Senators News: April 20th

–Ian Mendes Tweets that Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman are taking part in practice today (which only means something if Jesse Winchester is unable to play).  Daniel Alfredsson is not expected to play in game five.

–Jakob Silfverberg won the SEL championship yesterday, scoring the game winning goal and being named playoff MVP.  He’s now available to the Sens for the playoffs, although he won’t arrive until after Saturday’s game (link).  It’s hard to imagine Silfverberg would cross the Atlantic simply to practice with the black aces, so it will be interesting to see if he plays or not.  Jared Crozier wants to temper fan expectations, although I’m not sure how out of control they really are (I’ve read more hype from the organisation than from fans).

-For those who want a sentimental look at the Sens in the playoffs thus far, check out Jeremy Milks‘ paean to the group.  This, in a way, echoes Don Brennan patting himself on the back for his Carkner and Konopka love throughout the season and urging management to re-sign them.  While it remains a possibility the pair will be back, I highly doubt it.  Neither could play in the regular season and the fact that each has had one good game in the playoffs is not a reason to bring them back.

–Joy Lindsay Tweeted comments from Tim Murray and Randy Lee about Binghamton next year, with Murray saying signing a #1 veteran defensemen was the priority for next season.

-Here’s my profile of Sens prospect Stefan Noesen.

–Stu Hackel writes about officials beginning to crack down on the chaos of the playoffs by calling more penalties.  It’s a long article worth reading in full, but his best point is echoing one Bob McKenzie made–when Brian Boyle went after Erik Karlsson (just like Brad Marchand went after Daniel Sedin) and it went unpunished that opened to door for depth players to go after skilled players.  It’s typically a successful strategy, as Phoenix is 2-0 with Marian Hossa out of the lineup and the Rangers probably should be 2-0 against Ottawa without Daniel Alfredsson.

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

Prospect Profile: Stefan Noesen

Stefan Noesen (RW, 6’0, DOB 1993, 1-21/11)
2009-10 OHL Plymouth 33-3-5-8 +1 4pim (0.24) 18th pts
2010-11 OHL Plymouth 68-34-43-77 +14 80pim  (ppg 1.13) t-1st
2011-12 OHL Plymouth 63-38-44-82 +18 74pim (ppg 1.30) 1st

An off the radar first-round selection (ranked #35 by Central Scouting), Noesen shook off a slow start to lead the Plymouth Whalers in scoring and improve on his production from last year.  He was signed by the Sens during the season, but he can only turn pro next year if he makes the NHL roster (which is very unlikely).  He should dominate the OHL next year and would play for the US at the World Junior Championships.  Red Line Report compared him to Jamie Benn, “Texas native decided to get serious about the game, especially his conditioning, and as a result took huge strides this season.  Always possessed buttery soft hands and a quick release, but took his game to the next level.  In the process, became more of a physical power-type forward who down the homestretch and playoffs was Plymouth’s “go-to” guy, and most consistent and dangerous scoring threat.  Plays an edgy physical game that makes opponents take notice when he’s on ice, but also takes lots of questionable penalties.  Still has to work on first two-step acceleration, but the time he put in last summer showed us he’s grown up and is now willing to give that off-ice effort.  Strong on skates and tough to separate from puck.  Has trouble defensively handling coverage assignments down low.”  ISS compared him to Colin Wilson, “He kept elevating his game throughout the year to secure his promising ranking here at ISS for the upcoming NHL draft. Noesen is a big, physical center that plays a real hard-nosed style of game. He possesses a very good combination of physical tools; he skates well considering his size, displays soft hands and a real touch with the puck while using his size effectively. He seems to relish playing in traffic while showing a willingness to compete in all three zones. Noesen shows the odd flash of quickness and he is always moving his feet. A very unselfish player, he is aware of where his teammates are and makes good crisp passes. Excellent secondary scoring option that brings great energy to shifts. NHL Potential: Solid two-way forward can chip in offensively.”  Pierre Dorion said, “He’s shown that he’s a power forward type of winger who was willing to go to the net and had good skills. He made plays off the rush and he’s got a really good shot. We believe he’s going to be a guy that helps us win down the road.”  Here’s Noesen being drafted (via TSN).

April 19, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 3 Comments

Senators News: April 19th

-It’s remarkable that the Sens are tied in their series with the Rangers when their key players have yet to dominate.  Craig Anderson lost his best game of the series (game three), Jason Spezza has been a non-factor, Milan Michalek and Kyle Turris didn’t score until last night, Erik Karlsson has only one point, and Daniel Alfredsson only played one full game.  As a franchise, anything short of stellar play from their stars used to spell death for the Senators, but this year their depth has been good enough to win for them.

–Kyle Turris talked about scoring the OT winner, “To score in the Stanley Cup playoffs, in overtime, is something that every kid dreams of. It was very exciting … that’s for sure. [Paul MacLean] come up to me in practice, told me not to grip my stick and that it’s going to come. He told me at the morning skate, ‘Don’t get down on yourself, you’re a good player. The puck is going to come to you. Don’t worry about it’. Stuff like that gives you all the confidence in the world and it allowed me to score the goal tonight, I think.”

-After all the playoff mayhem of late NHL officials cracked down last night as the three games combined for 32 powerplays (26 between the Ottawa and Philadelphia games alone).  It didn’t make the games safer (hooking calls aren’t related to dangerous hits), but I’m interested to see if it’s forms a trend.

-Elmira lost 2-0 to Florida last night, with Brian Stewart taking the loss; Bobby Raymond scored a goal for the Everblades.

–Darren Kramer‘s Spokane Chiefs were eliminated last night, ending his CHL career.

–Stu Hackel rips into Don Cherry saying in part, “It was [Monday’s Coaches Corner] vintage Cherry, filled with half-truths, distortions and deceptions, all calculated to counteract the rising anger among fans who don’t like what they have seen. And you will hear and read those who think like Cherry parrot what he says time and time again. His main points sort of sound sensible — until you really think about them and examine them rationally.  A shoulder to the head is not fighting.  A head being held and smashed into the glass is not fighting. Crosschecks to the head are not fighting. Jumping a non-combatant is not fighting. Sucker punches are not fighting. Launching yourself into a player along the boards or in open ice is not fighting.”  And so on and so forth.  Picking apart Cherry is easy and old hat, but he still gets ratings and people still repeat his talking points (The Team 1200 springs to mind), so it’s worth delving into his nonsense from time to time.

–Red Line Report‘s latest issue is out with an updated list of 2012′s top prospects (with the position changes noted; for the previous report go link).  Coming into the 2011-12 season scouts believed the 2012 draft was going to be a deep one, but now the sentiment is the opposite.
1. Nail Yakupov (Sarnia, OHL)
2. Filip Forsberg (Leksand, Sweden)
3. Ryan Murray (Everett, WHL) (+2)
4. Mikhail Grigorenko (Quebec, QMJHL) (-1)
5. Matt Dumba (Red Deer, WHL) (-1)
6. Alex Galchenyuk (Sarnia, OHL) (+4)
7. Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw, WHL) (-1)
8. Sebastian Collberg (Frolunda, Sweden)
9. Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton, WHL)
10. Pontus Aberg (Djurgarden, Sweden) (-3)
11. Andrey Vasilevski (Salavat, KHL)
12. Jacob Trouba (US NTDP, USHL)
13. Matt Finn (Guelph, OHL)
14. Derrick Pouliot (Portland, WHL) (+1)
15. Cody Ceci (Ottawa 67s, OHL) (-1)
16. Radek Faksa (Kitchener, OHL)
17. Teuvo Teravainen (Jokerit, Finland) (+1)
18. Slater Koekkoek (Peterborough, OHL) (-1)
19. Damon Severson (Kelowna, WHL)
20. Zemgus Girgensons (Dubuque, USHL)
21. Phil Di Giuseppe (U. Michigan, NCAA)
22. Scott Kosmachuk (Guelph, OHL)
23. Jordan Schmaltz (Sioux City, USHL)
24. Olli Maatta (London, OHL)
25. Brendan Gaunce (Belleville, OHL)
26. Oscar Dansk (Brynas, SEL)
27. Henrik Samuelsson (US NTDP, USHL)
28. Anton Slepyshev (Novokuznetsk, KHL)
29. Brady Skjei (US NTDP, USHL)
30. Tomas Hertl (Slavia, Cze)

No one fell out of the top-30 this month. Here’s the movement among former top-30 players: Martin Frk (#31, +7), Colton Sissons (#35, -3), Scott Laughton (#43, +6), Nick Ebert (#48, -17), Chandler Stephenson (#55, NR), Troy Bourke (#59, +1), Gianluca Curcuruto (#66, -15), Calle Andersson (#90, -11), Eric Locke (#95, -6), Jarrod Maidens (#98, -13), Matia Marcantuoni (#107, -2), Patrik Machac (#153, -20), Ryan Olsen (#221, -5), and Luca Ciampini (NR, -25).

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

Ottawa 3, New York Rangers 2 (OT)

In an exciting game that the Sens dominated despite falling behind 2-0, they were able to tie the series at two.  Ottawa needed their offensive stars to come through and both Milan Michalek and Kyle Turris scored their first goals of the series.  Marc Staal went after Jason Spezza‘s head for some reason, but as Spezza wasn’t seriously hurt I don’t expect the NHL to take any action.  Here’s the box score.

First Period
On a good first shift Smith took a boarding penalty.  Anderson gave up a fat rebound and Stralman scored to give the Rangers the lead.  The Sens regained the pressure, but a Karlsson a tripping penalty on Anisimov lead to a Callahan goal.  Prust continued the penalty parade this moments later.  The best chance for Ottawa came from Neil trying to jam the puck in.  Konopka then took a penalty for…checking?  A weird call.  Anderson continued to give out huge rebounds, but the Sens were able to hold on.  Ottawa dominated the 5-on-5 play again and eventually drew another penalty.  The Sens came close, but couldn’t connect passes to complete their plays.  Cowen had a big hit late in the period on Anisimov.  Michalek had a great late chance, but was unable to slide the puck under Lundqvist.  Ottawa dominated the period except while short-handed.
Second Period
The Rangers had early pressure off an inexplicable non-icing call, which was followed by Karlsson getting crosschecked in the face after a rush.  The Sens struggled to get pressure on their powerplay, but back to 5-on-5 Ottawa dominated again.  Cowen made a great defensive play about five minutes in batting the puck away from danger.  Carkner took a hooking call on that play to put the Rangers back on the powerplay.  Anderson made one great save on the man advantage (on Staal) which turned into a Michalek goal who beat Lundqvist with a backhand.  On the next shift Smith missed a glorious chance to bury the puck but can’t score on his backhand (Ottawa got a powerplay on the play).  The Sens had incredible pressure during the man advantage, but couldn’t capitalise.  Smith then got called for checking Fedotenko too hard.  Anderson made an awkward stop on Del Zotto and Winchester saved the day off McDonagh, but otherwise the Rangers struggled to generate chances.  As 5-on-5 play resumed the game was a bit more back and forth, with Gaborik falling into the boards followed by Anisimov taking a penalty on Spezza.  On the powerplay Staal hit Spezza in the head (no call was made).  The Sens scored on the following faceoff with Gonchar squeezing the puck through Lundqvist.  Ottawa dominated most of the period again, but lost Winchester to an injury (no video of it was shown so I can’t speculate about what it is).
Third Period
Anderson made a good stop on Richards in the first minute.  Foligno took a high sticking penalty early, but the Rangers had no good scoring chances from the powerplay.  Anderson made an important save five minutes in when he sprawled after over committing on the initial play, then another a few minutes later stopped a Callahan deflection.  Ottawa had a 2-on-1 just after the midway point, but Smith couldn’t connect with Greening.  The Sens followed that with a great shift where Phillips had a great chance.  Ottawa continued to carry the play and Turris had a scoring chance in the slot.  Foligno was then called for a trip.  The Rangers weren’t able to generate any chances on the man advantage.  There was a frenetic finish to the period, but the Sens had a hard time getting shots through the shot-blocking of the Rangers.
OT
Scrambly play to start with Anderson making a couple of routine stops off Rupp before Gonchar blocked a shot that lead to a 2-on-2 for O’Brien and Turris with the latter beating Lundqvist top-shelf far side.

Here’s a look at the goals:
1. Rangers, Stralman (pp)
Anderson gives up a fat rebound and an untouched Stralman beats him far side
2. Rangers, Callahan (pp)
Anderson gives up another fat rebound and Callahan gets behind coverage to bang it in
3. Michalek (Carkner, Spezza)
Carkner comes out of the box and sends a great pass to Michalek who beats Lundqvist with a high backhand
4. Gonchar (Neil, Foligno) (pp)
Neil centers the puck and Gonchar’s shot squeezes through Lundqvist
5. Turris (O’Brien, Gonchar)
Gonchar blocks a shot and Turris and O’Brien rush down the ice with Turris beating Lundqvist t0p shelf far side

Top-performers:
Kyle Turris – scored the OT winner
Jim O’Brien – must love the playoffs because he’s been fantastic
Chris Phillips – great play in all three zones

Players Who Struggled:
Jason Spezza – his best game of the series, but that’s not saying much
Bobby Butler – largely invisible

April 19, 2012
Categories: Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Senators News: April 18th

–Daniel Alfredsson did not participate in the morning skate today, but Mike Hoffman did.  While it seems unlikely that Hoffman will play, Paul MacLean wouldn’t discount it.

–Paul MacLean talked about the Sens problems in their own zone, “In the game we feel we had, depending on who counts the scoring chances against, 10, 11 or 12. Four of them we had the puck on our stick, in our zone, and didn’t make the next pass to get it out of our zone. That turned into a scoring opportunity for them, and ultimately the goal that won the game. It’s been something we’ve worked on as a team, all year long, our execution with the puck, especially in the defensive zone. If there’s one thing we can do better, moving forward as a team, is to execute better, talk to each other, listen to each other … especially in our own defensive zone when we have the puck.”

–Don Brennan has decided to start pumping Bobby Butler‘s tires, which is about as random as things get, but Paul MacLean did say “I thought Bobby skated real hard, played with a lot of energy. He got after the puck, shot the puck. It was a good game for him.”  He did play hard, but playing hard isn’t why you put him in the lineup–the entire Sens roster plays hard–Butler needs to produce to be effective.

–Joy Lindsay writes about Binghamton’s forwards at the end of the season, with the main takeaway being that Pat Cannone was named the team’s top defensive forward.

-Here’s my profile of Mika Zibanejad.

–Jacob Silfverberg‘s Brynas lost again yesterday so their series (which they lead 3-0) will go to a sixth game.

–Stefan Noesen‘s Plymouth Whalers were eliminated last night.

–Raffi Torres knocked out Marian Hossa last night.  It helped the Coyotes win and will losing Torres to suspension really hurt Phoenix going forward?  The media was all over Torres and I have to wonder if for once the NHL is going to put the hammer down with a significant suspension.

-The International Scouting Service (ISS) has released their latest rankings and here’s the top-30 which features many changes (for the previous list go link; I’ve listed previous rankings in brackets where applicable):
1. Yakupov, Nail, LW 10/6/93 L 5.10.5 189 Sarnia OHL
2. Forsberg, Filip, RW 8/13/94 R 6.01 176 Leksands SweAl (4)
3. Grigorenko, Mikhail, RW 5/16/94 L 6.03.25 200 Québec QMJHL (2)
4. Murray, Ryan, LD 9/27/93 L 6.00.5 201 Everett WHL (3)
5. Trouba, Jacob, RD 2/26/94 R 6.02 196 USA Under-18 NTDP
6. Dumba, Matt, RD 7/25/94 R 5.11.75 183 Red Deer WHL
7. Rielly, Morgan, LD 3/9/94 L 5.11.5 190 Moose Jaw WHL (8)
8. Teuvo Teravainen, LW, 09/11/94, 5.11 161 Jokerit FinE (29)
9. Ceci, Cody, RD 12/21/93 R 6.02.5 207 Ottawa OHL
10. Reinhart, Griffin, LD 1/24/94 L 6.03.75 207 Edmonton WHL
11. Gaunce, Brendan, C 3/25/94 L 6.02 215 Belleville OHL (7)
12. Collberg, Sebastian, RW 2/23/94 R 5.11 Vastra SweJE (11)
13. Maatta, Olli, LD 8/22/94 L 6.01.5 202 London OHL (12)
14. Galchenyuk, Alexander, RW 2/12/94 L 6.00.5 198 Sarnia OHL (16)
15. Faksa, Radek, LW 1/9/94 L 6.03 202 Kitchener OHL (17)
16. Finn, Matthew, LD 2/24/94 L 6.00.25 195 Guelph OHL (13)
17. Aberg, Pontus, LW 9/23/93 R 5.11 187 Djurgarden SweE (15)
18. Koekkoek, Slater, LD 2/18/94 L 6.02 184 Peterborough OHL
19. Pouliot, Derrick, D 1/16/94 L 5.11.25 186 Portland WHL
20. Laughton, Scott, C 5/30/94 L 6.00 177 Oshawa OHL (NR)
21. Girgensons, Zemgus, F 1/5/94 L 6.01.25 201 Dubuque USHL (21)
22. Kerdiles, Nicholas, C/L 1/11/94 L, 6.01.5 200 USA Under-18 NTDP (27)
23. Sissons, Colton, C/R 11/5/93 L 6.01 189 Kelowna WHL (26)
24. Skjei, Brady, LD 3/26/1994 L 6.03 203 USA Under-18 NTDP (14)
25. Lindholm, Hampus, LD 1/20/94 L 6.02.5 196 Rogle SweJE (NR)
26. Dalton Thrower, D, 12/20/93 R 5.11.00 179 Saskatoon WHL (21)
27. Wilson, Thomas, RW 3/29/94 R 6.03.5 203 Plymouth OHL (NR)
28. Bystrom, Ludvig, LD 7/29/94 L 6.00.75 208 Modo SweE (22)
29. Hertl, Tomas, LW 11/12/93 L 6.02 198 pounds Slavia CzeE (23)
30. Zharkov, Daniil, F 2/6/94 L 6.03 197 Belleville OHL (NR)

Falling out of the top-thirty: Stefan Matteau (24), Mike Matheson (25), Anton Slepyshev (28), and Jarrod Maidens (30).

April 18, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, NHL Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

Prospect Profile: Mika Zibanejad

Mika Zibanejad (C/RW, 6’2, DOB 1993, 1-6/11)
2009-10 J18 Djurgarden 14-8-12-20 +15 10pim (ppg 1.42) 4th pts
2009-10 SupEl Djurgarden 14-2-2-4 -2 4pim (ppg 0.28) 21st
2010-11 SupEl Djurgarden 27-12-9-21 +18 12pim (ppg 0.77) 7th
2010-11 SEL Djurgarden 26-5-4-9 +1 2pim (ppg 0.34) 17th
2011-12 NHL Ottawa 9-0-1-1 -3 2pim
2011-12 SEL Djurgarden 26-5-8-13 -2 4pim (ppg 0.50) 14th
2011-12 WJC Sweden 6-4-1-5 +2 2pim 7th

Zibanejad, the sixth overall selection in last year’s draft (ranked #2 by Central Scouting; he’s the highest draft pick for Ottawa since picking Jason Spezza second overall in 2001), made the Senators to start the year, but lost his confidence and was loaned back to his club team Djurgarden (with fellow draftee Fredrik Claesson; he also played with Marcus Sorensen back in the day).  He didn’t get the ice time the Sens thought he should as his team went through two coaching changes during the season and also struggled with injuries.  The highlight for Zibanejad was the World Junior Championships, where he scored the gold medal winning goal for Sweden.  He will play with Ottawa or Binghamton next year (Djurgarden’s relegation has nothing to do with that decision).  Prior to the draft Red Line Report compared him to Brendan Morrow, “plays on the wing internationally, but is more natural and effective at center – his position in league play [SEL].  Drives the net hard using his size effectively to power through checks and win battles along the boards.  Plays a physical game, banging opposing players in puck pursuit, winning loose pucks and causing turnovers off an aggressive and determined forecheck.  Creates space for linemates and is tough to separate from the puck.  Has outstanding speed for a big man with a long, smooth, powerful stride that eats up ground.  Has good hands, receiving even tough passes well without breaking stride.  Also has a very heavy shot that he likes to use when busting down the wing with speed.  Good scoring touch around net, but not always instinctive in his offensive reads.  Tough to contain because he’s got so many facets he can beat you with.  Fine defensive effort level.” ISS compared him to Jerome Iginla, “A very intense player, Zibanejad has extremely explosive technical skills combined with great power and a determined work ethic. He applies tremendous physical pressure on the puck carrier in all zones and can really hammer opponents with his hitting ability. He displayed excellent awareness and intelligence away from the puck and is always calculating his next move. Zibanejad drives the net well and never has very much trouble penetrating the middle lanes off the rush with the puck. His hands and offensive timing could still stand to improve as he doesn’t always handle passes well and struggles to deal with bouncing pucks. NHL Potential: Two-way energy player who can fit a variety of roles including special teams and offensive situations.”  Goran Stubb said this about him, “Mika‘s a real power forward but also has soft hands, good vision and fine skating skills. He has tremendous balance and is hard to knock off the puck. He’s very strong in the battles along the boards, finishes checks with authority and has a heavy shot that he gets off quickly.”  You can watch Pierre Dorion and TSN discuss Zibanejad via the links.

April 17, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments

Senators News: April 17th

-The Sens talked about last night’s game, with Nick Foligno saying “It’s unfortunate he’s [Alfredsson] not in the lineup, given the circumstances, but I thought we played pretty well without him. Guys were in situations they’re probably not used to playing and I thought they did a pretty good job.”  Kyle Turris said “I’ve got to score on those.  I had an opportunity to tie it up and send it to OT. I missed the net (Monday), I won’t miss the net the next time.”

–Mike Hume points out that the trend of shots per game and scoring chances are slanting in Ottawa’s favour as the series has gone on.

-Here’s my review of Binghamton’s season.  Joy Lindsay provides a look at the goaltenders and defensemen, with the most interesting insight being that the coaches picked Eric Gryba as their top defenseman of the year.

–Kurt Kleinendorst talked about the season that was, saying “Everyone’s on the same page. The fact that this group never turned on one another, never turned on me  … those things matter. Back in February, it would have been easy for everybody to just pack it in. But that’s not what happened. Guys continued to show up every day and work hard. They showed up every night and competed. For this particular group, as young as we were without the veteran core we needed, it really wasn’t bad. To be honest, I think we overachieved.”  That’s an interesting assessment from the coach, who clearly puts the blame for Binghamton’s record on the lack of veterans (or, perhaps, healthy/the right veterans).

-Florida beat Elmira 5-4, with Brian Stewart serving as the backup and Corey Cowick, Jack Downing, and Bobby Raymond held off the scoresheet (Josh Godfrey did not play)

-Speaking of Elmira, bobbykelly mistakenly implies the Sens black aces were eligible to play for the Jackels during their playoff run, but only players who have played at least 5 ECHL games during a season are available to be sent down (which is not the case for any of the players now in Ottawa)

–Mario Lemieux has finally weighed in on his team’s behaviour, saying he’s embarrassed by the Penguins actions.

–Dale Hunter says the Bruins are going after Nicklas Backstrom‘s head; I haven’t seen enough of the series to know one way or another, but teams in general have been targeting the heads of players with concussion histories (Neal on Giroux, for one example), so I wouldn’t be surprised.

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

Ottawa 0, New York Rangers 1

The Senators played an inspired game without Daniel Alfredsson, but their key offensive players came up blank and the team fell to the counter punching Rangers.  The game lacked the circus atmosphere, with referees Brad Watson and Mike Leggo setting the tone early.  Here’s the box score.

First Period
The Sens had two chances in the period, the best coming via a tip from Condra with three minutes left.  Anderson made big saves off Boyle and Dubinsky while Karlsson made a fantastic defensive play on a 2-on-1.
Second Period
Ottawa had four opportunities, including O’Brien unable to get the puck past Bickel into an empty net (the others came from Smith, Foligno on a wrap around, and O’Brien again on a tip).  Spezza also had a great chance but choose to pass instead of shoot.  Fedotenko and Dubinsky had the chances for the Rangers, with Spezza saving the day on the former.  Kuba also made a great defensive play at the end of the period.
Third Period
The Sens had five more great chances to score (beginning with Cowen, then Greening, Condra in the slot, Karlsson in tight, and in the final minute Turris on the doorstep), but couldn’t beat Lundqvist.  Anderson stopped two breakaways (Boyle and Callahan), but couldn’t stop a backhand from Boyle in tight which decided the game.

Here’s a look at the goal:
1. Rangers, Boyle
The puck bounces off the backboards and no one is ready for it except Boyle, who beats Anderson with a backhand to the far side

Top-performers:
Craig Anderson – the Boyle goal was stopable, but he made other great saves that makes this a positive game for him (the team has to score for to win after all)
Jim O’Brien – he played less than 7 minutes but had two glorious scoring opportunities
Erik Karlsson – drove the offense and was excellent defensively

Players Who Struggled:
Jason Spezza – no scoring chances, refused to shoot the puck, and turned the puck over; didn’t step up in Alfredsson’s absence
Milan Michalek – no scoring chances; didn’t step up in Alfredsson’s absence

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

Binghamton Senators: 2011-12 Season Review

The Binghamton Senators finished 30th in the AHL with a 29-40-7 record for 65 points, which represents a 27-point (and 13 win) drop over last year’s Calder Cup winning season (when they were 12th in the league).  The team was 23rd in scoring (their 201 goals was 54 less than last year), 27th in goals against (their 243 goals 22 worse than last year).  The team featured 11 rookies, 7 of whom were regulars in the lineup.  Twelve players from the Calder Cup team remained (thirteen if you count Daugavins’ brief tenure with the team).  Back in August I predicted Binghamton would compete for a playoff spot and that their fate would hang on their goaltending.  Instead, the two things that troubled the team most were injuries to key players (especially Corey Locke) and their lack of depth on the blueline.  Tim Murray admitted the unexpected retirement of Lee Sweatt hurt the team a great deal (comparing him to Andre Benoit) and admitted the other veterans he signed (Parrish and Conboy) weren’t able to replace those lost from the previous season (Ryan Keller and David Hale are the most likely parallels, although Murray also mentioned Ryan Potulny who was acquired by trade).  It was a disappointing season for the team, although within that there was positive development of individual players.

Throughout the year I posted ten-game segments looking at how Binghamton performed, so here’s a brief recap of the season that was:
The first ten game segment Binghamton went 5-4-1 with Mark Parrish, Corey Locke, and Kaspars Daugavins leading the way offensively and Robin Lehner off to a good start; Daugavins was called up to Ottawa
The second ten game segment Binghamton went 2-7-1 with Nikita Filatov, Mark Parrish, and Andre Petersson leading the way offensively and the bottom falling out on the team in the absense of Corey Locke; Corey Cowick was -7; Shaun Heshka was traded and Mike Bartlett was added
The third ten game segment Binghamton went 3-7-0 with Stephane Da Costa, Pat Cannone, and Andre Petersson leading the way offensively; Craig Schira was -9; Da Costa was sent down, Filatov was loaned to the KHL, and Rob Klinkhammer was added
The fourth ten game segment Binghamton went 6-4-0 with Rob Klinkhammer, Corey Locke, and Andre Petersson leading the way offensively and Mike McKenna earning all the wins
The fifth ten game segment Binghamton went 4-5-1 with Corey Locke, Mike Hoffman, and Rob Klinkhammer leading the way offensively, but the goaltending numbers starting to balloon again; both Klinkhammer and Andre Petersson were -7; Cowick was sent to Elmira, O’Brien was called up to Ottawa, Dan Henningson was brought in, and Jack Downing was permanently added to the roster
The sixth ten game segment Binghamton went 4-5-1 with Corey Locke, Mike Hoffman, and Pat Cannone leading the way offensively and Robin Lehner beginning to get his game back; Craig Schira was +7; Raymond was sent to the ECHL; Klinkhammer was called up to Ottawa
The seventh ten game segment Binghamton went 3-5-2 with Pat Cannone, Andre Petersson, and Patrick Wiercioch leading the way offensively; Wacey Hamilton and Mark Parrish were -7; Cole Schneider and Matt Puempel were added to the roster
The final six games saw Binghamton go 2-3-1 with David Dziurzynski, Jack Downing, and Wacey Hamilton leading the way offensively; Mark Borowiecki was +7; Ben Blood was added to the roster

Here’s a look at how each player performed throughout the season with my analysis and a grade for each player (A=outstanding season, B=above expectations, C=expectations met, D=below expectations, F=well below expectations), for players who played in the NHL I’m only looking at how they did with Binghamton (the only ECHL call-ups included are those whose rights were owned by the organisation or they became regulars; INJ=games missed due to injury, SCR=scratched, FM=fighting majors):
Mike Hoffman 76-21-28-49 -18 Grade B
Lead the team in scoring and nearly doubled his point totals from his rookie season.  It’s a great leap forward that was rewarded with a one-game NHL call-up, but he still needs to work on his defensive game (he was tied for the team’s worst plus/minus)
Andre Petersson 60-23-21-44 -7 INJ 14 Grade A
A great rookie season for the diminutive forward; he took a physical pounding (missing 14 games due to injury), but was able to lead the team in goals, was fourth in points-per-game, and had one of the best plus/minuses among regular forwards
Pat Cannone 76-19-24-43 -7 Grade B
A solid rookie season for the NCAA grad whose production was among the most consistent on the team (validating a poster on this site who was adamant he would perform well); he was named the team’s best defensive forward
Corey Locke 38-10-31-41 -6 INJ 38 Grade C
The team was much better with him in the lineup (18-18-2), but he couldn’t stay healthy
Stephane Da Costa 46-13-23-36 -12 INJ 8 Grade C
Started with a bang and then faded badly down the stretch; needs to work on his conditioning and his defensive work, but he finished third on the team in points-per-game
Rob Klinkhammer 35-12-23-35 -5 Grade B
Acquired to help halt the teams downward spiral, he added much needed offense although he was fading before being called up to Ottawa
Mark Parrish 51-15-15-30 -15 INJ 25 Grade F
Missed a third of the season due to injury, but when healthy was not the offensive catalyst for the team he was signed to be
David Dziurzynski 72-11-17-28 -10 INJ 4 FM 6 Grade C
Enjoyed modest increases in all categories over his rookie season and is clearly someone the organisation is happy with as he was included among the black aces
Derek Grant 60-8-15-23 -7 INJ 13 SCR 3 Grade C
The rookie out of the NCAA was very inconsistent throughout the season, but showed flashes of what he could be
Mark Borowiecki 73-5-17-22 Even FM 11 Grade A
A fantastic rookie season for the Ottawa native (named rookie of the year), who lead the team in scoring from the blueline, was second among regulars in plus/minus, and was third on the team in fights
Eric Gryba 73-5-15-20 -13 INJ 3 FM 3 Grade B
He made a dramatic jump in his offensive totals, but seemed to lose some of his edge (only three fights); his coaches named him the top defenseman of the year
Patrick Wiercioch 57-4-16-20 -14 INJ 19 Grade C
Despite a horrific throat injury he improved his points-per-game but continued to struggle defensively
Jack Downing 47-9-8-17 Even SCR 4 FM 1 [ECHL 25-11-8-19 -5] Grade A
Signed to play in Elmira, he got better as the year went on; it will be interesting to see if the Sens decide to re-sign him
Jim O’Brien 27-7-7-14 +1 INJ 19 Grade B
In the final year of his ELC, he played so well that his call-up to Ottawa became permanent (largely based on his defensive acumen)
Craig Schira 73-4-9-13 -14 SCR 3 FM 1 Grade F
A tough third year in the AHL where he was expected to make a step forward; he struggled to be a regular top-four blueliner (finishing tied with the worst plus/minus among defensemen)
Nikita Filatov 15-7-5-12 +3 Grade C
He would have been a very useful player for Binghamton if he’d played all season, but that was not to be
Corey Cowick 53-5-6-11 -6 SCR 3 [ECHL 22-8-5-13 +3] Grade D
The expectation was that he would be a regular AHLer, but while his play improved his consistency is still a big issue
Wacey Hamilton 74-5-6-11 -18 INJ 2 [ECHL 2-0-2-2 +1] Grade C
One of the few young players who was never scratched despite limited production, his future is as a checking center and despite being tied for the team’s worst plus/minus Kleinendorst is clearly a fan
Tim Conboy 53-2-9-11 +1 INJ 23 FM 13 Grade C
Struggled to stay healthy, but was the only regular player to finish as a plus player and was second on the team in fighting majors
Dan Henningson 32-2-8-10 -3 INJ 2 Grade C
Became a fixture on the blueline in January when the team was desperately short on defenseman; despite solid play it’s hard to imagine he has a future with Binghamton
Josh Godfrey 38-2-6-8 -3 INJ 14 SCR 13 [ECHL 5-1-2-3 Even] Grade D
Signed primarily for Elmira, the team’s shortage of defenseman saw him play half the season with Binghamton; he was so little trusted defensively that in many games he only played on powerplays
Mike Bartlett 58-3-4-7 -6 INJ 1 SCR 1 Grade C
A useful depth player for the team’s bottom six, he’s not part of the solution going forward
Kaspars Daugavins 7-4-2-6 Even Grade A
Was called up early to Ottawa and never came back
Bobby Raymond 38-0-4-4 -1 SCR 12 Grade F
An Elmira signing who was pressed into playing half the season with Binghamton, his opportunity to be a full time AHLer did not work out
Francis Lessard 43-1-1-2 -3 INJ 5 SCR 28 FM 14 Grade C
A one-dimensional enforcer, he was scratched for more than a third of the season
Cole Schneider 11-1-1-2 -1 Grade incomplete
Ottawa’s free agent college signing, he was solid in limited action
Matt Puempel 9-1-0-1 +1 Grade incomplete
The only CHL player to join Binghamton before the end of the season, he played well in limited action
Shaun Heshka 10-0-1-1 -8 SCR 5 Grade F
A late signing after the retirement of Lee Sweatt, he couldn’t stay in the lineup and was traded a month into the season
Ben Blood 4-0-0-0 Even FM 1 Grade incomplete
Finished his collegiate career and showed his physical play (much like Gryba’s debut a few years ago) in limited action
Louie Caporusso 13-0-0-0 -2 INJ 8 SCR 2 [ECHL 29-16-16-32 +5] Grade D
Was excellent in Elmira, but as a four-year college player he was expected to play regularly for Binghamton; Kleinendorst was happy with his development
Max Gratchev 12-0-0-0 -7 INJ 8 SCR 5 [ECHL 19-7-7-14 -1] Grade F
Signed to help Elmira, he struggled at both levels before being traded
Robin Lehner 3.26 .907 13-21-2 INJ 9 Pulled 5 Grade D
His numbers took a pounding and he wasn’t able to establish himself as the starter until midway into the season; his numbers were much better in Ottawa
Mike McKenna 2.98 .918 14-18-5 Pulled 2 Grade B
Played very well, although he slumped towards the end of the season (finishing 1-6-3)
Ben Bishop 2.35 .944 2-1-0 Grade incomplete
Signed to help Ottawa he was spectacular in his brief time in Binghamton

It often sounds like an excuse, but injuries played a major role in Binghamton’s demise.  Corey Locke missed half the season, while Parrish missed 25 games, Conboy 23, O’Brien and Wiercioch 19, Petersson 14, Grant 13, and on and on.  The top players on the roster only played together in ten games during the season (going 6-4-0).  Even if just Locke had remained healthy they were on track to be a .500 team (extrapolating their record that’s 36-36-4, making them 26th overall).  Despite all their problems, the team did produce a few career highs (such as Hoffman, Dziurzynski, and Gryba in points) and excellent rookie seasons from Borowiecki and Petersson.  Conboy lead the team in plus/minus among regulars (he also lead in PIM’s), while Hoffman and Hamilton were at the bottom of that heap.  Hoffman lead powerplay scoring with 10, while O’Brien‘s lead the team in shorthanded tallies with 3.  Only Hoffman and Petersson had 20-goal seasons (eight players scored at least 10 goals) and the injured Corey Locke was the only player to hit 30-assists.  Borowiecki lead the blueline with only 22 points.  Conboy, Lessard, and Borowiecki were the only players with over 100 penalty-minutes (Gryba and Dziurzynski were in the 90s).

April 16, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 11 Comments

Senators News: April 16th

-As reported everywhere, Carl Hagelin was suspended for three games and Matt Carkner for one.  I was surprised by the length of the suspension for Hagelin, but it’s only really a “win” for Ottawa if Alfredsson can play.  The Rangers statement following the suspension was interesting: “we are thoroughly perplexed in the ruling’s inconsistency with other supplementary discipline decisions that have been made throughout this season and during the playoffs.”  It’s absolutely accurate, although that doesn’t mean the suspensions weren’t warranted.

–Paul MacLean confirms none of the black aces are expected to play, as he’ll go to the scratches before them “We’ve considered everyone that is here, but we haven’t made any final decisions and we’ll wait to see what Alfredsson says tomorrow.”  I think the key word in that sentence is “here”, because I think Jakob Silfverberg would get the same consideration (if not more) as a Bobby Butler or Rob Klinkhammer if available.

-Speaking of Silfverberg, Brynas lost 4-3 in OT yesterday, meaning he has at least one more game to play before being available to the Sens.

–John Henkelman writes about Ottawa’s NCAA and European prospects (suggesting Chris Wideman could play some games in Binghamton this season, which may prove difficult with their season completed).  There’s nothing new here, but for those looking for a refresher it’s succinct and to the point.

-The NHL seems to have achieved what it wanted with the Penguins antics yesterday.  The officials have the powers to prevent this kind of circus from developing (see below), but no effort was made to do so by Eric Furlatt and Francois St. Laurent.  It hasn’t been that long since the previous controversy about Crosby was raging and already some of the dialogue in the media has changed, with Hockey Night in Canada actually allowing unchallenged criticism of him (via P. J. Stock).  His petulant post-game comments won’t help his image.  Michael Grange looks at the whole phenomena of retribution in this year’s playoffs and points to the two incidents that seemed to spark it: the non-suspension of Shea Weber and the lack of penalisation of Brian Boyle.  Teams feel like the NHL won’t protect or punish them, so they have to police themselves (Pierre LeBrun puts as much emphasis on the officiating, although his suggestion that in the good old days enforcers kept this nonsense from happening is laughable–go back to Grange’s article to recall what that era was like).

-The officials in the Vancouver-Los Angeles game last night demonstrated how to keep a game from getting out of control, as after Brown‘s hit on Sedin the refs (Kevin Pollock and Kelly Sutherland) started calling a lot of penalties and the circus stopped almost immediately.

-On the random side of things, during one of the TSN broadcasts last week it was brought up how many coaches came out of the 88-89 Hartford Whalers and when you look at it, it’s on verge of ridiculous: Kevin Dineen (NHL, Florida), Ron Francis (NHL, Carolina), John Anderson (NHL, Phoenix), Ulf Samuelsson (SEL, MODO), Jody Hull (OHL, Peterborough), Dean Evason (NHL, Washington), Brent Peterson (NHL, Nashville), Mark Reeds (NHL, Ottawa), Dave Tippett (NHL, Phoenix), Terry Yake (former NLA), Randy Ladouceur (NHL, Montreal), Norm Maciver (NHL, Chicago), Joel Quenneville (NHL, Chicago), Allan Tuer (former WHL), Peter Sidorkiewicz (OHL); Brian Lawton was the GM of Tampa.  That’s 15 (16 with Lawton) guys from the team!

April 16, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments

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