–Rob Klinkhammer (35-12-23-35 -5) was recalled by the Sens yesterday and despite declining production this is a reward for his play.  This will be Klinkhammer‘s second NHL call-up as he played one game for Chicago last year and the plan is for him to play with Daniel Alfredsson and Kyle Turris in the hopes of generating secondary scoring.  Zack Smith will be healthy scratch for the first time this season (a decision I don’t like) and Kaspars Daugavins will remain out of the lineup.  Unsurprisingly, Robin Lehner will get the start.

–Robin Lehner is keeping a level head about the hype surrounding him, “I heard it from one of the guys, I haven’t really seen it. You’ve got to put a little perspective on it, too. I’ve played four games this season. I’m happy with my performance in the four games, but it’s not there yet, to be that hyped. I understand why it’s hyped. I’m a really young goaltender. I feel like I’ve been playing solid, okay … it’s just the way it is here in Ottawa. I don’t mind it, and I don’t mind it when it goes bad, either. One bad game here and we’ll see if Lehn-sanity sticks. It probably won’t. These guys (Senators) have been teaching me lots about it. I don’t try to get too high when I’m good and too low when I’m down. You can hate me, but never break me. I know how it is. I know my role here. I’ve been following Craig and this team for the whole season. He’s been great. He’s been carrying this team. He has 29 wins this year. He’s been rock solid. I’m just trying to be here for this team right now. If I get the chance, I’ll just try to play my best, so we might get some points out of it. When he comes back, I’m not expecting anything. We’ll see what happens. Whatever they think is best for me, I’ve got to trust them and do what they say.”

-Binghamton was completely dominated by Hershey last night, outshot 38-17 with Mike McKenna taking the loss.  Pat Cannone lead the team with five shots and Patrick Wiercioch extended his pointless streak to 10 games.  Here’s the box score and Joy Lindsay‘s game summary.  Ben Bishop will start today against St. John’s.

-Elmira won 4-1 last night, with Brian Stewart earning the win Corey Cowick held off the scoresheet (Louie Caporusso remains out of the lineup).  Bobby Raymond had an assist in Florida’s 5-4 win.

March 4, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

The Senators can thank Robin Lehner for making a game that wasn’t close look respectively (he made 37 saves).  The Hawks dominated the game and the Sens were unable to generate momentum or even many chances.  Here is the box score.

First Period
Ottawa was atrocious to start the period with loose defensive play requiring Robin Lehner to repeatedly bail them out (especially saves on Patrick Kane and Andrew Brunette).  Matt Gilroy had the defensive play of the period, harassing Kane enough that he didn’t get a shot on a breakaway.  Despite their poor play, Ottawa scored first with Michalek surprising Emery on a one-timer.
Second Period
The Sens continued to struggle to start the second period.  Lehner stopped Patrick Sharp on a breakaway and then a penalty shot, but the Hawks finally scored on a 6-on-5 to tie the game and then went ahead on the powerplay.  MacLean threw the lines in the blender and the Sens played much better afterwards, but still had no answer to the Patrick Kane line.
Third Period
The Sens played their best in the third, but were still sloppy defensively (giving up a breakaway to Andrew Shaw) and had trouble getting pucks to the net.  Ultimately they had no answer offensively for the Hawks (including Gilroy missing an empty net).

Here’s a look at the goals:
1. Michalek (Spezza, Gilroy)
Spezza makes a perfect pass to Michalek above the circles and his one-timer catches the far post
2. Chicago, Bickell
Michalek leaves Bickell unattended in front and he beats Lehner high
3. Chicago, Hossa (pp)
Niether Kuba nor Konopka are able to collapse far side in time to prevent Hossa from scoring on the wrap around after Lehner makes the initial save

Top-performers:
Robin Lehner – made a number of huge saves and gave his teammates a chance to win
Milan Michalek – scored the team’s only goal and lead them in scoring chances
Colin Greening – was strong defensively and along the wall

Players Who Struggled:
Kyle Turris – was a big reason why the Patrick Kane line dominated and generated virtually nothing offensively
Bobby Butler – has gone back to being invisible, failing to generate offence

Binghamton jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Syracuse, chasing Antero Niittymaki and cruising to a 5-2 win.  Ben Bishop made 42 saves to earn the victory, while Mike Hoffman scored two goals and Andre Petersson, Corey Locke, and Pat Cannone had the others.  Locke and Hoffman each had three-point nights.  Here’s the box score and Joy Lindsay‘s game summary.

Elmira lost 3-1 tonight, with Brian Stewart dressing as the backup and Corey Cowick held off the scoresheet (Louie Caporusso is still injured).  Bobby Raymond had no points but was a +5 in Florida’s 9-3 victory.

March 2, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-No lineup changes are expected tonight.

–Robin Lehner isn’t interested in talking about his season in Binghamton, “I don’t really care what people say about me and my statistics in the AHL. I know what they are and I know me, myself, how it’s been, and why. I’ve gone through a lot since I came over here, and I’m learning from it. I have people who are helping me to go through it. Everything is a learning thing and I’m learning every day.”

–Craig Anderson won’t discuss how his injury happened, “I really don’t care to talk about the details of it all. (It was a) freak accident. Happened in the kitchen. Leave it at that. Something you learn from. Unfortunately, it was a costly mistake. I knew it was severe when it happened,” he said when asked if he thought his career was in jeopardy. “I knew it wasn’t the end of the world. I knew I had an issue, I knew I needed to take care of it. My main concern was just to get the help I needed right away, get the right people involved right away to make sure the road to recovery happened as soon as possible.”  I don’t understand his reticence, but the specifics are irrelevant.

-A lot of ink has been spilled talking about Erik Karlsson as a Norris Trophy candidate.  Laurie Boschman offers a pile of numbers supporting him, while Tyler Dellow presents numbers against him (Dellow makes the mistake in his presentation by not applying his analysis to any other player, making comparison via his method impossible).  Greg Wyshynski decries Karlsson‘s defensive acumen as compared to other candidates and ultimately I think that train of thought will win the day when it comes to voting (hockey traditionalists despise players they consider to be one-dimensional).  The prejudice clearly still bothers Paul Coffey, who said “No disrespect to defensive defencemen, but every team has one, How many teams have a defenceman that can do what Erik Karlsson is doing? (The award) should go to an exceptional defenceman. That’s Karlsson this year.”  Personally, whether Karlsson wins the trophy or not is irrelevant.  He’s having an excellent season and is a major reason why the Sens have played so well this year.

-Speaking of Karlsson, Chris Phillips credits him with the improvement on the Sens blueline this year, “I think having D-men jump up in the play and getting involved is something that helps the forwards. Being involved, being an option (for a pass), forces the other team to back off, not play them as hard, be aware of guys jumping up. That gives forwards more time with the puck and time to make plays.”

–Bob McKenzie reports that a group from Saskatoon is trying to land an NHL franchise.  It’s hard to imagine a city that small being granted a franchise, but McKenzie does indicate that it’s not completely implausible.

March 2, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-Senators president Cyril Leeder is trying to drum up pressure to fight against the plans of the Ontario government to eliminate the tax exemption for sports tickets.  I won’t go into the specifics of how much business the team might lose (if any), but the idea that it threatens the franchise is a joke–Eugene Melnyk has nowhere to move the team and neither he nor the league are going to dissolve it.  I expect the sports journalists in the city will push the panic button regardless.

–Ken Warren is worried about the length of Erik Karlsson‘s contract, but he doesn’t provide good comparables to make his point.  Karlsson is 21 and has no history of serious injury problems, so how long a deal is too long?  I don’t think there’s much point in fans speculating on the kinds of hypothetical’s that has Warren worried–Craig Anderson‘s four years will bother me more than Karlsson getting six or seven.

–Joy Lindsay reports that Mark Parrish will return to the lineup tomorrow.  Here are the lines: Mike Hoffman-Corey Locke-Derek Grant, Rob Klinkhammer-Wacey Hamilton-Mark Parrish, David Dziurzynski-Pat Cannone-André Petersson, Jack Downing-Mike Bartlett-Francis Lessard; Mark Borowiecki-Eric Gryba, Tim Conboy-Dan Henningson, Patrick Wiercioch-Craig Schira, Josh Godfrey.  Ben Bishop is expected to start Friday and Sunday with Mike McKenna on Saturday.

RTS Sport interviewed Roman Wick about his season last year and he had some interesting things to say, “I played three exhibition games in training camp. Each game, I had less than 10 minutes of playtime and it made me lose faith in myself. I felt that the coach [Corey Clouston] did not have faith in me. Da Costa arrived at the end of the season, but he played in the NHL directly, without going to the minors. Ottawa must think the NCAA is better than the NLA, but I know what I’m worth. I feel that I am better than him. I’m glad to have become the first Swiss player to win the Calder Cup. There were about 10,000 people in the streets of Binghamton, a city more or less as large as Zug [26,000], to celebrate our victory.”  Wick said he has not given up his NHL dream (presumably he has an opt out clause in his three-year contract).  I don’t disagree with him that Clouston was not interested in giving him much of a chance, but he shows considerably naiveté in not understanding the tools teams have to use to lure NCAA free agents.  Ottawa retained his rights so he could be invited to training camp, but it’s difficult to see where or how Wick would fit into the organisational depth chart.

–The Silver Seven‘s bobbykelly continues to look at Ottawa’s organisational depth and includes Nikita Filatov at #22.  “If Filatov plays in the NHL, it is sure to be in a top-six role” seems true enough.  The other issue is that Filatov financially supports his family and cannot or will not do that with an AHL salary.

–Bobby Raymond has been sent back to the ECHL

-Elmira won last night with Brian Stewart earning the win and Corey Cowick held off the scoresheet.

–DJ Powers writes about the top free agent collegiate prospects, which he lists as follows:
Spencer Abbott, 5’9, LW, Maine, 33-19-37-56
J. T. Brown, 5’10, RW, Minnesota-Duluth, 32-20-22-42
Jack Connolly, 5’8, C, Minnesota-Duluth, 34-18-36-54
Dan DeKeyser, 6’2, D, Western Michigan, 36-5-8-13
Brian Flinn, 6’0, C, Maine, 33-17-28-45
Torey Krug, 5’9, D, Michigan State, 35-11-21-32
Jack MacLellan, 5’11, C, Brown, 27-15-14-29
Chris Rawlings, 6’5, G, Northeastern, 30-12-13-5 2.63 .919
Jeremy Walsh, 6’3, C/W, Union, 33-22-13-35

March 1, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–Robin Lehner talked about his first career NHL shutout, “Obviously, it’s not as big as last year for me (when he won the AHL MVP during the Binghamton Senators run to the Calder Cup title), there were some records for my country and the organization for being so young, but it’s up there. I think the first two periods were hard for me, too. I had to stand around for a bit. They still had pretty good chances when they got them. I think the D helped me a lot, to see the puck and take away rebounds. I think we had a real good team game today.”

-Paul MacLean didn’t like the Sens third period, but was happy with the win, “They’re still a real good team and still have a little ways to go. But we’re real pleased we were able to come in here, a tough building, and find a way to win the game. Getting a shutout just makes it better. I thought we didn’t play real great in the third period, but we found a way to stay on the inside and not give up too many second or third opportunities. Penalty killing did a good job of keeping that at bay. For the  most part, it was a pretty solid effor from our team, from start to finish.”

–Scott Burnside looks at Ottawa’s success thus far this season, but only goes skin deep in talking about the culture change under Paul MacLean and the contributions of Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza.

–TSN and Sports Illustrated‘s power rankings are out with Ottawa 12th and 15th

–Peter Raaymakers worries about Robin Lehner, fearing his mediocre pro numbers are a result of complacency.  He points to Barry Brust taking over the starters mantel last year and Mike McKenna‘s superior numbers this year.  It’s interesting food for thought, but Raaymakers is drawing the wrong conclusion from the numbers.  The reason Lehner hasn’t dominated consistently is because he’s young.  Jacob Markstrom, who is supposed to be a better prospect than Lehner, has had similar problems–and so do most young goaltenders.  I have absolutely no concerns about Lehner being a starting goaltender in the NHL if he can stay healthy.

February 29, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

The Sens dominated Boston for forty minutes and Robin Lehner preserved the win in the third period.  It was good to see Ottawa beat both Boston and Thomas.  Matt Gilroy was used sparingly, but was solid in his first game.  Here’s the box score.

First Period
The Sens played a strong opening period, largely dominating the Bruins and scoring the only goal of the period on the powerplay (Karlsson through an excellent Alfredsson screen).
Second Period
Ottawa continued to control the play, although Boston picked up its physical game.  Condra missed an empty net, continuing his lengthy scoring drought.
Third Period
Boston dominated the entire game, the Bruins enjoying three powerplays and the Sens unable to capitalise on their few chances (such as Smith‘s breakaway).  Lehner, who wasn’t very busy in the first two periods, was excellent in the third.

Here’s a look at the goal:
1. Karlsson (Michalek, Spezza) (pp)
Beats Thomas high through an Alfredsson screen

Top-performers:
Robin Lehner – was excellent when he needed to be and earned his first NHL shutout
Sergei Gonchar – despite taking a late penalty he was excellent defensively
Erik Condra – he missed an empty net, but was excellent in his own zone

Players Who Struggled:
Zenon Konopka – two brutal giveaways on the penalty kill in the third period

Ben Bishop had a stellar debut with Binghamton making 41 saves in Binghamton’s win over St. John’s.  Mike Hoffman scored twice and Corey Locke, Pat Cannone, and Derek Grant added singles.  Locke lead the with three points and both he and Eric Gryba were +2.  Here’s the box score and Joy Lindsay‘s game summary.

February 28, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–Matt Carkner and Kaspars Daugavins are the scratches tonight.

–Joe Corvo may still be under the effects of a concussion as he’s fighting mad after Turris‘ hit, “Let’s just say I’ll be looking for him right off the bat. I’m not (happy). Two days I’ve been walking around with a headache. Just because I didn’t lay down on the ice and get carted off and miss a period … I don’t know … it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a cheapshot. In my opinion, he saw my numbers and took the opportunity to seek revenge for the game prior when we were at home. Hopefully he’s a man and he’ll step up (Tuesday) when I come after him. I’m not going to try and hurt him, but I want to fight him.”  Corvo has one NHL fight on his resume, fighting Joey Crabb in December (Turris has been in two NHL fights).

–Don Brennan jumps back onto his old hobby horse and wishes Bryan Murray traded Filip Kuba and Sergei Gonchar.  I’m never sure if it’s worth pointing out Brennan’s errors in logic, but briefly: Gonchar can’t be traded and giving up Kuba would seriously hurt the playoff push.  He didn’t like the Lee trade either, but I think if you can get an asset for a guy you waived around the league that’s something at least.

-The trade of Brian Lee provides an end to his tenure with the organisation and allows the question to be asked: what kind of asset was he?  I think the reason Lee struggled for so long is that he thought of himself as an offensive blueliner, only starting to change his game last season to what he can be (a shutdown defenseman).  The best case scenario for Lee is to be a solid 5-6 player in the league who blocks shots and plays a safe game, but the Sens are loaded with players like that who are more physical (Mark Borowiecki and Eric Gryba for example).

–Aedan Helmer writes about why Matt Gilroy wears #97, “After he passed away, I made a promise to my mom that I’d always wear that number and take it as far as [my little brother] Timmy would have.”

–ESPN and The Hockey News‘ power rankings are out, with Ottawa 14th and 11th.

–Ben Bishop was sent to Binghamton where he’s expected to start tonight (meaning Brian Stewart was returned to Elmira).  The plan is for him to play some NHL games in the near future.  Joy Lindsay reports that Stephane Da Costa will miss the game due to injury while Bobby Raymond will be the healthy scratch.

-Analysis of the winners and losers at the trade deadline are pouring in, but I think they often err in being assessed by what the writer thinks the team should do as opposed to judging the deals from the perspective of what GM’s were trying to do.  It can be a subtle difference, but (for example) those criticising Nashville for overpaying with draft picks have to understand the goal for the Predators is playoff success, not the future.  I think it’s only on that basis that you can fairly assess what’s happened.  With that in mind, here’s my view of the day’s trades:
Andrei Kostitsyn (Mtl) – 2nd (2013) and conditional 5th (2013 (Nsh) – both teams got what they wanted here, with Montreal dumping a UFA and Nashville acquiring a scorer.  There’s more risk for Nashville, but Kostitsyn was the best rental scorer traded on the day.
Mike Commodore (Det) – conditional 7th (2013 (TB) – both teams got what they wanted, with Tampa getting a body for its thin blueline and Detroit dumping a UFA
Nick Schultz (Min) – Tom Gilbert (Edm) – again, both teams got what they wanted, with the defensive-minded Schultz in a down year and puck-moving Gilbert in an average year–both are 29, both have term on their contracts (Gilbert‘s is slightly more)
Keith Aulie (Tor) – Carter Ashton (TB) – I sound like a broken record, but here again both teams got what they wanted; Aulie is an older, more experienced prospect who can help Tampa’s blueline now, whereas Carter is a big, young winger for the future
Daniel Winnik, T. J. Galiardi, and 7th (2013) (Col) – Jamie McGinn, Mike Connolly, Michael Sgarbossa (SJ) – it’s harder for me to assess this trade because I’m not as familiar with the assets involved, but the Sharks get two NHL bodies to give them depth, while the Avalanche don’t really give up much
Brian Lee (Ott) – Matt Gilroy (TB) – another hockey trade with two right-handed shots with expiring contracts getting a fresh start with new teams; Gilroy is older and more offensively accomplished
Sami Pahlsson (Clb) – Taylor Ellington, two 4th’s (Van) – I frankly don’t think Pahlsson has much in the tank, but the Canucks did not give up much to get him while the Blue Jackets at least added some assets
Johnny Oduya (Win) – 2nd and 3rd (2013) (Chi) – this is a win for the Jets, despite the Hawks getting what they want–two picks for an expiring contract is a great reward
Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau (NYI) – Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin (Bos) – the Islanders dump two contracts and the Bruins give up virtually nothing for depth, so another good hockey trade
Paul Gaustad and 4th (2013) (Buf) – 1st (2012) (Nsh) – this is a steep price to pay for an expiring contract so it’s a win for Buffalo
Greg Zanon (Min) – Steve Kampfer (Bos) – UFA depth for Boston for a signed prospect for Minnesota is a good deal on both sides
John Scott (Chi) – 5th (2012) (NYR) – I have no idea why the Rangers wanted the one-dimensional Scott
Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani (Buf) – Cody Hodgson and Alexander Sulzer (Van) – the Canucks win the undercard (the blueliners swapped) while Kassian and Hodgson form different kinds of risks for each team, but on the whole I think Vancouver got more in the trade than the Sabres

February 28, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-Today is trade deadline day and people have different reactions to it, including some who find the coverage ridiculous, but I think it’s a lot of fun for fans.  I’ll update this post if the Sens make any moves.  [Update: Brian Lee has been traded to Tampa Bay for Matt Gilroy.  Gilroy was a highly sought after NCAA free agent in 2009, but the Rangers moved him at the end of last season.  His stats this year: 53-2-15-17 +2 and is a UFA at the end of the season.]

-[My final thoughts on today’s trade deadline: it was a quiet day as teams were less likely to overpay for players.  There were far more so-called hockey-trades (transactions between teams that make sense on both sides) than are traditionally the case and I wonder how much the new CBA negotiations have to do with that conservatism.  In Bryan Murray’s press conference he referenced Ottawa’s pursuit of Gilroy three years ago and clearly the organisation still likes the potential they see in him.]

–Robin Lehner was happy about his game yesterday, “The win is huge for me and the team. I wanted to prove to the guys in here and prove to the organization that I can handle the pressure. It’s a lot of pressure for a 20-year-old coming into a Canadian team trying to get into the playoffs, that can’t really afford to lose a lot. (Then) the same day I’m going to play, they bring in a new goalie (Ben Bishop). Great. It’s all pressure. I think for myself, I went through another mental barrier. I had one last year. There was pressure all the time in the (AHL) playoffs.”

–Bruce Garrioch writes about the Ben Bishop trade, with an NHL exec offering this intriguing comment, “Good deal for the Senators. I thought they might have to give up more. I’m sure his status as a UFA meant the Blues weren’t getting offered a lot in return. If they sign him, it will be an excellent trade. Not sure where this places Robin Lehner in the organization.”  I’m also wondering what is going to happen next year, because as much as management talks about competition in camp I don’t see them burying a one-way deal  in the minors regardless of Lehner‘s camp.  It remains to be seen what kind of NHL player Bishop will be, but he’s definitely an upgrade on Alex Auld.

-The Brian Lee good luck charm stat is floating around (the Sens are 12-0-1 in his last 13 games).  If it means anything it’s bad news for Matt Carkner.

–Joy Lindsay Tweets Binghamton’s lines at practice: Grant-Locke-Bartlett, Klinkhammer-Hamilton-Petersson, Hoffman-Cannone-Dziurzynski, Downing-Parrish-Lessard; Borowiecki-Gryba, Henningson-Conboy, Wiercioch-Schira, Raymond-Godfrey.

-Prospect updates (their position in team scoring is noted in brackets, defence compared to defence; I’ve also indicated if the player’s scoring position has change (with a + for up, – for down, and = for unchanged):
CHL
Mark Stone (RW, Brandon, WHL) 58-39-66-105 (1st=)
Shane Prince (C/LW, Ottawa 67s, OHL) 50-39-41-80 (2nd=)
Stefan Noesen (C/RW, Plymouth, OHL) 54-30-39-69 (1st=)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (RW, Chicoutimi, QMJHL) 41-32-31-63 (2nd+)
Darren Kramer (C/LW, Spokane, WHL) 60-19-16-35 (6th=)
Jakub Culek (C/LW, Rimouski, QMJHL) 48-12-22-34 (5th+)
Matt Puempel (LW, Peterborough, OHL) 30-17-16-33 (injured)
Jordan Fransoo (D, Victoria, WHL) 61-2-15-17 (2nd=)
SEL
Jakob Silfverberg (C/RW, Brynas) 45-21-26-47 (1st=)
Mika Zibanejad (C/RW, Djurgarden) 22-5-5-10 (16th=)
Fredrik Claesson (D, Djurgarden) 45-1-6-7 (t-5th-)
Allsvenskan
Marcus Sorensen (RW, Boras) 26-8-8-16 (7th+)
NCAA
Ryan Dzingel (C, CCHA-Ohio State) 31-7-17-24 (t-1st+)
Max McCormick (LW, CCHA-Ohio State) 25-10-11-21 (t-3rd=)
Bryce Aneloski (D, WCHA-Nebraska-Omaha) 34-6-14-20 (1st=)
Michael Sdao (D, ECAC-Princeton) 27-8-10-18 (1st=)
Chris Wideman (D, CCHA-Miami) 36-1-16-17 (1st=)
Ben Blood (D, WCHA-North Dakota) 33-2-14-16 (t-1st+)
Jeff Costello (LW, CCHA-Notre Dame) 24-4-6-10 (9th=)
Brad Peltz (LW, ECAC-Yale) 9-1-0-1 (20th=)

February 27, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment