James Day Preview: Detroit Absentee Dads Host the Ottawa Weekend Dads

Posted on October 23, 2013 by worsteverything

Somedaddy that we used to knowwwwwwwwwww

What? I told you I don’t do a game preview without my LEAN POCKET! I don’t car– Oh, WHAT the media is actually paying attention the Sens for five mintues?! Ahh what better game than against one of the best teams in the league. *Hastily changes out of “PUMP IT UP!” themed jogging pants, kicks empty Lean Cuisine dinner packages under couch, smooths out hair with TV remote buttons*

Ahem,
As Ottawa Senators fans we’ve seen some cruddy player related stuff in our time. Supposed generational talent 1st overall pick flame outs, contract hold outs, star players left to walk for nothing, trade demands, hobos, sea captains, Jonathan Cheechoo. This one is different though. Daniel Alfredsson was for nearly two decades the father figure of this still young franchise. He did 17 tours with the Sens and has done more for the team than anyone else in its history. Even up to last season’s playoffs he was a hero. Given the past few years’ uncertainty surrounding his future, I’ve always said that if the time came toward the end of his career that if he wanted to get a good shot at the cup on another team, well, he doesn’t owe us a goddamn thing at this point and he’d have all the right in the world to. Thing is when it actually happened I gotta say….rougher than I expected. I’m not going to get into the minutia of it all other than I think both sides are BSing a bit AND telling the truth a little bit. Melnyk lil cheap on the ol’ pay day, Alfie liiiittle hasty on the ol’ exit after giving every indication he’d resign. Which is actually a pretty good symbol of how I feel about him going into tonight: Him playing for another team changes nothing about what he did for the Sens buuuuuuuuut him playing for another team changes my attitude toward him.
He plays for another team now. I more or less hate all of the other teams and a highly skilled divisional rival well…I don’t care HOW nice those uniforms are. As for his plan, I don’t hope the Red Wings can win a cup for Alfie because I care about the Sens winning so much more than that. C’mon James…try to finish strong with a Klassik Kuote:

“Those are all the things that I’m going to have to be saying about those things” – Forresstt Gumps.

Now I’m Going to Talk About Zibanejad but also Derek Grant for good measure
I’ve noticed in a lot of conversation surrounding this whole Zibanejad demotion thing is if you’re in favor of returning him to the big club that you see him as the answer to the Sens woes. I definitely get that one shouldn’t put too much into one player being inserted into the lineup. I can’t, however, discount the fact that a very good hockey player is being added to the team and think he helps their chances for success. Zibanejad will start the game anchoring the fourth line twixt Derek Grant and Erik Condra, which is a pretty badass fourth line if you ask me. Hopefully we get to see a big game from Ziba who’ll have a lot too prove in his 2013-2014 debut. It will likely be tough for him to make a mark on the score sheet though as my guess is his ice time will be pretty sparse playing in a more defensive role in his first game. BTW, the way this team gives up shots / doesn’t take advantage of opportunities, “a quiet but solid defensive game” qualifies as an outstanding performance to me at this point. Speaking of which I’d like to touch on Derek Grant for a moment.
To build on what I was saying about how having a solid game qualifies as awesome, that is probably best personified by how call up Derek Grant performed in the ~~complete garbage dump~~ game against the Oilers Saturday. I was pretty surprised to see he got under 6 minutes of ice time because:
1. He’s a penalty killer how does he not get 25+ minutes of ice time (see what I did there)?
2. I noticed him every time he was out on the ice.
He may not have gotten on the score sheet (leave that to Chris Neil* and his BEAUTIFUL snipe on Dubnyk**) but I thought Grant was very good on the kill really getting uhh…whoever plays defense for Edmonton on their (?) heels in their own zone a couple of times. I can see how he tends to lead Binghamton in shorties. OOoooOOOoooOO, I see Clarke MacArthur and Jared Cowen are playing tonight so Grant will have plenty of time to show MacLean what he can do on the PK.

The Ottawa Senators Power Play Dancers Feat. Chris Neil and Chris Phillips Needs To REST. ITS. CASE!!!
Okay, Paul MacLean, I get it, I get it, I get it you want the team to shoot the puck more. Lessons have been learned, laughter and love shared and so on. Now please take Christophers Phillips and Neil off the power play before I shoot myself more (HYPERBOLE!).
Ugh, Praise Be 2 Jah that Neil’s goal wasn’t on the power play then this stuff would have had some justification behind it. Can we go back to the best players play mantra? But as in the best players get to prove themselves as best players again…please? Oh goooooooooooooooooooooooooood Wiercioch has been scratched. So…now I can’t believe the question on my mind is: Who is the better option for Karlsson’s partner for the 1st unit power play tonight……Chris Phillips…..or….Joe Corvo? Ihavetoliedownforawhile.

Smooth Jimmy’s #REALTALKidzKorner
I tune into every game hoping that Ottawa wins (doi, what am I a Flyers fan?) but this one is going to be really tough. No doubt Ottawa (as an entire team) is going to have play their absolute best game of the season to beat a highly motivated Detroit Red Wings. With the Senators coming off a loss, again I must stress the badness of this loss, where they couldn’t connect two passes in a row and were nearly shut out by the Oilers are now up against a team who’s own recent loss consisted of not only shutting out the best team in the league but facing a goalie with zero losses on the season and who’s so Hansel level hot right now that he actually also shutout the shootout INCLUDING THIS SAVE AGAINST NOTED WAR CRIMINAL TODD BERTUZZI. Ugh! Hockemotions.

Anderson gets the start tonight facing one of the most disciplined system teams in the league. Unless there’s a sea change in play, he will basically have to save the defense’s skin who have been putrid so far this year. Jimmy Howard who is a goaltender getting just his second start since returning from the IR and also enjoys playing behind defensemen gets the start for the Wings.
I know this has been a bit of a downer preview but Ottawa has a ton to prove tonight. They aren’t on a huge road trip anymore and they’ve had time to rest and regroup. We all know Ottawa is a far better team than they’ve been playing as so far this year let’s see if they can show us. This game could be a real statement if Ottawa can manage to look good. It’s going to come down these 10 hilariously simple and copyrighted fundamentals of winning a hockey game:
1. Win faceoffs and maintain possession b/c u r a posseshhhhh team btw
2. Stay out of the penalty box
3. Stay out of the fucking penalty box
4. Stay out…of that motherfu–
5. Get QUALITY scoring chances oh and don’t forget to capitalize on them occasionally!
6. Play some respectable defense…YES I know Joe Corvo is playing in this game.
7. Star players need to look like star players.
8. Simplifyyyyyyyy maaaannnnnnnnnn (aka shoot maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan)
9. Again, the penalty thing.
10. WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME GO WIN THIS STUPID GAME!

Now go out there and
ENJOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY the game

Whatever the opposite of “bold” prediction: Alfie to score emotionally confusing goal.

*Heyyyyy let me beat this horse to death: Neil’s one goal on the year is 100% more than Dany Heatley whom I’m hoping becomes this century’s Scott Gomez

**Whom is still considered to be developing despite being drafted 9 years ago because Oilers.

Why do so many Ottawa fans feel disconnected from the live game experience?

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Varada

Trying to build a little bit on my earlier post about ticket prices, I’ve been thinking about the experience of going to a Senators game and where the value lies.

The WTYKY team went to the home opener last night, and I think it was a pretty typical Sens hockey experience. Not a bad seat in the house; competitive team put on a show, making up for some nail-biting defensive lapses by making legendary Marty Brodeur look awful; great facilities; good times all around. And one of the weirdest, dumbest commutes I’ve experienced in pro sports.

I don’t want to write a post that is only complaining about how long it takes to get to the game. It’s not that long a drive. It’s not a big deal. 40 minutes on the bus is a small price to pay for being able to see your affordable, competitive team whenever you like. But I think there’s something to the idea that Ottawa games are quieter, less raucous atmospheres than what other cities have going, and it has to do with how the arena is a bit of an afterthought. I’ve been to games in a few NHL arenas. Chicago, Toronto, Montreal. And, honestly, it took me as long to commute to those arenas–usually located in those cities’ business districts–as it takes to bus out to Kanata. But what those places have in common is the arena is on the regular public transit grid, meaning that you can go out early.

An NHL arena is a pretty special place, and teams know how to create atmosphere. You feel like you’re becoming a small part of your team’s history when you walk through those doors. A lot of thought is put into making the arena the sort of place where you’ll walk around, check out the memorabilia, maybe shop for some team gear, maybe grab dinner before the game. All the while, the anticipation for the game builds. The game I went to at the ACC a couple of years ago was completely bananas, even though Toronto was out of the playoffs at that time, and they were playing a St. Louis team that was also out of the playoffs. When Toronto won in a shootout, the place exploded.

The problem with Sens games is that it’s not physically possible to hang out at the arena unless you drive. We did our part: after a quick after-work beer, we were at the bus stop, waiting for the game shuttle, at 6 for a game that started at 7:30. The bus didn’t arrive for 30 minutes, and when it did, it was too full to pick us up and drove past. We arrived at about 7:25, just in time for the anthems, with no time for get beer or food, let alone walk around and experience all of the aesthetic touches that the Sens’ marketing team have put in place.

When the game ends, you have about 30 minutes to get on the shuttle back to downtown otherwise it’s gone without you. What this translates into is a very workmanlike experience. Get there; drink as many beers as you can in two periods; get home. It’s such a shame, because yesterday was the home opener and there were all kinds of events and booths set up which we had no choice but to hurry past on the way to our seats.

I’ve talked to friends in other cities who will make fun of Ottawa fans for not going to their good team’s cheap games because of the commute, but I really think there’s something to this. Ottawa has trouble establishing the same sense of prestige and history that other franchises possess, and it’s because the arena is basically inaccessible by public transportation for anything other than just the game. This is to say nothing about being on a bus that is driving through dark farmer’s fields instead of into the center of a buzzing urban center.

I know there’s nothing that can be done about the location of the arena, but I think there has to be something for those super-fans – the ones who have been looking forward to the game for weeks and want to make an event of it – to get out there earlier.

A few other notes from the game:

A guy on the bus home said something to the effect of Spezza’s empty netter being “such a Spezza goal.” I know following Alfredsson as captain is a tough thing for any player to do, but man does Spezz get a rough ride. He’s a creative player, which means that his mistakes, when they happen, are a lot more glaring than your typical north-south grinder / character player’s are going to be. I suppose there’s a valid point in here somewhere – you don’t want the ultra-skilled guy to be teaching your young players, since most of them won’t be able to pull off what he’s doing anyway. You want someone who teaches the fundamentals. But all the same, a lot of Ottawa fans assume there isn’t much to his game. Team Canada must feel the same way, not even offering him a try-out. Anyway: he only scored a hat trick the game before, so I guess you’re right that his next three point night, and his 8 points in 6 games, is a total fluke, bus guy.
Why the hell is Ottawa playing Chris Phillips out there on the power play? It’s awful to see. At one point Maclean sent a powerplay out of Phillips, Gryba, Smith, Neil and Greening. Must have been sending his skilled guys a message. Obviously that PP was hot garbage.
Re-watch Karlsson’s slick pass to Smith on the third goal. Spezza breaches the zone and waits, not passing to a wide open Smith so he can instead dish to a streaking Karlsson, who then draws four Devils to him before sending it to Smith for a back door goal. It was a thing of beauty, but what started it all? Jaromir Jagr, following Karlsson in his own end, gives up once Karlsson gets skating and peels off on a change, leaving Karlsson completely open to skate into the Devils’ zone unimpeded. I don’t envy Peter De Boer having to have that conversation with living legend Jagr, who will probably be gone at the deadline. Lazy, lazy play.
If you’re a fan of watching penalty kills, man are you getting your money’s worth out of the Sens.
Clearly some opening night bugs on display throughout the game. Lots of penalty announcements happening a minute after taken, and musical miscues. For all the ink spilled on Ottawa having new in-arena entertainment, it all seemed pretty standard, and off-kilter at that.. (“Don’t cheer too loud, you’ll break the Noise-o Meter!”)
The Sens have a really family friendly atmosphere going. This is not a compliment. Let’s work some of the Nickelodeon dance music out of the routine, fellas. It can’t be very intimidating for the opponents to know they’ll be playing The Wiggles.

James Day Preview: Your Ottawa Senators HOST the Nude Jersey Devils

Posted on October 17, 2013 by worsteverything

"Jagr? Brodeur? I got chunks of guys bigger than them in my STOOL, OHHHHH!" - J. "Old Blue Eyes" Spezza

“Jagr? Brodeur? HA! I got chunks of guys bigger than them in my STOOL!” – J. “Old Blue Groin” Spezznatra

Hello! Everybody!!
WELL………it’s been an emotional road trip for each and every last one of us. We’ve grown as people, made friends with a few anthropomorphic creatures and may have even learned a lesson or two along the way.

One thing I, myself, learned is that a long western road swing…not ehhhh…my favorite way to start the ol’ season off. I mean, time difference was one thing but seeing the team face some tough opponents in a situation where they’d likely struggle at the best of times was rough. What made it especially tough was with so many teams coming out of the gate strong (among them Calllllllllllllllgaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyy?) and nothing more than a so-so and pretty meaningless preseason to draw on, this is all we knew of the 2013 Senators. Let’s break it down:
– A dog fight 1-0 win against the Sabres
– A heart breaking blown 2 points against Toronto (which I think crushed a few people’s spirits)
– A squeaker OT loss against LA
– Dark Matter (x 2)
– Gutsy comeback win against the Yotes.

A veritable potpourri of flavours. After all of that, I will TAKE a clean slate of .500 to build off of. So now it’s over and in the rear view. Let’s get to tonight’s game:

*Looks at New Jersey’s record, takes off shirt and flexes chest muscles in bathroom mirror…but then remembers Ottawa’s record isn’t very great either, eyes start welling up a bit…but still flexing*
My first inclination as a fan is to think, “Ruh roh, the first game back after being on the road is almost always a rough one”. Here’s the leveling out though: New Jersey is also coming off/still on a long road trip rich with ass kickery. More ass kickery than Ottawa experienced even!
As has been well documented leading up to the game, with the Powerhouse Sabres recent defeat of the Islanders, the Devils are now the NHL’s lone team without a W on the season. That’s getting pretty bad considering its more than halfway through the month.
This means that either New Jersey, having spent a couple of days on the East Coast now, will come out fierce in a desperate attempt to right the Good Ship New Jersey Garbage Barge or the Senators will try to pull an Anaheim Ducks and gas pedal the Devils. As usual, it will depend largely on ……………………………

Your Honor the court will now hear the case of Baldy Vs. Blimpy
Livin’ legend, future first ballot hall of famer and Delicio Rising Crust Brand Pizza enthusiast Martin Brodeur will start in goal tonight for New Jersey. For maybe the first time in his career this may bode well for the Senators as Marty has positively struggled in his 3 starts so far this season. His ten goals against make for an uncharacteristic and Dan Clouthieresque 3.19 GAA. What has to be most concerning though is his …uhh…also Dan Clouthieresque save percentage of .878. These numbers are admittedly a little bit on the “early season wacky stats” side. No one wants to see Marty get in his street hockey wizard zone to make up for a bad start but still the door does look open to Light Up a Legend tonight.
That is if Craig Anderson can please, please, please, let me get what I want. Which is not giving up the first goal of the goddamn game. No less important would be not giving up goals in bunches like he’s been doing as well. Anderson, who is sporting a 3.10 GAA himself, hasn’t necessarily been awful so far. Both he and Lehner have been hung out to dry by putrid defensive zone play and constant penalty kills. He’s made some huge, huge stops that have kept Ottawa in games but those early goals and multiple goal periods have been an undeniable weak point for him. Give up one or two early and there’s no doubt that:
1. New Jersey will trap up like nobody’s biznas to protect their lead.
1a. I will get very wasted trying to watch that.
Now go out there and HAVE FUN……but seriously, don’t let in the first fucking goal.

Captain Contery on Back.
For a guy with a bad back Spezza didn’t have a problem puttin’ the whole friggin game on it in Phoenix am-I-right-peop-lllle? OHHHHHHHHHH! *takes cartoonishly large pull on e-cigarette*
His game wasn’t perfect but how mad can you get at a guy who was responsible for 100% of the team’s regulation time offence in a much needed win? Fantastic to see the guy score a Karlssonian Rocket from above the circle but also a couple of dirty ones. Much like Bobby Ryan did previously, Spezza looked noticeably looser after potting a couple. There’s an awful lot of pressure on Spezza this season and no doubt a natural hat trick lets Spezza head into his first home game as captain as easy breezy as a certain blogger after he spends lunch time in a supply closet with Silent Sam Vodka (OFFICIAL odorless vodka of WTYKY). On the other side of this, Erik Karlsson has looked a little stiff out there. Personally, I think we’re going to have be patient with Karlsson’s game for a few months still. Taking into account even the most basic estimations on recovery time and despite his ability to play, EK will still be healing until early into the new year. That said, he looks like he’s making the most of it. He played 30 minutes against Phoenix and leads Sens defensemen in shots. My guess is he is trying to adapt his game to be a little more of a mental one until his speed returns. As a result he can look like he’s over thinking things here and there. I don’t buy this bologna that now he’s not sneaking up on teams because they are watching video of his tendencies now. Like they weren’t doing that when he had nearly 50 points by December of 2011. Karlsson will be on the creep for a little while still but a point or two should loosen up those hands a bit. I think the rest of a day off of his foot should be a bit beneficial too.

I haven’t seen lines this Wade Redden joke since Wade Redden joke’s Wade Redden Joooke AAAAAm-I-RIGHT-PEOP-LE OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Thrilled to see MacLean will keep together the lines of Michalek – Spezza – Conacher and MacArthur – Turris – Ryan tonight. Maybe it isn’t what we all had envisioned at the beginning of the year but it’s still early very early. Still lots of season ahead. I love the coach’s tendency to play the hot hand over what he’s “supposed” to be doing. I’m about as mad at seeing Ryan on the second line as I am that Turris has been Ottawa’s best forward. Whatever works is fine with me. Speaking of Turris, how about that Turris. Kid’s a diamond. A diamond encrusted diamond.

In Game Challenges:
1. Try to identify Ottawa’s new goal song for your chance to be the only person other than the Sens DJ and the band who wrote it to know what song it is!
2. If Bobby Ryan scores use the hashtag #OttawaRoars to be the only person other than the Sens Official twitter account to use it!
3. Spot a member of the WTYKY staff and use the code “Hey what’s up?” for your chance win a personalized “Hey, <Your name here> I’m trying to pass urine here and I can’t go if someone’s talking to me and looking me dead in the eyes.”

GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY THE GAME!

How much more would you pay for Sens tickets?

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Varada

Interesting little slide show over on Forbes about ticket prices throughout the NHL. A few observations:

1) Ottawa is right smack in the middle of the league, with a 15th highest average ticket price of $137.82. That’s less than the average ticket price for a non-traditional market like San Jose ($150.65) and teams who’ve been mediocre for a while, like the Islanders ($150.60) Wild ($153.82) and Sabres ($139.53).

2) There’s a pretty big drop between the top ten highest average ticket prices and 11 on. Number ten is Pittsburgh at $203.93, and 11 is the Wild–almost fifty bucks cheaper.

3) The Kings, Caps and Flyers are a surprisingly cheap ticket, considering their respective payrolls and the Kings’ recent success.

4) Is there better value in the league than a Colorado ticket right now? They’re 29th at $86.40, and you get to see Duchene, MacKinnon, and any day now Patrick Roy doing something insane.

5) The most expensive ticket is Toronto at $368.60. Obviously.

What makes this interesting for Ottawa fans is that we just emerged from a summer of reporting on the team’s financial woes. Melnyk (who is scheduled to appear on the radio later today…I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that he’ll say something dumbfoundingly ridiculous and contradictory) said the team loses staggering amounts of money, doesn’t have much in the way of secondary revenue streams, etc.

I’m sure the team has reliable market data that tells them precisely the point at which raising ticket prices will result in a drop-off in attendance, but I was surprised by how low Ottawa’s ticket prices are. Especially considering that all of the other Canadian teams were in the top seven in ticket prices. Montreal is the next cheapest at $257.06–over a hundred bucks more per ticket than Ottawa. (Though surprisingly they’re a cheaper ticket than Calgary and Edmonton. Also cheaper than Winnipeg, though given the small size of their arena, I suppose that makes sense.)

There’s a lot we don’t know here. For instance, does this average include corporate suites? What about ticket packages that drive down the average but increase stability for a team that needs a reliable revenue stream? Does the location of those other teams’ arenas increase walk-up purchases of pricier tickets? But just on the face of it, it looks like Ottawa could include a sizeable increase in ticket prices and they wouldn’t be out of line with the trends in the NHL. This, even with ticket prices having gone up by 6% over last year.

But would Ottawans be willing to pay more? I think the Sens have been really proactive about their outreach to fans, and I recall a poll performed in the last few years that showed that ticket prices were a concern. We also all know about how difficult it can be to get out to games. (Something they’re trying to alleviate by paying for additional ramps for buses to the arena from the highway.) With so many options to watch the game downtown and spend that ticket money on beer and food instead, would a sizeable increase really damage the underlying number of people who would be willing to chant Pageau’s name on the bus for 40 minutes?

Like anything, I assume you’d have to see the money reflected in the quality of the product. While it’s nice that Ottawa has affordable tickets, they don’t spend much in the way of salary, spending less than all but four other teams. It seems to me that Ottawa is running a pretty bare-bones operation: low salary, not much in the way of fan giveaways, none of the razzle-dazzle you see in big markets like Chicago with red-carpet openings and flashy free agent acquisitions. But on the other hand it’s cheap. We’re like No Name brand pancake mix.

[UPDATE: I got an email about the home opener today – there IS a red carpet event! Touch me, Stephan Da Costa! TOUCH ME.]

Remember also that this is the average ticket price, and there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. I don’t think I’ve paid more than $60 for a ticket unless it was to a playoff game. I’ll be at the home opener on Thursday and my ticket was $45.

So, what say you? If you knew that Ottawa was going to go from 25th in league spending on payroll to, say 15th (which is Chicago), would you pony up for it?

James Day Preview: Ottawa Quixotes vs. Coyote Phoenixes

Posted on October 15, 2013 by worsteverything

Here kid…happy birthday you said you wanted a coyote…here’s a drawing of a coyote…now leave daddy alone, daddy’s drinkin.

Bobby Ryan is Struggling…to hear what h8rz are saying with his 4 points in his last 3 games….plugging his earz
Well, this whole thing changed in a jiffy. Hopefully Bobby Ryan becomes a metaphor for Ottawa’s season. Put in a tough situation x excitement + expectations = slightly premature shortness of breath.
Ryan has scored a series of beauties and as a fan I am happy to come away from this roadie having witnessed some dirty, disgusting snipes from Ryan and some positively stellar goaltending from Robin Lehner. Ryan has gone from the forward most worried about to one of the most productive. Funny that. And Lehner? Well, backup goalies don’t tend to put up save percentages over .940 when facing over 40 shots in back to back games. Future starters do.
Though I am trying to be patient and everything, as Varada pointed out in his previous post, any possession team worth it’s salt can’t be surrendering nearly 50 shots per game. Speaking of nearly 50 shots per game…uhh can we please win one for the goddamn Gipper up in this piece? I mean you’ve got goalies who are in several cases stopping over 20 shots IN A PERIOD for you. They need some support! They (esp. Lehner) are making scores like 4-1 losses look flattering…

Simplify. These are supposed to be road games!
Y’ever go to see some dumb game at the ~~Paladium Corel Centre Scotiabank Place~~ Canadian Tire Centre and the team Ottawa is playing just wont stop using this stingy defensive trap strategy waiting for the Sens to show off a little for the home fans one too many times and next thing you know they capitalize on a botched fancy play and boom it’s 1-0 for the bad guys and they just trap up again. You have? You know why, right? BECAUSE THAT’S HOW TEAMS PLAY ON GRUELLING ROAD TRIPS!
The roster can change over they years, the coach can change but it seems a constant to the Ottawa Senators that they get caught up in these ‘one too many passes’ type plays. Their passes keep getting broken up and boom back to the defensive zone where the team has been weakest so far. Makes sense they aren’t winning. With Karlsson, Wiercioch, Corvo, Ryan, MacArthur, Michalek…there’s enough shooters out there. Just get them on net.

More like ASSociate Captains
If Neil and Phillips are guys that are supposed to lead by example then there is no word to describe the job they are doing so far…so I’m going to make one up now, “Yeashtfurlap.” As I was saying, if these guys are supposed be leading by example the young guys must be learning heaps about the ancient art of being unreliable. That’s right, Phillips less reliable than Joe Corvo. These two need to turn it around in a serious way. At a combined salary of $5MM and wearing letters…you have to uhh….not be two of the worst players on the team. Contract year Philly, contract year. Neil…uh…..signed through 2016? YEASHTFURLAP. Ugh…moving forward.

When this roadie concludes, let me be the first to welcome Mikail Zibanachev, General Secretary of Actually Being a Top 6 Player!
Okay, well, I think it’s about time to rest the case of DaCosta vs. The NHL. I’m not trying to scapegoat the guy but with Spezza back and looking…kind of better(?) and Turris playing quite well, DaCosta is not really doing anything for the team. On the REALreal, we’re talking about a guy who’s supposed to be a top six or bust type guy right? Okay, 40 games, 7 points, -12, time to send him back to the AHL. He’s had an audition that has safeguarded his passing through waivers unclaimed. Trust me, type “Stephane DaCosta” into The Youtube (a video sharing website) the top returns are him him getting hit very hard by a caveman, a mix of Merrimac stuff, Binghamton stuff and a light smattering of NHL stuff (none of it from this season). Teams are not tripping over each other for this guy right now. That’s okay! Murray did not even so much as give up a pick for him. Send him back down after tonight’s game and let Stepha Get His Groove Back. He could always get on a roll in the A and get another call up later in the year. The brass felt Mika needed a lesson taught to him for maybe not playing up to potential in camp. That’s cool. Running a hockey team. Mika played well in MacLean’s system last season and that’s better than DaCosta can say. Now with Pageau getting stapled to the bench last game, let’s bring Mika back, hm’ka-iy?. I’m not saying he’s the answer but I think Ottawa looks like they need his help right now.

Mamma I’m comin’ home
Can you tell I’m pumped for this game? I’ve basically just talked about what stuff that might happen after it. THANKS FOR READING!
When you think about it, it has been a couple of years since we’ve seen a Southwesterly road trip. These things are typically murderous but slightly easier to take when they occur during the dog danglin’ days of December or January when you’ve seen the team go on some winning streaks and losing streaks. We knew in the summer when the schedule was released that this would be a really, really tough way to start the year. I think what I didn’t anticipate was how without much of a precursor other than preseason leading up to it, it gives the impression that this is the only Ottawa Senators we’ll see this year. I think we all know that’s not true so I am very glad to see it end. On the bright side, despite getting killed a couple of times, a win tonight would send the Senators back to Ottawa with a barely deserved 2-2-2 record. Something of a clean slate to return with. C’mon fellas, game starts at 10:00pm here…trap up, win a dirty boring one and come back to our loving arms.

Worlds Done Collided Video of the Day:

The Shit List

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Varada

New feature at WTYKY! This is pretty self-explanatory. Sens are sucking right now, so let’s partake in some therapy by talking about who is perfecting the art of sucking terribly. This isn’t so much analysis as really sinking our teeth into the experience of early season suckitude. No, this isn’t panicking. No, this isn’t convincing ourselves that this is the team we’ll have all year. No, this isn’t fans being fans (according to the media). This is catharsis for catharsis’ sake. Let’s let out our collective groan and unapologetically get into some shit-talking.

Erik Karlsson – shit level: one cup of decaf

Think Karlsson isn’t back to 100% yet? He was -3 against Anaheim, and his patented “Sure, I fuck up, but my skating is so good I can make good on it!” technique hasn’t quite come into form. He’ll be back. He better be, because if he’s not playing 30 minutes a night this season, Ottawa is screwed. For now we’re still in wait-and-see mode, but he’s definitely had a couple of stinkers.

Chris Neil – shit level: two cups of regular coffee and some bran

I’ve never really been a fan of Neil. I mean, I get why old school GMs are all over players like him. He’s a grinder who can also put up about 20 points a year, which lends the impression that he’ll give you those intangibles with some upside. There’s no denying that he’s been integrated into Ottawa’s leadership core, and he’s probably earned that by giving a little bit extra–staying on and training the youngins in the offseason, probably turning up the stereo in the dressing room and throwing his arms in the air during intermission, telling everyone how to be pesky and the benefits of laser eye surgery, that sort of thing. In this case, however, it feels like his meagre point-getting actually obscures how he gets in the way of the team’s general ability to possess the puck. What’s worse (for an agitator) his penalties-taken is consistently higher than the penalties he draws–sometimes by a factor of 2-to-1, as in this young season.

But hey – this is Chris Neil. He’s not playing particularly badly right now. He’s playing at his normal level of badness. He’s Ottawa’s Tie Domi: a popular player who actually just takes a roster spot from a younger, cheaper, more effective player. He’s on my perma-shit list, so this isn’t very surprising.

Jared Cowen – shit level: half a greasy pizza and a smoked meat sandwich

I mean, I’ve already written about this. Ottawa clearly thinks that Cowen is a top four defenseman. They’re paying him that way. As I said before, there isn’t really any evidence that he can do it, so you better hope that his pedigree and the team’s predictive powers are good enough indicators. But so far Cowen has looked a little bit like Phillips-lite: misreading the play, horribly slow, and making some boneheaded transitions. When the Senators have one of their terrible break-out plays where nobody seems to understand how to transition across the opposing blueline, you can bet Cowen was in on it somehow. He’s young, and he missed a lot of training camp, so you hope this is just early season rust combined with tough competition, but he’s looked pretty robotic out there.

Chris Phillips – shit level: laxatives and a can of baked beans

Through five games, it seems like Phillips has been the constant in every terrible play – usually crouched down and screening Lehner as he tries to block a shot he allowed because he completely lost his assignment in the transitional play, or just generally not being able to make a pass to save his life. Not surprising, maybe, because Chris Phillips is a very slow skater and well past his prime. But it seems like every year we lower our expectations until now he’s basically a third pairing guy who also happens to have a great history with the franchise, and somehow that’s good enough for a $3 million player. But when your second pairing of Cowen and Wiercioch turns out to not be a second pairing at all, you have to rely on Phillips more than maybe you’d like. The result? Brutal giveaways. Brutal possession stats. Lost assignments in crucial moments.

It’s not just bad play – there’s plenty of that to go around – but from one of the Senators’ core players and key veterans, it’s the most disappointing.

——

Aaaaaaaaanyway: I get it. It’s a young season, and the team just played back-to-backs on the road without a chance to so much as practice in between. But they also gave up 100 shots — 100 SHOTS — between two games. And this is supposed to be a team built around possession! Lehner is having to work miracles to only lose as badly as they’re losing as opposed to worse. You just have to hope this is the road trip out West speaking and not the norm…

James Day Preview: Ottawa LoserPoints vs. Saint Joseph Tiburons

Posted on October 12, 2013 by worsteverything

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Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy not really feeling current top line centre Stephane DaCostaaaaaaaaaaaa.

I don’t think he’s horrible or anything but consider the far superior Kyle Turris looked a little in over his head at times filling in as top pivot last year. After seeing his first crack at it, as a fan, I don’t think I’m interested in watching DaCosta find his sea legs with only one win in the first three games of the season. I simply think there might be better options to choose from
Jean Gabriel’s Pizzageau for instance. If management is okay with trying out a slight, speedy guy in Spezza’s place why not go for, you know, the better of the two slight, speedy guys? In my opinion, aside from Turris, Pageau has produced the most chances so far in this young season. He’s a spark plug who seems to make things happen even when saddled with some of the less skilled players on the team. Admittedly, he does have great chemistry with Condra and MacLean might not be in a hurry to break that up. Still, I think Condra is so reliable that he could make it work for a couple of games with a different centre.
My favourite part of the game in LA on Wednesday (besides watching Ottawa defend a number of 5 on 3’s and Andy surrendering pretty much the first shot of the game *slide whistle*) was when Neil took a puck in the face. No, not because I’m mad at him for taking an unsportsmanlike penalty from the bench for squirting human jack-o-lantern Dan Carcillo with a water bottle. It is worth noting, however, that maybe that’s something you don’t want to see your ASSISTANT CAPTAIN doing with less than ten minutes to go in a tied road game. Talk about getting beaten at your own game. Anyway, Neil’s temporary departure forced Paul MacLean to shuffle the lines a bit. After some initial psychedelia Bobby Ryan landed on Pageau’s wing. I was praying they’d get something going quick to give the coach some incentive to keep them together for a few shifts. They didn’t look out of place but alas it was just a brief tease. I think it’s something that’s worth a try even just to start the game tonight in San Jose. That is if Spezza’s not playing. I don’t think we see the captain until Sunday.
I don’t want to give him all the credit but Pageau’s goal against LA really helped to shift the momentum of the game which was looking like it was going the way of the route after 20 minutes.
If you want to talk career numbers JGP has managed almost as many points in a third of the games as DaCosta has. JGP has put up 5 points in 12 games while DaCosta has 7 in 37 games. Factor in Pageau’s playoff experience and it becomes 12 points in 22 games. Most striking is that unlike DaCosta, JGP is typically buried in the lineup while DaCosta is usually handed a more prominent top six assignment like he was on Wednesday versus LA. Of course the competition you play against is tougher in the top 6 but a pass to Milan Michalek probably has a bit of a better chance of making you look good than a dish to Matt Kassian.
With Ottawa in need of a win on this South Western swing, I think Pageau is worth a try between Ryan and Milo to start off against the Sharks. With all his time spent in the bottom six I also think it’s made Pageau a more physical player than DaCosta. He did put Dustin Brown on his ass at one point last game; no easy task. He’s also solid defensively taking a number of D zone draws…that said, he has been getting killed at the dot lately…so…uhh…I think he’s earned it? No, really, I do.
To me the best fill in, aside from Turris, would be big, quick and skilled Michael Zibaneham. But that’s all kinds of “I’m not even going to talk about that right now.”

When will Genghis Lehner get his first chance to eat the still beating heart of Craig Anderson?
Though I am pumped as anyone to see Lehner get some game action Ottawa has only had 3 contests in the past 14 weeks of the season. What can I say, these are exciting times with Ottawa having not one but TWO, count em TWO good goaltenders. Facing a team who’ve been the absolute class of the NHL, save for some Def Comedy Jam lockeroom remarks (good luck in future endeavours whoever that reporter who printed that was btw), you have to assume MacLean goes with his no.1 in this situation. No doubt in my mind Lehner will get the start tomorrow against the Ducks…which is…I still can’t believe a professional sports team is called that and this is in a world that has a team called Sheffield Wednesday and another called the Nippon Ham Fighters. *stretches for two full minutes* What was I saying? Oh yeah, facing a team of San Jose’s ~~REGULAR SEASON~~ calibre, we’re going to see how Ottawa as a club needs some work still to take it to the next level. As such Ottawa will need some of that Anderstud swagger tonight. Some of that absolute game stealing shit that he can get on. He was flat out heroic against Buffalo and hung out to dry on penalties against LA and Toronto. Being an NHL goaltender is a relentlessly hard job. After being slightly maligned for giving up a softy and looking human in a first period that was basically a twenty minute penalty kill, Andy not only has to “bounce back” tonight but flat out steal one against an unbeaten team to give Ottawa a chance. Should Lehner get the start and win this thing? Whew, get ready for the makings of Ottawa’s first ever controversy not based on who’s less terrible at goaltending!

Now that he in one fell swoop become a point per game player, Bobby Ryan has silenced his critics for a while so y’all can go back into your nest and you can shut the fu– GodDAMNit Silfverberg has 4 goals.
As it is written in the Book of Karlsson Tweets “#whocares.” Now the new thing is comparing him to Silfverberg? I am NOT down with this. If you seek out ways to be disappointed in a player you can always find them. So let’s all be pissed off at Marc Methot for being a -1 on the year because Nick Foligno is on pace for 55 goals! Fire Murray! I did not fight in the Complaining Wars of 2009 to 2013 on the front lines of moaning that Spezza needs a quality sniper just to malign the guy who finally IS that less than a handful of games into his time here. Ryan’s coming off his best game as a Senator and I’m hoping he can get rolling.
Usually Ottawa gets ripped to shreds on Western road trips. This one has the potential to be a bit different. With or without Spezza, the top line has two players in Michalek and Ryan with years of experience playing on or against a lot of these teams. Ditto Turris, really. I’m not sure how much of a factor this will be but I can’t ignore that two thirds of the goals against the Kings came from Ryan and Milo. It can’t hurt that MacLean cut his teeth as a coach in the Western conference. The West always seems this bruising, quick and skilled Sasquatch (or Yeti) stealthily lurking in the redwood forests just off the coast of the glorious Pacific Ocean. Hopefully with a few of our best players and our coach having seen a whole lot of these teams in the past it will take away some of the mystique surrounding them and Ottawa can just focus on how they are really fucking good….uhhh…wait, come back! After looking like they were going to be taken apart by LA the Sens showed they could very much compete with one of the best in the conference. Tonight hopefully they can carry a bit of the confidence in as they face THE best in the We– I forget how the rest of that goes. BEAT THOSE SHARKSQUATCHES!

Enjoy the game and here’s hoping we’re not all watching Saturday Night Live after 2 periods!

GEAU SENS GEAU!

James Day Preview: Ottawa Senagroins Visit the Los Angeles Krangs

Posted on October 9, 2013 by worsteverything

Hi Everybody… Ooooooof, this three day layover betwixt games hath really been a breeding ground for not enough to talk about and too much time to talk about it.
Like my lower back tattoo says, “You don’t get 3 out of 4 points against two divisional rivals on the road without making a few enemies!” I have to admit, it’s been pretty fun watching Sens fans punch back at this panic nonsense about Bobby Ryan (1 point, 2 games played BTMFingW) that’s appeared in the press. Some fans are smart and rational, other fans make “Matt Cooke 4 MVP” signs after he nearly ends a young star player’s year. As I’m pretty sure Elton John once sangsaid, “It’s the ciiiiircus of liiiiiife” (can’t confirm those lyrics as I’m not allowed to watch Disney movies, they give me daymares). The main part that bothered me about that whole Ryan thing is that the questions being put forth in media scrums aren’t asked by fans. Newspaper articles claiming all of this panic aren’t written by fans. Some shit got said on the “twittersphere” are you kidding me? Sourcing fan tweets? Some of the most ignorant shit on any topic is being said around the clock on that thing if you look for it…ugh there’s enough even when you don’t look for it.
My question is, who’s really perpetuating this so-called irrational narrative? I’m not going to go that same route and lump all the media together as some journalists did fans. Ian Mendes wrote a balanced article for this Citizen this morning talking about how a slow start isn’t unusual for Bobby even during a productive season. Further, if you want to hear some awesome real talk check out this must listen clip of TSN’s Bent Wallace getting neck snappy on…also TSN’s (1200) Shawn Simpson for being too quick to get on Ryan’s case.
Look, I get it a little bit. The top line hasn’t really hit it’s stride (though they have produced a goal) and Ryan has looked like a guy still adjusting and not the dominant force that many think he could be. I think the lesson here is Cory Conacher. Here’s a guy that seemingly “went cold” after he arrived in Ottawa in the Ben Bishop trade after an otherwise hot season with the Lightening. Many questioned if he’d start the year in Binghamton. Conacher has looked like a different player in his first two games of the season but here’s the thing: He ~~ain’t isn’t~~ aint’st. Unlike last year he just knows exactly what he’s supposed to do now. He’s had some time to adjust. Are the expectations different for him? Is the pedigree different? Of course but I’m willing to give Ryan and the Sens time becauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse (great news!) IT’S GOING TO BE KIND OF A ROUGH MONTH! Why? Well, a win and a shootout loss are going to be very, very welcome results later on as tonight the team embarks on a nearly two week long road trip against some very, very good teams…including thing I haven’t even talked about—THE LOS ANGELES KINGS!

SFW Groin Chat:
Since Barack HUSSEIN Obama is in the pocket of Big Time and wont man up to Tim Thomas’ Tea Party’s REASONABLE request to coordinate all time zone’s to American Freedom Standard Time the uhh…morning skate wont be happening for a few hours still and Jason Spezza seems very much a game time decision. I for one am in favour of sitting him if he is not 100% good to go. As has been an affirmation the past three days, “It’s two games into the season, eighty to go.” Think we need this guy now? Just wait till post Olympic break when it’s really going to be crunch time. A wonky groin could bother Spezz all season if he doesn’t take care of it and that’s the last thing any of us want. What’s on my mind is If Spezza sits for a few games going forward, what do we see? Is it Stephane DaCosta centering the top trio? Does Zibanejad get called up? Dare MacLean remove Turris, who has the most 1st line experience, from his productive trio with Conacher and MacArthur?
I’m not saying the Sens have no chance here and the game’s a write off! I’d never say that but as I just mentioned, this is a very, very difficult road trip. It’s not realistic to expect a string of wins. Getting Spezza back to playing shape might be worth it as the Sens will return to playing crucial 4 point divisional games before we know it. After last season I feel like I can stomach all kinds of injury situations. Not welcoming them by any means but let’s say I’ve steeled myself…especially in regard to a player with an injury history like Spezza’s.

[Update: Spezza will not play tonight. Smoke y’all crack and whatever]

The Battle of America II: Uhh…Carry on Battling Edition
After out dueling fellow US Olympic hopeful Ryan Miller last week tonight Craig Anderson finds himself up against goalie to beat Jonathan Quick…which is a name where if it was the name of the goalie character in the Mighty Ducks 4 you would roll your eyes so hard that you’d have a upside down Nike swoosh shaped wrinkle permanently etched into your forehead. Anyway, if you thought Miller-Anderson was an exciting match wait until you see him have to go up against a goaltender who’s NOT playing behind the Buffalo Sabres!
Sure Quick let in a mortifying 150+ foot goal the other night but you know what? Those happen pretty much every year to netminders of all stripes. Needless to say Quick is going to be looking to erase that shit from memory and from all accounts he’s good at bouncing back (what am I? Made of definitively knowing shit about the game in, game out behavior of LA Kings players? THANKS FOR READING!).

Heyyyyyyyyy Who the Hell Are These guys!? .. No seriously…This has been like writing a preview of an upcoming match against the Illuminati

I’ll be the first to admit teams don’t get more mysterious to me than the LA Krangs. I know that they won the cup recently and have a bunch of excellent players. So…looking forward to…seeing how their system matches up against Ottawa’s?
Tonight Ottawa faces a slow out of the gate King’s team coming off an embarrassing loss at the hands of the visiting Rangers. Looking at their roster there are a few star players including Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar still searching for their first goal of the young season. I wonder if the LA Times is throwing those guys to the wolves after 3 games. These guys are going to come out swinging trying to erase a loss in what looked like a safe 2 points. Sounds like Ottawa only with zero media pressure.
With the travel, coming off a rough shootout loss and the possibility of Spezza sitting some games, Ottawa is certainly in tough tonight. A big question is if the rest will help the Senators. They’ve had a couple of days to focus on practice…lets hope they spent 50% of it on the power play and the other 50% on defending. After seeing him look pretty quiet I’m thinking the time off will benefit Erik Karlsson who I keep reminding myself is actually still healing. No doubt EK is looking to notch some assists and speaking of which YES I will talk about this…
I’d love nothing more than to see Bobby Ryan pot one even just for his own sake of getting some of the bologna off his mind. He’s actually at a bit of an advantage having played the LA Kings more than any of his team mates save for maybe Michalek (Who’s playing tonight!). Hopefully we can see a bit more of that Karlsson to Ryan breakout that produced some results in the preseason. If he’s kept off the score sheet well, again, it’s only been THREE games. Still 79 games after that.
Oh and stay out of the goddamn penalty box, you guys.

Enjoy the game and enjoy feeling crud tomorrow morning!

Early Week Grab Bag: “I have opinions about everything!” edition

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Varada

Fighting in Hockey

Uggggh…am I right? Who even wants to debate it anymore, I know. Well, I’m sure this argument will definitively end the conversation for good, and we can all go home.

It seems to me like the conversation can be handily compartmentalized thusly:

1) The ethical question of whether or not we should allow the possibility of serious injury because the person is engaged in something we may enjoy. This is a massive question that extends well beyond fighting in hockey to include pretty much everything we enjoy as a crass, materialistic society. Who cares if thousands die in car accidents every year, I hate the bus! Once again, with feeling: people enjoy fighting enough not to care if someone is hurt doing it. It seems to me like this debate is totally pointless, even if that makes me a defeatist and a shill. Whatever; we’re all culpable. You’re not going to solve it without also solving the mystery of why it’s so hard for people to be empathetic. And sports, as we all know, isn’t about empathy. It’s about Leafs suck.

2) Whether or not fighting actually detracts from the ability to enjoy a good hockey game. Ah, now here’s something we might actually talk about. Just as the shootout is viewed as a gimmicky aberration detracting from the purity of a well-contested, TEAM-based exploit, I have to ask how two ‘specialists’ dropping gloves to stop the course of play isn’t also gimmicky. We also debate hybrid icing, and the coach’s challenge, and all manner of other reforms because of the incremental way they may slow down the game. In the case of that Toronto-Montreal game where Parros was hurt, the game was wide open and all sorts of fun to watch because it was two fast and relatively skilled teams playing an uptempo possession game with lots of scoring chances. The game stopped about a half-dozen times for fights, and then for a solid ten minutes when Parros had to be stretchered off. When play resumed, it was halting, tentative, and less exciting. I don’t blame the players. They just cooled down for an extended period of time, and watched a fellow player become seriously injured. It’s not easy to get the adrenaline flowing again after that. Bottom line: is seeing a bunch of terrible fights, where they grapple each other’s jersey, miss each other’s heads a bunch of time, and then fall over, really worth interrupting the game so much? Is what I just described really that much fun to watch?

It’s impossible to understand how the same fighting apologists can talk about the shootout like it’s a sin against nature.

Zibanejad’s Demotion

Bit of a weird one here, innit? Remember, though, that Karlsson–he who can do no wrong–was also demoted in his rookie season. Karlsson was upset at the time–apparently weeping in Murray’s office–but it turned out pretty well. He was back the same season, and went on to be the Karlsson we know and love and name blogs after. Teaching the organization’s most prized young player a valuable lesson about not taking anything for granted is worth not having him in the lineup for a month or two.

Not to mention that Ottawa has a number of prospects who have been in the system long enough that if they don’t crack the lineup this year, their future in the organization is in doubt. Murray made the pointy in an interview that if you set goals for young people, and they meet them, and you don’t reward them for that, then you lose credibility. Da Costa did what he was asked to in the off season, and now he’s getting his chance. You have to give those guys a close look, because you know Zibanejad will be a part of the team for a long time to come. Plus, if it ends up saving a year on his ELC, all the better (not sure how that works though, what with him already having used a year up).

My twoonie is on Z-Bad being back in the lineup by mid-season. Nothing motivates a player more than having to ride the bus and then asking if they want back on the chartered plane.

That Kessel Contract

Toronto has to feel good about only having to sign Kessel for eight years. Sure, $8 million per is steep, but under the old CBA you could be sure they’d have to sign him well past his 34th year, which is what his new deal will take him to. If you make that a 12-14 year deal, with a long tail of ‘possibly retired’ years, you risk having to pay that player well out of his prime. As it stands, it’s a reasonable assumption that Kessel will still be productive at that age. For those who laughed at how much money Toronto tied up in one player, I can only admit that there isn’t really another player like that in Toronto’s lineup, or readily available anywhere else, and even if they overpaid it was only by maybe $1 million a year or so. In Toronto-bux, that’s nothing.

What it means for us, and the6thsens guys pointed this out already, is that Ottawa is well and truly fucked in two seasons time when Spezza and Ryan both need new contracts. (And also MacArthur and Methot and Condra and Anderson. No biggie. Just three top six forwards, a top two D, and your starting goaltender.) Last year, the St. Louis Blues spent less than anyone else in the league on salary; this year, after having signed all of their good young players (and trading Perron to make room), they’re 14th in the league in salary. (And are among six teams with less than $1 million in cap space.) With Eugene Melnyk making (yet more) noise about how much money the organization loses, and claiming to already be over budget, you can’t think that he’s up for a jump of that kind.

Obviously a lot can happen between now and then–will we even want to re-sign those two players, for one thing–but it can’t help but be concerning. Let’s enjoy this window while we can, Sens buddies.

Newsy News

Two interesting stories over on Senators Extra: How Clarkson almost ended up a Senator, and MacArthur ripping into his former coach, Randy Carlye.

Hard to imagine that if Ottawa had ended up with Clarkson that they’d have pulled off the Bobby Ryan trade. Toronto has been ripped a lot for favoring the lunchpail Clarkson so much they bought out the skilled Grabovski to make it happen, but sometimes we forget that Murray can be plenty old school in his thinking too. Especially interesting in light of the work Tyler Dellow is doing over on MC79 about how good the Devils’ possession was last year, and how Clarkson was the prime beneficiary in a contract year.

There but for the grace of god go I? Ottawa might still have Silfverberg, Noesen and their first rounder, along with a boat anchor contract and an aging power forward.

As for the MacArthur / Carlyle story…I don’t know what to say other than between Carlyle, Phaneuf and Kessel, Toronto has what must be one of the most unlikeable teams in the league.

Actual hockey

Hey, the Sens actually played! The weirdest, wonkiest opening week continues with the Senators not playing until Wednesday after having to wait a week to open their season…with back-to-back games on the road.

Observations? Nothing too specific to the Sens. Like a lot of teams, their early kinks are on embarrassing display. Lots of loosy-goosy passing plays that result in turnovers, scrambles, and three-or-two-on-ones. In other words: lots of fun to watch.

And speaking of fun, the MacArthur-Turris-Conacher line looks like it will be a ton of fun to watch all year. Turris is getting really creative out there, MacArthur is clearly a veteran in the way he can read and dictate the play, and Conacher is a royal pain in the ass. While Spezza looks dangerous and I’m so glad to have him back, that deal for Turris sometimes looks like absolute brilliance on Murray’s part.

— That’s it for now. Have a good Monday, everybody. Mark all those emails unread and go get yourself another coffee.

James Day Preview: Ottawa Senators at Buffalo Sideburns

Posted on October 4, 2013 by worsteverything

Let’s hope the Sens start the season off as strongly as Steven did with his JDP image!

Please click play on video before reading. Sorry if there’s an advertisement before it that you have to deal with…which I’m almost positive there is as now you have to sit through some garbage about TD Bank just to watch someone’s cat fart these days– OH IT’S STARTING GOTTA GO!

*very poisonous looking pitch black smoke clears as you see me dragging myself out from under a pile of burning plastic lawn furniture the size of what the Greater Toronto Area considers a “ski hill”*

COUGH, COUGH…Hello. Everybody COUGH, My name is James. Let me be your Spirit Guide. WELCOME 2 ANOTHER ~~GR8~~ SEASON OF THIS WEBSITE!

To say that the time that has passed since last we met for a good old JDP back in spring has been “A Whirl of Wind” would be a thunderstatement *rim shot on broken drums* (it’s probably sinking in that you didn’t miss reading these as much as you thought you did). I’m not going to go over any of it as you’ve heard way too much about it already and if you haven’t, you can catch up here and meet up with the rest of us in a bit. For the first time in 16 months I can finally say…We. Have. A. Game. To. Talk. ABOUT:

The Sens have been dealt a difficult hand being served up a six game, mostly western road trip to start their 2013-14 campaign. To compensate for this situation the league’s schedulers made Ottawa’s first opponent the Buffalo Sabres.

Okay can we TALK about this team for a second?

If you ever want an example of what a good job Bryan Murray has done with the little resources he’s been given, look no further than D’arcy Regier’s Sabres. We’re watching a playoff team that has financial concerns over a guy on AN ENTRY LEVEL CONTRACT meanwhile Buffalo got a new owner that said to their GM, “Here’s all the money in the world, make us great again like we were decades ago.” Bro comes back with, “I got this. Not only have a locked up superstar Ville Leino [basically a street cred Clarke MacArthur] but….are you sitting down? I got us Christian Ehrhoff [basically a decent fantasy league FA defenseman] until…the year…wait for it…2021!”
Imagine what Murray could do with a blank check? Dang. Who knows what the Sabres are going to look like in a couple of years as their two best players forward Tomas Vanek and goaltender Ryan Miller are UFAs at the end of the season. One has to assume both players have been frustrated with living in the cellar are probably going to ~~finally be freed~~ head out of town at the trade deadline. Does this mean Ottawa should ease into tonight’s game like Euge a few pina coloadas and barbiturates deep into a hot tub after a hard day of being the worst on Toronto radio? No. These guys are both in contract years where they could stand to cash in big time. They’re coming to play. Plus, one guy scores a lot and the other guy stops the puck. Could be a rough combo to deal with. This is only compounded by the fact that this is an Olympic year and you’d better believe that Vanek will be looking to crack Austria’s NOTORIOUSLY competitive Olympic lineup.

Hey Erik, what did you get up to this summer?

“Ehhhhh yeah, I mean, obviously, did the Euro techno festival circuit and ehhhhh went to the gym once or twice.”

Uhhhhh…yikes. Did dude do a few months in the clink for racketeering in the summer?

“I aint seen pipes THAT big since warping straight to World 4-1 back in ’85!”
– Super Mario’s Brother (Luigi)

So I think it’s worth mentioning that Buffalo finished dead last in shots allowed last season at an average of 33.5 per game…or y’know the amount that Erik Karlsson likes to fire in the second period. Seriously for whatever he’s saying about how his foot is feeling, by the look of EK’s arms those shots don’t look like they’ll be getting any softer. Tonight we’re going to get our first look at a Wiercioch-Karlsson powerplay pairing. Honestly, I am tempering my expectations for game one as I remember I was way too hyped at the home opener two seasons ago where Gonchar and Karlsson stepped on the ice for their first crack at the man advantage. I was disappointed when they didn’t score infinity goals on their first point shot. With the addition of Bobby Ryan to Spezza and Michalek you’d think there’d be enough power out there to put one in. With Steve Ott and Walking Piece of Garbage Patrick Kaleta on the opposing team lord knows they’ll get a few chances…if they fail to capitalize on them they are definitely going to hear about it.

The Battle of Goaliesberg

Since Tim Thomas has refused to play for Barack HUSSEIN Obama and finally got his citizenship to his newly established principality of NewFreeLand cleared (meaning his wife finally finished making his passport out of construction paper) it’s not too early to say that a war for the starting spot on the US olympic team IS ON for Miller and Anders– what’s that? Jonathan Quick is American? It’s not too early to say that a war to be Jonathan Quick’s backup on the US Olympic team IS ON for Miller and Anderson!
In yesterday’s prediction post I mentioned that I think if Anderson looks shaky to start the year that Lehner will step all kinds of up ins as soon as he gets the chance and will do his damndest to best him out of the starting slot. Guess what? 24 hours later i still feel that way! It’s no secret that Lehner looked much better than Andy so far through preseason but this is the real deal now, honey (sorry).
Anderson can put up a shutout tonight and he still wont be out of the woods that Lehner is hunting him in. Ottawa faces Toronto tomorrow and has a grueling road trip for the next couple weeks. Lehner will see starts in that time. I still can’t believe I’m writing about two GOOD goalies battling it out for starts in Ottawa. We’ve come a long way, babies!

Kwieting Koncerns

Okay so what does Ottawa have to do tonight to stop all the hand wringing that came from what I thought was a pretty decent preseason?

– Jason Spezza has to get through the game without getting hurt
– Milan Michalek has to get through the game without getting hurt
– Craig Anderson has to get through the game without getting hurt
– Spezza, Michalek and Ryan have to look like they’ve played more than a couple of games together (particularly on the powerplay).
– Erik Karlsson has to look the same as he did two seasons ago
– Patrick Wiercioch has to play at the same level as Sergei Gonchar (No preshaaaaa)
– Jared Cowen has to look like a guy who deserves to make more money than both Marc Methot and Chris Phillips OR put another way more than Patrick Wiercioch and Joe Corvo combined.
– Beat down a clearly inferior divisional rival who are the brink of a rebuild.

Wowzers. A tall order but I think the guys will get some of that stuff done tonight. The more of those concerns they can calm through solid play the fewer rough questions they will have to deal with day in and day out. An early win will allow them to focus on coming together as a team after a weird and wild last season.
Remember October is starting off with an extensive road trip so steel yourself for a bit of a rough go out of the gate. It will even out as the season goes on and hey, it seems better to get it out of the way early than in January or something.
Smoove Jimmy’s Playaz 2 Watch:
Jean Gabriel Pageau: Get used to this one. Love seeing him lined up with Greening and Condra. That is going to be one fast bottom six line. Greening smash things and Condra just PASS TO PAGEAU. Can’t wait to see if JGP can make a statement early, even if it’s continuing to dominate the face off dot (hey that shit matters big time on a possession team!).

Patrick Wiercioch: Tempered expectations not withstanding, I am still very excited to see how he fares ~~loading up on secondary assists~~ playing the power play with the King. I have a feeling he wont be as timid to shoot as Gonchar sometimes was.

Clarke MacArthur: With all the other story lines going on I feel MacArthur’s arrival might have been a little lost in a shuffle of questions surrounding bigger names. Still, for what it’s worth I think he managed a point in every preseason game he played including a couple of beautiful goals. Also interesting MacArthur is a former Sabre, which is nice….to put “former” in front of Sabre I’m sure. I think he’s going to get a bit of a chance to fly under other teams’ radar as things get going. Hopefully he, Turris and Conacher can take advantage.

Thanks as always for reading, sticking it out through a rough off-season and most importantly ENJOY THE GAME!

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