I'm not even sure where to start.......
So I'll return to the "Sometimes you win, Sometimes you lose, Sometimes it rains" layout for the review of the weekend.
SOMETIMES YOU WIN
- Flat-out, the Senators pick-up another shut-out victory over Tampa Bay.
- Brian Elliott records his first NHL shut-out. Wasn't the most difficult shut-out for Elliott to pick-up but it was a strong rebound performance after being yanked 24 hours earlier.
- Jason Spezza continues his strong performance in March.
- Ottawa absolutely shuts down Tampa Bay's power play.
- Ottawa starts off strong in consecutive 1st periods, and playing a complete game against Tampa.
- Ryan Shannon and Nick Foligno continue their progression into top-six forwards. Nick is truly under-rated by many around the league.
- Spezza/Alfie/Foligno continues to shine as a PP unit. We may be looking at the new "top line" for next season.
- Dany Heatley scores in his 500th NHL game, his 256 career goal.
SOMETIMES YOU LOSE
- Like above, plain and simple, we lost. The loss to Atlanta is likely the final blow to the playoff dreams of Ottawa.
- Despite a strong first period, the Sens blow the game against Atlanta.
- Elliott had a very rough showing Saturday night, and then Auld struggled as he replaced him.
- Heatley continues to 'struggle', by his standards.
- Whether or not he will admit it, A-Train is injured. Is it worth it to play him at 70% when the rest of the season means squat.
SOMETIMES IT RAINS
- Ottawa Senators are out of the playoffs. A rough showing against Carolina and Atlanta, costs the Sens their Cinderella story.
- 3 goals in 3 minutes, by the Atlanta Thrashers. That is a stat no team, except the Islanders, should have against them.
- The recent success of the Sens has placed them in "No man's land" of the NHL Draft. The Sens recent performance shows we're a much better team than our season will say.
- Only 7 more games in the Sens 08/09 season. Grab a playoff team follow (with bandwagon jumping), or hit the greens. The Draft and July 1st won't come quick enough.
- Nothing new, but Jason Smith is done for the season, along with Picard (likely)
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HUGE NEWS ---- Louie Caporusso has made the "Top Ten" list for the Hobey Baker Award Candidates and is current sitting 3rd in online votes, so head over to www.hobeybaker.com and make sure you vote for our future Sen.
It'd pretty cool to have the Hobey Baker winner in a Sens jersey next season. (If he opts out of school)
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I touched briefly on this once before, but with the strong play of Elliott, which goalie do the Sens keep and which do they shop? Leclaire will likely be handed the starting job from day 1, so who rides the pine behind him?
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It sounds like Cory Clouston will be the Head Coach next season, right now Murray/Melnyk are watching the remaining games and the 3 will sit down after to "Officially" put a deal on paper.
While I clearly had my doubts about Clouston at first, I am now under the impression; there isn't a better coach available for Ottawa, than Clouston.
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Another weekend another questionable "Coach's Corner".
Michael Ryder (I believe) is racing in front of the net and battling Ian White for position and Ryder's skate accidently clips Pogge's skate and Pogge falls, then a few seconds later the Bruins score.
Cherry makes it sound like "the crime of the century" has just happened or that Ryder deliberately nailed Pogge. I know Cherry is a Blue and White faithful to the point he has blinders on, but really, for a guy who said nothing when Anaheim ran Emery, and Philly ran Fleury, his amount of outrage is ridiculous.
On that note, am I alone in believing Pogge may have "peaked", he has yet to have a good game at the NHL level. Blame the team around him all you want, but Joey Macdonald shut-out Detriot and have some outstanding games on a borderline AHL team.
Back to Cherry, "Coach of the year" as he has continues to remind us occasionally (the 70's are over Cherry and the NHL is nothing like it was back then), he then calls out Claude Julien for playing Fernandez against the Leafs instead of Thomas. He reasoning for why Thomas should have played was because Roloson is doing it.
I'm not a Coach, I never have been, but I know, like almost everyone else why Thomas sat and Roloson doesn't. Boston is 1st in the East and secured home-ice in the playoffs, so obviously they're not going to wear out their starting goalie by playing him in back-to-back games. Edmonton, on the other hand, is fighting for their playoffs lives and need to start Rolie as much as they can, just to get in.
It doesn't take a genius to know that.
Then he takes credit for AO not celebrating an empty-net goal, weird how he doesn't mention AO's regular celebration for the first goal they showed.
That’s it for what has become a weekly install of "What is Don Cherry babbling about now".
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I do want to know what Leafs fan think of Pogge thus far, and if he can still be "the Goalie of the future?" I know a lot of Leafs fans skim through this blog, so let’s hear what your thoughts about your "future goalie".
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Thanks for all the e-mails guys, sorry if I took awhile to respond, but it's been a busy week for me, and quite the surprising volume of e-mails to answer.
As usual feel free to send your questions, comments, rants etc to me
Also check in, probably, Wednesday as I will have a full outline and "scouting" report for the top 30 in this year’s draft and a handful of sleepers to watch for. She's going to be a big blog.
Mark Christopher
[email protected] 
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