Trevor Shackles writes about how the Sens need to spend money now because their window is closing.  His argument goes like this:
1. Craig Anderson‘s age
2. Lack of significant depth
3. The East is weak
4. He doesn’t foresee a better time in the near future

This is interesting stuff, but I only partially agree with the first point:
1. Craig Anderson is a very good goaltender, but there are at least two goaltenders better than he is in the East (Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price), so his talent alone doesn’t really guarantee anything.  I realize the argument is that the talent behind him is much worse, but if we’re talking about a Cup run there’s no evidence that Anderson is able to carry the team very far by himself.
2. Quite a few bloggers harp on the depth of the Sens and it’s a puzzling thing to me (I’ve gone over this before).  The issue for Ottawa is not its lack of depth, but rather the preference of coaches to play guys who are “good in the corners” instead of those who can carry the puck.  As bad as Binghamton has been this season there are a few players who could easily bump the likes of Chris Neil to the pressbox (and beyond) if the organisation had the wit and will, so I don’t see this as a valid point–as long as the GM and coaching staffs can’t see the forest for the trees then the depth is largely irrelevant.
3. The East being weak doesn’t mean the Sens can dominate it; their underlying numbers are atrocious and there’s no forthcoming change from the organisation to optimize what they have
4. I don’t know that right now is going to be the best time for the Sens–I just don’t see this squad (with whatever limited additions it could make via trade) being able to truly challenge for the Cup; my fear is that Murray agrees with Trevor and pulls the trigger on one of his typical abominable deadline deals

The question for Trevor is, does he believe this management group will ever put together a team that wins?  I don’t see it; their philosophy is outdated and until there’s a change at the top I see continuing mediocrity.

The mighty Nichols weighs in on coach Dave Cameron as he’s hit the year-point as head coach.  He makes two particularly salient points:
1. The Sens have a good record under Cameron
2. The underlying numbers are terrible and reminiscent of the Paul MacLean era
He adds the obvious ominous omen of the latter:

teams whose horrendous underlying numbers belied their records and saw precipitous falls in the second half of their seasons

And

Throughout the course of Cameron’s first 27 games, it’s been a Paul MacLean redux where superior players like Chris Wideman, Shane Prince and Patrick Wiercioch were benched at the expense of lesser alternatives

Behind this, and you can see it throughout the organisation, are old school attitudes and approaches which most teams in the league are discarding.  As Hockey Prospectus‘ Craig Smith Tweets:

Other teams yes may follow suit [in taking chances on skilled players]. But unfortunately not the Sens. Such a strange team.

From the outside it seems like nothing will change so long as Bryan Murray is in charge–is Pierre Dorion more savvy?  We really won’t know until (if) he takes the helm as GM.

It turns out Nick Tuzzolino has a broken jaw from his “fight” with McCarron, but with Michael Sdao finally healthy the team isn’t short on defensemen.

Evansville has brought up SPHL goaltender Matt Zenzola from Pensacola as Bengtsberg and Reichard are still out with injuries.

QMHL
Francis Perron (Rouyn-Noranda) 27-24-28-52
Fourth in the league in scoring (third in points-per-game)
Filip Chlapik (Charlottetown) 26-6-17-23
Second on the team in scoring
Tomas Chabot (Saint John) 22-7-13-20
Has been injured the past week or so
Gabriel Gagne (Victoriaville) 4-3-0-3
Remains injured

USHL
Joel Daccord (Muskegon) 8-6-1 2.56 .909
16th in the league in save percentage

NCAA
Colin White (Boston College) 15-8-15-23
Leads his team in scoring as a freshmen
Christian Wolanin (U North Dakota) 15-3-5-8
Third on the team in blueline scoring
Quentin Shore (U Denver) 14-4-2-6
Continues to struggle in his senior year
Kelly Summers (Clarkson U) 15-0-6-6
Second in scoring from the blueline
Robert Baillargeon (Boston U) 15-2-2-4
Continues to struggle in his junior season
Shane Eiserman (New Hampshire) 14-0-5-5
Eighth in scoring among forwards
Miles Gendron (Connecticut) 11-2-2-4
Third on the team in blueline scoring
Chris Leblanc (Merrimack) 12-1-0-1
Fallen off completely

Sweden
Marcus Hogberg (Linkoping) 8-3-3 2.64 .897
Save percentage remains low, but continues to win
Andreas Englund (Djurgardens) 24-1-0-1
Shows no progress with his puck-skills
Filip Ahl (HV71) 12-0-0-0 (HV71 Jr) 17-17-12-29
Crushing Swedish junior
Christian Jaros (Lulea) 3-0-0-0 (Asploven Jr) 20-2-3-5
Continues to be 5th in scoring from the blueline

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 9, 2015
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Ottawa fell 4-1 to the Rangers last night with Patrick Wiercioch in the pressbox so that fans could truly appreciate Jared Cowen in all his majesty.  Michaela Schreiter offers an overview of the game.

The BSens broke their five game losing streak with a solid win over St. John’s.  In terms of the lineup Ryan Penny was added to replace the recalled David Dziurzynski; there was also clarification yesterday that Tobias Lindberg is recovering from a minor injury (I Tweeted it out and corrected my previous post), so in essence every healthy body was in the lineup.  Matt O’Connor got the start and wins in his tenth start of the season.  The play-by-play:
–Stortini opens the game with a lazy interference penalty
–Penny with a goal saving block
1. Harpur loses the battle in front and the puck gets banged in
2. Puempel gets a fantastic pass from Schneider
–Tuzzolino gets hurt in a fight and doesn’t return
-Nice stick-check by Stortini to prevent a scoring chance
–McCormick has an open net but it’s deflected wide by the D
–O’Connor with a nice stop on a 2-on-1
Second
-Nice stop by O’Connor on a slapshot from the top of the circle
–Schneider with a great chance but shoots it high
–Paul takes a dumb boarding penalty
3. Dzingel scores via a tip right in front
Third
4. Dzingel with the steal and finds a wide open McCormick in front
–Kostka with a brutal giveaway in his own zone
–Penny a great chance shorthanded
–Flanagan missed an open net from a bad angle
5. Puempel with the EN

It wasn’t the most entertaining game to watch (other than the third period), but a win is a win and besides the first period they carried most of the play (the PK, despite going 3-3, still looked awful).  Speaking of awful, Harpur continues on that trend, but he didn’t play much.  ECHLer Nick Tuzzolino was hurt early and that helped the team’s defense quite a bit (of the gruesome foursome Fraser, Lepine, and essentially Tuzzolino were all out of the lineup).  O’Connor had his best game since his first this season; Richardson’s forward lines were pretty close to where they should be (given the personnel), so there’s not much to criticize other than they should send Harpur to Evansville and bring up Rutkowski.

Some Evansville updates: assistant coach Johan Lundskog will likely be back with the team around Christmas (in his absence fellow Swede Sebastian Strandberg has been scratched quite often); speaking of Swedes, Christoffer Bengtsberg has nearly recovered from his injury, while the failing Cody Reichard is now on IR himself.

The IceMen lost 6-5 in overtime last night to Quad City, despite leading 5-2 in the third period.  Keegan Asmundsen took the loss (the lines were unchanged from the 7-5 loss on Friday).  The goals:
1. Leveille throws the puck at the net and it bounces in off the D
2. Trebish passes to the wrong team and on the ensuing possession Trebish gets neither the stick nor the man in front who scores
3. Wideman picks up a slash in the neutral zone and on the ensuing PP Asmundsen is beat top-shelf from the point with no traffic in front
4. Guptill scores as he’s wide open in the slot
5. Leveille is credited with tipping in Rutkowski‘s shot (the scoring on this goal is silly–apparently the scorers had no idea who tipped the shot in so credited all three forwards on the tip)
6. Sims buries Rutkowski‘s rebond
7. On the PK Fawcett steals the puck from the last man back and scores on the 2-on-0 with Leveille
8. On the same PP Asmundsen is beaten by a wrist shot from just above the dot
9. Asmundsen goes down early and slides the wrong way as a wrist shot from the point goes in
10. Leveille throws the puck away and Trebish/Humphries can’t control the bodies in front and the puck gets banged in
11. In OT Rumble has his pocket picked and falls, so the third man is wide open in the slot

There was a lot of interference allowed in the game, but it didn’t benefit one team over another.  Guptill seems to have settled in, while Dunn still hasn’t found his rhythm in Evansville.  In terms of the lineup I have no idea why Anthoine is playing (I’d rather see Strandberg), but otherwise the main issues are on defense and given the injuries I’m not sure what else the staff can do (barring a trade).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 7, 2015
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 3 Comments

Ary M breaks down Ottawa’s 4-3 OT win over Chicago (an entertaining game to watch).  After the game the chatter continued about how poorly Murray gambled playing hardball with Mike Hoffman this summer (Travis Yost and Dmitri Filipovic discussed it on their podcast).  Any time you want to figure out how well the organisation assesses talent you just look at how they treated Hoffman and compare it to Jared Cowen or Mark Borowiecki.

This morning the Sens recalled David Dziurzynski; Dizzy had a good start to the season, but is in the midst of his worst slump of the season.

Something I didn’t mention about the Randy Lee interview the other day was brought up on social media and is worth emphasizing (Tweet is from here):

You also have Lee pulling out the “we’re a budget team” when referencing Wikstrand’s probable ~$75K signing bonus. Squeeze is in.

This is pretty ridiculous, although it did remind me of something that happened not long ago: back in the summer of 2011 the Sens signed Lee Sweatt to be a key player on the blueline for Binghamton.  He was given a signing bonus and once that was handed over he promptly retired.  I’ve forgotten the amount he was paid, but I imagine the pain of that mistake has not been forgotten by Murray.

I missed Bob Howard calling for Luke Richardson’s head earlier this week.  He writes:

I don’t think Coach Richardson can teach defense, no one is teaching the goalies and to [too] much thought on toughness, wrong plan.  The players are talented and have been so since Richardson has come to the BSens, but defensively they are no better! Makes no sense. I know many will have my head for saying this, but Luke most go. I like him as a person, but he and the BSens are stuck. Needs to go

This is hardly a radical thought, but it seems it hasn’t occurred to management.

Catching up on player moves: the BSens called up Adirondack’s (ECHL) diminutive center Kyle Flanagan (12-2-8-10).  The 26-year old NCAA grad has played in the AHL before (76-7-22-29), but was essentially invisible in his debut on the fourth line.  The team also retained Darian Dziurzynski (I saw a transaction note earlier in the week that he’d been sent back down, but that was apparently in error), while calling up Evansville’s Ryan Penny (17-3-7-10) and getting Colin Greening back from Ottawa.

Last night Binghamton lined up against division-rival Syracuse (Tampa Bay’s affiliate), a team they’d lost to twice before (both by one-goal margins).  Oddly enough Matt O’Connor has suited up in every game against the Crunch and previously he’d offered his best performances (not saying much, granted), but tonight’s 5-1 loss looked nothing like that.  Richardson scratched Tobias Lindberg again [learned this afternoon that he’s actually injured] and just like every other time he’s done that the team was promptly hammered (17-6 in the three games); Guillaume Lepine also sat, but that was due to injury (this was Mark Fraser‘s first game of his two-game suspension as well).  The play-by-play:
–Harpur opens with a needless penalty
1. McCormick with a brutal turnover at the blueline and Harpur accidentally deflects the puck into his own net
–Kostka gets his pocket picked but Carlisle saves the day
2. Harpur throws the puck to the wrong team and on the subsequent play doesn’t have his check who makes a nice tap-in on a pass from the corner
–O’Connor stops a breakaway
–Robinson takes a dumb elbowing penalty in the offensive zone
Second
Harpur was benched for significant parts of the rest of the game
–Carlisle and then Kostka get turned around but O’Connor holds the fort
–Claesson saves a goal as O’Connor is late going post-to-post
–Dziurzynski takes a pointless penalty poking the goaltender
–Mullen with a great chance in the slot but his shot with a rolling puck misses the net
–O’Connor stops a breakaway
–Ewanyk passes to the wrong team
-Great steal by Schneider that turned into a great chance for Dzingel
–Paradis hits the post on a breakaway
–Paul draws a penalty, but McCormick ends it with a mindless stick infraction
Third
3. O’Connor beat through a screen (PP goal); Schneider out of position to take the man on the point
-Good chance for McCormick in tight
–O’Connor a nice stop on a 3-on-2 rush
4. Harpur‘s first shift of the third with no one pressuring him he throws the puck to the wrong team, loses his check, and a wide open Tambellini scores
5. Puempel finishes off the 2-on-1 (via Dzingel) while teams are 4-on-4
–Puempel takes a dumb tripping penalty in the offensive zone
6. Dzingel deflects the puck into his own net
-Kostka passes to the wrong team, but recovers

I said this last night, but Ben Harpur might be the worst defensemen in the AHL.  While I didn’t think O’Connor let in any particularly bad goals, the guy does need to make a key save now and then.  Binghamton continues to take unnecessary, dumb penalties (particularly in the offensive zone), and were fortunate the refs kept evening up the play.  In essence last night was simply more of the same–bad coaching, bad decisions, and an inevitable result.  What annoys me is that the talent isn’t this bad–they could bat .500 (possibly more if Driedger was back and O’Connor was in Evansville), but that seems impossible with Richardson at the helm.

A couple of notes: Dieude-Fauval is still injured; the game Leveille missed was also due to injury.  Evansville was shutout by Missouri 3-0 in a pretty lifeless performance on Wednesday (Reichard took the loss; a Bryce Aneloski signing for those who remember the former Sens pick).  The goals:
1. Lafranchise (best name in hockey) scores five-hole on a nice tip
2. Reichard is beaten top-shelf short side off a rebound
3. Trebish makes a back-pass to the wrong team and on the 2-on-1 Reichard is deked

Some of you may have wondered how well a 29-year old goaltender starting the season on his couch performs, and Cody Reichard is here to show you.  After two excellent performances initially, he’s gone straight into the tank and was pulled for the second game in a row (this time against Fort Wayne).  The IceMen lost 7-5 despite outshooting their opponent (the only lineup change was Dunn replacing the recalled Penny).  The goals:
1. Reichard gives up a juicy rebound is beat on it
2. A wide open Sims scores in the slot
3. On a delayed penalty call Reichard is beat from the point without traffic in front
4. Dunn makes a blind pass to the front of the net and a wide open Guptill cashes in
5. Reichard is beat five-hole on the PP with no one in front of him
6. Reichard isn’t ready for a shot from must inside the top of the circle
7. Leveille scores backhand on a wraparound (should have been a Rutkowski assist on it, but c’est la vie)
8. On the powerplay Wideman (playing the point) is deked as is Reichard in tight
9. The same PP Leveille scores on his own rebound
10. Again on the PP, having given up a 2-on-1 the last time, Himelson‘s pass hits the leg of its intended receiver and Fort Wayne scores on the ensuing 2-on-1 (Asmundsen now in the net)
11. With the goaltender pulled Zay bangs in a rebound
12. Moon passes to the wrong team resulting in an EN goal

Goaltending, formerly a strength, continues to be the issue for Evansville and they need to stop running Reichard out there as he’s been awful in his last three starts (by my count he’s allowed 8 bad goals over that span).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 5, 2015
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

Given the quiet schedule for the BSens this week I thought I’d try to break down some numbers to see what insight we can glean.  The AHL doesn’t keep advanced stats and I haven’t had the time to attempt anything like true possession numbers.  That said, there are still interesting things we can look at (player usage first and foremost).  Before I get into it all just a brief note: all players are trying their best, so my criticism isn’t about effort or “heart” but simply a matter of performance.

Team stats
Record: 5-12-2 (t-28th) (home 3-5-1, away 2-7-1)
GF: 56 (t-13th, 2.94), GA: 71 (3.73, 30th)
Back-to-back games: 1-6-0
Overall shot differential: -20 (home -14, away -6)
Games with better/worse shot differential (record): 8/11 (2-5-1/3-7-1)
Games outshot by 10 or more (with record): 4 (1-2-1)
Games shooting more by 10+ (with record): 3 (0-2-1)
Games with shots between -4/+4 (with record): 7 (1-6-0)
Games with 3 or fewer goals scored (with record): 12 (1-9-2)
Powerplay (13-69, 18.8%): they’ve scored a PP goal in 10 of 19 games
Penalty kill (69-89, 77.5%): they’ve given up a PP goal in 13 of 19 games
Record in games scoring a PP goal: 4-5-1
Record in games giving up a PP goal: 3-9-1
Powerplay points: Schneider 6, Mullen 5, O’Dell 4, Puempel 4, Greening 3, Stortini 3, Lindberg 2, Paul 2, Dzingel, Kostka, Claesson, Carlisle, Ewanyk
Shorthanded points: McCormick 2, Dziurzynski 2, Mullen 2, Robinson, Claesson, Greening, Schneider

Player notes connected to the above
Significant positive shot differential (+9 or higher): 5 games (2-2-1)
-Dzingel-O’Dell-Lindberg as the first line in 4 of the games
-Paul-Schneider on the second line in all 5 games
-Lindberg played in all of five games
-Harpur was dressed for only two of the games
Significant negative shot differential (-7 or lower): 5 games (1-4-0)
-Harpur played in all the games
-Kostka missed two of the games
-O’Connor/Greenham started four of the games

Special Teams Notes
-Schneider has been on the ice for 10 of Binghamton’s 13 PP goals; Mullen is second at 9 with the next highest players at 6 (Puempel, O’Dell, Dzingel)
-Stortini’s presence on the PP hurts whoever he’s with; the original first-line players didn’t start putting up points with the man-advantage until he was moved to the second unit (which, in turn, went dry)
-as much as I like Claesson, he’s been on the ice for more PP goals against than any other player (16) by a wide margin (the next is Dziurzynski at 10; Kostka is next at 9)
-Mullen has been on the ice for 4 of Binghamton’s 5 shorthanded goals (Dziurzynski is next at 3)

Even Strength Point Leaders (arranged by points-per-game)
Dzingel 13 (0.68)
Lindberg 9 (0.52)
Dziurzynski 9 (0.47)
O’Dell 8 (0.47)
Schneider 8 (0.42)
Puempel 4 (0.40)
Kostka 5 (0.38)
Greening 5 (0.31)
Robinson 3 (0.27)
Mullen 5 (0.26)
McCormick 4 (0.26)
Stortini 4 (0.23)
Paul 4 (0.22)
Claesson 3 (0.15)
Lepine 2 (0.12)
Hobbs 2 (0.11)
Ewanyk 2 (0.10)
Harpur 1 (0.07)
Fraser 1 (0.05)

The Forwards
Key: PPP=powerplay points, SHP=shorthanded points, FM=fighting majors, INJ = injured, SCR = scratched, SUS = suspended
For a team that’s endured few injuries there’s been a lot of tinkering with the lineup, especially to the scoring lines (rearranging who plays with Ewanyk-Hobbs on the fourth line isn’t an important decision).

Cole Schneider 19-9-6-15 PPP 6 SHP 1 PIM 8
The best all around forward in Binghamton, he’s good defensively and offensively and he’s avoided prolonged slumps despite a rotation of linemates.  His performance broken down by the lines:
Paul-Puempel 6-3-2-5
Paul-McCormick 4-2-0-2
O’Dell-Dzingel 3-2-4-6
O’Dell-Greening 3-2-0-2
He has no points in other combinations (covering 3 games, all unique lines)

Ryan Dzingel 19-5-9-14 PPP 1 PIM 4
The player thrives with other offensive players, he’s escaped the ying-yang of Richardson’s doghouse he suffered through last season.  A great possession player who can the carry the puck and lead the play, he’s leads the team in even-strength points.  Here are his splits with teammates:
O’Dell-Lindberg 10-0-4-4
O’Dell-Schneider 3-2-1-3
Paul-Lindberg 2-2-2-4
His other points came via Puempel-McCormick and the weird line of Robinson-Guptill (they are welcome).  It’s a bit odd that he’s slightly less productive with O’Dell than with the other top players, but I think that’s largely a statistical blip as that line dominates possession

Eric O’Dell 17-8-4-12 PPP 4 PIM 31 FM 1 (INJ 2)
Stormed out of the gate with 9 points in his first 11 games and then saw his production vanish for awhile; he was hurt just after things started turning around.  Here’s a look at his splits:
Dzingel-Lindberg 10-6-1-7
Dzingel-Schneider 3-1-2-3
Greening-Schneider 3-0-2-2
The other game featured Schneider and McCormick, but wasn’t productive.  On the whole there’s not much to criticise here, although earlier in the season O’Dell was guilty of taking selfish penalties

David Dziurzynski 19-5-6-11 SHP 2 PIM 37 FM 1
In his sixth season he’s on pace for a career year, although he hasn’t hit the scoresheet in his last four games (so I’d take a wait-and-see approach to that).  He’s spent the entire year on the third line, mostly as a center with a mix of Stortini, McCormick, and Greening.  At this point you know what you get with Dziurzynski and he’s played about as well as he can.  His stats with linemates:
Greening-Stortini 9-3-4-7
McCormick-Stortini 5-1-0-1
The rest of his points came with three different scrambled lines (Robinson was on two of them).  One of the things that’s evident is Stortini drags his production–he needs a more talented player (ala Greening and Robinson) to generate offense (without either of those two players his stat line reads 8-1-1-2, which is pretty bad).  Among forwards he’s been on the ice the most for PP goals against and it’s by a wide margin (Ewanyk and McCormick are next at 6), which is interesting but not enough at this point for me to draw any conclusions

Tobias Lindberg 17-3-8-11 PPP 2 PIM 4 (SCR 2)
A cerebral player with strong puck skills and good speed, he’s naturally fallen into Richardson’s dog house (ala Dzingel last season) and his only way out is to produce since the coach doesn’t value anything else he does.  His start to the season caught the eye of Pierre Dorion, but like Paul he was randomly scratched early in the season and eventually pulled off the first line, bouncing around the lineup (including another scratch) and yet even on Binghamton’s abysmal fourth line still generating offence.  His splits:
O’Dell-Dzingel 10-1-6-7
Dzingel-Paul 2-2-0-2
Paul-McCormick 2-0-0-0
His other two points were in Binghamton’s last game where he nominally played with Ewanyk.  I think his confidence slumped the last few games (his body language wasn’t great), but he pulled himself together in the last game so it doesn’t seem like it took much for him to shake it (unlike poor Paul below)

Colin Greening 16-4-5-9 PPP 3 SHP 1 PIM 20 FM 2
Moved around the lineup (including an abysmal appearance on the first line) and had a six-game pointless slump in the middle of his run with Binghamton; but when put in the right place he was fine; he is what he is, a more productive and important player at this level, but there’s nothing exciting about him.  His splits by center:
Dziurzynski 9-2-3-5
Ewanyk 4-2-2-4
O’Dell 3-0-0-0
It’s worth noting Ewanyk was not involved in any of Greening‘s offense when they were linemates (most of which was generated on special teams).  He’s just been sent back to the AHL and he’ll be a useful addition, but he should on the third line (it’s amazing how much better he makes Dziurzynski)

Matt Puempel 10-4-4-8 PPP 4 PIM 6
He spent a lot of time accomplishing nothing in Ottawa, but has been reasonably productive for Binghamton (he’d be on pace for 60 points if he’d spent the season in the AHL, which would be a career high).  Puempel is a weird player to assess–he’s not particularly good at driving the play (thus his middling points at even strength), but he’s got enough talent and a good enough shot to produce without spending a ton of time in the offensive zone.  He’s guilty of individualistic play at times and his dedication to defense comes and goes.  Most of his games have been with Paul as his center:
Paul 8-3-4-7
Dzingel 2-1-0-1

Zack Stortini 17-3-4-7 PPP 3 PIM 64 FM 2 (SUS 2)
On the surface his numbers are good for a guy whose only talent is punching people in the face (only 2 fights on the season though, despite the gaudy PIM totals), but three of those points are on the PP where he doesn’t belong and 17-2-2-4 for a third-liner isn’t impressive.  He’s played all but one game with Dziurzynski, but just like his appearance on the powerplay he serves as a drag on his production.  A look at his splits:
Greening-Dziurzynski 10-2-2-4
Dziurzynski-McCormick 5-0-1-1
For the longest time he was trotted out on the first powerplay unit and it was painful seeing him lumbering along, unable to take or make a pass (such that his teammates refused to pass him the puck), ineptly huffing and puffing back to defend when the occasion demanded.  He’s just as bad on the second unit, but as that’s less time on the ice its a small improvement.

Max McCormick 15-4-2-6 SHP 2 PIM 57 FM 3
Called up briefly to Ottawa early in the season because he was “good in the corners”; he’s roughly at the same scoring pace he was on last year and while I like him as a player, he doesn’t belong in the top-six (where Richardson has put him 9 in his last 10 games; he’s also spent time on the first powerplay unit); a look at his splits with his primary partners:
Dziurzynski/Stortini 5-1-0-1
Paul/Schneider 4-3-1-4
Paul/Lindberg 2-0-0-0
His other point was with Dziurzynski/Robinson; clearly without Schneider his production would be virtually non-existent.  An aggressive forechecker who can shoot the puck, he isn’t a possession guy and I’d like to see him on the third line where he’s not required to carry an offensive load.

Nick Paul 18-0-6-6 PPP 2 PIM 6 (SCR 1)
After a nice start to the season (9-0-5-5) he was randomly scratched by Richardson and since then he’s completely lost his confidence (9-0-1-1) and continues to look for his first goal; he’s been blessed with fantastic linemates all season (see below), but with limited impact.  He’s being put in situations to blossom but his confidence simply isn’t there; on the plus side, defensively he’s been solid.  His numbers with his most common wingers:
Schneider 11-5-2-7 (pre-scratch 6-3-2-5/post-scrach  5-2-0-2)
Puempel 8-3-4-7 (pre 6-3-2-5/post 2-0-2-2)
McCormick 7-3-1-4
Lindberg 5-2-0-2 (pre 2-2-0-2/post 3-0-0-0)
Dzingel 2-2-2-4
Clearly his post-scratch performance didn’t just put him in a funk, but also hurt some of the players who played with him.

Buddy Robinson 11-2-2-4 SHP 1 PIM 10 (SCR 2)
Coming off back-to-back 30+ point seasons he began the year injured and since returning has been bounced around the lineup, largely held off the third line (where he belongs) because Richardson refuses to move Stortini (who plays the same side); his first four games were spent with different combinations and then he was scratched for a couple of games before Richardson stapled him to the depths of the fourth line; a talented player, it’s amazing that he’s put up any stats at all given his linemates; his splits (I’ve put his centers in since that’s the primary consistency):
Ewanyk: 6-1-1-2
Dziurzynski: 2-0-1-1
Dzingel: 2-0-0-0
Paul: 1-1-0-1
He’s not a first-line player, but putting him on the fourth line makes no sense; it’ll be interesting to see what Richardson does with him

Travis Ewanyk 19-1-2-3 PPP 1 PIM 31 FM 4
A prospect Ottawa was forced to take when they jettisoned Eric Gryba, he’s a player with ECHL-talent known as a pest, but he doesn’t draw penalties, he just takes them; it’s worth noting that none of his points were with his typical linemates, so he basically generates no offense; he gets a lot of PK time and has not impressed

Danny Hobbs 18-1-1-2 PIM 7 FM 1 (INJ 1)
A career ECHLer that Richardson fell in love with last year, he’s played with Ewanyk on the fourth line for all but one game this season and has been exactly what you’d expect–unimpressive.  He does nothing well, with the only “positive” I’ll give him is that he takes far fewer dumb penalties than his usual linemate; he also gets PK time for some reason

Alex Guptill 3-0-1-1 PIM 4
The failed Dallas draft pick is now making a poor impression in Evansville, but he did dress for three games in Binghamton after returning from a pre-season injury, including an inexplicable tour on the second line.  He has a good enough shot for the AHL, but not the hockey sense to make use of it–there’s very little chance he’ll be recalled

Alex Wideman 4-0-0-0 PIM 0
I have no idea why he wasn’t immediately sent down to Evansville, but for four games he raced around accomplishing nothing (two games on the fourth line and two on the third).  His speed serves him well in the ECHL, but he doesn’t have the hands to make use of it at the AHL-level; despite that, Richardson seemed to have some fondness for him so he might return at some point (he’s been better than Guptill in Evansville)

The Blueline
I don’t like plus/minus for obvious reasons, but in the absence of proper advanced stats I’ve included it here and there below

Patrick Mullen 19-1-11-12 PPP 5 SHP 2 PIM 12
Has spent the entire year carrying around the dead weight that is Fraser; he runs the powerplay and outside of Kostka is the only defensemen who can reliably carry the puck; I’d heard a lot of negative things about him from fans before this season, but at least this season his limited defensive foibles are well within the parameters of a guy who has to do all the work on the back end; he leads the blueline in powerplay points, shorthanded points, and in both categories for being on-ice for goals for; he’s also on the most positive PK pairing for the BSens (with his usual partner); a great possession player, he’s one of the few bright lights this season

Michael Kostka 13-1-5-6 PPP 1 PIM 6 (INJ 2)
He’s played all but one game with the hulking Lepine pylon, who owes him part of his paycheque every time they hit the ice together.  He had an oddly slow start (7-0-1-1), but has been productive since and the team suffers without him (-39 shot differential); he hasn’t accomplished much as the quarterback for the second unit powerplay and his on-ice numbers for powerplay goals against (where he usually played with Claesson) aren’t great (third worst on the team)

Mark Fraser 19-0-1-1 PIM 62 FM 5
He’s fast, he’s big, and he likes to hit guys–what’s not to like?  From the organisation’s perspective that’s all that matters and that’s all he can do; he’s a positional nightmare, takes selfish penalties, and can neither shoot nor pass the puck; his reasonable PK stats are a credit to his defensive partner who makes up for his many mistakes (his failings may not be immediately apparent in his fairly bland stat line, but he’s tied with Lepine as the biggest culprit for goals against on the blueline)

Fredrik Claesson 19-2-3-5 PPP 1 SHP 1 PIM 4
Steady Freddy has been the safety value for three different partners and I think under the circumstance he’s performed admirably; here’s a look at his numbers with each partner:
Harpur: 9-1-1-2 -7
Carlisle: 7-1-2-3 +2
Tuzzolino: 3-0-0-0 +1
It’s pretty clear which combination works best and it’s funny to think that Harpur is the only guy Freddy can’t save; weirdly, Claesson hasn’t been good on the PK where he’s been on the ice for almost all PP goals against–this doesn’t seem like a fluke given the disparity with other players (6 more than the next), but it is early in the season so we’ll have to wait and see

Guillaume Lepine 16-0-2-2 PIM 37 FM 4 (INJ 3)
When he has Kostka carrying him you can almost forget he is a middling ECHL-defensemen that Richardson fell in love with last season; in the four games he’s played without his usual partner he’s a minus 6, the team has given up 20 goals with a -40 shot differential; his splits:
Kostka: 12-0-2-2 +5
Harpur: 2-0-0-0 -2
Tuzzolino: 2-0-0-0 -4
He belongs in the ECHL, but if he’s going to play it has to be with a very good defensemen to make up for his shortcomings (he’s tied with Fraser with culpability for goals against on the blueline)

Ben Harpur 14-0-1-1 PIM 8 (SCR 5)
No matter who he plays with he’s consistently bad; he’s had shots on goal in three games this season despite occasionally being trotted out on the powerplay; he doesn’t have sporadically bad games, instead he’s just consistently awful; his splits:
Claesson: 9-0-1-1 -6
Tuzzolino: 2-0-0-0 -1
Lepine: 2-0-0-0 -2
Kostka: 1-0-0-0 even
This is a guy who was being hyped in the summer (Ryan Wagman being a cheerleader among others), although as I said repeatedly at the time he’s not going to thrive in the AHL and he’s shown no sign at all that he can play at this level; time in Evansville continues to make the most sense

Chris Carlisle 12-2-1-3 PPP 1 PIM 2 (SCR 1)
Called up from the ECHL to help move the puck, he’s been dressed as a forward in almost half his games (5); Claesson has been his partner when on defense; interestingly, the BSens lost every single game he played on the blueline, but his underlying numbers are fine and he makes far fewer critical mistakes than Harpur, Lepine, Fraser, or Tuzzolino; as a blueliner:
Claesson: 7-1-1-2 +2
I’m still not sure if he’s a better option than Troy Rutkowski would be here, but at least Richardson recognised that he needed someone to move the puck…if only he’d let him play on the blueline consistently

Nick Tuzzolino 7-0-0-0 PIM 0 (SCR 12)
How does an ECHL tough guy have zero penalty minutes?  He can’t play hockey, so why isn’t he fighting?  This is a guy everyone expected to be in Evansville all season, but inexplicably Luke Richardson likes him (and has praised him this season), despite any discernible talent–the guy is a trainwreck every time he plays–only steady Claesson has been able to float him a little, but otherwise he’s laughably awful and a huge drag on whoever he plays with; the splits:
Claesson: 3-0-0-0 +1
Harpur: 2-0-0-0 -4
Lepine: 2-0-0-0 -2

Goaltenders
Chris Driedger 5-5-0 2.92 .910
You might look at his numbers and think them unremarkable or even bad–he’s 26th in save percentage and 33rd in goals against–but by my count he’s only let in 4 bad goals and has been spectacular in some of the games–the BSens have no reason to complain about the man who has won all their games this season and I’m sure they’d love to have him back from Ottawa

Matt O’Connor 0-7-2 4.22 .863
Talk about not ready for prime time!  There’s no reason, other than pride, why he hasn’t been sent to Evansville to get his head straightened out because there’s no denying he’s been absolutely awful this season–unbelievably bad; by my count he’s let in 11 bad goals and only looked good in his first start of the year; his call-up to Ottawa hasn’t improved anything and there must be a level of panic throughout the Sens org that their “goalie of the future” is struggling this much; all season he’s played small and been deep in the net

Scott Greenham 0-0-0 4.92 .800
Didn’t look great in his only start, but hasn’t had enough time for any impression to be made; he was great in Evansville before his injury

Who works best with who:
Dzingel-O’Dell-Lindberg
Not necessarily the best combination for O’Dell, but the best for the team overall in terms of productivity and puck possession (there are other versions of this line that produce, but then the second line stops producing)
Puempel-Paul-Schneider
There’s no real alternative to Paul at center for this line given the above, so while it’s not perfect, it’s a good enough to require an answer from opposing teams
McCormick-Dziurzynski-Robinson
While Greening stirs the drink for Dziuryznski, I don’t like McCormick on the fourth line (Richardson wouldn’t put him there anyway) so this combination seems best–good speed, size, and while they may not score a ton they’d be good defensively
Greening-Penny-Flanagan
I had to change this with the roster news from last night/this morning (Kyle Flanagan and Ryan Penny coming up from the ECHL); all the above players are left-handed shots and can play center, so where they go is guesswork; I’m aware that Richardson would never scratch Stortini, and until I see the two ECHL players play at this level I’m guessing at what they can do, but they can’t be any worse than the usual players that have lined up here
The Blueline:
Mullen-Fraser
It seems like this is something we’re stuck with since Fraser is here to stay and he needs to be insulated
Kostka-Lepine
Before looking at the numbers I would have put Claesson with Kostka here, but they’ve struggled so much as a pairing on the PK I’m reluctant to go there; Lepine isn’t a good player, but he needs someone like Kostka to protect him
Claesson-Carlisle
This makes a lot of sense as it takes the pressure of Freddy to carry the puck and allows Carlisle to play the way he needs too; there’s simply no room for Harpur and Tuzzolino, neither of whom have AHL-talent

One of the interesting things in going over all this is to see that, at times, Richardson has partially composed his lineup correctly, but he plays favourites and has multiple blindspots (positive and negative) which means we’ve been denied anything close to the best roster possible.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 4, 2015
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

This started as a short and sweet post and then Randy Lee opened his mouth so we’re going long-form (for me).  Usual stuff to start:

Ross A‘s recap of the Sens 4-2 loss to the Flyers made me laugh when he put Dave Cameron in the “poor decisions” department–it’s true, but I think Ross could put Cameron in that category most games.  Of note were that both Milan Michalek (long-term) and Mika Zibanejad (we don’t know) were injured in the game–this means Colin Greening will play his first NHL game of the season with the Sens planning to play seven defensemen.

Nichols worries that Craig Anderson is playing too much; undoubtedly Dave Cameron is reluctant to play Chris Driedger (he’s shown reluctance to play young players).  Anderson‘s current pace seems unsustainable and if it continues I’d expect him to start breaking down.

Travis Yost made a comment that’s so spot on it has to be repeated:

Reality is younger players get no rope if they are trying to leapfrog a veteran. Veteran will get hundreds of games despite being bad for no reason other than ‘he used to be our guy’ and a bunch of other random explainers attempted to deflect poor performance.

I think in certain circumstances we could throw in first-round picks into this equation as well; it also ties in with Randy Lee’s blithering below.

Ross A debunks the idea that it’s okay for the Sens give up a ton of shots because those shots are coming via poor areas.  This dovetails into the mantra from the stats community that Ottawa is benefiting from unsustainable goaltending.

I was catching up on Ian Mendes’ show “Advanced Chats” and I enjoyed Callum Fraser‘s appearance (it’s well worth listening too).

If you ever wonder how clueless the Sens can be Randy Lee is here to make that clear:

We have a pretty gritty team – which we really like, our grit factor down there.

So he likes a team that’s sitting near the bottom of the AHL and deserves to be there.  To translate, “gritty” means undisciplined and lacking talent–congrats Randy!  Like most of the Sens org (including the Binghamton coaching staff), I think Lee is stuck in the past–wistfully remembering the days when big, lumbering players would crash into each other (it’s not that long ago that Bryan Murray signed Matt Kassian to a one-way deal–hell, he traded for the guy).  One of the things that irks me a lot in conjunction with this is that Lee, like the rest of the organisation, talks about accountability, and yet when the team struggles it’s never the leadership or the coaches fault–instead younger players are the problem.  In that spirit Lee singles out the two best young prospects on the team (further below):

Some of our younger guys are having a difficult (time) transitioning, but definitely, the record is not where we thought it would be and we’re going to work our way out of it. And we’re going to challenge our guys to be better. We like the group. We like the team. You ask anybody on that team, they like the players on that team. We have a really good coaching staff. These guys care about these players. I think (the players) don’t know how good they have it down there with those coaches.

This is so laughably wrong that it’s difficult to accept Lee believes it, although he clearly does.  This suggests he doesn’t believe Richardson is at all responsible for this mess, which goes back to that lack of accountability.  I’ve pointed out numerous times basic errors made by the coaching staff (player usage, lack of player accountability especially when it comes to penalties, inability to recognize who is and isn’t performing, etc), but these are apparently above the heads of those in charge.  Back to Lee:

We have good leadership down there and we’re very happy with our grunt guys like our Max McCormicks and these types of guys and our Mark Frasers. We have a good group down there. Patrick Mullen and (Michael) Kostka, (Eric) O’Dell and (Zack) Stortini, but we need younger guys like Tobias Lindberg, Nick Paul and a few other guys to really step up their game and show us who they are because we know what type of game they can play. So these guys have to step up and we’re going to support them. We’re not calling them out. We’re just telling them that they have to be better on a daily basis.

Anyone who has watched Binghamton this year knows Fraser has been awful–playing with Mullen helps him out a great deal, but he’s essentially a much less talented version of Mark Borowiecki.  As readers know I’m not a fan of Stortini either, but the guy is what he is–it’s Richardson fault for playing him too much.  I have no idea why Lee decided to point the finger at Paul and Lindberg specifically when it’s wunderkind Matt O’Connor who keeps shitting the bed.  While Paul is struggling with his confidence, he’s a 20-year old kid who needs time and the right linemates to succeed; he’s been fine defensively despite the offensive slump so there’s no cause for concern.  Lindberg, because he’s not physical, has been jerked around for basically no reason–the fact that he’s still producing is remarkable given all he’s had to put up with (scratched twice, 8 different linemates, six different line combinations, in and out of the powerplay, etc).  We all know that plus/minus is irrelevant, but the Sens think it matters and Lindberg is second on the team at +5, yet they give him no credit for it.  The kid has to live up to a different standard than the rest of his teammates and that just reflects how bad the coaching is.  Let’s throw a little stats into the equation to show how Lindberg impacts the team:
Team shot differential with Lindberg-O’Dell-Dzingel as a line (10 games): +36 (3.6 per)
The same without that combination (9): -56 (6.22)
Games with Lindberg scratched (2): -27 (13.5)
Other games with Lindberg (7): -29 (4.14)
Dzingel with/without: 10-3-6-9 / 9-2-3-5

For those who don’t watch Binghamton play it’s important to realise just how poorly the team has been constructed.  They are a terrible possession team with a laughable defensecorps and terrible goaltending.  To break it down as briefly as possible there are 3 blueliners who can make a pass (Mullen, Kostka, and Claesson), with the former two the only ones able to really carry the puck (Carlisle fits both categories, but Richardson plays him as a forward most of the time ’cause he’s not good in da corners).  The forward group is desperately thin, populated with dump-and-chase guys with limited offensive potential, so the only players who drive possession for the team are the aforementioned rookies (especially Lindberg), along with Dzingel (who was jerked around last year), O’Dell to a lesser extent (he’s more of a shooter), and Schneider.  That’s it.  Puempel is a shooter who needs someone to do the work for him.  This is the state of things so Lee’s obliviousness blows my mind.

Back to Nichols (whose transcript I’m quoting): he makes excellent points about Lee’s (and the organisation’s) misreading of the Mikael Wikstrand situation–completely spot on and I recommend reading the full text (it’s long) about it.

Other BSen notes: Mark Fraser was suspended two games for his boarding penalty against Albany on the 27th.  In another roster related move, Michael Kostka was returned from Ottawa (not having suited up) and Darian Dziurzynski was sent back to the ECHL.

In their final of back-to-back-to-back games against Alaska, they won 5-3 despite being badly out shot again (44-26).  Keegan Asmundsen won his first game with the IceMen.  A look at the goals:
1. Without a shot in the first six minutes of the game, Alaska’s goaltender gives up a juicy rebound and Guptill bangs in the rebound
2. Asmundsen can’t keep his foot against the post and a weak backhand beats him short side
3. Alaska passes to Sims and Guptill scores off a one-timer on the PP
4. The same PP Guptill scores with a wrist shot from the top of the circle that deflects in off a defenseman
5. Less than a minute later MacDonald is sprung on a breakaway and scores high backhand
6. Humphries takes a dumb crosschecking penalty and on the PP Asmundsen is beaten five-hole from the point
7. On a bad line change Rutkowski crashes into two forwards which let’s the Alaska player go in on Asmundsen who is beat on the rebound
8. Fawcett hits the empty net from well inside his own zone

Dunn was a healthy scratch yet again (Leveille sat for the first time this year–I’m not sure if he’s hurt or not).  In terms of shot differential the IceMen were -56 through the three games and are extremely fortunate to have won two of them.  The hat-trick for Guptill marks his first goals in the ECHL (before this game he was 8-0-1-1).  I haven’t been a huge fan of Sims, but he played well against the Aces.

QMHL
Francis Perron (Rouyn-Noranda) 24-22-25-47
He’s 3rd in league scoring, 2nd in points-per-game, and well ahead of his teammates in productivity
Filip Chlapik (Charlottetown) 24-6-16-22
He’s 64th in league scoring and 2nd on his team
Tomas Chabot (Saint John) 22-7-13-20
11th in scoring among defensemen (6th in points-per-game), he’s well ahead of his blueline teammates in production
Gabriel Gagne (Victoriaville) 4-3-0-3
Has barely played due to injury

USHL
Joel Daccord (Muskegon) 8-6-0 2.32 .916
He’s 9th in league save percentage, 8th in GAA

NCAA
Colin White (Boston College) 13-7-14-21
He’s 6th in collegiate scoring (7th in points-per-game), and leads his talented squad in scoring
Christian Wolanin (U North Dakota) 14-3-5-8
Tied with many players for 32nd in blueline scoring; he’s tied for second on his team behind undrafted junior Troy Stecher
Quentin Shore (U Denver) 12-4-2-6
Not a great senior year for the forward who sits 8th in team scoring
Kelly Summers (Clarkson U) 13-0-6-6
Sits 2nd in team scoring from the blueline, just a point behind Detroit draft pick (and junior) James De Haas
Robert Baillargeon (Boston U) 14-2-2-4
Pretty abysmal season for the junior forward; he’s tied for 11th in team scoring
Shane Eiserman (New Hampshire) 12-0-4-4
11th in team scoring
Miles Gendron (Connecticut) 9-2-1-3
3rd in scoring from the blueline
Chris Leblanc (Merrimack) 10-1-0-1
Pretty much fallen off the charts this season; tied for 18th in scoring

Sweden
Marcus Hogberg (Linkoping) 7-3-3 2.63 .897
He’s been outplayed by veteran David Rautio this season and his numbers aren’t great (13th in save percentage and GAA)
Andreas Englund (Djurgardens) 22-1-0-1
His career SHL totals are 73-3-3-6, but he’s good in the corners so keep an eye on him….
Filip Ahl (HV71) 12-0-0-0 (HV71 Jr) 14-14-11-25
Not ready for prime time in the SHL yet, but his junior numbers are ridiculous
Christian Jaros (Lulea) 3-0-0-0 (Asploven Jr) 17-1-3-4
Bueliner is 5th in scoring on the team, but does lead them in PIMs

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

December 2, 2015
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

I watched the beginning of Ottawa’s 4-3 loss to Arizona–Ross A provides the blow-by-blow.  Having watched a ton of AHL (and ECHL) games this year it’s much more striking how structured and crisp even mediocre NHL teams are in comparison.  Patrick Wiercioch was a healthy scratch because reasons–maybe Cameron has a crush on the man-bun?  As was said today (different context but it applies), who knows with this org?

With Evansville in Alaska the shorthanded BSens signed Darian Dziurzynski (David‘s younger brother) to a PTO.  Darian was a 5th-round pick by Arizona back in 2011, but was released by the team when his ELC expired and wasn’t able to make an AHL roster this fall–he’s been plying his trade in the ECHL, having been traded by Tulsa to Greenville already (16-3-7-10; his career AHL stats 181-26-17-43).  He’s basically a warm body so I don’t think there’s a need to deep-dive on his abilities, but he’s essentially a less talented version of his older brother.

Coming off the team’s worst loss not just of the season but in franchise history, Richardson jumbled the lines, putting talented Tobias Lindberg on the fourth line (for those who haven’t figured it out, Richardson isn’t a fan of the Swede–I thought Tyler Ray had a great line comparing him to the way Mike Hoffman was treated), lining up the younger Dziurzynski with his brother, and pushing Schneider to the second line and elevating McCormick to the first and Robinson to the second–this is all extremely random.  Inexplicably the same D-combinations were kept, although in-game Richardson finally changed things up as the expected disaster unfolded (Carlisle wound up playing almost exclusively as a defensemen).  The play-by-play:
-great chance for Dzingel on the doorstep off a nice turnover by McCormick
-Paul with a nice chance at the top of the circle via Schneider
–A rush for the fourth line is ended by Lepine deciding to have a pointless fight behind the play
–Darian was hit in the face with a puck so Lindberg took his spot while repairs were going on (he missed about ten minutes of game action)
-Great chance for Puempel in close
1. Tuzzolino is deked out of the play and Paul can’t catch his check off a bad line change; Greenham is beat up high
-BSens took a penalty on the next shift with a pointless interference call via Harpur
2. Greenham is beat up high on a point shot (on the PP)
–McCormick takes a dumb holding call while on the PP
3. Off the ensuing faceoff (scrambled) neither Lindberg nor Harpur are able to block the shot from just above the hashmarks
–Lindberg turns it over leading to a 2-on-1 which is foiled by Carlisle
Second
4. Dziurzynski passes to the wrong team and Greenham is beaten by a howitzer
–Mullen with a great shot block in front
–McCormick picks up a dumb penalty in a shoving match
5. Sens give up a 2-on-1 and Lepine takes neither the shot nor the pass and Rochester bangs in the rebound off the post
–Stortini turns it over requiring a nice stop by Greenham
-O’Connor comes into the net
-Nice little play by Lindberg leading to an Ewanyk wraparound attempt
6. Tuzzolino and a flat-footed Lepine both go for hits leading to a 2-0 against with the puck wobbling through O’Connor‘s legs
7. Mullen steals the puck and makes a slap-pass to a wide open Stortini in the slot
-Nice offensive sequence by the second line, but no quality scoring chance from it
Third
-Both Tuzzolino and Harpur sat this period with Carlisle getting the lions share of their ice time
8. Dzingel steals the puck and Puempel scores from the goal line
9. Lindberg flubs his pass but it somehow it gets to Dzingel who passes on a 2-on-1 and Darian scores (for some reason Mullen was given the assist instead of the Swede)
10. Carlisle bangs in Lindberg‘s rebound on the PP
11. Lindberg makes a nice backhand saucer pass in front and Robinson makes no mistake
–Carlisle makes the save with the net empty

Don’t let the 6-5 score or the five-goal comeback fool you–Binghamton was not very good (Grady Whittenburg said on the broadcast that the blueline and goaltending hasn’t been good all season–I think the latter isn’t fair to Chris Driedger, but you can’t argue with the former).  If you’re wondering how the BSens suddenly played so much better in the third, putting aside that Rochester is an awful team and that they thought the game is over, it’s because Richardson benched a pair of terrible players (Tuzzolino and Harpur) and gave more ice time to productive players.  This is something he should be doing all the time, not just when his back is against the wall.  Chris Carlisle isn’t Bobby Orr, but compared to the dead weight on the blueline he should be a regular there instead of the fourth line.  Richardson needs to stop jerking Lindberg around, put Stortini on the fourth line (and take him off the powerplay), and so on.  Where’s the accountability?  I like Nick Paul, but he hasn’t had a point in 7-games and hasn’t scored all season–why is he permanently on the second line?  Slide him to the third to take the pressure off, or try him on the wing–something.  Stable lines would help as well, but they need to be intelligently put together (the same goes for defensive pairings).  I’m sympathetic to the plight of a team that’s dressing five ECHL-caliber defensemen, but there are smarter ways to pick and choose where and when they play.

Evansville lost their first of back-to-back games against Alaska 4-1 (yes they play them three times in a row), making only one roster change (putting the lamentable Himelson back in and pulling Dieude-Fauvel).  They were badly out shot again (46-27).  A look at the goals:
1. Humphries passes to the wrong team and while Reichard stops the initial rush to the net he’s beaten on the ensuing sequence off a rebound
2. Just after their PP expires Reichard is beat up high through a fantastic screen (Penny took a really dumb tripping call)
3. Soft call on Zay and on the PP Reichard is beat high on a weak wrist shot from the top of the circles (it’s a bad goal)
4. On the PP Fawcett scores on a backhand spinorama
5. Reichard is beat off a weak wrist shot from the point through the legs (another bad goal)

I have to wonder how tempted the coaching staff will be to put Reichard in net again given how abysmal Asmundsen has been–we shall see tonight.  On the Sens side of things Dunn was a healthy scratch.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

November 29, 2015
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

I caught some of Ottawa’s 5-3 win over Colorado and Ross A provides an excellent recap.  Shane Prince had a fantastic game and fans can both cheer and wonder why it took Dave Cameron this long to truly given him an opportunity.  I hope this gives Prince some rope to truly establish himself–time will tell.  Sens fans need to keep in mind that the team gave up 43-shots and without a great performance from Craig Anderson they don’t win this game.

I haven’t written about Don Brennan in years–it seems pointless as the talentless hack is easy to ignore–but he shouldn’t be let off the hook when he says things like this:

Something else to like about the Stars — they are one of the remaining teams to still have ice girls scraping the rink during TV breaks

Absolutely disgusting, although Brennan is truly bulletproof so he can write and say just about anything and The Sun (and Postmedia) will back him up.

Somewhat related, in Andrew‘s latest piece he has a list of items the latter two of which relate to Patrick Kane and specifically comments made by Nik Kypreos:

Nick Kypreos made some pretty offensive comments regarding Patrick Kane during Saturday night’s Chicago-Vancouver game. Kypreos was referring to Kane’s offensive totals this season when he said Kane “wants to shove it down peoples’ throats”. It’s a totally inappropriate phrase given the rape investigation surrounding Kane to start the season but it highlights larger issues in the hockey broadcasting community. … But it also illustrates what too many in the broadcasting community believe: that assault victims lie and the true victim is Kane in this specific case.

Does it?  I’m not a fan of Kypreos, but I can’t pretend to get inside his head andI seriously doubt the domestic abuse allegations were the reason he picked that phrase.  That said, someone (John) commenting on the post made some salient points that I have to quote in full:

I enjoy a great deal of your commentary, mostly when you stick to hockey, but even when you go on a rant there’s generally at least one or two ideas therein that give me pause to think. Unfortunately that gets overridden far too often when you go way over the line and start indulging a passion for gross generalization: TV hockey experts think all women are liars; the NHL hates women, etc.
However, the biggest issue I have is the way you’ve succumbed to a very dangerous trend in which a specific incident is used to redress (or begin to redress) a widespread injustice. Women who report sexual assaults to the police or other authorities have always faced a long and difficult road to get justice and the odds have always been against them. Is this because of a societal misogyny that skews the justice system? Or is it an inevitable result of the circumstances under which the vast majority of sexual assaults take place (i.e. no witnesses, he said-she said)? No doubt it’s a combination of both.
This is a shitty situation, nobody’s debating that; however, that situation can not be rectified simply by blithely assuming the guilt of every man accused of sexual assault.
Is Patrick Kane guilty? I don’t know, and I’d go so far as to say that there are only two people in the whole world who do.

Well said.

I watched the BSens 4-3 OT loss to Wilkes-Barre in a game where Matt O’Connor only shares the blame for the loss (the team being outshot 41-21 is the other).  The first line produced all the offence and the team continued to take too many penalties.  Here’s a blow-by-blow recap:
–Paul with a great chance all alone in front
1. O’Connor let’s in a goal from a terrible angle short side
2. Carlisle with a brutal giveaway that leads to a 2-on-1 and O’Connor is beat five-hole (not a great goal); Carlisle sat for the rest of the period
–Paul tried to pass while right in front of the net, turning it over (I took it as a sign that he lacks confidence)
–Schneider misses the net from the hashmarks
–Mullen with a good stick to deflect a pass to an open Penguin in front
-a couple of bad turnovers by Lindberg (he had a rough first period)
–Puempel with a great chance in front
–Schneider with a steal gets a breakaway
-Great chance in the slot on the PP by Puempel
3. Fantastic cross ice pass by Schneider to O’Dell on the PP
Second
–Claesson with a chance in the slot
–Fraser with a brutal giveaway resulting in a point-blank shot from in front
–O’Connor throws the puck away and the resulting chaos requires a big save
-Nice little defensive play by Lindberg taking the puck out of danger from in front the net; a good shift overall as he kept possession in the offensive zone despite being repeatedly double-teamed
4. Great re-direct by Schneider to score five-hole on the PP
–Robinson takes a dumb tripping call while the BSens are already shorthanded
-Great stop by O’Connor point-blank (Fraser out of position)
–Harpur demonstrating one of his flaws: with no pressure behind his own net he ices the puck
–Fraser lobs a grenade at Hobbs who can’t handle it and on the ensuing play Ewanyk takes a dumb penalty
Third
-Great pass by Lindberg to Dziurzynski in front
5. O’Dell knocks the puck to a wide open Dzingel in front who makes no mistake
–Lepine loses track of the man behind him requiring O’Connor to make a great save
–Mullen gets undressed and O’Connor makes another great save
–Stortini turns it over and the Pens hit the post
–Puempel moves down to the third line as McCormick takes his spot on the second
6. Weak shot goes through O’Connor short side; after the goal the lines went back to normal
–Dziurzynski gets the puck out of danger with a traffic jam in front
OT
-Great pass by Mullen to spring Dzingel
–Lindberg undresses the D but neither he nor Paul on the rebound can score
7. Fraser moves out of the way to give O’Connor the shot and he’s beaten low far side

The teams blueline continues to be a major problem, with Fraser the main (but not the only) issue.  Taking Stortini off the first unit powerplay has helped a lot.  The fourth line remains pretty bad and I still want Robinson on the third and Stortini on the fourth.  O’Connor did make some saves, but he continues to give up terrible goals that are due to him being either out of position or small in net–Wilkes-Barre continually shot at bad angles knowing he can be beat on them.  Otherwise the usual players played well.

Turns out Vincent Dunn was a healthy scratch in Evansville’s last game–something that doesn’t happen to actual prospects that often.  Mathieu Brisebois, on the other hand, had been recalled to the AHL.

The Berlin River Drivers, Evansville affiliate, is the worst team in the FHL (following the lead of both the ECHL and AHL teams above it), and one of the weird things isn’t so much that they’ve turned their roster over, but where their players are coming from–the Czech Republic.  Five players, all from the 2nd and 3rd division, have been brought over.  It’s a strange thing to see and I assume there’s some sort of Czech-connection with ownership.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

November 27, 2015
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

Binghamton is far enough into the season for me to take a snapshot of how the year is going.  Clearly the team is tumbling over a precipice–awful special teams, questionable player usage, and a lack of talent have all contributed to a 4-9-1 start (worst in their division).  Their 41 GF is 3rd in their division and tied for 7th in the conference, while their 50 GA is 5th and tied for 11th respectively.  Let’s break it down player-by-player (I’ve been tracking player mistakes that have lead to goals and they are mentioned below–I couldn’t think of a good term for it, so for now I’ll call them Bad Goals, or BG); I’m not a huge fan of using grades, but it’s a simple way to reflect how I think they’ve played (A=above and beyond expectations, B=exceeds expectations, C=meets expectations, D=below expectations, F=god awful):

Cole Schneider 14-7-2-9 SOG 42 Grade: B
The winger has strong numbers despite mostly playing with the Paul as his center (who isn’t quite ready to set the world on fire); as a player who historically picks up a lot of assists, his numbers are indicative of limited support (since Puempel‘s call-up his wingers have been Greening and McCormick).  Most of his points have been a result of individual efforts or sudden breakdowns by the other team–virtually none are from strong offensive pressure

Eric O’Dell 14-6-3-9 SOG 31 BG 3 Grade: C
His numbers are solid, but a lot of it was front loaded and courtesy of cerebral plays by Lindberg; lately he’s been guilty of poor decisions with the puck and some temperamental (selfish) play taking idiotic penalties

David Dziurzynski 14-4-5-9 SOG 21 Grade A
Is way ahead of his normal production and at 25 it’s still possible (albeit unlikely) for him to break out offensively at this level (he’s helped by the fact that Richardson plays the third line a ton); that said, the fact that he’s scoring is a bonus, as he’s been a positive contributor to the team in general, helping carry the dead weight that is Stortini most of the season

Tobias Lindberg 13-3-6-9 SOG 22 Grade A
The rookie is by far the best new addition to Binghamton’s lineup, directly generating almost all of O’Dell‘s production; he was inexplicably scratched for a game by Richardson and karma repaid the coach with the worst beat down of the season; he’s a big part of the possession advantage the first line has in comparison to the rest of the roster (see below)–able to move and carry the puck; if there’s a criticism of him it’s that he prefers to pass than shoot, but that’s a small issue

Ryan Dzingel 14-3-6-9 SOG 47 Grade B
Leads the team in shots; he’s played with Lindberg in all but one game this season, but unlike O’Dell I don’t feel like he’s dependent on him for production; almost half of Dzingel‘s points come from one game (where he notched 4), so he’s been less consistent than the Swede, but less streaky than O’Dell

Colin Greening 14-3-5-8 SOG 30 BG 1 Grade C
At about his usual AHL productivity; he had a rocky start to the season (in terms of his play), but has improved; inexplicably Richardson experimented with him on the first line and that was an absolute disaster–he seems locked into a third line role now

Max McCormick 10-4-2-6 SOG 29 Grade B
He benefited tremendously from his NHL call-up (which I didn’t think was deserved, but had the desired effect), with five points in the six games since his return; he’s moved around in the lineup, but seems to have found a home on the second line; much like his linemate Schneider a lot of his production is a result of individual efforts or sudden breakdowns–there isn’t the offensive zone pressure you see with the first line

Patrick Mullen 14-1-5-6 SOG 18 BG 2 Grade C
A solid start for the veteran given that he’s been anchored the entire season with the the disaster that is Fraser; there’s nothing remarkable or awful in his play thus far

Nick Paul 13-0-6-6 SOG 17 Grade C
He’s still waiting for his first goal and I don’t think randomly scratching him did much for his confidence (4-0-1-1 since vs 9-0-5-5 before); he’s centered the second line with Schneider most of the season, playing like the rookie he is, with flashes here and there; one significant plus is that he’s been defensively responsible

Matt Puempel 6-3-2-5 SOG 20 Grade C
He was good enough in limited duty; a bit selfish at this level, he has enough talent to produce; certainly not the best player on the BSens when recalled

Zack Stortini 12-2-2-4 SOG 19 Grade F
He can’t skate, he can’t move the puck, he takes bad penalties, and yet he plays a ton including on the PP–clearly Richardson has a soft spot for his captain and can’t resist sending him out there to fumble around; among the team leaders in selfish/pointless penalties, he has cut it down a bit of late, but his example has had no impact on his teammates; I think he could be a useful fourth liner, but he’s only played there once as Richardson insists on using him on the third; final note, because of his terrible skating he’s guilty of taking shifts that are far too long

Fredrik Claesson 14-1-3-4 SOG 12 Grade B
A good start to the season for Freddy, despite his partners (three games with Tuzzolino, eight with Harpur, and three with Carlisle whom he meshes with best); forced to handle the puck more and cover for poor defense play, it’s been a strong start and all credit to him for doing this well given the circumstances

Michael Kostka 12-0-4-4 SOG 29 BG 2 Grade C
He’s been okay thus far–not as impressive as I hoped, showing a willful, selfish side that most of the team’s vets have displayed this season–dumb penalties etc; that said, he can make a pass and carry the puck and given how scarce that is for Binghamton’s blueliners he’s a key asset; he’s spent all but one game this season carrying the load for Lepine

Buddy Robinson 6-1-2-3 SOG 10 BG 1 Grade C
Missed the start of the season due to injury and then was scratched randomly for two games because…well no one really understands it; he should be playing on the third line (at least) given his talent, but he’s been stuck on the fourth the last couple of games because Richardson wants Stortini on the third–no one can shine with Ewanyk and Hobbs as linemates

Travis Ewanyk 14-1-1-2 SOG 14 BG 1 Grade C
He should probably be in the ECHL, but on the whole he hasn’t been the disaster I was expecting–he needs to not take stupid penalties, but while he adds nothing to the roster he can (at best) not hurt the team

Danny Hobbs 14-1-1-2 SOG 23 BG 2 Grade F
The ECHL-forward has scored one less goal than he’s caused against and doesn’t really belong in the AHL (that said, I don’t think we’ll see him sent down); he’s played the entire season with Ewanyk

Guillaume Lepine 11-0-2-2 SOG 18 Grade C
Exactly what you’d expect–no hands, no real talent, but he has played pretty safe and avoided the dumb penalty plague; he’s not an AHL caliber player, but with Kostka to carry the load for him it hasn’t been awful–better than Harpur and Tuzzolino this season, but that’s faint praise

Alex Guptill 3-0-1-1 SOG 6 Grade F
He didn’t take bad penalties or make critical defensive errors, but he doesn’t do anything positive either, so the ECHL is a good place for him (sadly, he’s been worse in Evansville)

Chris Carlisle 8-1-0-1 SOG 8 Grade C
After two games in Evansville he was called up–it was a decision to bring him up because Binghamton has plenty of defensemen, but he’s stayed in the lineup (playing as a fourth line forward for three games); he hasn’t showboated in the AHL like he did in the ECHL and for the most part stayed within himself; Rutkowski would have been a better option to bring up, but it’s clear Richardson doesn’t care for him so Carlisle was the only other option with hands

Ben Harpur 9-0-1-1 SOG 8 BF 3 Grade F
He’s been as awful as predicted, turning the puck over and generally putting a strain on his defensive partners (mostly Claesson); on the positive side, as a non-physical player he hasn’t contributed much to the penalty parade; he makes bad decisions and can’t pass or carry the puck; time in Evansville might help

Mark Fraser 14-0-1-1 SOG 8 BG 5 Grade F
Unquestionably the most disappointing player on the team; while he can skate and hit, he has no hockey sense whatsoever and zero hands; by my count he’s directly caused five goals against (five!), along with leading the team in idiotic penalties; a completely useless player, unfortunately the organisation loves him so he’ll be plaguing the team for the whole season; he’s played with Mullen all season

Nick Tuzzolino 5-0-0-0 SOG 9 BG 1 Grade F
The ECHL-defensemen was awful in limited duty and Richardson praising him was ridiculous, but thankfully he’s no longer being dressed; he should be sent down to Evansville; when in action he was paired with either with Claesson or Harpur

Alex Wideman 4-0-0-0 SOG 0 BG 1 Grade F
I have no idea why he wasn’t immediately sent to the ECHL; he has good speed, but he doesn’t bring anything else and he accomplished nothing in limited playing time (how does a forward have no shots in four games?)  Even at the ECHL-level it’s not clear he has the hands to produce and if he’s not offensively productive he’s not adding anything; inexplicably he spent two of his games on the third line

Chris Driedger 4-4-0 2.89 .905 BG 4 Grade B
By far the better of the two goaltenders in Binghamton; while he has allowed some bad goals this year, he’s also played very well and confirmed that his play at the end of last season was no fluke

Matt O’Connor 0-5-1 4.14 .859 BG 9 Grade F
He’s been absolutely awful; 9 of the goals he’s allowed have been soft which is a ridiculous number; for a big man he’s small in his net and his confidence is clearly shaken; I think starting a few games in the ECHL would be good for him, but I don’t think the organisation will let that happen; it’s normal to preach patience with goaltenders and I think his problems are a mix of confidence and technique, both fixable, so we can still hope to see him play well

Some Notes on the Team’s Performance:
-Binghamton has lost every single game the Dzingel-O’Dell-Lindberg line has been split up (0-4-0), scoring just one goal in two of those games (overall outscored 20-10, so yes kids, they help defensively too)
-Since Matt Puempel was recalled the BSens are 1-6-1, although that includes the period above when the first line was split up
–O’Connor has allowed four or more goals in his last four starts
-Despite an over abundance of “defensive defensemen” Fraser, Claesson, Harpur, Tuzzolino, and Lepine) the BSens PK has been awful (30th in the league at just 73%); despite these struggles, none of the players who take stupid penalties have been scratched

Coaching
What impact has Luke Richardson had on this team?  All I see are negatives: splitting his dynamic top line was not only disastrous, but he stuck with it long after that was apparent; He sat Lindberg for no reason whatsoever (it even raised the eyebrows of Pierre Dorion); his team takes a ridiculous number of penalties, but despite talking about cutting down on them he’s done nothing to punish players for continuing to do so; his special teams are terrible–the PP percentage is higher than it deserves and there’s no reason for Stortini to be trotted out there to fumble around on the ice; the PK is inexcusable; he doesn’t understand the talent he has: Alex Wideman isn’t an AHL player, but he inserted him into the lineup; Tuzzolino isn’t an AHL player, but not only played but was praised while in the lineup; even though he’s stuck with Fraser there’s no reason to play him top minutes; Robinson has both been scratched and played on the fourth line when he’s far better than other players who haven’t missed a game.  Need more be said?  He even offered up a turkey of an excuse for the team’s awful record by complaining about callups and suspensions rather than errors (particularly his own–the buck should stop with him).  You have a guy who doesn’t force his players to be responsible and doesn’t understand how to use his players–the jury is in and it’s time for Richardson to go (although I don’t believe that will happen).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

November 20, 2015
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 5 Comments

It’s very Bryan Murray to be chasing an older defensemen (Trevor Daley) [reactions to which you can imagine], but Chicago’s asking price makes no sense for the organisation (a pick and either Shane Prince or Matt Puempel)–a defensemen has to go back the other way.  I don’t doubt the Sens would peddle a 2nd round pick as that’s what they do almost every year, but as for the asset?  Between the two I think the org is more likely to give up on Prince, but as I said, they have to move a defensemen if they are going to add one (I’d put the odds on Patrick Wiercioch going).

Speaking of Murray, he continues to play the role of grumpy old man when it comes to Mikael Wikstrand as he recently rejected the Swede when he reached out to him (essentially it’s play in Binghamton or sit–so the same story).  This sort of lackadaisical approach, which seems based on his “tough love” approach with Samuel Pahlsson in Anaheim, is pretty lazy–the situations aren’t the same at all–and it’s hard not to think that at season’s end Wikstrand (no longer bound to a contract) will simply disappear into the SHL or KHL and the Sens will lose a useful asset for nothing.

One thing I’ve wondered about with the recall of Scott Greenham is whether he can actually play or not.  He’s still within the 21-day IR Evansville put him on (from November 2nd), although I don’t believe that period has to be respected at the AHL level.  Given Binghamton’s schedule it may not matter, as Driedger can easily play both the Friday and Sunday games.

Some Evansville roster moves: the disappointing Matt Hussey has been waived–I’m not sure why they signed a player who didn’t play last year, but he’s gone after eight games of selfish and unproductive play.  With Scott Greenham recalled the team has brought in former Sens draft pick Francois Brassard on emergency recall–he’s been playing in Peoria in the SPHL (1-0-0 2.00 .905).  Evansville also received Mathieu Brisebois (AHL 9-1-1-2) on loan from Norfolk, via a trade by the Rangers of the useless Samuel Noreau to Chicago.  Brisebois has a good ECHL track record and should help shoulder the offensive load that’s largely been Troy Rutkowski‘s to carry.  Brassard has been the backup in Peoria and assuredly will play behind Asmundsen until Bengtsberg gets healthy. [A subsequent correction–Brassard had visa problems of all things, so instead Peoria starting goaltender Dustin Carlson was called up.]

On the coaching side there’s been a development as well, as assistant coach Johan Lundskog has had to leave the team indefinitely for personal reasons, returning to Sweden.  This comes on the heels of owner Ron Geary battling for a new arena deal, but the two are unrelated.

I was asked this week what the Federal Hockey League was (Evansville’s affiliate).  While I’d discussed it briefly back in August, I didn’t go into it figuring there was no interest whatsoever.  For clarifications sake, the FHL (just like the SPHL) is the tier below the ECHL.  The FHL operates primarily in the northeastern/midwestern United States and this is its sixth season in operation.  The SPHL is the same tier, but operates in the south, is older, larger, and has a slightly better pool of players.  These leagues are how ECHL teams fill holes in their lineups–there are no “hidden gems” here, but they’re an important part of the hockey ecosystem.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

November 18, 2015
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment