chip in a centering pass from the corner
–Driedger makes a great save from a shot in the slot with lot’s of traffic
–Kostka with a brutal giveaway, but the Amerks missed the net
-Best offensive pressure of the period for Binghamton was the Linberg-Paul-Schneider line with about three minutes to go
-Nice stop by Driedger off a one-timer
Second
–Driedger makes a great save while his team is on the PP
–Kostka with a good chance at the top of the circle
–Stortini is still inexplicably on the powerplay
–Puempel misses the net from right in front
-Good save by Driedger on a shot from the dot
Third
–Schneider has his shot from the slot blocked
-Great save by Driedger from an Amerk all alone in front
–Stortini with yet another dumb penalty
–Fraser wins a one-on-one defensively
3. Robinson tips in a point-shot from Kostka
–Kostka makes the save with the net empty
Binghamton massively outshot Rochester, but didn’t have that many qualify scoring chances (the better team won on the night).
Finally, on Sunday the same lineup (but with Greenham in net) beat middling Leigh Valley again (they are now 4-1 against the Phantoms) by a 2-1 score. The goals (Leigh Valley yet another broadcast with no overlay for their broadcast):
1.Dziurzynski comes out of the box, creates the turnover, and O’Dell finishes a 2-on-1 with Dzingel
2. Nick Cousins turns Greening into a pylon and uses Fraser as a screen to score
3. Paul bails out Lepine after turning if over in his own end and on the rush Lindberg sets Paul up in the slot who bloops a half shot, half deflection in
The BSens were badly outshot in the game, but goaltending and their top-two lines bailed them out. Overall the team has to be happy with a 2-1 record through the 3-in-3, albeit they were facing the dregs of their conference.
Injury problems to the blueline are impacting the IceMen. On their Friday night 3-2 loss to Indy they only had four defensemen (Strandberg played on the blueline, as indeed he would on Saturday), calling up SPHL veteran Nicholas Kuqali for the re-match (a 3-0 loss to Indy). Bengtsberg started both games. The goals:
Friday
1. Moon steals the puck and passes to Hobbs on the 2-on-1
2. 3-on-2 the Indy player keeps the puck and scores low far-side from the dot
3. A 3-on-2 that turns into a 4-on-3 (Moon lazy on the backcheck) and the defenseman scores from the top of the circle (top-shelf)
4. Hobbs picks up Dunn‘s rebound and uses him as a screen
5. Leveille gets puck watching and leaves his check wide open in the slot
Saturday
1. Deflection in front
2. Dunn (and the forwards of Evansville 2nd unit PP) make a terrible line change leading to a 3-on-2 that Humphries plays terribly allowing the Indy player to walk straight down main street and score top-shelf
3. On the PP Indy scores on a rebound five-hole
The Evansville powerplay drought has hit eight games (0-30) and is no longer simply a cause for concern, but something that’s critically hurting the team’s chances in games.
This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)
eyeonthesens 