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Ottawa Senators Blogger •
Ugly, Ugly, Ugly.
That’s really all that needs to be said about tonight’s game.
The Sens simply played horrible for too much of tonight’s game. Picard, by far, was the worse player on the ice tonight. It'll be interesting to see if he plays on Saturday against the Bruins. It was even sadder to see Carkner's +/- suffer because of Picard.
The mass amount of penalties then Sens took tonight was unsettling, even worse was how blatant most of the penalties were. I'm hoping most of these were a direct result of the Sens overall lack of preparation.
On the plus side the Sens showed a ton of poise and heart by rallying back and tying the game numerous times. Despite the loss, it was this type of play that gave the Sens a point in a game they really didn't deserve anything from.
After spending a large amount of time last season harping on his overall play, Spezza has really taken his play to a whole new level and I am now starting to really see the Stevie Y comparisons. If his development continues on this path Spezza could be the leader the Sens will need when Alfie retires.
Milan Michalek has continued to prove he is a solid replacement to Heatley, and if he can continue to play this way 50 goals wouldn't be out of the question. Now if we can just find a way to get Cheechoo to produce.
While neither team was overly great defensively, both squads D-men shone offensively - picking up 8 of the 11 goals tonight.
Hopefully the Sens will come out much more prepared and ready on Saturday against the injuried Bruins.
-------------------------------------------------
I do feel it's time I apologize to 2 fan bases after criticizing your teams during my pre-season predictions and 1 team for just a bad start.
First and foremost - The New York Rangers
While I'm not expecting the Rangers to continue to dominate teams all season, Torts has really been able to get the best out of his players and they look better than I expected.
Lundy has played up to everyone’s expectations but the overall team game has been great so far for NYR.
However in my defense did anyone actually expect Matt Gilroy and more specifically Michael Del-Zotto to be this freaking good so soon? (Maybe Gilroy but Del-Zotto? wow)
Second - The Buffalo Sabres
While they aren't playing amazing, they are playing better than anticipated, in large part to Tyler Myers carrying the backend.
The Sabres have also managed to avoid the injury bug so far, I'm sure there was some concern in Buffalo when Vanek went down, fortunately luck was on your side.
Both of these things combined with a lacklustre start by Montreal and Toronto, Buffalo looked better and will likely place better than I originally rated them.
Finally - The Toronto Maple Leafs
I'm sorry about your season so far. Even I expected more out of Toronto, despite the massively over-rated Brian Burke running the show.
While the season isn't a write off by any standards, the horrendous start to the season is only going to make things harder for the Leafs.
At this point things can and will only get better for the Leafs. Kessel won't be a saving grace, but combined with an established defensive system and a couple strong goaltending performances, the Leafs could put a top 5 draft pick out of reach for Boston.
All I can think of when looking at the Leafs record so far is the old adage "You can't make the playoffs in the first month, but you can miss them." and I think this really applies to Toronto.
I don't mean this to be a shot or an insult to Leaf fans, I remember what it was like to watch Ottawa miss the playoffs year after year, and I remember how crappy it was to miss them last year, this just isn't fun for anyone involved and personally I miss the intensity of the Battle of Ontario and the playoff wars between them. (I don't miss Roberts and the results of those playoff series)
--------------------------------------
M_Christopher@live.ca
Mark Christopher
That’s really all that needs to be said about tonight’s game.
The Sens simply played horrible for too much of tonight’s game. Picard, by far, was the worse player on the ice tonight. It'll be interesting to see if he plays on Saturday against the Bruins. It was even sadder to see Carkner's +/- suffer because of Picard.
The mass amount of penalties then Sens took tonight was unsettling, even worse was how blatant most of the penalties were. I'm hoping most of these were a direct result of the Sens overall lack of preparation.
On the plus side the Sens showed a ton of poise and heart by rallying back and tying the game numerous times. Despite the loss, it was this type of play that gave the Sens a point in a game they really didn't deserve anything from.
After spending a large amount of time last season harping on his overall play, Spezza has really taken his play to a whole new level and I am now starting to really see the Stevie Y comparisons. If his development continues on this path Spezza could be the leader the Sens will need when Alfie retires.
Milan Michalek has continued to prove he is a solid replacement to Heatley, and if he can continue to play this way 50 goals wouldn't be out of the question. Now if we can just find a way to get Cheechoo to produce.
While neither team was overly great defensively, both squads D-men shone offensively - picking up 8 of the 11 goals tonight.
Hopefully the Sens will come out much more prepared and ready on Saturday against the injuried Bruins.
-------------------------------------------------
I do feel it's time I apologize to 2 fan bases after criticizing your teams during my pre-season predictions and 1 team for just a bad start.
First and foremost - The New York Rangers
While I'm not expecting the Rangers to continue to dominate teams all season, Torts has really been able to get the best out of his players and they look better than I expected.
Lundy has played up to everyone’s expectations but the overall team game has been great so far for NYR.
However in my defense did anyone actually expect Matt Gilroy and more specifically Michael Del-Zotto to be this freaking good so soon? (Maybe Gilroy but Del-Zotto? wow)
Second - The Buffalo Sabres
While they aren't playing amazing, they are playing better than anticipated, in large part to Tyler Myers carrying the backend.
The Sabres have also managed to avoid the injury bug so far, I'm sure there was some concern in Buffalo when Vanek went down, fortunately luck was on your side.
Both of these things combined with a lacklustre start by Montreal and Toronto, Buffalo looked better and will likely place better than I originally rated them.
Finally - The Toronto Maple Leafs
I'm sorry about your season so far. Even I expected more out of Toronto, despite the massively over-rated Brian Burke running the show.
While the season isn't a write off by any standards, the horrendous start to the season is only going to make things harder for the Leafs.
At this point things can and will only get better for the Leafs. Kessel won't be a saving grace, but combined with an established defensive system and a couple strong goaltending performances, the Leafs could put a top 5 draft pick out of reach for Boston.
All I can think of when looking at the Leafs record so far is the old adage "You can't make the playoffs in the first month, but you can miss them." and I think this really applies to Toronto.
I don't mean this to be a shot or an insult to Leaf fans, I remember what it was like to watch Ottawa miss the playoffs year after year, and I remember how crappy it was to miss them last year, this just isn't fun for anyone involved and personally I miss the intensity of the Battle of Ontario and the playoff wars between them. (I don't miss Roberts and the results of those playoff series)
--------------------------------------
M_Christopher@live.ca
Mark Christopher
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