Senators News: November 16th

-Binghamton plays Adirondack tonight.  The Phantoms are 6-6-0; they are lead by Brayden Schenn (with 14 points), with Scott Munroe and Cal Heeter splitting the goaltending duties.  This is the first meeting of the season between the two clubs.  Adirondack is coming off a 4-1 win over Manchester on Wednesday.

-Surprisingly, Brad Peltz has been recalled by Binghamton.  Peltz hasn’t had a point in his last five games with Elmira.

Brochenski re-visits the Sens penalty problems last year to identify the chief culprits in taking as opposed to drawing penalties (no surprise that Konopka and Carkner are in the team’s top-five; I was surprised that Gonchar was worst on the list).

Eric Macramalla explains why players permanently lose a year of salary if the season is lost.

-ISS has released their latest top-30 list for the 2012 draft (changes in brackets, the previous list can be found here):
1 – MacKinnon, Nathan – C – Halifax – QMJHL
2 – Jones, Seth – D – Portland – WHL
3 – Barkov, Sasha – F – Tappara – FinE
4 – Drouin, Jonathan – F – Halifax – QMJHL (+6)
5 – Monahan, Sean – C – Ottawa – OHL (-1)
6 – Lazar, Curtis – C – Edmonton – WHL (-1)
7 – Shinkaruk, Hunter – F – Medicine Hat – WHL (+1)
8 – Ristolainen, Rasmus – D – TPS Turku – FinE (-1)
9 – Nurse, Darnell – D – S.S. Marie – OHL (+7)
10- Lindholm, Elias – C – Brynas – SweE (-1)
11- Burakowsky, Andre – F – Malmo – SweAl (-5)
12- Nichushkin, Valery – F – Chelyabinsk Chelmet – RusS (+2)
13- Lehkonen, Artturi – F – Kuopio – FinE (-1)
14- Dickinson, Jason – F – Guelph – OHL (+12)
15- Pulock, Ryan – D – Brandon – WHL (-2)
16- Santini, Steve – D – USA U18 – NTDP (-1)
17- Hagg, Robert – D – Modo – SweJE (-6)
18- Erne, Adam- F – Quebec – QMJHL (-1)
19- Zadorov, Nikita – D – London – OHL (-1)
20- Rychel, Kerby – F – Windsor – OHL (+1)
21- De La Rose, Jacob – C – Leksands – SweAl (-1)
22- Thompson, Keaton – D – USA U18 – NTDP (NR)
23- Kujawinski, Ryan – C – Kingston – OHL (+7)
24- Fasching, Hudson – F – USA U18 – NTDP (+1)
25- Morrissey, JT – D – Prince Albert – WHL (-3)
26- Gauthier, Frederik – C – Rimouski – QMJHL (-3)
27- Crus-Rydberg, Viktor – C – Linkoping – SweJE (NR)
28- Theodore, Shea – D – Seattle – WHL (NR)
29- Compher, JT – C – USA U18 – NTDP (-10)
30- McCoshen, Ian – D – Waterloo – USHL (NR)
Falling out of the top-30: Stephen Harper, Pavel Buchnevich, Bo Horvat, and Mike Downing.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Senators News: November 15th

-In the wake of Jared Cowen‘s surgery Nichols takes a look at Mike Lundin‘s numbers over the last few years, trying to determine what kind of option he is in the lineup.  His conclusion is the same as the sentiment when he was signed–a decent depth defenseman if he can stay healthy.

-Elmira lost 2-1 in OT to Reading last night, with all the Binghamton signed players silent except Kramer who picked up an assist (Cheverie served as the backup).  Here’s the recap.

-Elmira has released Brandon Blandina while placing Jordon Southorn on reserve.

Stefan Noesen‘s coach Mike Vellucci talked about the Sens prospect:

He thinks the game as well as anyone I’ve ever had. It’s not as if he’s shooting any more. His linemates (Rickard Rakell and Tom Wilson) have just been unlucky. Goalies have been making great saves. And our power play has been pretty bleak, too, so that hasn’t helped. We’re getting a lot of chances but just not converting. I think it’s just one of those things. And it’s early, too. So I suspect by the end of the year he’ll once again have more assists than goals. Sometimes he gets too into it, winning at all costs, but it’s definitely a great asset to have. He wants to count and he wants to be counted on. He wants to make the big hit, score the big goal, make the big play. When he first came here (conditioning and strength) was a big area of concern, but in the summer between 16 and 17, he worked a lot harder. He understood what it took to play in the OHL. But like any kid, he still has to take it to the next level. It’s one thing to be in shape for junior, it’s another to be in shape for the pros, and that’s what I’m trying to teach all my players. To me, if you’re going to play in the NHL, you have to get in the door first, and Stef can break in as a third- or fourth-line guy because he can do other things than be a goal scorer. He can play on the penalty kill, he’s good defensively, and he understands the game. He sees the game real well. He can give a coach some really good minutes on the third or fourth lines, and eventually I think he can graduate to be a second-line guy. But that’s going to take maturity, conditioning, and strength — all those things.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Senators News: November 14th

Ben Blood was re-assigned to Elmira.  Blood hadn’t suited up for Binghamton since October 28th.

-Elmira plays Reading tonight; the Royals are 7-5-1, with Yannick Tifu and Denny Urban lead the way with 10 points each; Philipp Grubauer has shouldered the goaltending load winning five of the team’s games.

Mark Recchi thinks the players should agree to a deal now because:

But look what happened, the players always get their money. They’re always going to get paid, no matter what. Look at that last deal. We ended up with the cap and everyone thought it was a bad deal. But it ended up great, right? No matter what the system is, or has been, the players get their money. No matter what the contract, the owners always find a way to pay them more. That’s why I say, get a deal and get back in there…the money’s always there.

I don’t see the sense in this when it comes to negotiating–things worked out last time so things will work out this time?  There’s also a disconnect between Recchi comparing a deal done now versus the last one requiring the loss of a season.  If the players won a longer lockout, how does that create a need for a shorter one?  There’s not much logic here.

Ryan Kennedy posted his 2013 draft rankings:
1. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Halifax
2. Seth Jones, D, Portland
3. Sasha Barkov, C, Tappara
4. Elias Lindholm, C, Brynas
5. Sean Monahan, C, Ottawa
6. Curtis Lazar, C, Edmonton
7. Jonathan Drouin, C, Halifax
8. Rasmus Ristolainen, D, TPS
9. Hunter Shinkaruk, C, Medicine Hat
10. Robert Hagg, D, MODO
11. Adam Erne, RW, Quebec
12. Darnell Nurse, D, Sault Ste. Marie
13. Josh Morrissey, D, Prince Albert
14. Ryan Pulock, D, Brandon
15. Nikita Zadorov, D, London
16. Artturi Lehkonen, RW, KalPa
17. Anthony Mantha, LW, Val d’Or
18. Jacob De La Rose, C, Leksand
19. Hudson Fasching, RW, U.S. NTDP
20. JT Compher, C, U.S. NTDP
21. Valery Nichushkin, C, Chelyabinsk
22. Frederik Gauthier, C, Rimouski
23. Zach Fucale, G, Halifax
24. Steve Santini, D, U.S. NTDP
25. Jason Dickinson, C, Guelph
26. Morgan Klimchuk, C, Regina
27. Andre Burakowsky, LW, Malmo
28. Max Domi, C, London
29. Kerby Rychel, LW, Windsor
30. Eric Comrie, G, Tri-City

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Senators News: November 13th

-It was a paralyzing slow news day yesterday (the Hall of Fame doesn’t interest me) until word came out that Jared Cowen was likely out for the season due to a hip injury.  It’s terrible luck for Cowen and a blow to Ottawa–they will need more out of Mike Lundin than they probably expected.  I don’t think the impact on Binghamton is as significant as he wasn’t originally part of the AHL plan.  There is no Cowen replacement for Ottawa nor will a random FA acquisition make much difference.  This isn’t to say that in a shortened season Cowen is the make-or-break factor for a Sens playoff push, just that they can’t actually fill his spot with equivilent talent and that sends ripples throughout the blueline.

-I wasn’t originally going to comment on Dave Young‘s mention of Mika Zibanejad‘s slow start, but rather than look at what Dave said I’ll just make a couple of comparisons for those wringing their hands over the young Swede’s early returns.  Here are the stats of a couple of other highly touted Swedish prospects in the AHL:
Mattias Tedenby (2008 1st rounder) – 8-2-1-3 with Albany and this is his third full professional season in North America (he has 101 NHL games to his credit)
Anton Lander (2009 2nd rounder) – 8-0-0-0 with Oklahoma after playing most of last year in Edmonton
My point isn’t that these players are also bad, just that early returns from young players have to be taken with a grain of salt.  It’s much better to focus on comments made by the coaching stuff and thus far they have been very positive.

-The Jakub Culek trade in the QMJHL has been confirmed.

-Elmira released defenseman Jarrett Rush.

Stefan reports on a rumour that Mikael Wikstrand will join Frolunda in the SEL next season (there seems little reason to doubt its validity).

-The Sens are wisely reaching out to fans to try to blunt their reaction to the lockout.  I’d be interested to know if other organisations are doing the same thing, as it would provide some context for the organisation’s approach.

-Here’s the weekly prospect update (for players with more than 10 games played I’ve indicated where they are in scoring; for blueliners they are compared to other defensemen on the team):

CHL
Matt Puempel (OHL Kitchener) 20-16-5-21 (1st)
Cody Ceci (OHL Ottawa) 19-5-14-19 (1st)
Stefan Noesen (OHL Plymouth) 19-12-6-18 (1st)
Jordan Fransoo (WHL Victoria) 15-1-4-5 (3rd)
Jakub Culek (QMJHL Cape Breton) DNP
Jarrod Maidens (OHL Owen Sound) (injured)
Chris Driedger (WHL Calgary) 10-3-2 2.37 .920
Francois Brassard (QMJHL Quebec) 12-4-0 2.53 .907

Allsvenskan (Swe)
Mikael Wikstrand (Mora) 19-8-5-13 (1st)

KHL
Nikita Filatov (Salavat) 23-5-8-13 (2nd)

NCAA
Bryce Aneloski (Nebraska-Omaha) – 10-1-5-6 (3rd)
Max McCormick (Ohio) – 8-2-3-5
Jeff Costello (Notre Dame) – 6-2-2-4
Ryan Dzingel (Ohio) – 8-2-2-4
Michael Sdao (Princeton) – 4-1-2-3
Tim Boyle (Union) – 4-0-1-1

USHL
Robbie Baillargeon (Indiana) – 14-2-8-10 (t-3rd)

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Senators News: November 11th; Binghamton 4, Norfolk 2

-Binghamton defeated Norfolk 4-2 last night in a game I was unable to watch.  Robin Lehner earned the win while Corey Cowick, Andre Petersson, Andre Benoit, and Derek Grant scored.  Mark Stone returned to the lineup (sending Cole Schneider to the pressbox).  Both Cowick and Jakob Silfverberg had two points each with Silfverberg leading the team with four shots on goal.

-Elmira lost the final game of its southern road swing 5-3 to Orlando; Kramer, Downing, and Gazley scored while Caporusso, New, and Peltz were held off the score sheet.  Here’s the recap.

Stu Hackel provides additional insight on the CBA negotiations that are worth highlighting (in bold below):

The players contend that if their share of revenue is going to decline in order to help struggling franchises, the owners should have to participate more in that effort than they have in the past and they’ve proposed to do going forward. The NHL has redistributed about $150 million to poorer clubs and plans to raise that to around $190-$200 million. The players’ proposed hiking that figure to $250 million, in part so the problem franchises don’t have ongoing issues that cause the league to threaten yet another lockout when the CBA that is now being negotiated expires. Early on in this process, the NHLPA suggested the creation of an “Industry Growth Fund” to stabilize the game’s economics, with $100 million annually dedicated to the assistance of the clubs in need and a team-by-team plan administered largely by the commissioner’s office. It’s unknown if that idea is still part of the discussion, but wealthy owners have largely opposed enhanced revenue sharing. They contend that the business isn’t large enough for them to give away bigger chunks of their income to assist their weaker brethren. The PA has examined the NHL’s finances and doesn’t agree.

This kind of thing has always amused me.  The owners want the players to help save their business, but they are reluctant to take measures themselves to do so.  For a very technical breakdown of the issues check out Bob McKenzie.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Senators News: November 10th

Luke Richardson offered some thoughts on Mike Hoffman:

He does have the talent to be a great two-way player. He has the offensive talent and defensively he’s working at it just like everybody else. Now it’s a matter of working to find the offense at the right time but not giving up anything defensively.

Being a good two-way player is Hoffman‘s key to becoming an NHL player, as he isn’t consistent enough offensively to make it on that alone.

-Binghamton faces Norfolk tonight; the Admirals are 6-3-0 which is good for 5th in the conference; Peter Holland and Nick Palmieri lead the team in scoring with 11 points each; Igor Bobkov and Frederik Andersen were sharing duties in net, but Bobkov hasn’t played since losing to Binghamton.

-Elmira lost 5-3 to Florida last night with Cheverie taking the loss; Kramer and Downing scored while Caporusso had a goal and an assist; Gazley, Peltz, and New were held off the score sheet.  Here’s the recap.

-Elmira plays Orlando tonight; the Solar Bears are 5-4-3 this season (good for 6th in the conference), lead by Nick Petersen (who has 18 points) and backstopped by John Curry (who has all of his team’s wins).

-The Jakub Culek saga seems to be finally over as it has been reported that he was traded to Cape Breton (no official word yet).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Senators News: November 9th

Shane Prince talked about his time in Binghamton thus far:

My role is to help out offensively, and obviously you have to play a defensive game as well, but it was good to get on the board. I’m trying to play more gritty, the AHL is a different league and you have to play harder and get in the corners … That’s my role with those two guys [Zibanejad and Petersson], who are more skill guys. I’m not afraid to play that (gritty) game at all, and sometimes it’s going to be your turn to answer the bell and get in there to stick up for your teammates. It’s important to have a team that’s not going to get pushed around, and when you come into other teams’ rinks they know it’s going to be a tough game. It’s been great living with Cowick. I love the house. It’s an old house right in Binghamton and we have a nice setup, with me upstairs and Cowick downstairs. We get along really well.

-Elmira plays Florida tonight, in a re-match after their 6-3 loss to the Everblades on Wednesday.  Roster moves for Elmira: Binghamton has sent Louie Caporusso back to the Jackals, while Danny New and Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel have been activated from reserve; Jimmy Martin, Jarrett Rush, and Brandon Blandina have all been placed on reserve.

Stu Hackel writes about the CBA negotiations and quotes Damian Cox with the most pertinent point:

(What) you have to avoid is believing that we are at a critical stage, or at the brink, or that D-Day is upon us, or any of the terms bandied about to suggest the talks are at a pivotal moment. They’re not. The 1994-95 lockout was ended on Jan. 11. The 2004-05 season was cancelled (finally) on Feb. 16, and there were even talks after that. We’re not even in mid-November yet. Given history, how can anyone possibly say we’re at a make-or-break point? That’s just phony drama, mostly generated by the media, with little basis in fact. Right now, both sides are bleeding, and both are assessing on a day-to-day basis how much more they want to bleed, and measuring their losses against the possible gains, and calculating how far they can push the other side for maximum advantage. That’s all this really is at this point. Math, with some poker thrown in.

Varada broke his long blogging silence to say that while he’ll come back to the NHL when the lockout is over he’s refusing to spend money on it because of his anger.  I understand his frustration, but I don’t have the same reaction.  The league (and the players) don’t owe us anything–they talk about a special relationship with the fanbase, but that’s simply marketing to sell a few more tickets and jerseys.  What matters most to the NHL and NHLPA is the bottom line and the feelings and opinions of fans are irrelevant unless large numbers of us stop consuming their product.  For me, understanding the reality of the situation sucks out all emotion other than irritation over the situation remaining unresolved.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Binghamton at the Ten Game Mark

The Binghamton Senators have reached the 10-game mark and it is time to take stock and see how the team and the players are doing.  Binghamton is 4-4-2, good for 7th in their conference and 4th in their division.  Their 22 goals for put them ahead of only Providence and Albany in their conference and both of those teams have only played 8 games.  Binghamton has allowed 28 goals which is 9th in the conference, but removing 30 minutes of Nathan Lawson brings the team down to 22 goals which would place them 3rd (behind Springfield and Albany, each having played 9 and 8 games).

Player’s stats (INJ=games missed due to injury, SCR= scratched, SUS=suspended, NHL=games in the NHL, ECHL=games in the ECHL):

Mike Hoffman 10-2-3-5 +1 (leads the team in shots with 36)
Andre Benoit 10-2-3-5 Even
Tyler Eckford 10-2-3-5 -6
Mark Stone 4-0-4-4 +2 INJ 6
Andre Petersson 10-1-3-4 -4
Jakob Silfverberg 10-2-2-4 -5
Jared Cowen 3-0-3-3 Even INJ 7
Patrick Wiercioch 9-3-0-3 +5 INJ 1
Hugh Jessiman 10-3-0-3 -1
David Dziurzynski 9-2-1-3 +1 INJ 1
Mark Borowiecki 10-1-2-3 +1 (leads the team in pims with 51)
Mika Zibanejad 10-0-3-3 -3
Corey Cowick 10-1-1-2 Even
Derek Grant 10-1-1-2 -2
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 9-0-2-2 +2 SCR 1
Shane Prince 3-0-1-1 Even INJ 7
Cole Schneider 5-0-1-1 Even SCR 5
Stephane Da Costa 5-0-1-1 -2 INJ 5
Fredrik Claesson 8-0-1-1 -6 SCR 2
Pat Cannone 10-1-0-1 -2
Eric Gryba 4-0-0-0 Even INJ 6
Ben Blood 3-0-0-0 Even SCR 3 [ECHL 4-0-0-0 +3]
Louie Caporusso 3-0-0-0 Even [ECHL 2-1-1-2 Even]
Chris Wideman 3-0-0-0 -2 SCR 3 [ECHL 4-0-4-4 +4]
Darren Kramer 1-0-0-0 Even INJ 2 SCR 6 [ECHL 1-1-0-1 +1]
Jack Downing 1-0-0-0 Even SCR 1 [ECHL 7-1-1-2 -1]
Dustin Gazley [ECHL 9-5-8-13 -3]
Danny New [ECHL 8-1-6-7 +1]
Brad Peltz [ECHL 8-2-1-3 +2]
Wacey Hamilton DNP (injured)

Robin Lehner 4-2-1 1.70 .943
Ben Bishop 0-2-0 4.04 .902
Nathan Lawson 0-1-0 10.52 .769 [ECHL 1-0-0 2.00 .941]
Marc Cheverie [ECHL 4-1-0 2.13 .933]

Without a doubt Lehner is the MVP of this block of games; with the team struggling to score the importance of good goaltending is magnified and he’s the main reason Binghamton has won as many games as they have.  What stands out most is the lack of scoring on the team, which I think has been exasperated due to injury.  Da Costa hasn’t been healthy all season due to a knee problem, Stone has only played a handful of games, and Cowen was injured early.  The rookies have not been able to carry the freight on their own and while veteran Jessiman has been a little below average offensively, Cannone has completely fallen off the map.  Eckford and Claesson are both a team worst -6, and while that’s somewhat understandable from the teenage Swede, it’s not from the veteran.  On the opposite end Wiercioch is a team high +5 and seems to be back on track after a rough sophomore campaign.

The team will improve as the season moves forward–perhaps not substantially in the win column, but they will start to score more, particularly when they get healthy.  Losing both Cowen and Gryba on the blueline has really hurt, forcing Claesson and/or Blood/Wideman to play more than what’s ideal.  I also expect Bishop/Lawson to round into form at some point, giving Lehner a break and the team a boost.

Senators News: November 8th; Binghamton 0, Wilkes-Barre 1 (SO)

-Binghamton lost 1-0 in a shootout to Wilkes-Barre last night.  It was not the most entertaining tilt of the season, but it had some good moments and the B-Sens could have won the game.  The PK was superb, as was Robin Lehner.  The powerplay and scoring woes continued despite the line juggling.  It was an uncharacteristic off-night for Andre Benoit who was guilty of a number of unforced turnovers.  I thought Patrick Wiercioch played a strong game, as did Mika ZibanejadZibanejad and Petersson scored in the shootout for Bingo.  One notable play was when ECHL call-up Bobby Farnham ran Robin Lehner, resulting in Andre Petersson making a leaping check at him.  Despite that altercation it was not a particularly physical contest.  Corey Cowick lead the team with 6 shots and was inches away from winning the game late.

-Elmira lost 6-3 to Florida, with Cheverie pulled after allowing three goals; Darren Kramer scored his first professional goal, while Dustin Gazley picked up a goal and an assist; Brad Peltz and Jack Downing were held off the score sheet.  Danny New did not play (he has been placed on reserve).  Here’s the recap.

Nichols delves into the “Sens for sale” rumour Doug MacLean has happily been talking about and lays out additional information.  Everything remains fundamentally vague as MacLean can only back up that the books have been looked at, which Nichols (I think rightly) believes is in connection to his divorce proceedings (as suggested by Scott on Monday).  I’ll simply reiterate that Doug MacLean is not a good source for information.

Mark Spector wrings his hands because he doesn’t think all the NHL clubs are financially viable.  (Some) franchise values are decreasing and it’s getting difficult for small markets to compete.  I have read and heard these comments frequently from sports journalists over the years and I have innumerable problems with them.  Just a few basic points: if the league is meant to be a bastion of free market capitalism then let the weak teams fall.  If a market can’t sustain a team, move it to where it works or fold it.  That’s in the true spirit of a pure profit motive.  If that’s too Darwinian and we believe that a healthy league helps everyone, then the league can easily share revenue between the profitable teams and those which are not.  The NHL doesn’t like either of those scenarios–they want their employees (the players) to sacrifice to mitigate their loses.  I remain amazed how committed the league has been in floating teams that don’t work in particular markets, but presumably they prefer the short term financial windfall of an expansion franchise rather than the discount price of a team forced to move.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Senators News: November 7th

-Lines for tonight’s game against Wilkes-Barre match those reported from yesterday’s practice.

-Wilkes-Barre is 4-5-0 thus far this season; Paul Thompson is the team’s leading scorer with 9 points, while Brian Dumoulin leads from the blueline with 5 points; goaltender Jeff Zatkoff has started the lion’s share of the team’s games.  Binghamton beat the Penguins 2-1 to open the season.

Luke Richardson provided injury updates for Jared Cowen and Mark Stone.  The latter might play on Saturday, while Cowen won’t be -available this week as the team is being cautious with his muscle pull.

-Richardson also talked about Zibanejad and Silfverberg‘s offensive play thus far:

Other than maybe two out of the games that we have played – and those are both probably at the end of the weekend where I saw a little fatigue in [Zibanejad‘s] game – he has been really explosive and he has had chances. He has had great chances. He has been dangerous, even on goals that have been scored by other people, he has started the plays and is very explosive. I’m not worried about him because his chances are still coming. It’s just (he’s) a little snake bit and the same with Silfverberg; even though Silfverberg has a couple (of goals). They have had their chances to really pop a few in and I really get worried when those chances stop coming. I have talked to them about just being patient; playing the same… going after it and really trying to be a little bit simpler on those Sunday afternoon games or the second games in two nights or third game in three nights to make sure that they don’t try to do a little too much – and then they don’t get the opportunity to score. (They) just make sure they to let it come to them. They have been really good. They have been working hard and they are smart players. I have been using them a lot on the penalty kill; that takes a little bit of the energy out of them also but they have been dangerous and effective thus far, so I can’t complain.

Nichols (whose transcription I’m using) is right that these comments are virtually identical to those he made earlier, and he’s also right that Richardson tends to compliment everyone about their PK work.  Still, fans need to relax and just let these guys adjust.  No one on the team is booming offensively, as the injuries to key offensive catalysts have slowed down production.

-Richardson also talked about the play of Corey Cowick and Shane Prince:

Corey is doing a lot of grunt work for us. Trying to be a physical presence playing on what we call a fourth line. But in this league, you have to play four lines. You have to have four good lines. He has been really strong up and down the wing; getting to the net. He has taken on a really big role on the penalty kill for us and he has done a great job in that respect – he is a big body that can block shots and he can skate. He’s been doing really good. He has got a great attitude. He has worked hard. He has made the steps the last few years progressively from junior hockey – being a real big force to a kind of a guy up and down from the East Coast (Hockey League) to the American (Hockey) League, to now a guy who is becoming a more steady (professional) in the AHL with a key role, so that’s been great for us to have; but more importantly, (it’s great) for him to build his confidence.

Shane Prince played his first two games. He hasn’t been in a game really – in his first scrimmage, he got hurt, so he hasn’t really had very much scrimmage time in training camp. (He’s had) no exhibition games. He’s already a couple weeks behind everybody in the league and he looked great out there. He has kept himself in great shape and I think that was a key for him coming to camp in great shape. It gave him that extra chance – when you come back from an injury, you come back a little quicker that way. He had a lot of energy. When he had the puck, you could see that determination he wanted to get it to the the net and that is what we need right now. Defensively, he was great. He got back into the middle and disrupted a couple neutral zone plays with a good stick because he has great hand-eye coordination. He drove the net, so I was really happy with him and I just think he was ecstatic to get back into a game. It is a lot of hard work when you’re injured and you have to take the long road back of doing the hard skates before and after practice and doing extra workouts. But that’s what you have got to do and that’s what it takes. He did a great job of getting himself back to this position.

We did juggle the lines, to answer your question from earlier. We are probably going to try Mika Zibanejad at center, because we have been trying to use him on the off-wing to use his strength to drive the net on his off-side. But with Da Costa banging his knee up just a little bit the other day — nothing structurally, just kind of banged it so it’s bruised up and sore – so he probably won’t play tomorrow. So we need another centerman so that’s key with (Zibanejad), we could use him on the wing and at center, so that lets us try and use Shane Prince in a scoring role and try and get him going like he was in junior.

A couple of points here: Da Costa should be the team’s first line center, but he hasn’t been 100% the entire season, which has forced a lot of line juggling including Zibanejad playing center.  The one plus in all the injury problems in Binghamton is that it has given Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Prince a chance to play with top players to show what they can do at this stage of their development.  I don’t think it’s a problem that Pageau needed to be moved down the lineup–he’s a young player who is developing–and there’s a good chance Prince will find himself in the same boat as the team gets healthy.

-Elmira plays Florida tonight; the Everblades are 3-4-2 and feature former B-Sen Bobby Raymond (second in points on the blueline) and top scorer (and former Blue Jacket draft pick) Matt Marquardt (12 points); Mark Guggenberger is the team’s starting goaltender.

Bruce Garrioch wonders if the NHL’s deal with NBC is one of the reasons they are back negotiations with the NHLPA.  It’s certainly a factor, but Garrioch makes his speculation a little ridiculous when he suggests that league could be trying to start the season November 23rd–the whole month has already been cancelled, so that’s out of the question.

-Nice to see Americans push back from lunacy last night and re-elect Obama.  I don’t think either candidate is all that different when it comes to economic policy, but there’s a vast chasm between the two on social issues, not to mention the Republican rejection of science when they don’t like it.  The sad thing about the election is the reminder that politics in Canada are becoming as absurd as those south of the border.

-Speaking of the election, WOW player Colleen Lachowicz was elected to the state senate in Maine last night, adding yet another riposte to mom’s everywhere who tell their children they are wasting their time playing video games.  Not only are there professional video game circuits these days, but apparently you can convert your WOW play into the adult game of politics.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

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