Steve says that he photoshopped in my real eyes and glasses for this picture. Creep show! I will give that the paisley vest is accurate but the colour is off. I’m more of a fuchsia man. Also, I would never wear so few jewels.

Now,
Before I start I’ll be the first to admit that before the Sens victory in Boston put them in seventh place I was not overly optimistic about the playoffs. Maybe it’s the hundreds and hundreds of dollars I’ve spent on playoff tickets the past few years and never so much as getting to see a win talking but the last few times the Senators have made the post season they have been less than successful. Look, I’m not trying to be a bad fan here. I’ve BEEN there all these years: #myredisyourred #unitedintown #hockeymakesourbed all the things! But you saw what happened in that Penguins – Islanders game last night! That’s been us other years! I don’t know how this stuff works. My guess is as good as yours as to how this series will shake out (THANKS FOR READING!). Montreal is a really good team but I think Ottawa has a pretty damn good chance against them. Let’s get into it!

Forwards:

One disadvantage these teams both face here is that they are each missing their elite number one centre. Jason Spezza is still recovering from back surgery and in Montreal…uhhhh…
But the seriousness. These two teams might play a similar game but one glaring difference is definitely that the Habs can put the biscuit in the basket. Leading Ottawa point getter Kyle Turris wouldnt even be in Montreal’s top 5 in scoring. And they’ve scored by committee too with 8 players putting up double digits in goals. Impressive in such a short year. Not so fast though. Does anyone else get a bit of a sleeping giant vibe from the Sens? Its not like Ottawa is devoid of scoring talent. They routinely pepper their opponents with shots and when they get going they have the ability to load up on goals. See: 5-1 victory over Montreal earlier this year. Ottawa has their Habs killer in rookie sensation Daniel Afredsson and Montreal traded away Sens killer Erik Cole but I still give the edge to the more productive Canadiens. It will be up to to Craig Anderson to stem the tide (as usual)

Defense:

For my insight and analysis on this whole EK vs. PK thing please see this helpful video.

Outside of the E vs. P thing Montreal also possesses Andrei Markov who you know, scored more points than everyone on Ottawa’s roster. So there’s that. The biggest hole in their D corps is that they are missing the bruising Russian Alexei Emelin. Ottawa dodges a lot of devastating hits thanks to this guy missing the series. They’ll need to be physically imposing and bully their way into the zone. Zibby I’m looking at you. Outside of the offensively threatening PK and Markov there’s some stalwarts like Josh Gorges and a bunch of misfit toys like STANLEY CUP CHAMPION TOMAS KABERLE.
Ottawa’s D is an interesting combination of youth and experience. Fun fact: Did you know if you add the ages of Jared Cowen, Erik Karlsson and Eric Gryba, multiply them by two and subtract Patrick Wiercioch’s age you get the same age as Sergei Gonchar’s youngest granddaughter? It’s called MATH PORN. Look it up in a dictionary about differnent kinds of porn that arent porn. Moving forward, despite a D squad with a bunch of green horns and a guy who used to play for Columbus, Phillips and Gonchar combine for 229 games of post season experience. Look to those two guys to keep their heads if things get rough for a game or two. Add to that the Senators have an elite Penalty Kill and allowed the fewest goals against in the East this year. A silver lining of all those injuries was that it forced Ottawa to get their shit together big time defensively. I have to give the advantage to the Senators here.

Goaltending:

Okay can we stop pretending that Carey Price isn’t a really fucking good goaltender? Talking a gang of shit is fun but let’s not kid ourselves that a team that has as much trouble scoring as the Senators is going to be in pretty tough against Price. His numbers might not be Anderson-like this season but honestly he is a player I hope does not heat up for Montreal. He finished the year pretty poorly but the playoffs present a clean slate and he shouldn’t be taken lightly. The same goes for Anderson, he hasn’t been quite up to the non-human level since his return from injury but I am confident that we will see the guy who was Ottawa’s best player in last season’s series against New York. You have to give the edge to Anderson here but the Sens difficulty scoring goals makes the matchup closer than I am comfortable with.

Coaching:

Coaches are humans that make all kinds of sports decisions.

 and now this…

Smooth Jimmy’s Step Up To Get Your Rep-Up List:

• Cory Conacher: Conacher got off to a great start with Ottawa, carrying on from his great rookie campaign that begain in Tampa. CC’s dwindling ice time over the ever-important last stretch of the season suggests MacLean did not like elements of Conacher’s game. If I were to guess it was on the defensive side. He’s still showed flashes of awesomeness like his heads up flip pass to Turris for his empty netter against the Bruins but Cory’s going to really have to earn his ice time out there it seems. I really hope he does as we’ve all seen the chances he can create with Zibenejad and Silfverberg.

• Kyle Turris: I noticed teams really going after Turris physically lately. Barring a Brandon Prust head punch special, at his REPORTED 6 foot 1, 195lbs Turris will get to enjoy being a decent sized forward in this series. I don’t know though, I’m not so sure he’s only one inch shorter and three pounds lighter than Lars Eller. Whatever, the point is he ain’t exactly lining up against Jordan Staal up in here. I’ve been a big defender of Turris this season feeling he was thrust into a very tough job. The playoffs are a whole other beast and we are going to see if Turris has that extra gear in his daddy pants role. Turry put up respectable if pedestrian numbers this season (though his production is actually up slightly from last year) but I think he can do a bit better. Anyone who watched him closely knows that his 118 shots contained more than a few Condra-level heartbreakers. That’s not to sound like I’m going into this series down on Turris. He’s not invisible in the playoffs clocking 3 points in 7 games against NY including a sweet snipe I needn’t mention. He was very by all accounts Phoenix’s best player in the playoffs in 2011 with 3 points in 4 games but this year is much different. He’s going to have to be the guy at forward. He’s not only going to have to create chances for Milo and Alfie (OR WHO KNOWS WHAT LINE SHUFFLING SPICE!) but he’s ultimately going to have to find a way to bury more of those shots.

• Milan Michalek: Another player who can struggle with the odd goal drought and considering he’s not exactly Adam Oates with the helpers out there, Milo needs to be that 30+ goal calibre guy he showed us he can be last year. Of course he wont be getting dishes from Jason Spezza but when the game is speed there’s few faster than 9MM. Back from an apparently much needed knee scope Michalek looked proper down the stretch but he needs to show he’s a great winger with or without his typical linemates. As an Ottawa Senator this a skill he’ll likely need in the future…when he’s in the lineup.

• Jakob Silfverberg: Known for his slow starts that gain momentum, Silfverberg is not going to have the luxury of time in the post season. Despite his status as a rookie Jakob knows what it takes to go the distance in the playoffs as last year he Captained his Byrnas Fluurgendorffs (?) all the way to the Whatever It’s Called Cup of the Swedish Elite League. After starting the year in Binghamton for 34 games and moving up to play 48 more on a compressed schedule for Les Big Boys it’s no secret that Silfverberg looked a little gassed toward the end of the season. His play has had a little more life of late but that rookie line is going to need his possession skills in full effect if its going to be a factor against the Canadiens. Zibanejad and Silf have been on some pretty psychic shit at times this year. If this line can get clicking again that could cause big problems for Montreal.

• Eric Gryba: The microscope is going to be trained tight on Grybes by fans and media alike simply for getting picked to play over Patrick Wiercioch. Considering the high flying game that Montreal plays, I personally think it’s a bit of an odd choice to go with Gryba but…Trustache. Maybe the coaching staff thinks the puck moving game is covered with Karlsson getting 45 minutes a night already and Gonchar enjoying top scoring honours among Ottawa defensemen this season. Regardless of the decision to go with the rookie Gryba over …the other rookie Wiercioch the onus is now on Gyba to prove he deserves to keep his spot in the line up. One bad game and MacLean knows he has a very capable replacement (or three) waiting in the wings.

• GUILLAUME LATENDRESSE: Alright, I fronted hard on this guy since he got signed but you know what? Since recovering from his whiplash (..ugh whatever moving forward…) problems I grew to like Gui alright. He has pretty great hands and despite his speed issues he finds his way to the front of the net where he’s most effective. He’s also proven he can set up a faster skater charging toward the goal with a beautiful pass. So yadda, yadda Latendresse is p. good. P. Good (copyright) doesn’t mean irreplaceable though. A contract renewal in Ottawa is not exactly guaranteed for Lats. Consider the talent like Stone, Prince, Puempel, Noeson et al on the creep-creep coming into rookie camp in the fall. Latendresse, a heralded draftee of the Canadiens (or as I call it “Skilled Player with the Frenchest Name Selected”) was anointed “Le Sauveur du Mont-Royal”, rushed into the league and promptly booted to the wilderness of Minnesota. My eyes are going to be on Latendresse to see how he reacts to facing his old club. Gui hasn’t exactly been a playoff ruler with a Reginesque 1 assist in 12 career post season appearances skating to a -7 rating. The playoffs are a breeding ground for unlikely heroes and this is the perfect opportunity for Gui to emerge as one. Should he be a big fat zero (see what I did there) he doesn’t give the Senators much reason to give him millions upon millions more dollars. Criticized in the past for issues with motivation, Gui has the opportunity to stick it to the club that told him to hit the trails.

Secret Hobo Spices:

• Jean Gabriel Pageau: Look, I dont want to overdo it here, he’s played 9 NHL games but speaking of potential heroes flying under the radar…I have a really good feeling about this kid. He plays a solid, responsible game but there’s a wee bit of magic in that silk scarf of his (what the fuck am I talking about at this point?).

• Z. Smith: Maybe he’ll get the odd point, maybe he wont but look for Zmith to be out there punishing the Canadiens every chance he gets. Zack was made for playoff hockey and I’m thinking he’ll quietly be a difference maker out there.

• Colin Greening: Scored the quietest 8 goals this season. Greening has the speed, size and versatility to be a big factor. The quietness of his 8 goals and 19 points comes from a tendency to disappear for long stretches. Which Colin Greening will we see? I’m hoping the surprising game breaker kind.

Welp, that’s all. Now ish gets Real. GO SENS GO!!!!

WELCOME! 

So as you well know, the Sensphere is all atwitter over the news of Jim O”Brien’s healthy scratch tonight against the Washington Capitals.

OKAY Erik Karlsson is back. I don’t even know what to do with myself. What can I say that hasnt aleady been said? All the emotions are happening. After my preview of the recent match against Carolina I predicted that in his return Jared Cowen would take a glorified twirl around the ice and make sure the old hip feels okay in a Borowieckian 12 minutes of ice time.  I think we can say after 20 minutes that included a thunderous hit, 2 fights and a number of beastly defensive plays that I should go back up into my tree house and shut up. THANKS FOR READING!

And now James would like to issue a statement:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I sincerely apologize for not wearing my Erik Karlsson jersey to the bar the night of his devastating injury suffered from noted piece of human garbage Matt Cooke. Since I decided to stop washing my Peace Tower logo Sens t shirt during the entire cup final run of 2007, I have been aware that my superstitious actions control the outcome of sporting events that I am interested in, namely those of the only sports team that matters, the Ottawa Senators. By not wearing my Karlsson uniform I not only endangered the outcome of the game but put his health at risk and feel incredibly lucky that he has found a way to recover quickly. I can assure you, my fellow fans, this will not happen again. #lalala” 

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy exciting story line aside, the Pittsburgh game did not go very well and shit is starting to get extremely real up in here!
Not everyone was terrible in that game (gotta love Zibanejad these days) but have you seen the Sens trying to look so fancy this season? They did not look like Paul MacLean’s team that game. Forget this running after Matt Cooke stuff, you know what I dont want to see distracting the team? MARC METHOT ATTEMPTING A FUCKING DROP PASS. That happened. Obviously his partner was NOT expecting it. Even if Erik Karlsson solely gets power play time tonight it will be a welcome change simply because he loves to shoot. Ugh, guys, with the cycling already! To quote the Scotiabank Place crowd “SHOOOT!!!”  Just brutal with the extra man. Speaking of which…

Craig Anderson’s Been Terrible at the Point on the Power Play! 
Been hearing a lot of ragging on Anderson’s play since his glorious return. With so much on the line it’s hard not to get a bit rattled watching the Sens make things a little too “interesting” down the stretch but… Andy aint the problem. The Sens as a team have put up 2 goals in their past two losses. There is such a thing as momentum in hockey and putting up 1 goal a night tells your goalie “hey we expect you to have a shutout” Nah. You have to score more than one goal to win hockey games against most teams….especially the Washington Capitals!
Like the whole Cooke thing, the return of Karlsson has created a circus surrounding him that does distract from how important this game is. Punching a playoff ticket is something Ottawa should do, you know, sooner than later. All the good vibes in the world aren’t going to win this game…well what do I know maybe they will…but still win you guys. I cant takes this no mores. The Capitals are a team that is not going to be easy to defeat on the road but lets hope that having the past couple of days off has given Ottawa a chance to get it together after some disappointing performances. Tonight’s the night. Ottawa can do it! They’ve proved they can do it without Karlsson now let’s see them do with him back. Welcome back Special Little Guy!
Enjoy the game. As usual, I will be eating my feelings on twitter. Seriously hold me.

Beat TSN to their own headline!

Welcome to the world wide highway! Thanks for Ask Jeeves’ing yourself to our little corner of the Angelfire server! If you’ve come here to get a rundown / hype up for tonight’s game I have great news: I havent had all that much sleep this week!

Thanks to their 3 game winning streak Ottawa has a little less pressure on them to put up points for the balance of the season. That said, any remaining points they need to secure a ticket to the post-season (I think it’s 3 more according to my research shitty memory) are not going to come easy down the next stretch. 2 games against the Caps, a Saturday night against the Leafs (ugh), the Shitheels Penguins, and a Philly-Boston back to back. Damn. Really, really should not have blown those stupid games against the Buffalos and Floridas of yesterweek. Oh well.

The Washington Capitals Capture The First Annual WTYKY Award For Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Getting Your Shit Together At the Last Minute So Everyone Forgets How Hilariously Disappointing You Were Most of the Season. 
It’s been bizarro world with the Caps all year. If this game was a month ago the pre-game story line would be “great opportunity for Ottawa to pick up 2 points” and now today all I’ve read is “how will we possibly defeat the class of the East!?”
Are those articles wrong? Definitely not. As much as they sucked early in the season the Capitals are positively on fire right now winning 8 str8 (copyright). Led by Ovechkin, Backstrom, Green and Dirtbag in Chief – Mike Ribiero, the capitals recent output is a little something analysts are calling “Living up to expectations.” Am I being harsh with Washington? Yes but deservedly so. When you ice a line up like they have and play in the SouthEasy it’s a joke to be tied with a team like Ottawa for points this late in the season! When you’re hot you’re hot and one has to respect that but as Yogi The Bear famously said, “That’s why Alfie made horse races.” As Montreal have recently shown the Mighty-ish can fall quickly. If Ottawa’s going to pull this one off its going to come down to one man….

They Call Him “Andy” / He’s Quite A Maaaan / I Tried to Kiss Him / But Andy Politely Yet Firmly Said He Was Flattered and All But Not At All Interested…and Raaaaan
Ahh, Caps-Sens. You are desperate to shoot and we are desperate to save! Going to be an interesting one. A team that’s quickly moving up the table in the East in goals for against the team with the lowest goals against in the conference (2nd lowest in the NHL!). It’s tough on the old ticker to rely on outstanding goaltending game after game but Ottawa’s BEEN getting it all season. Let’s hope tonight is no exception. This new guy Alan Orvenchkims… not exactly easy to contain but hopefully Anderson will get a little help from Marc Methot and recently re-activated Facepuncher Jared Cowen. Being at home MacLean can take advantage of the matchup game. Comes the coachings comes the playings.
Secret Wish: Mike Ribero gets punched in his face at some point tonight.

Of Course There’s That Whole Scoring Goals Thing
I’ve been graciously easy on Mr. Kyle Turris this season. I hope people don’t just come out of this season with the easy, “See, I told yuh he’s not a top line player, LETS GOOO” dreck but rather a bit of an appreciation for how easy Jason Spezza makes that top line centre role look night after night. Despite finding himself at the top 3 in points on the roster all season long, there’s no denying he’s had his share of dry spells…take now for example. You could say that Turris hasnt scored a goal this week. Another way of saying it would be that he hasn’t scored so far in April. And yet another way to say it would be that he hasn’t scored in about a month. I know your competition is very though homie…but time to have one accidentally go in off your cup or something. It’s crazy to think 4 of Turris’ 8 goals came in the first 4 games of the season. Go get em Turry…for fudge’s sake.
Silfverberg has also been very quiet lately. Been happy with his play but it would be nice to see him warm up with the season drawing to a close. His play has been very good and he’s been getting his shots. Shoot one in off Turris’ jock or something…Also its Zibanejad’s birthday…which is nice. Also on a very, very depressing note 1993 was 20 years go…so…

Even though Carolina are a trash bag of a team, I thought Ottawa did a pretty tremendous job containing a group of strong scoring forwards on Tuesday night. It is also worth nothing that the Canes might have been the easiest team to knock off the puck that Ottawa’s played all year. Washington is not going to be that but I think this is going to be a close one…and if things go in the toilet they’ll have another shot at the caps in exactly a week because; Scheduling.

Enjoy the James, you lovers!

oh and In case you missed it… Key to victory:

Hi everybody.

In the wake of yesterday’s horrific tragedy in Boston I debated if it was gauche to even mention something so grave on a forum this light. Events like yesterday’s have a way of reminding one of how trivial many of things are that we spend precious time worrying about and also how our lives can change in the blink of an eye. Tell someone you love that you love them today and think about those who wont get a chance to do so again. Thanks, that’s all I wanted to say.

[C:\wtyky\Users\Worsteverything\Run\smooth_transition_to_JDP.exe]

Hi! So by show of hands who here reads James Day Previews regularly? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….well, imagine you read James Day Previews on a regular basis. Now pretend that you well know that I find the Carolina Hurricanes to be such a boring team that I can hardly ever think of anything to write about them. Oh, also, THANKS FOR READING! With the playoffs well out of reach for the Canes stakes are high (in terms of finding a story line!)

Papa? Why do the Hurricanes stink so much? 
It’s just one of those mysteries of the unknown, son. Seriously, I looked at their roster, took a nap, woke up and wondered, “How the hell is a team with some of these forwards stuggling to score goals on the level that Carolina is? I mean, E and J Staal, Semin, Tlusty and Skinner in regular action haven’t just been outscoring a bunch of teams? You know, Washington Capitals style but with arguably better goaltending. Oooo, upon closer inspection you probably shouldnt be tied in second in the East for number of goals against. OOooo…also who are a lot of these guys…this is not…how you say a well built team. Still, you’d think they’d be floating around .500 with those aforementioned forwards and that goalie. Sh’a well works for me. Still wonder why Ottawa kind of struggles against these guys. Luckily tonight’s game is being played in the friendly confines of Scotiabank Piazza and not of the home of the shittiest ice in the NHL, the PNC Arena of Carolina City, Utah (research!)

UGH….UGH…UGH……..UGH!!!

Just as the Prophecy said, JC makes His return tonight.
That was quick! Just kidding…he hasn’t played since like early October. That’s not a knock on Cowen, his recovery time is pretty remarkable considering all of the “shut down for the season” talk when it happened. Cowen has been doing a good job of managing expectations in the media by letting them know that his hip isn’t 100% back to normal…wait…is that a good idea? Anyway, apparently Cowen looked positively beastly in training camp and at the beginning of the season in Binghamton but half a year is a long time to go without playing pro hockey…let alone the almost full year he’s gone without playing in the NHL. I honestly just want to see him look normal out there and not have to leave the game halfway through. Stay well, stay well now, we want you to stay weeeell!

All the stuff I said in yesterday’s preview but make it about today’s game
Craig Anderson gets the nod in net and the two biggest changes to the lineup are Cowen (who will be paired with Gryba to start) returning (doi) and Latendresse being put back in over Matt Kassian…which was…a decision. What’s more is that Latendresse is slated for 4th line duty with Smith and Neil. Though a line of Lats, Zmith and Neiler sounds positively bruising, it does make me wonder with Spezza due back, the emergence of the all rookie line (WHO ARE FREE TO SCORE ANOTHER GOAL AT ANY TIME…TONIGHT FOR EXAMPLE) one wonders if there is a future for Latendresse in Ottawa. I actually ended up liking Gui more than I thought I would but that is a pretty expensive fourth line. Either way should be interesting.
As I pointed out yesterday, Ottawa been had gotten some solid goaltending and need to keep putting pucks in the net. Cam Ward can be a bit of a Sens killer but with the playoff race tight as it is tonight the boys cant blow an opportunity like avoiding back to back games and returning home to a bottom feeder like Carolina. *Avoids talking about Jean Gabriel Pageau somehow* Enjoy the game everybody and as Pierre McGuire would say, “Enjoy your families, enjoy your friends I’ll talk to you tomorrow” actually that’s kind of nice and not weird enough to end on….i’ll just throw to P McG stepping all over Gord Miller’s call on Eberle’s classic goal.

OPEN WIIIIDE FOR SOME BRU-INS! 

The Ottawa Senators are going to Boston!! Neutral zone trappin’, low scorin’ and TIES? Boston’s still somehow allowed ’em!
Come see all your favorite Bruins stars! Peverley, Thornton 2, Jagriaga and…Chariaga and they’ll ALL be clogging up the neutral zone!

The worst thing about the Sens inability to defeat Boston is that one has to sit through a Boston game with no reward at the end. This teaaaaaam. So as Varada mentioned in a previous post (IM NOT MADE OF ARCHIVE LINKS) that looking at Ottawa’s remaining matches it’s safe to chalk this one up as a loss. Oh Varada you so cray-zay probably right.
The thing is, is that though this 58 year old man ain’t denying that the Bruins own the shit out of the Senators but the past few match ups could have gone either way. Considering it will probably be 0 – 0 for 90% of the game I would be happy to see Ottawa come out of this one with a point. James Day Preview, redefining what optimism is…for all of us! #PeskyExpectations
I don’t expect this Bruins team to be any easier an opponent for the boys, but it is pretty welcome news that perpetual phisher in Ottawa’s butt Brad Marchand is sitting out tonight’s tilt. Though it looks like Patrice Bergeron will get his burger on tonight with a return to the lineup after missing time suffering a concussion. Regardless of how their side lines up, Boston is a pretty deep team and despite dropping their last two, the Sens will have their work cut out for them against such a frustrating defensive system team. That said, if Ottawa’s going to take Boston down tonight’s their best shot.

And Now…The Crazy Old Man Singers! 
You know what cray-cray baby cousin? Jaromir Jagr is tied for no.1 in scoring on the Bruins. Who’d have thought that playing most of the season on the Dallas Stars would make me completely unaware of a player’s output!? The 41 year old future first ballot hall of famer still puts up an Alfredssonian 18.5 minutes a game and I expect him to be a big factor tonight. Ottawa has a quadragenarian all their own in Papa Alfie who is tied for the team lead in goals with 10. Two playoff teams with 40+ scoring leaders. Parity thy name is NHL…or thy name is something. Jagr is currently riding a hot streak with 6 points in his last 4 games. Alfie is no slouchy old man (AKA me) either with three points in his last three games. I for one am excited to see how The Battle of the Old Mans shakes out. Well, as excited as one can be about watching a Bruins game.

Naturally Matt Kassian is Playing Tonight
Turns out he draws into the lineup in exchange for LATENDRESSE? Damn this team MUST be getting healthier…that or I am just having a wee daymare and should be waking up aaaaaany minute now….Okay, well apparently that’s a thing. Oh, this just in: Jim O’Brien is reportedly going to get very, very drunk tonight. Stay tuned to find out if he’ll be doing any crying while curled up in the shower. Life of a bottom 6 player: Cuts like a knife (dont get any ideas J.O.B.!).
We all know Kassian was brought aboard for games like this. Now I dont want to put too much pressure on the guy but can delivering several punches to Scott Thornton’s head be just what the Sens needed to break the Bruins Curse? Couldn’t be the need to score more than one goal against Boston…nope it’s the intangibles like taking a five minute major. Holy shit I just realized the funniest possible scenario: Matt Kassian fights twice and scores in 1-0 win. Would be so worth it just to sit back and watch people argue over it.

Can #JGP Keep It Up? 
Jean Gabriel Pageau is enjoying a point per game pace and shooting 100% since being called up from Binghamton. The smart money is that the rookie will regress to more realistic numbers as he plays more games. You know what though? That’s what Smart Money says. Sometimes on James Day I like to deal in Stupid Money. I would absolutely love to see Pageau go on a ridiculous tear for the rest of the regular season. It would make things really fun for training camp next year. Oh and also, it would mean Ottawa would likely be putting up more than point a game against the B’s. Anyway, I absolutely love to see a kid making the most of his opportunity. J-Gab (?) is making Bryan Murray look like one shrewd dude right now — I am the worst.

Part Where I Talk About Goaltending
Given that Robin Lehner was in goal for Ottawa’s last win against the B’s back on Febterday 34th, 1879, he’s gotten the past few starts against them. Despite some losses in the meantime Lehner’s played quite well against them but will not be getting the nod tonight.
Coming off a very strong shutout performance against a desperate Devils team who seemingly spent the entire 3rd period camped out in Ottawa’s end Craig Anderson needs to simply be himself to give Ottawa a chance tonight. What I mean is, regardless of whether Lehner or Anderson gets the start those guys BEEN had given Ottawa chances to win against Boston this season. What Ottawa needs to do is bury a few. With Silfverberg and ZIbanejad both going pointless in their past 3 games now would be the night to remedy that and put a few hero bucks in their respective pockets. Also, it would make for interesting television. Catch you on twitter tonight …or right now…I don’t have much going on, really.

Road Trip Conclusion Jam

Never noticed Fabio is basically a mega handsome version of Kovalev

Hi my name is James and this is a website. Let’s talk about hockey things. As lovers. (Sorry)

So ding dong the losing streaks dead! Now the Sens only have the simple task of winning several more games against mostly very good teams while making my hair turn white! I’m just kidding i wax my entire body every morning.

Spoiler: Yes I’m about to be this much of a jerk about this…
So in 11 or so minutes of NHL hockey Gatineau’s Jean Gabriel Pageau pulled within 2 points of the Peter Regin Scoring Race. In fairness to managing expectations with JGP, with the season winding down he wont have the benefit of enjoying those extra 26 games that Regin has played to help catch up to his point total. Miracles can happen.
Now, I know I’m being so harsh with no. 13 (fitting!) but this just furthers the argument I’ve been making about when a guy has gone as ice cold as Regin has, put some fresh blood in there and maybe a frigging puck will bounce off their butt and go in (assist on an empty net goal basically the same thing). Anyway, dead horse beaten, Pageau in very limited minutes had a very solid debut exemplified by the fact that he was even on the ice for that empty net goal in the dying minutes of that game with only a one goal differential. Hopefully Pageau can maintain his composure and stay up for the next couple of weeks. He’s earned at least a bit of an extension as of last night.

Luh Luh Luh Lehnny and the Nets
Hot mess how great was Robin Lehner last night? Not that he’s even had to play better than he’s been playing but that kind of a performance was perfectly timed. With the kind of shots Ottawa gives up and their tendency to go dry offensively, all three of Ottawa’s keepers have been under a near Ottawa 67s level of goalie pressure night in and night out (btw great season 67s JJJJJJJJJJ/KKKKKKKKK) . Giving up a paltry two goals could have meant the difference between one point or two or maybe no points (OR FRANKLY WHO KNOWS IN THIS WORK A DAY WORLD!) in an absolutely necessary win. It’s a bit of a shame that the back to back starts means Lehner wont get a much deserved second consecutive start. That said, I am not about to pretend that seeing Anderson between the pipes any kind of problem. Wow, still surreal to write stuff like that… Despite going 0 -2 since returning from his high ankle sprain I’ve thought Andy has looked very much his normal self. Rememeber last year as great as he was for Ottawa Andy would have the odd super shaky start that would knock a lot of people’s confidence in him. Nothing like that so far. Anyway, he allowed a very pedestrian two goals against Florida and none of the three let in against Tampa we’re softies. In other words, I think the lack of scoring and parade to the penalty box were the cause of both losses. 

Return of the M_ _ _ A _ _ K (not a stretch in the SLIGHTEST right there) 
All signs point to 9MM returning to action tonight. I’ll be the first to admit Michalek is probably the injured star I’ve found myself missing the least (maybe not a quality you want to see in a 35 goal scorer) I’m not about to pretend that he’s not a welcome addition to the forward corps. I’m not expecting the moon from Milan in his first game back from having his knee scoped but with a pretty pathetic 2 goals on the year I really hope Milo can get his game on track before the regular season ends or you know…tonight would also be great. Pre-surgery it was no secret Michalek had a hard time creating opportunities playing with Turris. With Jason Spezza pretty much sidelined for the season Milo better get used to it because i dont see that 89-93-33 line getting busted up any time soon and its just weird to picture him on Smith’s wing. Remain well soon Mian Michalek!

With Bryce Salvador and Ilya Kovalchuk both injured and Anton Volchenkov suspended for what I can only assume was acting like a complete Bo$$, expect the Devils to be one of the most boring hockey teams in history tonight…so no real changes there. In all seriousness though, we’ve seen Ottawa blow some wide open opportunites  against Buffalo, Florida and Tampa. A beat the fuck up New Jersey are exactly the two points they team will be in need in the fanny pack(s) when upcoming games against Pittsburgh and Boston come around. Keep #Rihannaing for the stars!

Enjoy the game!

Hi everyone!

It’s great to be back at the Apollo Theatre (internet)! Thank you for all your kind messages telling me to take all the time I needed on my vacation and that if I needed to stop making posts on this blog all together that I should feel that I have all your support. Thanks for cheering me on everyone!

While I was in Los Angeles I did a lot of research into how much extra money you need to give your average hockey star to play in Canada over California. Findings: Millions upon millions of dollars.

Additional note: I saw a total of one LA Kings shirt while I was there. This is especially interesting because I think that a solid 47% of the Los Angeles economy is based on souvenir t shirts. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN YOUR STANLEY CUP CHAMPION KINGS!!!

I’m sorry to see that Peter Regin was scratched every single game since I was gone. I mean that’s the only reason I can put together to explain why he still has the same 3 points that he had before I left. No, it’s true he was awesome in that one playoff series though.

WELP, time to talk about Bishop….not looking forward to facing him constantly going forward btw. 
We #Sens (am i doing that right?) fans know better than anyone Big Ben is no whoever Tampa’s previous goalie was and that the boys are in tough against him. Watching him play over this past season knowing he would be dealt at some point made me repeatedly think about one thing: “It’s going to suck when when Ottawa has to face this guy when he plays for another team.” I have to admit I was pretty shocked when I heard the news that Bish had been traded to a team within the Eastern conference (and a team which will be a divisional rival starting next year). I suppose when you look at the return that Bry-Bry got I could see why he took this risk…which brings me to what I actually wanted to talk about…Cory Conacher. So Tampa fans were apparently shocked and subsequently bummed out to hear Conacher was dealt. I can relate. This guy is 2nd in the rookie scoring race. I don’t think I was the only one who was floored when I got news David Rundblad and a pick were moved for Kyle Turris. People still kind of act like that was a terrible trade even though Turris has been a contributor since he came here and Rundblad has 8 career NHL points. Sure Turris’ game has had some dry spots but consider Zack Smith would be the team’s no.1 centre without him this season. Anyway, Bishop will definitely be getting up for this game but so will Cory Conacher. If the last game was any indication of potential of that 89-93-33 line? That goal was an undeniable team effort. Zibby with the lunch pail dish from behind the net, Silfverberg with the patience to freeze up and pass to the waiting Conacher who’s snaked his way into the open space. I think one goal from one losing game is a large enough sample size for efkdja;ervl ngfvxbx/ Anyway, Zibanejad is tearing it up lately becoming quite the set up machine.

Are you there Papa Alfie? Its me, you haven’t put up a point in 6 games…come to think of it neither have you Sergei Gonchar…where do you think YOURE going Kyle “no points in 5 games” Turris?
Whats that Ottawa is mired in a losing streak and three of the team’s top 5 scorers are ice cold? Now I understand the problem of relying on a 40 year old forward and a 39 year old defenseman to be two of your top scorers. Are Alfie and Gonch running out of steam? If so that young guns line is going to have to be the new go to…which is also terrifying considering they barely get 15 mins a game each. As for Turris, chalk that up to him having to play over his head night in and night out this season. Spezza makes it look pretty easy I must say. Lets just hope that when Spezza returns we dont learn that these cold snaps are a hallmark of Turry’s game. Remember KT, times might be tough but cheer up you’re playing Tampa!
Oh, also, there are other guys on the team. Latendresse is due for a burger, ditto Wiercioch. This team has shown they can score and despite Andy’s 2 goals against on less than 20 shots or Lehner’s 2 goals in 12 seconds against Buffalo the goalies are still keeping the scores low enough to give Ottawa a chance in each game. The boys are going to have to capitalize on their opportunities particularly on the power play. On the DL, I’m hoping that the Sens can take advantage of a goalie that they’ve shot on in practice for a minute now. Lastly, keep in mind Bishop is still more or less a rookie netminder at the NHL level. He’s blown a couple of big games for the Sens. Hopefully tonight’s one of them. What? I have to stop wishing the guy well at SOME point. I want to see some playoff games damn it!

Robin Lehner’s Dreams depicted by Gummy Bears. Also, the word Gummy, ladies and gentlemen.

It’s time for everyone’s FAAAAAAAAAAVORITE game, *drumroll* Ottawa Vs. Boston. Not only do the Bruins routinely hand Ottawa their lunch the bonus is THEY ARENT EVEN FUN TO WATCH! So…ENJOY THE GA– I guess I should talk about the game a bit.

This is our mantra for tonight: Win One For the Lehner.
I’m going to spare you the numbers. Yes, the Senators have been absolutely owned by this club but this is why Copernicus invented horse races right? I just wish the visiting horses werent in the same division and didn’t play that snooze fest of a system. Though Ottawa’s struggled over the past few seasons against Boston and though this B’s team is much the same (thanks for adding Seguin and Hamilton Brian Burke!) Ottawa’s team is quickly changing; particularly in net. Gone are the days of starting Elliot/Gerber/LeClaire/Infinity against President of the Republic of New Freeland Tim Thomas. I know Lehner’s shutout a year ago and shootout loss is pretty thing ground to rest such hefty hopes on but even as a rookie he has shown he’s not rattled by the history surrounding this match up….unless it goes to shootout. Either way, though SensKilla Thomas is currently hiding in his New Freeland bunker incumbent B’s starter Ttuukkaa Rraasskk is 4 and 0 lifetime against Ottawa. There is still much work to be done if this periodic curb stomping is to become a proper divisional rivalry. As it stands we’re Boston’s Buffalo. Whats that? oops correction, bad  analogy Buffalo is everyone’s Buffalo. Sorry.

Are you there hockey gods? Its me Marg Methot
As great as it was to see Ottawa go down a man and still manage to pull out an improbable win by mounting a 4 goal comeback in the 3rd period to defeat the Islanders. but that was then, this is now, this is Stouffer’s Boston. I’m as relieved as any Sens fan to hear that Methot’s injured knee is not of a Michalek level and that he’s day to day. Hopefully he’s not the Craig Anderson type day to day. The Senators rally  on Tuesday night was an inspired performance combined with a dash of puck luck (Zibby’s clear high stick, kicked in goal by NY actually called off) against what was a surprisingly tenacious Islanders team. The end result of that game had me thinking,  “Okay they took this one but how’s Ottawa going to fare missing Methot for successive games?” He’s been sometimes quietly, sometimes hipcheckingly stalwart for Ottawa since arriving Methot will be missed if even for a couple of games. As luck would have it Mike Lundin is back from what I thought would be a season ending concussion given his history and the ferocity of the dirty hit he suffered. We know that Marc Methot Lundin is not but for me I’m not so much concerned about him filling Marc’s shoes but rather how Lundin will look out there. Players returning to action after getting their bell rung like that tend to look pretty off for the first several games back . He’ll start the game on the bottom pairing with Eric Gryba. Also of note: May the hockey gods have mercy on our souls.
GET WELL MARC METHOT WE WISH YOU TO HURRY THE FUCK UP AND GET WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Alexandre Dangle, Wesley Snipe, Git-R-Done
Lehner will indeed be the Sens biggest factor in hanging in against the Bears but Ottawa has something going for them that they did not in their last match up with Boston: Scoring.
When these two teams last met, it was one of those tough outings where you get a great goaltending performance but they boys just cant seem to pot that extra one to seal it.
Since then, we’ve seen a lot of players get their groove back. Kyle Turris has really started heating up as has Silfverberg, Alfie, and Zibanejad. Ottawa is also enjoying increased support for the back end too with Wiercioch currently riding a hot streak and Gonchar emerging as the Daniel Alfredsson of defence. Wiercioch and Gonch are in tough tonight as the first pairing.

Smoove Jimmy’s Keys to Victory: Use the speed and power of players like Zibanejad and Greening to bully their way into Fortress Boston. Also, dont go to a shootout.

Secret Wish: 
I want to see Brad Marchand get absolutely wallpapered…because it never frigging happens. That guy has such a face for punching….

Steve assured me he in no way photoshopped this.

Welcome. Welcome Welcome Welcome. Im really excited you’re real and that you’re here and that you’re reading this. What`s that? I’ve had some bath salts today, yes. Both kinds, yes! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! I FEEL LIKE I’M MADE OUT OF FAIRY SHADOWS!!!!!

*deepest breath, wipes away just an awful amount of sweat*

Hockey!

Tonight, Ottawa has the opportunity to extend their current two game winning streak and bolster their spot in the East`s top 8. As is the case with all of Ottawa`s games the battle begins in net.

What more can be said about Islanders starter Rick DiPietro? A first overall pick and Olympian, Rick comes into tonight with a very pedestrian 2.81 goals against average and .901 save percentage…oh hold on…those are his AHL numbers…wow, that is not exactly great even for the AHL. Well, hold on let me look up a comparable…cool so hes basically got the same stats and record as Marc Cheverie at this point. Oh how the incredibly fragile have fallen.
Okay, I think DiPi has been through enough, lets get real. Evegeni Nabokov is probably starting. Ummm, I honestly cant tell if he`s any good. Here`s to hoping hes not! Sound off in the comment section if you`ve thought about Nabokov THE GOALIE NOT THE FAMOUS NOVELIST in the past 3 or 4 years. Nabby (assuming that’s his nickname Nabbs or Nabber) is riding a 2 game winning streak in his last two starts with a 1.50 GAA to boot. He enjoys puzzles and someday hopes to visit Portugal.

In the visitor’s end the mighty Ben Bishop starts. Bishop who has been very good for the Sens all things considered looks to improve his 5-4 record and his team low but still decent 2.57 GAA. Bishop had to make a lot of starts when the team was really struggling to score. Go out there and win one for The Beast Tower…lord knows he`s won the team a couple for the rest of the team in the shootout.

One Would Imagine NYI Has Quite The Fire Lit Under Them Right Now

So just as all the pundits predicted in the offseason, the New York Islanders are neck and neck with their hated cross town rivals the New York Rangers. Can you imagine? The New York Islanders could surpass the Rangers with a win tonight. You want to know why? The answer is because they are one point behind them in the stands. One point. Insane. They would be in 9^th with a win and right in New Jersey`s kitchen for the covetedish 8th spot. Math! The whole scenario is almost enough to cheer for them…except for the fact that they are playing Ottawa tonight. I think they are going to come out of the gate very, very strong. If Ottawa is flat unless Bishop can hold the fort they could get in trouble early.

Returrrrrrrrrrrrrrn of the Meh

Okay, so here comes the part where I talk to you like you’re Peter Regin. Don’t be alarmed I am going to put my hand on your shoulder and will stare unblinkingly into your eyes. Its all very normal. Here goes,

Bro, your bromother and I need to talk to you about something. But before I start I want to make it clear that I AM ON YOUR SIDE HERE. You are playing tonight`s hockey game. You enter the lineup in exchange for Kaspars Daugavins. I want to remind you that you have typically been scratched FOR Kaspars Daugavins. Though you both have a lot of good stuff going for your respective games, you each are having identically cruddy seasons points wise. You shouldn’t be in this conversation with him. No, no, no, no don’t tell it to me…its not my opinion that’s important. I know skilled you are deep down in that Danish heart of yours. Im not the one who isn’t going to resign you potentially. I know your ice time has been reduced but you`ve been given shots at first line time this year. MacLean has put you in the top 6 picture a few times. Its getting harder and harder to claw your way back here. You need to make a statement tonight. And not the kind of statement where we`re like `Regin won a lot of his faceoffs tonight` no one will talk about how you were good at faceoffs in a couple of years when youre playing for the SonderjykE Whatevers. You have to score a goal or set something brilliant up. ANYTHING to get you on the score sheet buddy. You can play solidly all year but you’ve played half the season and you have two assists to show for it. TWO. How`s it going to look if you finish the season with fewer goals than Dave Dziurzynski? How are you going to explain that shit? To many defensive zone starts? I don’t know bro. Lord knows youre not going to catch Jim Obrien at this point. My man is 3^rd in goals on the team right now…and he gets the exact same amount of ice time. You gotta keep yourself outta that pressbox by making statements. We`re talking about your career here. But most importantly remember it’s a game. Now get out there and HAVE FUN!!!

ENJOY THE GAME!

A little something called The Boston Ballet

Let’s start off with a wee song, shall we?

When you’re down and troubled / and you’re upseeeet with Kyle Turris / and nothin’ ohhh nothin’ is goin’ in the net / just close your eyes and remember / Dany Heatley has the same amount of points / except Heeaaaa –eee – eee –eetly / is a minus niiiine…(and makes 7.5 million dollars)

Papa’s got a brand new REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY COOL HAT!

I know that making fun of other teams’ woes only deflects from Ottawa’s struggles but it can be incredibly satisfying in stand up comedy format. Observe:

I just flew in from Tampa Bay and boy are the Capitals tied for 14^th in the East *Rim shot*

No, but seriously folks they are trailing the Islanders…who are ahead of the Flyers. *Rim shot*

I think about weird stuff like sometimes I’m at the grocery store and I think “What if Buffalo and Calgary were 2 of the highest paying teams in the league!”  *Rim Shot, you guys* 

Also, Calgary…that’s the joke. That’s my time you’ve been greaaaaaat!!!

COMEDY! *throws confetti in the air*

I’m just saying this year has had some really, really, challenging events but at least the Senators have a bit of a reason to not light up the standings. The depleted line up doesn’t make watching a losing skid any easier nor watching a 40 year old have to AGAIN step up and lead the team in points. Silver linings wise, despite all the heartstomping events that need not be named, this year has been easier for me to endure as a fan than watching the our Post-Cup Final run team that just could not get it together despite having a ton of talent in the line up. Safe to say, there are a lot of fans in that position out there scratching their heads as to why their teams are spiraling the toilet. I’m still fully appreciating that Ottawa is even above .500. If last season’s team was a scrappy underdog squad…then this team is basically a crew of hobo clowns who are roasting fish skeletons over a flaming barrel that was once full of poison goo under a bridge. Also, its raining outside in this metafore…I guess I’m going to talk about tonight’s game a bit…

Ladies and gentlemen, please rise and remove your hats for the unleashing of Robin Lehner.

Paul MacLean is a good coach (and according to his coffee mug I’m going to assume World’s Greatest Dad as well). Pitting Robin Lehner against his daddy issues was a very smart call in New York. I think we can agree that a Lehner with rage lasers for eyes is a good Lehner indeed. You know he was seeing all Rangers players as the experimental puck shooting machines that his father Ludvig Cornelius Lehner would test out on him in his youth before they were deemed safe enough for his precious student Handsome Looksqvist. That also probably explains why a puck that was going far slower than 100km/h confused him. Well, that and the fact that the person shooting it wasn’t screaming “I HAVE NO SON!!!” over and over again.
If Tuukka Rask gets the start tonight I’m hoping Paul MacLean leaves a book chronicling the Second Swedish Crusade of the 13^th Century in Lehnny’s locker in an attempt to angry up his blood and getting him thinking about ways he can honour the medieval conquest of Finland. Despite ultimately losing Lehner was outstanding in his last start against Boston. Much like Bishop’s last game against Philadelphia, it was more a matter of the rest of the team not getting their shit together to score a couple of goals to seal the thing. Though Rask isnt exactly easy to score on with a 1.97GAA.
With Zack Smith’s recent emergence as a hockey player and rookies Silfverberg and Zibanejad contributing lately one would think that Ottawa has tiny bit more offensive going right now.

Oh Looooooook Latendresse is Back! So…I’m going to Talk About That Instead of How Michalek Is Out…

Okay, so, I’ve admittedly been incredibly hard on Gui “Sens Store Clearance Rack Jersey of the Future” Latendresse this year. His signing has so far been how you saaaaaay? Ah, yes, a disappointing one. He obviously cant help his injuries. He wants to be out there you know not ending his NHL career. Really, it’s the situation surrounding him has made the frustration grow so mighty. I figured that Latendresse was a very high risk signing going into the season but if he became injured it wouldn’t be a big deal because MacLean could plug someone into his spot. Instead, P Mac has had to plug all available personnel into spots outside their comfort zone all over the place and Latendresse has been the top 6 injury guy with the least amount of goodwill built up. Hard to figure what to expect from Latendresse now that he’s back.  We got to see very little in the six games he did play at the start of the season. Despite a sweet feed on a Turris goal (just to accentuate how long ago THAT was) he looked post-baconator sluggish out there. I dont know if having several weeks off in the meantime will help that sluggishness but if he can recapture that “one assist” magic well…that will mean that someone scored a goal. Get well soon everyone!

Finally:

Alleged top 6 player Peter Regin is a healthy scratch for tonight with Kaspars Daugavins drawing in. With the team’s current biggest need being getting points on the scoreboard one has to wonder why Regin is getting scra—oh 2 assists in 18 games? 2 assists in 18 games. Perspective putter: Human forklift Eric Gryba has 3 assists in 11 games. So…
On the subject of points, credit to Gonchar for notching 3 in his last 2 games. Keep up the good work 🙂 ………….. For fuck’s sake. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Congratulations go out to Jakob Silfverberg on finally besting Karlsson’s 63 shots on net. Only took 11 games for someone to catch up. Now can someone please top EK’s 6 goals? Something tells me that rookies Zibby, Silf and Wiercioch might start getting some real traction offense wise. btw to clearify “Something tells me” = I just really want that to happen. SPORTS ANALYSIS.

Enjoy the game! Oh wait its Boston and they are incredibly boring to watch! Enjoy making fun of the game on twitter with me!