Conrad to James, Peter

Sens I would trade for future considerations

This is going to seem cynical, unfair and weird, but I was still unhappy with Kovalev’s play. Sure, he got two goals and an assist, but his play is still crazy-making. Two out of three CCFRers were at the game yesterday, and we both agreed that his play looked completely disinterested. Drifting on the back-check, not making any physical contact, stickhandling into areas where there’s no opportunity for a play and then giving the puck away by sending it across ice so he doesn’t have to take a hit, floating around at the blueline while there’s a scramble in front of his own net. And he gets boatloads of ice time, especially on the powerplay. I know that this is what Murray signed him to do – get the preferential treatment and chuck in a couple goals now and then – but I don’t see this as much more than a couple of bounces going his way for a change. This isn’t the product of a sudden determination or work-ethic. It’s a softie, a weird bounce, and a 5-on-3. I think he’d be able to do this more consistently if he worked a little harder in every aspect of his game.

Foligno is the exact opposite of Kovalev. He works harder than anyone out there, creates opportunities and puts himself in the right place to score goals, and couldn’t put the puck into the back of a dump truck.

Michalek is just lost out there sometimes. I feel like he’s reminiscing about the beautiful golden plains of Slovakia or Wherever

Clouston, I guess, for allowing his team – who outshot the Yotes 20-9 in the first – to sit back on the lead in the second and let them come back within one. By the end of the second, shots were about even. It sometimes feels as if he doesn’t have control over the level of effort his team provides.

Sens I would sign to lifetime deals

Hey, Gonchar had his 1000th game. That’s pretty cool. He looked good out there, too, but that dude DOES NOT SHOOT.

Mike Fisher played more minutes than any other forward, won 10 of 17 faceoffs (this was huge), and was his usual battling self.

Peter Regin is playing with a lot of confidence. He isn’t getting the results yet, but he set up a really nice play that didn’t culminate because Bryzgalov has some unreal positional sensibilities. If it had been Labarbara in net throughout, Regin would have finished with more than two assists.

Did you know that Chris Campoli had 21 minutes of ice time last night? As much as Phillips, and more than Karlsson.

Gobbledegook

This will sound like boring complaining, but the experience of going to a Sens game is really pretty tame and inconvenient. They tell you print off your tickets at an express kiosk when you arrive, but there was only one kiosk and it was broken. They have pretty great promotions – four tickets and four subs for $99 – but when we got there they explained they couldn’t give me the vouchers for the subs because there was no Subway in the arena. Meaning they never had the ability to give you part of the promotion to begin with. (They said they’d mail me vouchers.) They had a mildly embarrassing tribute to Gonchar for his 1000th game involving highlights played on the horribly outdated scoreboard set to Sammy Hagar’s “I Can’t Drive 55,” an interesting choice of music considering Hagar is singing about how 55 is slow and uncool. They also presented him with a portrait of himself, which I’m sure he’ll hang in his living room.

James to Conrad, Peter

Sens who I would sign to a lifetime membership to the Loeb Cookie Club (RIP Loeb Cookie Klub)

Erik Karlsson. Turns out his defensive mishaps are really easy to forgive when this delightful little woodsprite is putting up points. The Mike Green equasion. Seriously huge goal from EK early on. Harkened me back to a golden age of Sens games when they would put one or two on the board early and not give one up right after doing so.

Jarkko Ruutu feat. Chris Kelly, Chris Neil and Jodeci
No bad penalties from Jarkko, a goal from Kelly and some huge hits from Neil. This line was humming as per usual. I dont know where this team would be without this line. Running a solid PK, scoring AND creating all kinds of chances. Truth bomb: They probably combine to make slightly more than Kovalev’s salary.

Honorable mention

Defensive play in general. Probably the strongest defensive effort (this includes Brian Elliot) I have seen from this team this season so far. I agree with Conrad that it sucked to see the Coyotes control pretty much the entire 2nd period, but Phoenix did play with a ton of urgency after what I’m sure was a lambasting between periods from Dave Tippet.

Sens that were tough to watch live:

Chris Phillips. Funny how in one season I went from “watching Phillips live really gives you an appreciation to how important he is to the team” to “watching Phillips live gives you an appreciation of how many turnovers he is a part of.” I watched that dude do a great job of shutting down Ovie, Crosby and Kane last year…this year he is kind of all over the place out there. Just some strange things you’re not used to from the guy, like falling over after a check and blind passes. I’m so used to that guy’s game being so sound that he seemed invisible in the past, but I’m seeing a lot of untypical, glaring errors from the guy. Maybe he’s trying too hard. Hope he can turn it around.

Alex Kovalev. Yep. Don’t feel weird about that one Conrad. Thanks for the points dude, but without them you would have been hands down the worst player on the ice (and that’s saying something considering Labarbara was on that ice). Regin and Foligno deserved your points more than you.

Gobbledeedeedeedeedeedeegook

-It was nice to see the crowd come alive after a while. It was pretty quiet early on but the game also was very slow up until the first goal. Conrad, I get what you’re saying but I think we must look inward and ask ourselves “Am I the change I want to see in the audience?” Have you ever got in on a non-playoffs GO SENS GO chant? It is a shit job. We are a shy building but I have to admit, when a go sens go chant is brewing and I am LITERALLY the only person in my SECTION doing it…I am less than motivated to keep it going because it is clear that I am suddenly not too cool for school. I don’t think clapping and chanting is the coolest shit ever but I can get into it. Goddamn it, people leave you hanging 90% of the time. I did have fun chanting WE WANT PI-ZZA. Feels like I haven’t done that since like…2006.

– There was a lot of the “Ottawa Senators Special” going on last night, as resident image guy Steve puts it. Meaning, these dudes have a tendency to want to complete like 9 passes before someone shoots. Garbage goals guys, garbage all the way! Look at Kovalev’s and Kelly’s…those pucks had no business going in but they did. See also: How teams shoot whatever at Elliot.

– Winchester Jersey sightings: TWO IN MY SECTION ALONE

– People, do we have to text about this that and the third every five seconds? Sporting event tickets are expensive. Watch the game. What is this, the 100 section?

Txt: Bro, am @ #scotiabankplace watching the game
reply: N E good?
Txt: dunno LOL (:^)

Peter to James, Conrad

Sens I would be afraid to tell I love them and chicken out and get them an itunes gift card instead

I’ll admit I wanted Lehner to start this one but Brian Elliott looked pretty good last night. I was a little worried with his rebound control but his positioning and play reading was spot on. Phoenix had quite a few deflections and scrambled chances and he was there for the majority of them. He might be one of those slow starters. He’s had six straight starts, so maybe he’s one of those guys that needs tons of minutes to stay focused.

I’m feeling the Neil, Ruutu and Kelly unholy troika, though it’s one of those things where I expose my level of ignorance when it comes to talent evaluation. I feel like I don’t have the eval chops to properly appreciate these guys. Earlier I asked for more cycling, and these guys delivered.

Ryan Shannon, I’m sorry I stuffed you in a locker in highschool. I had low self-esteem and took it out on others.

Sens I would prank by removing the balls from their mice at work (if they had work computers and mice still had balls)

Since they won, I’m going to give them a pass and focus my insane sexy rage on Denis Potivn. Holy Dinah this man provides as much colour commentary as the line at the Walkley MTO branch. Dean tried to get him to enlighten us on his own 1000th game and he coyed it up like he was goddamned Bette Davis. Listen Potvin, pretending you can’t remember your 1000th game is about as convincing as a lower body injury. We know you’re old. Your banner at whatever the Civic Centre is called now is made from papyrus. Cut the shit, stop leaving my man Deano hanging with your Abe Simpson onion-belt nonsense or take your goldbricking ass back to Margaritaville.

Random nonsense

Kovlaev has cemented his place in Sens history by being a part of the fastest consecutive goals in team history. Chew on that.

top