Ottawa 5, New York Islanders 2

After a brutal start to the game, where Robin Lehner kept them in it, the Sens were able to turn the corner and dominate the Islanders.  Erik Karlsson was able to break Norm Maciver‘s franchise record for points by defenceman and the Sens fourth line contributed three goals including the winner.  It will be interesting to see if Paul MacLean thinks Lehner has earned the start against Boston.  Here’s the box score.

First Period
The Sens came out flat, giving up an early goal on a two-on-one by Tavares and struggling all over the ice for half the period (being outshot 10-0).  Lehner kept them in it, including stopping Reasoner on a clear breakaway. They woke up in the latter stages of the period and were able to apply some pressure to Nabokov.  Spezza had a brutal period, leading the team in giveaways.
Second Period
Ottawa came out stronger in the period, but still needed an incredible save from Lehner on Tavares to allow them to tie the game on the powerplay (Michalek).  Just prior to the goal Spezza was hit by an Alfredsson slapper and went straight to the dressing room, but was able to return and score on the next powerplay.
Third Period
The Sens did a great job cutting down on the chances for the Islanders and O’Brien scored on a turnover created by Neil.  The Isles were able to capitalise on an Alfredsson turnover to cut the lead to one, but as the momentum began to switch Neil made a fantastic tip to give the Sens back their two goal lead.  Turris salted the game away with an empty-net goal.

Here’s a look at the goals:
1. New York Islanders, Tavares
Karlsson pinches down the wall and Spezza is late in covering for him, leading to a 2-on-1.  Tavares shoots and the puck squeezes between Lehner’s arm and his body
2. Michalek (Karlsson, Turris) (pp)
Karlsson feeds Michalek in the slot who beats Nabokov with a back-hander
3. Spezza (Karlsson, Kuba) (pp)
Blasts a shot over Nabokov’s shoulder
4. O’Brien (Neil)
Neil creates a turnover and O’Brien powers a shot through Nabokov’s glove
5. New York Islanders, Parenteau
Alfredsson can’t clear the puck and Michalek loses his check (Parenteau) who is wide open in the slot
6. Neil (Foligno)
A fantastic close-in tip by Neil on Foligno’s flip pass
7. Turris (Foligno, Greening) (en)

Top-performers:
Erik Karlsson – keyed the Sens comeback and shifted the games momentum
Robin Lehner – made two incredible saves at key times in the game to help the team win
Chris Neil – a vital assist and goal in the third period

Players Who Struggled:
Jared Cowen – lead the blueline in turnovers and continues to struggle
Kyle Turris – maybe the empty-net goal he scored will help him out, but he’s a key reason why Ottawa’s second line has been ice cold

February 26, 2012
Categories: Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Senators News: February 26th

-The Sens have made a deal to acquire St. Louis minor league goalie Ben Bishop (link), giving up their 2013 2nd round pick to do so.  Bishop was the Blues third round pick in 2005 and the 6’7, 25-year old is having a career year in Peoria: 38-24-14-0 2.26 .928.  He had no place in St. Louis behind the Halak/Elliott tandem.  Bob McKenzie Tweets that the Blues had signed Bishop to a one-year, one-way deal prior to making the trade [Update: McKenzie says the plan was for St. Louis to sign him, but Ottawa is actually in the process of doing so and the details are expected later today].  This makes me wonder if the Sens are planning to have Lehner spend another year in Binghamton next season with Bishop backing up Anderson.  It’s an interesting move and a slap in the face to Lehner if I’m right, as he was assured he would be the starting goaltender if anything happened to Anderson.  I’m not arguing that Lehner deserves the right to start in the NHL given his play in the minors, but it does fly in the face of that promise [Update: Ian_Mendes says “Do not read into Bishop trade as the Sens being unhappy with Lehner. This move creates depth/competition in organization. The battle for Anderson‘s back-up job next season will be interesting. This is a good competition for Lehner; was nobody to push him before.”  If Mendes is right it implies the Sens would be willing to bury Bishop in the minors on a one-way (assuming Bob McKenzie was right that his contract for next year is one-way)].

-Paul MacLean refused to throw Auld under the bus after the loss last night, following a trend which goes back to the beginning of the season, “We only played 12 minutes of the game. You’re not going to win any game playing 12 minutes. So we can’t blame the goalie for a game that the team didn’t play well in.”  The trade, however, indicates management did think it was Auld‘s fault.

–Garrioch reports that Kyle Turris‘ hit on Joe Corvo is under review by the NHL, which makes absolutely no sense at all (Turris bumped Corvo as he was losing his footing and he banged the back of his head on the boards).  I expect Shanahan will suspend him anyway–league discipline is nothing if not irrational [Update: Turris has not been suspended].

February 26, 2012
Categories: Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Ottawa 3, Boston 5; Binghamton 1, Adirondack 2 (SO)

The Sens played roughly 15 minutes of solid hockey tonight and still nearly stole a point from the Bruins despite weak goaltending.  The game was not particularly physical (other than a huge hit by Chris Neil) and lacked intensity throughout.  I expect a better effort tomorrow.  Here’s the box score.

First Period
The Sens scored early with a great goal from Karlsson, but they could not maintain the momentum with an Alfredsson turnover leading to Bergeron tying it.  A lifeless powerplay followed, but the kicker was a brutal goal given up by Auld to Marchant.  The Sens were guilty of a lot of turnovers (particularly by the defence, with Karlsson and Phillips leading the way).
Second Period
Ottawa was awful in the period, continuing to struggle in their own zone.  Boston scored the only goal, with Daugavins turning the puck over and then Auld deflecting the puck into his own net.  A late powerplay helped the Sens a little, but on the whole they showed little sign of coming back in the game.  Turris and Spezza gained the lead for the team in turnovers.
Third Period
The Sens continued to struggle until late in the third period (long after Neil‘s devastating hit on Boychuk), with  Krejci scoring a powerplay goal, when Alfredsson scored twice on identical plays, but the Bruins salted the game away with an empty-netter.

Here’s a look at the goals:
1. Karlsson (Spezza, Michalek)
Spezza finds Karlsson all alone in the slot
2. Boston, Bergeron
Alfredsson turns it over and Karlsson and Kuba can’t control Bergeron in front of the net who bangs home a rebound
3. Boston, Marchand
A simple shot at the net fools Auld
4. Boston, Caron
Daugavins turns it over and Auld deflects it into his own net
5. Boston, Krejci (pp)
Auld over commits to a point shot that goes wide and Smith isn’t able to collapse in time to prevent Krejci scoring on an empty net
6. Alfredsson (Spezza, Karlsson)
A great cross-ice pass from Spezza and Alfredsson beats an out of position Thomas
7. Alfredsson (Karlsson, Spezza)
Identical to the last play, except Karlsson makes the pass
8. Boston, Bergeron (en)

Top-performers:
Erik Karlsson – despite turnovers in his own end, was the engine for Ottawa’s offence
Filip Kuba – the best blueliner defensively tonight
Daniel Alfredsson – his two goals made what wasn’t a very competitive game interesting

Players Who Struggled:
Kyle Turris – other than turnovers was invisible
Alex Auld – two bad goals are unacceptable

Binghamton lost 2-1 to Adirondack tonight, with McKenna making 50 saves in the loss.  Derek Grant scored Binghamton’s only goal.  Here’s the box score and Joy Lindsay‘s game summary.

Elmira also lost tonight, with Corey Cowick picking up an assist (Louie Caporusso did not play).

February 26, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Where Are They Now (Ottawa and Binghamton Senators)

Oftentimes fans rue the loss of assets–either players in the NHL or on the AHL roster–so I thought I’d take a look at the players who left the organisation last year and see how they are performing this season.  The losses have had very little impact in the NHL, but the loss of AHL depth has hurt Binghamton.

NHL
Forwards
Mike Fisher (Nsh) 52-18-19-37
Chris Kelly (Bos) 59-15-14-29
Ryan Shannon (TB) 37-2-7-9
Jarkko Ruutu (SM-Liiga) 51-13-17-30
Alexei Kovalev (KHL) 15-1-5-6
Marek Svatos (no team)
Defence
Chris Campoli (Mtl) 24-2-4-6
Goalies
Brian Elliott (Stl) 30-20-7-2 1.65 .937
Curtis McElhinney (Portland-AHL) 25-10-13-0 3.04 .907
Pascal Leclaire (retired)

AHL
Forwards
Ryan Potulny (Hershey) 41-20-22-42
Ryan Keller (Oklahoma) 52-17-24-41
Cody Bass (Springfield/Columbus) 17-3-5-8/14-0-1-1
Roman Wick (NLA) 32-11-10-21
Jason Bailey (retired)
Defence
Derek Smith (Calgary) 33-2-8-10
Andre Benoit (KHL) 47-5-9-14
Geoff Kinrade (Czech/NLA) 34-1-4-5/7-0-4-4
Patrick Coulombe (Norway) 42-15-35-50
David Hale (retired)
Goalies
Barry Brust (DEL) 33-19-12 2.47 .916
Mike Brodeur (no team)

February 25, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Senators News: February 25th; Binghamton 2, Norfolk 3

–Alex Auld will get the start against Boston.  Robin Lehner talked about his season in Binghamton, “It’s a reflection of all of us. My stats (as well). I’ve got to take ownership of it. I had a really good percentage for a long time. Then we went on a stretch and the numbers kept falling.”  Bryan Murray didn’t express confidence in the depth beyond these two (meaning Mike McKenna), saying “We’ve got two guys who are definitely very capable. We just don’t, maybe after that, have a third guy who would be ready to call up if anything would happen.”

–Matt Carkner will play instead of Brian Lee.

-Binghamton blew a 2-0 lead to lose in the last 30 seconds in regulation.  Mike McKenna made 36 saves in the loss, with Mike Hoffman and Rob Klinkhammer scoring the goals.  Here’s the box score and Joy Lindsay‘s game summary.  Kurt Kleinendorst was understandably frustrated, “I just can’t believe it. How many ways can you find to lose a hockey game? Seriously? Obviously, I’m frustrated. At this point in time, shouldn’t happen. Unbelievable. We were 40 seconds away. Are you kidding me? With the puck on our stick, all we’ve got to do is get it deep. We throw a sloppy, lazy, flat pass at the offensive blue line, and we turn it over. And then it’s a one-on-four — five if you want to count the goalie — and we spit a rebound out that they bang in the back of the net.”

-Elmira won 3-2 last night, with Corey Cowick held off the score sheet (Louie Caporusso is still out of the lineup).

–Eric Tulsky breaks down the Jeff Carter for Jack Johnson deal, and while I think he overvalues their Corsi numbers it’s an interesting breakdown to read.  I think both players are overrated and have contracts that are far too long.

-This is a minor, petty complaint of mine, but I wish sports medias would begin and end with the cap hit of a contract rather than its total value over the term.  No one other than ownership cares what the total value is–it’s irrelevant to regular fans and fantasty fans–and yet as often as not reporters will start with the total value as if that’s the key element.

-For those interested, Tim Baines‘s writes about some of the weirder sports injuries

February 25, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

Senators News: February 24th

–Craig Anderson has injured his hand (at home making dinner according to Allen Panzeri), so Robin Lehner has been recalled.  Bruce Garrioch reports that the injury required surgery and he could be out from 10 days to 6-8 weeks (10 days to 2 weeks according to Panzeri).  Garrioch hits the panic button looking for a goaltending change, but it’s hard to imagine given the watery thin market and the fact that both Anderson and Lehner are long-term pieces.  I suspect Lehner will be given the ball and the team will stand pat.

–Allen Panzeri wonders about Jim O’Brien‘s future, with Paul MacLean saying, “He’s come up and with the injury to Jesse Winchester we felt there was the need for that person and he was the obvious choice and to this point he’s done a good job. Now what that turns into we’ll find out at the end of the year and into the future. But to this point in time, he’s done a real good job for us.”  O’Brien said, “I’m just going out there and treating every game as a tryout. For me it’s just day-to-day, so I have to keep showing up, working hard, and playing good. Good things usually happen when you do that.”

–Scott Burnside weighs in on Erik Karlsson‘s Norris Trophy chances, “The exact wording suggests the award should go the defenseman who displays the “greatest all-around ability in the position.” Is that Karlsson? Certainly he is a key component of a surprising Ottawa team that looks like a lock to make the playoffs and is now shockingly challenging Boston for the top spot in the Northeast Division. As of this writing, Karlsson’s 60 points put him a whopping 20 points ahead of Brian Campbell of the Florida Panthers in the point race among rearguards. 20 points. Karlsson’s 47 assists have him tied for second among all NHL players, his 52 takeaways lead all defensemen, and he is ninth overall in scoring. When Mike Green was posting back-to-back 70-point seasons (76 and 73, to be exact) for the Washington Capitals, he was a finalist for the Norris but did not win. Could Karlsson be in the same boat? With Nashville’s twin towers Shea Weber and Ryan Suter both enjoying Norris-worthy seasons and Zdeno Chara another strong candidate, Karlsson’s inclusion as a Norris finalist might come down to a battle against stay-at-home defenseman (and fellow All-Star Game participant) Daniel Girardi of the New York Rangers. Talk about yin and yang. While Karlsson is explosive offensively but more prone to mistakes in his own zone (he is still a respectable plus-15, a marked improvement over last season’s minus-30), Girardi leads the NHL in average ice time per game and has been an anchor on a team that leads the Eastern Conference in goals allowed per game and is second in the league in that category. Flashy? Not really, but worthy of Norris Trophy consideration? Definitely. In short, tough times ahead for voters.”

-As expected, with Robin Lehner in Ottawa Brian Stewart has been recalled from Elmira.  Joy Lindsay provides the lines for tonight’s game: Mike Hoffman-Corey Locke-Mike Bartlett, Rob Klinkhammer-Stephane Da Costa-Andre Petersson, David Dziurzynski-Pat Cannone-Jack Downing, Derek Grant-Wacey Hamilton-Francis Lessard;Mark Borowiecki-Eric Gryba, Dan Henningson-Tim Conboy, Patrick Wiercioch-Craig Schira.  Mike McKenna will start.

–The Silver Seven‘s bobbykelly continues his look at prospects with Fredrik Claesson, speculating “If Claesson‘s going to break into Ottawa’s defence corps in the coming seasons, he’s going to have to outplay some other more experienced defensive defencemen in order to do so.”  In context I think bobbykelly means older prospects like Eric Gryba and Mark Borowiecki, which is a reasonable supposition.  Here’s my review of the pick when he was drafted (link), “Ranked as the #27 European skater by Central Scouting, Claesson spent most of the year playing with Zibanejad‘s Djurgarden’s SEL squad (he also played with Sens draft pick Marcus Sorensen, who will play with Skelleftea next year).  He was the youngest blueliner to dress for the team.  Last year he won a silver medal at the under-18 WJC.  The organisation has compared him to Anton Volchenkov, which is high praise indeed, but he’ll return to Sweden for at least another year.  Other rankings: ISS #112 and FC #172.”

–Grant McCagg looks at risers and fallers looking ahead to the 2012 draft, with Radek Faksa, Teuvo Teravainen, Brendan Gaunce, Sebastien Collberg raising and Mikhail Grigorenko, Phil Di Giuseppe, Martin Frk and Malcolm Subban falling.

February 24, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Senators News: February 23rd

–Milan Michalek reached a career high in goals last night (27) and will have over 30 for the first time in his career if he can stay healthy.  He isn’t on pace to beat his career high in points (66 in 2006-07), but he’s on track to reach his San Jose production numbers (56).  I think the key to his year has been his health and the Sens can only hope he can stay that way for the rest of the season.

–Norm Maciver‘s expansion year records are finally disappearing from the Senator record book.  Erik Karlsson passed his assist total last night (46) and is four points behind his points total (63).  I think the main factor that’s kept Maciver‘s record safe for so long is the era he earned them–92-93 was one of the last seasons before the dead puck era.  When the lockout lifted Wade Redden was on pace to tie it (05-06), but couldn’t stay healthy enough to do it.  Since then none of Ottawa’s blueliners have had the gifts to challenge the number until now.  To provide a little perspective, last year only one NHL blueliner had more than Maciver‘s totals (Lubomir Visnovsky), and only two in each of the three seasons before that.

–Stu Hackel looks at the history of deadline deals and their impact.  He starts with the most well-knownt, the Islanders dealing for Butch Goring from the Kings.  Hackel points out that high end players rarely move at the deadline, which is why there is so much excitement around a potential Rick Nash deal.  For the most part, I think non-playoff teams are the winners this time of year because of how much contending teams over pay for players.

–The Silver Seven‘s bobbykelly continues his look at Ottawa’s top prospects with Derek Grant.  Unlike his Jim O’Brien article (my comments) he’s changed his comparative criteria to the round in which Grant was picked (the fourth) instead of just the next ten picks.  This could be a slightly better way of comparing, but given that Grant was the third-last player picked in the round I’m not sure what it establishes.  For me, as I said in response to his other article, you want to look at the players Ottawa could have selected through to their next selection (Mark Borowiecki).  In that range of 19 picks you have prospects like Gustav Nyqvist (Det), Andrei Loktionov (LA), Kevin Poulin (NYI), Matt Calvert (Clb) and Tomas Kubalik (Clb).  For a detailed look at Grant as a prospect you can go here.  Bobbykelly compares Grant to Erik Condra, which is a reasonable comparison.

–Wacey Hamilton, Josh Godfrey, and Jack Downing were sent down t0 Elmira yesterday (link).  The Jackals won 5-3 last night, Brian Stewart picking up the win and Hamilton and Downing adding assists (Caporusso remains injured).  The trio was then returned to Binghamton.

–Joy Lindsay Tweets Binghamton’s lines at practice: Hoffman-Locke-Bartlett, Klinkhammer-Da Costa-Petersson, Dziurzynski-Cannone-Downing, Grant-Hamilton-Lessard; Borowiecki-Gryba, Henningson-Conboy, Wiercioch-Schira, Raymond-Godfrey.  Robin Lehner is expected to start tomorrow against Norfolk.

–Nathan Perkovich was suspended for three games for his hit on Mark Parrish.

-An update on my list of intriguing European free agents (link) and how they are performing (recent performance is in brackets):
Richard Gynge (AIK, SEL) 48-22-14-36 (12-4-3-7)
Vadim Shipachyov (Severstal, KHL) 47-18-33-51 (8-2-2-4)
Sakari Salminen (KalPa, SM-Liiga) 45-20-18-38 (11-4-4-8)
Simon Moser (Langnau, NLA) 46-16-16-32 (8-1-0-1)
David Wolf (Hamburg, DEL) 39-11-19-30 (9-2-2-4)

February 23, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Ottawa 5, Washington 2

The Sens jumped ahead of Washington early and survived an indifferent third period to win their fourth in a row.  Erik Karlsson lead the way again with a 3-point night and Craig Anderson made key saves to prevent a Capital comeback.

First Period
The Sens started the game strong and were rewarded with a nice goal from Karlsson.  Neil then took a dumb penalty and the momentum switched to Washington until Michalek deeked Wideman off a great pass from Karlsson to give Ottawa a 2-0 lead.
Second Period
The Sens enjoyed another good start, with Michalek deflecting in Ottawa’s third goal on the powerplay.  Washington continued to have penalty trouble and the Sens capitalised with Phillips scoring after Foligno and Neil created a turnover (the goal chased Vokoun).  The Sens got a little sleepy afterward, but Anderson was up for the task.  Two big hits in the period, one by Cowen and the other was Green on Greening.
Third Period
The Sens were asleep for the first half of the period, giving up an early powerplay goal to Carlsson and a facial deflection to Perreault.  After the second Washington goal the Sens picked up their play and Foligno salted it away with an empty-netter.

Here’s a look at the goals:
1. Karlsson (Spezza, Michalek)
A great pass from Spezza to find Karlsson all alone at the top of the circle who beats Vokoun the 5-hole
2. Michalek (Karlsson)
Fantastic bank-pass from behind his own net springs Michalek who dekes Wideman and beats Vokoun short side 5-hole
3. Michalek (Karlsson, Alfredsson) (pp)
Point shot bounces off Brouwer and then Michalek
4. Phillips (Foligno, Neil) (pp)
Neil and Foligno combine to turn the puck over and Phillips hammers home the puck
5. Washington, Carlsson (pp)
Phillips loses track of the back door and Carlsson slides in for a one-timer
6. Washington, Perreault
Chimera deflects the puck in off Perreault’s face
7. Foligno (Neil, Gonchar) (en)

Top-performers:
Erik  Karlsson – another dominating game for Karlsson
Milan Michalek – picked up a couple of goals and made some key defensive plays
Chris Phillips – was physical, good defensively and scored a goal
Craig Anderson – kept Washington at bay when the team was asleep

Players Who Struggled: no one specifically struggled, although tonight was the first time in awhile that Bobby Butler was invisible.

February 22, 2012
Categories: Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Senators News: February 22nd

-Bryan Murray talked about the team’s playoff chances, “If we continue to play the way we are, we’re comparable to many of the good teams in this league. Are we the best team? Obviously, the standings say we’re not at this point. But we’re a competitive hockey team every night when we work hard, and we’re competitive because our back end produces a lot of points for us. This is the way the game is today, I believe. Your forwards get shut down pretty well late in important games, but if you have the back end that can produce plays and points, you have a chance.  I say all that, and we’d like to win in the playoffs. We’d like to be in the playoffs, and we’d like to win. So if something came along that makes us change our mind on a particular person, or a player that’s elsewhere now, we would do that.”

-Murray also talked about trades, saying “If we could get a younger player coming in that could help us now but has a good future going forward, that’s the type of thing I much prefer to do, over trading away a young player for a veteran guy that is unrestricted and you will really have a hard time keeping here.”

–The Hockey News, Sports Illustrated, and TSN have their latest power rankings out, with Ottawa 13th, 15th, and 12th.

–Joy Lindsay Tweets Binghamton’s lines at practice: Hoffman-Locke-Bartlett, Klinkhammer-Da Costa-Petersson, Dziurzynski-Cannone-Downing, Grant-Hamilton-Lessard.

-Elmira won Monday night, with Corey Cowick scoring; Brian Stewart backed up and Louie Caporusso continues to be out with an injury.

-Many of you are familiar with Dwayne Klessel’s (Eklund) site Hockeybuzz.  Years ago I came across it seeking Sens news (I’m apparently one of the few people who did not go to the site because of its rumours), but it didn’t take long to find better sources of information.  Eklund and his site come to mind because Sam Page wrote a piece mocking him recently (referencing Hog‘s classic deconstruction).  I remain amazed at the amount of hostility he generates, as I didn’t think anyone took him seriously anymore.  Regardless, both articles are worth reading (for a chuckle if nothing else).

February 22, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

Senators News: February 21st

-Paul MacLean summed up yesterday’s win, “I thought our team was really ready to play. Obviously, scoring in the first minute or the first 90 seconds, getting two goals was good. It was a good sign of our preparation and our willingness to come here and compete today against a team that we knew was going to be able to skate real well.”

-For those interested in Erik Karlsson-Norris trophy speculation, Ian Mendes writes about it (summing up with a guess that he will be a nominee).

–The Silver Seven‘s bobbykelly has an entertaining piece on Jim O’Brien as a prospect.  It’s a good article and well worth reading, but I have a couple of notes to supplement/clarify it.  Two things were responsible for O’Brien‘s turnaround: he got himself into NHL shape and he played with Erik Condra.  Bobbykelly also makes an odd comparison in evaluating the pick (comparing him only to the following ten picks).   I think a more realistic comparison is to judge him between Ottawa’s picks, which is this case is from #29 (where he was selected) to #60 (Ruslan Bashkirov).  Bobbykelly also missed Brett MacLean (#32,who has played more games than either O’Brien or T. J Brennan and has more points than both).  Using my comparative criteria, the Sens missed out on P. K. Subban, T. J. Galiardi, Nick Spaling, and you can throw in in Wayne Simmonds who was picked right after Bashkirov.

-I sometimes wonder if analysts listen to themselves when they speak.  Chico Resch was being interviewed on Sportsnet this afternoon and after dismissing the advantage of larger pads for goaltenders (calling it “media hype”) he proceeded to talk about Martin Brodeur stopping more pucks after making his pads bigger.

–Joy Lindsay reports that Corey Locke “is seeing a doctor later today to determine the extent of the damage to his face, and whether he can play with a full shield this weekend. There is damage that needs to heal, and the B-Sens will not use him if playing will interrupt that healing in any way. He has a pretty nasty black eye after taking a puck to the right side of his face during Saturday’s game.”  And, “Parrish is still displaying concussion symptoms and is definitely out for the weekend.”  Joy speculates that if both can’t play that Corey Cowick will be recalled.

-I’ve found confirmation that Louie Caporusso is injured, although I still haven’t seen a report on what the injury is.

–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).
1. Nail Yakupov (Sarnia, OHL)
2. Filip Forsberg (Leksand, Sweden)
3. Mikhail Grigorenko (Quebec, QMJHL)
4. Matt Dumba (Red Deer, WHL) (+1)
5. Ryan Murray (Everett, WHL) (+1)
6. Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw, WHL) (+1)
7. Pontus Aberg (Djurgarden, Sweden) (+1)
8. Alex Galchenyuk (Sarnia, OHL) (+1)
9. Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton, WHL) (+2)
10. Sebastian Collberg (Frolunda, Sweden) (+2)
11. Andrey Vasilevski (Salavat, KHL) (-7)
12. Jacob Trouba (US NTDP, USHL) (-2)
13. Matt Finn (Guelph, OHL) (+9)
14. Cody Ceci (Ottawa 67s, OHL) (+7)
15. Derrick Pouliot (Portland, WHL) (+4)
16. Radek Faksa (Kitchener, OHL) (+5)
17. Slater Koekkoek (Peterborough, OHL) (-2)
18. Damon Severson (Kelowna, WHL) (-2)
19. Zemgus Girgensons (Dubuque, USHL) (-1)
20. Jordan Schmaltz (Sioux City, USHL) (-3)
21. Teuvo Teravainen (Jokerit, Finland) (+9)
22. Phil Di Giuseppe (U. Michigan, NCAA)
23. Olli Maatta (London, OHL) (-3)
24. Scott Kosmachuk (Guelph, OHL) (+1)
25. Brendan Gaunce (Belleville, OHL) (+1)
26. Henrik Samuelsson (US NTDP, USHL) (+3)
27. Oscar Dansk (Brynas, SEL)
28. Anton Slepyshev (Novokuznetsk, KHL) (+5)
29. Brady Skjei (US NTDP, USHL) (+9)
30. Nick Ebert (Windsor, OHL) (-7)
Two players fell out of the top-30 this month: Martin Frk (#31, -3) and Gianluca Curcuruto (#50, -26).  Here’s the movement among former top-30 players: Colton Sissons (#32, -1), Chandler Stephenson (#54, -15), Troy Bourke (#59, -1), Scott Laughton (#62, -2), Calle Andersson (#74, -8), Jarrod Maidens (#87, -3), Eric Locke (#91, -8), Patrik Machac (#104, -23), Matia Marcantuoni (#105, -20), Ryan Olsen (#208, -136), and Luca Ciampini (#250, -70).

February 21, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, NHL Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments

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