–The Ottawa Sun‘s Don Brennan writes about the game last night (link), in which he calls Ottawa’s powerplay surprisingly successful.  Is it surprising?  The team has all the elements necessary to score on the powerplay (if not at this pace).  It’s largely the same group of last year, but in the previous season the top players were injured and in and out of the lineup.  Along with goaltending it’s Ottawa’s powerplay that’s going to be the straw the stirs the drink.

-Brennan looks at visor-wearing in the NHL (link), with Paul MacLean saying “It actually scared me [a puck in the eye] more than John Ferguson scared me. It was significant enough for me to keep it on.  I didn’t really pay too much attention to verbal abuse [for wearing a visor]. It was hard enough for me to play, let alone think and talk at the same time. You can’t do too many things at once out there, even then.”  On the Sens only Chris Neil, Zenon Konopka, Zack Smith, and Filip Kuba do not wear visors.

-Joy Lindsay provides a few notes from Binghamton’s practice (link), including “Godfrey moved up into the spot alongside Schira, leaving Heshka and Raymond as the fourth set of defensemen. Kleinendorst said he’ll probably keep eight around for ay least a while now that Raymond is back from his stint with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. Kleinendorst had good things to say about Filatov, who was separated from Locke to balance out the offensive talent and make each line a bit more defensively responsible.”

-Joy Lindsay’s line updates from this morning (link): Cowick-Dziurzynski-Petersson, Hoffman-O’Brien-Parrish, Filatov-Cannone-Grant, Downing-Hamilton-Lessard; Borowiecki-Conboy, Gryba-Wiercioch, Heshka-Schira, Godfrey-Raymond.  Locke is not participating due to injury.

-Prospect updates (their position in team scoring is noted in brackets):
CHL
Jakub Culek (Rimouski, QMJHL) 12-1-4-5 (10th)
Mark Stone (Brandon, WHL) 13-9-19-28 (1st)
Stefan Noesen (Plymouth, OHL) 8-1-6-7 (9th)
Matt Puempel (Peterborough, OHL) 13-6-7-13 (1st)
Shane Prince (Ottawa 67s, OHL) 6-3-4-7 (7th)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Gatineau, QMJHL) 10-10-6-16 (2nd)
Darren Kramer (Spokane, WHL) 9-7-5-12 (2nd)
Jordan Fransoo (Brandon, WHL) 13-0-1-1 (6th)
SEL
Jakob Silfverberg (Brynas) 15-5-7-12 (t-1st)
Marcus Sorensen (Skelleftea J20) 7-2-2-4 (t-8th)
Fredrik Claesson (Djurgarden) 14-1-2-3 (3rd)
NCAA
Ben Blood (WCHA-North Dakota) 6-1-1-2 (t-2nd)
Chris Wideman (CCHA-Miami) 6-1-3-4 (1st)
Jeff Costello (CCHA-Notre Dame) 2-0-2-2 (12th)
Brad Peltz (ECAC-Yale) DNP
Michael Sdao (ECAC-Princeton) DNP
Bryce Aneloski (WCHA-Nebraska-Omaha) 6-0-4-4 (1st)
Max McCormick (CCHA-Ohio State) 4-1-3-4 (t-3rd)
Ryan Dzingel (CCHA-Ohio State) 6-3-3-6 (1st)

October 26, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-Ottawa’s lines as per The Ottawa Sun:
Colin Greening-Jason Spezza-Milan Michalek
Nick Foligno-Mika Zibanejad-Kaspars Daugavins
Erik Condra-Zack Smith-Chris Neil
Jesse Winchester-Zenon Konopka-Stephane Da Costa*
Erik Karlsson-Filip Kuba
David Rundblad-Chris Phillips
Sergei Gonchar-Jared Cowen
*The Ottawa Citizen has Da Costa at center, which makes more sense

-As was reported yesterday afternoon, Daniel Alfredsson will miss tonight’s game with a maintenance day for his hip

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Don Brennan writes about the injury (link), but includes comments about the team as well.  Jason Spezza mentions what I think has been the key to the Sens limited success, “We’ve had a lot of guys going to the net, and sticking around the net this year. Maybe more than ever. (Chris Neil) has been there, (Colin) Greening’s been there, Nicky Foligno’s been there, Milan (Michalek) has scored a lot of goals from there … there seems to be probably the best net presence we’ve had, and that helps the skilled guys from the outside a little bit. It’s been something I think that’s added a lot to our offence.”

-Brennan also writes that the team should keep Mika Zibanejad (link).  There’s nothing new in the article, but Brennan has decided that Zibanejad is a lot like Tyler Seguin.

-The Brennan train continues with an article about Kaspars Daugavins (link), who talks about why he came back to North America: “Obviously, my hometown team [Dinamo Riga] (has) wanted me back for the last four years. But I still feel I can crack the NHL somehow, and I’m going to keep battling until I make it. If I see I have no chance to play here, maybe I’ll go back home. But it’s not going to happen soon.”

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Wayne Scanlan writes about the non-issue of Paul MacLean being too nice (link).  I’ve never heard the criticism and it makes me wonder if Scanlan just wanted to work in as many references to MacLean’s moustache as possible.

-Rob Brodie writes about Jason Spezza for the Sens website (link).  There’s nothing new, but it’s worth noting that Spezza‘s production hasn’t dipped this season despite worries by analysts.

-TSN, THN, and ESPN’s power rankings are out (link and link and link), with Ottawa 28th, 29th, and 27th.  Scott Cullen (TSN) rightly points out that goaltending has been a major issue for the Sens.

-Joy Lindsay tweets Binghamton’s lines at practice (link): Cowick-Locke-Petersson, Hoffman-O’Brien-Parrish, Filatov-Cannone-Grant, Dziurzynski-Hamilton-Lessard/Downing.

-And finally, for those who never saw it (or want to relieve it), here’s Kaspars Daugavins after the Binghamton Senators won the Eastern final: link.

October 25, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-Joy Lindsay tweets that Kaspars Daugavins has been called up by the Sens (link).

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Don Brennan writes how the Senators have surprised him thus far this season (link).  Brennan rightly points out that it’s early in the season, but the Senators lead the league in powerplay goals and are fourth in league scoring.  For my part, assuming the Sens stay healthy I expect they will remain a productive powerplay team, but the jury is out in terms of their 5-on-5 scoring.

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Ken Warren picks up the theme of the Senators recent change in fortune (link).  Warren asks four questions: 1) Will Zibanejad be returned to Sweden after a quiet debut with the Sens, 2) How many games will Peter Regin miss?, 3) How many games will Chris Neil be suspended for?, 4) Can Milan Michalek keep up his torrid scoring pace?  My answers would be: yes; not many for the team’s sake; no idea; and no.  The final question is less a matter of Michalek and more a matter who will pick up the scoring slack when he goes cold.

-NHL.com has Jason Spezza as one of its upward trending players (link).

–The Silver Seven‘s Darren M worries about Ottawa’s secondary scoring (link).  He makes the point that this is not a new problem, but I have three problems with his article: 1) we’re eight games into the season and while 10% sounds like a big number it’s too early in the year to establish trends, 2) Only looking at goal scorers is an inaccurate way to look at offence–assists are attached to 99% of goals scored because they matter in their production, 3) “Most people have credited the goals to [Michalek] finally being healthy, when they are far more attributable to luck” which is attached to a comment about how his shooting percentage is off the charts compared to his career average; I don’t like the use of the word “luck”–besides one of the goals being misattributed to him, none of his goals were lucky.  Darren would be better off saying he can’t keep up this pace (which I’d agree with).  Goal scorers are inherently streaky (with a few freakish exceptions like Mario Lemieux), so as long as someone on the team gets hot when Michalek gets cold there’s no issue.  I think last year’s Pittsburgh Penguins are a great example of how you can get production from players not known for it when you employ the right system.  As long as Ottawa continues to drive the net and get pucks through from the point, someone will score.

–SenShot‘s Jared Crozier writes “according to Elias Sports Bureau, who specialize in all thing statistical, it was only the 4th time in the last 15 years that an NHL team trailing entering the last minute of a game actually won the game in regulation” (link).

-Binghamton has recalled Bobby Raymond, who went 1-2-3 in three games with the Florida Everblades

-Former Sen Brian Elliott is off to a great start in St. Louis (link), illustrating how much of the game is mental/confidence.  I think Elliott took far too much criticism here in Ottawa and I’m glad he’s found a home elsewhere in the NHL.

October 24, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch writes about last night’s game (link), with a quote from Alfredsson “I haven’t been this excited in a long time. I thought we did a good job sticking with it. I was able to draw a penalty and that gave us a little bit of a chance and we obviously made the most of it.  There is no sweeter feeling than doing it like this, especially at home. The crowd gets into it. We know (the Jackets) are a team that’s struggling. It’s tough on them, but we knew with the lead they were just going to keep it safe.”  Paul MacLean adds, “We did a good job responding and sticking to it after they took the lead. The leadership shown by the leadership group in the last week has been outstanding. They’ve come to play. They haven’t played spectacular, they’ve just played. They’ve given our team a lot of confidence and that’s when leadership is hard to beat.”

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Don Brennan writes about Jason Spezza (link), with Paul MacLean saying “Jason has been a very consistent player for us. He’s really working hard at being a complete player, and I think it has shown in all the games. His shift lengths are always at a good number, he’s shooting the puck a bit more than maybe in the past … he’s been taking a leadership role in the face off responsibilities … I’ve been very pleased with how Jason has played.”

-In the same article Brennan talks about the scoreboard in the arena which stopped working during the game–this is the second time this season that’s happened.  If my memory serves, the scoreboard is meant to be replaced sometime this year.

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Ken Warren writes about last night’s game (link) and includes a good quote from Milan Michalek: “We stayed patient right to the end. Hopefully that gives us confidence, to  win like that. It was a great feeling. Everybody was jumping around, on the  bench and in the room.”

-Joy Lindsay’s Binghamton post-game notes (link) include the following from Kurt Kleinendorst: “I was impressed. I mean, it was night and day — completely night and day. Last night, I could’ve counted on one finger the guys that played up to their potential. Tonight, we didn’t have a passenger. It was a fun game to be a part of, because when we play honest, we’re fine. But if we don’t, we’re not. But I give the guys a lot of credit, because they took it upon themselves and responded.” And “For me, it was no different with Robin than anybody else. It was a bounce-back game, and he bounced back. Right on down the roster, same thing about everybody, with the exception of my one finger. But everybody bounced back. It was good to see. Everybody just showed that they care. The nice thing was they did bounce back, they did compete, they battled hard, they stuck up for one another, and we got the result that we deserved. It was a really good learning experience that can hopefully be a stepping stone to everybody understanding there can be no nights off.”  Kleinendorst said Andre Petersson was the best forward on the team, “He was probably our best forward. Everybody played so well, but I saw so many good things tonight in his game. It wasn’t just his compete level — because the way he played was much more determined — but he even started to do some of the things that new to him. The North American game is a little different than what he’s used to on the big sheets, but I just felt like his whole game was the best I’ve seen him play. And isn’t it amazing how it ended up being the best production he’s had for us? Just goes to show you that when you play the right way, you get rewarded, as an individual, and as a team. I’m very happy for him; he needed that, as well.”

October 23, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

The Ottawa Senators scored two goals in the final minute of the third period to tie and then win their game with Columbus.  The game was not particularly entertaining, but Ottawa generally carried the play.  For the box score go here link.  Here’s a look at the goals:
1. Kuba (Spezza, Gonchar) (pp)
A great seam pass to for a one-timer
2. Columbus, Johnson
Anderson lets a weak shot go through him and Columbus pounces on the puck behind him
3. Columbus, Russell
Anderson is deep in his net and is simply beat by the shot
4. Smith (Condra, Neil)
A great one-timer in close generated by cycling the puck
5. Columbus, Nash
With no screen in front Anderson simply misses the shot
6. Spezza (Michalek, Karlsson)
Shot on goal with traffic in front, Spezza bangs in the rebound
7. Michalek (Gonchar, Spezza) (pp)
A fantastic tip by Michalek

Players who had strong games:
Chris Neil – threw a great open ice hit and helped generate the second goal
Jason Spezza – another three-point night
Filip Kuba – played a great game, particularly defensively
Milan Michalek – stepped up when the team needed a goal
Sergei Gonchar – picked up a pair of assists and was confident on both ends of the ice

Players who struggled:
Stephane Da Costa – continues to struggle; he’s making mistakes and turning the puck over
Mika Zibanejad – continues to bobble the puck and look uncertain on the ice
Craig Anderson – let in three bad goals, but his team bailed him out

In Norfolk the Binghamton Senators bounced back after getting thumped yesterday to win 3-2 in a shootout.  I did not see this game so I’m reliant on reports.  For the box score go here link and for Joy Lindsay’s game story go here link.  Andre Petersson scored his first goal (he added one in the shootout), Josh Godfrey his first point, and Robin Lehner made 37 saves on 39 shots and added two assists.

The Elmira Jackals lost 3-2 to the Wheeling Nailers.  There were no points for Binghamton players, but goaltender Brian Stewart took the loss.

October 23, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-The Sens lines at the morning skate (the defence is unchanged):
Milan Michalek — Jason Spezza — Colin Greening
Nick Foligno — Mika Zibanejad —Daniel Alfredsson
Erik Condra — Zack Smith — Chris Neil
Zenon Konopka— Stephane Da Costa — Jesse Winchester

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch writes about the speculation Daniel Alfredsson could be traded (link).  There’s nothing new here, although Garrioch delves into the details of the matter.

-Garrioch writes about Peter Regin‘s latest shoulder injury (link), with Paul MacLean saying, “I haven’t had an opportunity to speak with him, but everything I’ve heard from (athletic therapist) Gerry (Townend) he’s pretty down. Those were his words for it and it’s only natural. He’s an experienced NHL player and he’s been a very consistent player for us through (five) games. It’ll be more of an opportunity for somebody else. He was kind of a steadying influence at the centre-ice position.”  Regin‘s buddy Erik Karlsson added, “That sucks for him and for the team as well. He’s played great and he’s gotten going again. (The latest injury) doesn’t help. I don’t know how bad it is, but it’s definitely hurting the team and hurting him as well.”

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Ken Warren writes about Craig Anderson‘s performance against WInnipeg (link), which includes Paul MacLean praising his team’s defensive work: “Defensively, we did a good job of keeping things to the outside“, comments that Anderson echoed.

-Rob Brodie writes about Zenon Konopka for the Sens website ahead of his 200th NHL game (link), with Paul MacLean saying “It’s one thing to get here, it’s another thing to stay here. If you get to play 200 (NHL) games, that means you worked real hard at your game to become someone who’s good enough to play in this league for that long. Sometimes getting to the NHL, a lot of people think, is hard. But the reality is, it’s often harder to stay here. And he’s proven that he can stay here.”

-ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun writes about the Senators plans going forward (link), with Bryan Murray saying, “We have to be more competitive and we should be.” And “Both from a financial perspective and from the hockey perspective, we decided that this is going to be a year where we have a lot of new players. We know it’s going to take a little time here. Some kids will get better, and others will fall by the wayside. They’re not all going to be top-end players. We hope out of this group that a number will end up being good NHL players, but we have to go through this painful process to begin with.’’  LeBrun believes that Filip Kuba will be dealt by the trade deadline, with Murray saying “I hate to say this, but if there’s a need on another team for a veteran defenseman, we’ll probably one have available that we’d be willing to talk about.’

–Jared Cowen has been told he’s on the team for good (link).

-Columbus GM Scott Howson was on The Team 1200 yesterday and was asked about Nikita Filatov.  His comments weren’t new, but I like to remind fans of how the Columbus organisation under both Howson and Doug MacLean have handled top draft picks: Tim Jackman (2-38/01, played 19 NHL games with Columbus), Joakim Lindstrom (2-41/02, now with Colorado), Alexandre Picard (1-8/04, has played 67 NHL games), Gilbert Brule (1-6/05, now in the AHL), Adam McQuaid (2-55/05, won a Cup with Boston), Jakub Voracek (1-7/07, now with Philadelphia), Stefan Legein (2-37/07, retired and now plays in the AHL), Nikita Filatov (1-6/08, now with Ottawa’s organisation).

-The Binghamton Senators got hammered by Norfolk 7-0 last night.  I didn’t see the game so I’m reliant on reports.  Here’s the box score link and Joy Lindsay’s game report link.  Mark Parrish and Mike Hoffman were the only players not on ice for a goal against.  Kurt Kleinendorst was not happy with his team, saying “It’d be hard to find a whole lot that was right. I don’t know if it was the long bus ride. I don’t know. There was nothing good. There was nothing that we did well. There was no one who played well. This was a complete reflection of us as a group.” And “In fact, if you were to talk to Robin, I think he’d say two of the three he’d want back. It looked like there were a lot of shots, but there weren’t a lot of big saves. But I’m not slamming Robin. This was a group effort, and I think it’s on all of us.  This is a great, great test. To have an effort like that, if we don’t respond tomorrow … The way we play tomorrow is going to be a reflection on what kind of a team we are, because if we don’t bounce back and at the very least compete for 60 minutes and be the harder-working team, that would be a little bit of a red flag.”

-Joy Lindsay has an extensive list of Ottawa prospects who use twitter (link): Borowiecki, Cannone, Caporusso, Cowick, Downing, Godfrey, Grant, Gratchev, Hamilton, McKenna, Noesen, O’Brien, Pageau, Petersson, Raymond, Stewart, Stone, Wideman, and Zibanejad.

–Mark Parrish was named Binghamton’s captain prior to the game.

-The Elmira Jackals beat Florida 5-2 last night, with Louie Caporusso earning an assist and Max Gratchev scoring.

October 22, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

–Peter Regin hurt his surgically repaired shoulder last night, but there’s no word on how long he’ll be out for

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Don Brennan’s “Cheapseats” article (link) wonders if Daniel Alfredsson‘s play is in decline.  I think it’s a rhetorical question–he is, but he’s still an effective player.  I think he runs into trouble when he tries to do too much, but for the most part he’s been very good this season.

-Pierre McGuire (on The Team 1200) doesn’t like Craig Anderson‘s public comments throwing his team under the bus (which I referenced yesterday), link (October 20th): “A little red flag for me goes up when Craig Anderson ’cause he says ‘hey, it can’t be us we need some help from the guys’.  I read that in the paper.  I don’t like seeing that.  And I don’t think his players like seeing that either.  If I’m Paul MacLean [whistles] in the office please we need to have a little chat.”

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Allen Panzeri talks about Mika Zibanejad‘s approaching deadline (link), writing “Zibanejad said he’s trying not to think about the nine-game deadline, but admits  it’s a difficult thing to do. He’s also under a little extra pressure this week  with his parents, Mehrdad and Ritva, in Ottawa along with some other relatives.”  Panzeri quotes MacLean who adds, “I think he’s an NHL player.  Now, we’re going to make a decision  based on what’s best for Mika, but I think he has played fine.”

-Joy Lindsay writes ahead of Binghamton’s game tonight against Norfolk (link), with Kurt Kleinendorst saying “I want to get better every weekend, and I think so far, we’ve done that. It’s not about winning, and it’s not about getting all tied up in losing. It’s all about the process. It’s about playing the game the right way. And you’re going to lose games, even when you play the game the right way, but you’re going to win the majority of them. That’s what I’m trying to get across to the guys. This is a process thing. Let’s not focus on wins and losses. Let’s focus on how to play.”

-The Elmira Jackals played the Florida Everblades tonight, featuring Louie Caporusso, Max Gratchev and Bobby Raymond.

October 21, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-Here are Ottawa’s expected lines:
Milan Michalek-Jason Spezza-Daniel Alfredsson
Nick Foligno-Peter Regin-Chris Neil
Colin Greening-Mika Zibanejad-Erik Condra
Zack Smith-Zenon Konopka-Stephane Da Costa
Erik Karlsson-Filip Kuba
David Rundblad-Chris Phillips
Sergei Gonchar-Jared Cowen

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Don Brennan (link) quotes Paul MacLean about Stephane Da Costa‘s struggles, “We’re looking for him to play better defensively. Stephane has always been good with the puck. When we have the puck he’s always been a good player. But defensively he’s had some issues we’ve needed to clear up. He also has to learn to play defence to play in the National  Hockey League. It’s not just all about having the puck all the time. We want to make sure he’s diligent in that department, too. Plus-minus isn’t always a fair stat, but when it gets to a certain number … we want to make sure he’s learning and getting the instruction he needs to be a better defensive payer. Because you can’t play in this league unless you can play defence.”

-In another article (link) Brennan quotes MacLean about the defensive work they did at practice yesterday, “Not to say we fixed it all (Wednesday), but I think we took some strides towards it. Getting started would be a good idea for this team as well. I’m not sure if we have a mental block. Sometimes if you expect things to go badly, they go badly. I’m not sure if we have the mindset that we think we’re going to get scored on first, and then we make sure that happens. That’s one of the things that’s a concern. We’d rather come out (Thursday) and try to dictate the way the game is played at the start, and see how we can play with the lead for more than three minutes.”

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Allen Panzeri looks at the Sens efforts to turn things around (link), with Paul MacLean saying, “We’re going to communicate and talk with (the players), and ask what they  think, and (tell them) what we think, and have a free exchange of ideas. We’re still building a foundation for the future. Obviously, right now  it’s a little bit shaky. I’m not second-guessing it. I’m just saying we need to do it better.”  Chris Phillips added, “The skating and the effort are there, but we’re getting pushed off the puck, losing our guys, staples of the game of hockey.”  To me, losing guys in coverage and poor positioning on the penalty kill are the biggest problems for the team.

–The Ottawa Sun has an unattributed article (link) where Craig Anderson continues to blame his teammates for his mediocre performance, “You need the guys around you for support. Just like a goal scorer. He needs support from his wingers and guys around him to help him score. Same thing with goaltenders. You’re only as good as the guys in front of you.  I’ll be the first to give credit to my teammates when we play great.  (But) I can’t do it by myself. We’re working hard and we’re going to come out of this.”  I think Anderson would be better off simply saying he needs to be better and leave it at that.

-Joy Lindsay looks at Nikita Filatov‘s start in Binghamton (link), with the winger saying: “And, as I thought when I was coming here, just lots of fun because I knew the guys and it’s perfect group of guys. And I think we had tough times sometimes in the games, but we battled through and our comebacks were amazing. I just think we have to start a little bit better games, and we can be winning games more easy.  When I was going here, they wanted me to shoot the puck more and kind of try to be better without the puck, so that’s the things I’m working for.”  Kurt Kleinendorst added, “He’s a talent. We knew he was a talent. He’s obviously a talent. I like his demeanor. So far, there’s nothing that I’ve seen that is discouraging to me at all. I know that we have to work with him to be competive every single day in practice and every single night in games, and just be a little bit more structured within a system. That’s really what came down from Ottawa, as well. They love him. They know how talented he is. It’s not a matter of making him a better skater or passer or shooter, or anything like that. It’s making sure that we spend every day being consistent, being competitive, and then we just need to help find a little bit more of our system, because our system is very similar to Ottawa’s system. So if we can do that, then I think we’ve accomplished what we’re trying to accomplish.”

–Bobby Raymond has been sent down to the ECHL (Florida)

-Here are the Binghamton lines at practice (link) with Robin Lehner expected to start:
Nikita Filatov-Corey Locke-David Dziurzynski
Kaspars Daugavins-Jim O’Brien-Mark Parrish (Downing)
Derek Grant-Pat Cannone-Andre Petersson
Mike Hoffman-Wacey Hamilton-Francis Lessard (Corey Cowick)
Mark Borowiecki-Tim Conboy
Eric Gryba-Patrick Wiercioch
Shaun Heshka-Craig Schira
Bobby Raymond-Josh Godfrey

-The Senators website has posted an article about Binghamton’s season thus far (link).

October 20, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-After last night’s game there was a team meeting, which when added to Paul MacLean’s difficult practice last week are the two most obvious strategies to get the team going.  Chris Phillips said “It was a wakeup call to all of us to be more accountable. We have to figure out what our identity is and be better to a man really. We can’t be going home thinking, ‘I had my guy and everybody else is doing a bad job.’ We have to take a long, hard look at ourselves and figure out how we can be better and how each guy can help the team more.”  He refers to the Senators primary problem of defensive coverage.

-Fans should keep in mind that the combined record of the team’s Ottawa has played is 21-1-2 thus far.

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch looks at the reaction to the game (link) with Paul MacLean saying “It’s time for some self-evaluation and to look in the mirror and ask the guy there if you’re doing enough. The coaching staff is going to have to do that itself because obviously what we’re doing is translating from a practice into a game. We need to have a self-evaluation of ourselves and make sure that we’re doing the right things.”  He stood up for Alex Auld despite a terrible game, but Auld himself was direct, “I didn’t really give the guys much of an opportunity to get off to a good start. I definitely feel like they deserve better goaltending. I don’t feel like I did my job.”

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Ken Warren is already impatient with the rebuild (link), for which he supplies no particular reasons before talking about the game itself.

-Rod Brodie writes about David Rundblad for the Sens website (link), who talked about playing the Flyers, “It’s good for my game. When you play against very good players, it makes you learn things and it makes you a better player. It’s good for me to play against them” and playing in general, “When you get to play more and more, it’s easier. You get to feel everything and learn every situation … it’s easier to get into the game and get into the feeling of the game. Against Washington, it felt good. I got to play a lot in the second and third period and it was nice to get my first (career NHL) point, too.”

–Senshot‘s Ian Mendes thoughts on last night’s game (link) and The Silver Seven‘s Darren M’s thoughts (link).

-Binghamton called up Josh Godfrey and Jack Downing to practice with the team.

-For those interested in wrapping up Don Cherry’s mea culpa on the weekend and giving it some context check out Sports Illustrated‘s Stu Hackel’s article (link).  Like Stu, I still remember Don’s “diatribes against Europeans and Francophones” (essentially they don’t play “our” style of game–they’re soft).  For me, Coaches Corner stopped being relevant when the CBC fired Dave Hodge in 1987 and replaced him with Ron MacLean.  Cherry became an increasing self-parody intended as much to sell Rock ’em Sock ’em videos as look at the game.  Incidentally, Grey Wyshynski (Puck Daddy) has posted Stu Grimson‘s statement (link).

October 19, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Don Brennan explores a flight of fancy in comparing Ottawa’s young blueliners to those of the 1970s Montreal Canadiens (link).  Putting aside the hyperbole, he quotes Rundblad, “It’s easier when you get more ice time, easier to get into the game, get more confidence. I think I had just three shifts in the first period, but then Sergei went out, and of course they can’t play with three D … I think I played pretty good.”

-In the same article Paul MacLean assess the team’s play overall, “We feel if we play more like we played against Minnesota and we played (against Washington), and the third period in Detroit, and the third period in Toronto … the only game we’ve really been no good in is the Colorado game. We’ve had parts of the way we want to play in the other four games this year. So those are certainly building blocks.”  Alex Auld offers up his reason for the Johansson wrap-around goal, “It was kind of a tough play. Those plays early in the year can be tough, when you haven’t seen a lot of game action.”  He’s suggesting he gets a mulligan in his first start, which is a poor excuse for him to use.

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s James Gordon has started beating the drum to bring Nikita Filatov back (link).  To me, Filatov‘s fate is tied to Stephane Da Costa‘s, since they are the only two-way contracts on the team (I’m assuming Mika Zibanejad is sent back to Sweden).

-The Binghamton Senators won their second game in a row, defeating Albany 4-2.  I did not see the game, so I’m reliant on reports (the box score is here link, Joy Lindsay’s game comments here link).  Pat Cannone lead the way with a goal and assist, Filatov scored again and shared the best plus/minus with Bobby Raymond (+2).  Albany tough guy Tim Sestito ran Mark Borowiecki head first into the boards in the second period; Borowiecki left the game, but tweets he’s fine (link).  Binghamton’s next game is on Friday.

-Joy Lindsay has post-game comments up (link), including the following from Kurt Kleinendorst, “Well, I only had six forwards that were honest. That’s the way it works. Honestly, you can’t keep feeding ice time to guys who don’t deserve it. And if you think about, the last seven minutes of the second period, where was the puck? It was in their end. The first 13 minutes, it was in our end the whole time. That’s just … But I give the guys credit, because we basically just wiped the slate clear after two, and everyone got a chance in the third, and they all responded.”

-Prospect updates (their position in team scoring is noted in brackets for the CHL and Europe; defenseman are compared to themselves):
CHL
Jakub Culek (Rimouski, QMJHL) 9-0-3-3 (15th)
Mark Stone (Brandon, WHL) 9-6-15-21 (1st)
Stefan Noesen (Plymouth, OHL) 8-1-6-7 (6th)
Matt Puempel (Peterborough, OHL) 10-6-7-13 (1st)
Shane Prince (Ottawa 67s, OHL) 3-2-1-3 (missed time due to injury)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Gatineau, QMJHL) 8-8-6-14 (2nd)
Darren Kramer (Spokane, WHL) 7-6-4-10 (2nd)
Jordan Fransoo (Brandon, WHL) 9-0-1-1 (5th)
SEL
Jakob Silfverberg (Brynas) 12-3-4-7 (4th)
Marcus Sorensen (Skelleftea J20) 7-2-2-4 (6th)
Fredrik Claesson (Djurgarden) 12-1-0-1 (4th)
NCAA
Ben Blood (North Dakota) 4-1-1-2
Chris Wideman (Miami) 4-1-3-4
Jeff Costello (Notre Dame) 2-0-2-2
Brad Peltz (Yale) DNP
Michael Sdao (Princeton) DNP
Bryce Aneloski (Nebraska-Omaha) 4-0-4-4
Max McCormick (Ohio State) 4-1-3-4
Ryan Dzingel (Ohio State) 4-3-2-5

-The following comments were made in regards to mine about head shots (which are appreciated and are well put):

“1. Lots of fans go to the games to see star players get blown up. IMO the price of the ticket would be worth it to see Neil destroy Crosby the way he did Stoner or Little. Big hits are an exciting part of the game and is at least part of the reason why many fans pay to see the games.”

Without a formal study it’s difficult to say what most fans want, but presumably if having players getting their heads taken off was a big draw the NHL wouldn’t continue languish in obscurity south of the border.  When you see the most successful league on the planet (the NFL) moving away from hits like these, it should be a sign of which way the wind is blowing.

“2. Players always targeted the stars. People didn’t hit Gretzky because they didn’t want to get their ass kicked by the three or four enforcers protecting him. The only difference now is that there is an instigator rule so players who would normally target the stars no longer have to worry about fighting for their actions. If you get rid of the instigator rule than you won’t have to worry about players like Cooke taking dirty hits at star players because they will get their head caved in the first time they do it.”

I think fans forget that fighting was much rarer in the pre-expansion NHL (1967) and not used as a deterrent (there are arguments it began in the 1960s, but I don’t want to get into the minutia of when–my point is that the role is not an original facet of the NHL).  I don’t think it’s at all clear that the instigator rule suddenly created these kinds of hits.  I remember hockey in the 1980s very well and enforcers protected their rats as much as they did their superstars.  It’s apparent the instigator rule will never be taken out, so that as a solution (if it is one) is a dead letter.

If we all agree there is a problem with head shots (and I think everyone agrees that there is), those who dislike the changes to the rules need to offer a viable solution.  I like the OHL approach, but perhaps some other method will evolve.  In the meantime there are still plenty of shots to the head (like the one on Colin Greening on Saturday) that will go uncalled and unpunished.

October 17, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 6 Comments