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• A little from everyone

  • From: Gordwilson
  • Description:

    Greetings  everyone, from  Scotiabank Place,  where  tonight the  Senators  host the Buffalo Sabres, in a  key   Northeast division  battle. It's  the  first  meeting of the year  between the two clubs,, and  even  though it's  just the  20th game of the season for  both teams,  this is a game that  will mean something  in the standings.  Just  take a look for yourself....it is  extremely tight from  top, to nearly  bottom in the  East. 4 teams  have  23 points,  2 more have 22 points, and just  three points  separate the  Sabres, and Senators.  Both of these clubs have  played the fewest in the conference, (with the exception of Atlanta, who's played only 18 games so far), so the head to head matchups are that much more important. (its the often mentioned  4 point game scenario...and we'll  likely be saying that  a lot this season).

    All that being said... the  Senators, who are  fresh off a  6-2 win over the Penguins on Thursday, will make some  necessary  lineup changes tonight.  Alex Kovalev is off for personal reasons and won't play tonight,, and  Shean Donovan suffered a knee injury in the third period of Thursday's game, and will be  out for a while. His status  could be updated  later today.  So, with these two players out,  Ryan Shannan and Peter Regin will  draw back in.  Both have been healthy scratches the last  few games, so should be very hungary tonight.

    Here are the line combo's that I'm expecting to see tonight.Keep in mind, both Alfredsson and Neil  did not take part in  a pretty high tempo practice yesterday.

    9-19-11.....71-12-26,,,,73-22-25.....41-43-18.

    Great to see the  one arm raise  by  Chris Phillips  not once, but  twice  in  Thursday's game. I've seen every  one of the  800 games the  Big Rig has played,,, which means  I've  seen all 54 goals he's scored, and  that  celebration  never grows  old. For the record, the Senators are an impressive  38-7-4-1-1  in games, in which Phillips scores a goal.

    Expect to see Pascal Leclaire in goal tonight, as the Senators  go after their third straight win. They  haven't  won  3 straight  since  the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th games of the season.

    The Sabres are  coming into this game, following their  2-1 overtime loss to the Bruins on home ice last night. Buffalo has now lost  2 straight, and they may not have Drew Stafford in their lineup.  He missed the 3rd period of last night's game with a bone bruise.  And it will be interesting to see if  former  Senator  Patrick Lalime gets the nod in goal.  He's started just once this year.  Ryan Miller , who's  had a brilliant  start to his season, has started 17 of the 19 games the Sabres have played.

    Face off time tonight is 7 o'clock, and  can be seen on HNIC, and of course  heard  all along the OLG Slots and Casino's radio Network, (TEAM 1200) with  yours truly, and Dave Schreiber.

    I'm Gord Wilson, enjoy the game

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• GOTS- Sens keeping it simple

  • From: ggroove
  • Description:

     

    GOTS – GGroove on the Sens

    November 19, 2009

    By Greg Gallagher ("GGroove")

    Sens Central Fan Moderator

     

    Finally.

    Sens Army had reason to cheer tonight, after the big 6-2 victory over the Penguins, capping off a solid week.

    The W—the Senators’ first back-to-back set of wins since Oct. 17—was against the defending Stanley Cup champions after gritting out a physical battle two nights before in the Battle of Ontario against the Maple Leafs.

    Some mighty struggles preceded a close 2-1 shootout loss to the New York Rangers, and it appears that the team decided to follow the old hockey cliché – keep it simple.

    Simple was the recipe against the flightless birds, after seeing how doing so paid off in the Toronto game, which featured four fights and hard drives to the net. The first period alone of that game has given new life to a rivalry which already has the bar raised high.

    Simple was certainly Chris “Big Rig” Phillips’ recipe, as he potted two goals in such fashion; the first, a seeing-eye shot from a 20-degree angle (maybe), found its way to the far corner, but was intended for a deflection; the second, from the same shooting area, was a wrister looking to fool Marc-André Fleury, who was being screened by Chris Neil. Bingo.

    (Congratulations are also in order to Big Rig, who played his 800th career game, all with the Senators.)

    Simple was Matt “Big Country” Carkner, who tied the game with a quick-release wrister near the half-boards that found its way past Fleury.

    And perhaps it was no coincidence that it was Big Rig and Big Country, who usually are not big scorers, that provided half the offence for a team that probably needed to think outside the big box for at least one night.

    Sometimes you’ve got to just throw them at the net. “You miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take,” remarked a certain famous NHLer, many of whose shots made him the all-time scoring leader.

    No kidding. It’s bounces like these that a team needs for its psyche sometimes. The physical play has been a perfect complement, giving the newly-confident Senators a shot to each arm. More often than not, when that happens, the arms won’t grip the sticks too tightly.

    Couldn’t have happened at a better time, when the top guns are struggling to light the lamp, and the penalty-kill had come back down to earth recently after flirting with tops in the league.

     

    FIGHT NIGHT: As spelled out, the Senators have dropped the gloves plenty of times this week – to the tune of six (four against the Leafs, two against the Penguins). Chris Neil and Matt Carkner have fought in each game. Carkner, who has danced in a league-leading 10 bouts, was none the worse for wear with a nice shiner under his right eye for the TV cameras after scoring versus the Penguins. As for Neil, he was cut open on his cheek after squaring off with Matt Cooke.

    ZERO HERO: In nine regular-season games at Scotiabank Place, Sidney Crosby has yet to bulge the twine. However, the young all-star and Stanley Cup champion has five goals in four playoff matches on the Bank’s ice, including a really slick, diving one-timer in Game 2 of the first round of the 2007 playoffs. YouTube it, if you can find it e-buried somewhere under his gazillion other highlights…

    TWO MINUTES FOR BOARDING: You have to forgive the Scotiabank Place scoreboard operators for getting a little trigger-happy after the Sens’ offensive explosion tonight – after the Penguins scored to make it 6-2, the board showed a 7-2 score for the home team, then 8-2, which drew some cheers before it was promptly fixed.

    THE DEFENCE DOES NOT REST: Last month’s 6-5 barnburner loss in overtime to the Nashville Predators set an NHL record eight goals in one game by defencemen. Among them were shutdown partners Phillips and Anton Volchenkov.

    MILESTONE MICHALEK: Milan Michalek scored the 200th goal of his career against the Penguins, a fact probably overshadowed by Chris Phillips’ two goals in his 800th career match.

    ON THE HOUSE: A reminder that you can see your Senators up close and personal during an open game-day skate, this Saturday at 10 a.m. at Scotiabank Place. Admission is free. Later on, the Sens host Buffalo at 7:00 p.m. You can get a Metro Family 4 Pack for only $99, which includes four tickets, four drinks, and four hot dogs. Tickets are available online at www.capitaltickets.ca, at the Scotiabank Place box office, or any area Sports Experts location.

     

     

    Last but not least – keep those photos, blog entries, videos, and message board posts coming! Five pairs of tickets to the Oct. 31 Thrashers game were awarded to those who posted some quality content. Stay tuned for more contests, which will be judged by myself, hawthy, and Scrambllllle, your friendly fan moderators! Also, don’t forget to check out the weekly video blog put up by in-game host Kimberly, as well as blogs by Nick Foligno, Rob Brodie, and Gord Wilson. It’s all exclusive to Sens Central!

    Sens Central: http://fans.senators.nhl.com

    GOTS archive: http://media.fans.senators.nhl.com/ggroove

     

     

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• Great test tonight

  • From: Gordwilson
  • Description:

    Hi everyone, and  greetings  from  Scotiabank Place,  where the  Senators  host the  Pittsburgh Penguins this evening.  It's the  2nd  meeting of the year between the two teams... Pittsburgh  took the  first  game  by a 4-1 score October 12th, here in Ottawa.  Sens  did a great  job  shutting down  Crosby and Malkin in that  game,  but  couldn't  quiet  some of the lesser lights. Tyler Kennedy  led the way  with a pair of goals  that  night.  Marc Andre Fleury  got the win in goal, while  Pascal Leclaire  suffered the loss.  Expect to see  both of  those  netminders  again  this evening.

    Sens are  expected to go with the  same  lineup that  got them a  3-2 win over Toronto on Tuesday.  That  means  Peter Regin and  Ryan Shannon are the likely  scratches.  Still no Anton Volchenkov on the blueline... he'll miss his  9th  straight game with an  elbow  injury... he  is expected  back  sometime  next week.

    Line combo's  from the morning skate  look like this...  9-19-11....71-12-27....73-22-25....41-18-10.

    As for the Penguins,  a  team that  may hold the longest   morning skate the day of a game, in the history of morning skates... they're  going to get  Sergei Gonchar, and Max Talbot back into their lineup.  Gonchar has missed the last 12 games with a  broken  wrist,,, Talbot has been out all season, after  undergoing   shoulder  surgery in the off-season. The last goal he scored  was the  stanley cup winner against  Detroit,  last  June.

    Penguins  got off to a  quick start this season, losing only  one, of their  first  10 games,  and while they  have  won  2 in a row  coming into this evening's game, they had  dropped  4 straight. Sidney  Crosby continues to lead the team in scoring, with  21 points in 21 games,  including 10 goals.

    This  game will be  shown on  TSN 2, and of course  heard  all along th  OLG  Slots and Casino's radio network, with  your's  truly and  Dean Brown with the call.

    I'm Gord Wilson, enjoy the game.

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• My Two Sens Worth — Nov. 17

  • From: 2sensworth
  • Description:

    Admittedly, Mike Fisher had a wry grin on his face the other day when he said the Senators needed to score early against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight "to take the crowd out of the game." And everyone who heard it knew exactly what the hard-working centre meant by that statement.

    But mostly, the Senators players just shrug their shoulders at the thought of what greets them every time they play the Leafs at Scotiabank Place. It's a divided house of support, to be sure, as grating as that is for every card-carrying member of the Sens Army to witness. But as captain Daniel Alfredsson says, it's also a fact of life when you're trying to carve out your own niche in a city with long-standing hockey loyalties.

    "If you talk to people (in Ottawa) who are around 40 years old, they might have converted to being Senators fans," said Alfredsson. "But usually, they're Toronto or Montreal fans."

    Much as it's sometimes hard to tell, Alfredsson also sees the tide beginning to change. The younger generation is much more likely to show up at Scotiabank Place wearing Senators red for a game against the Leafs.

    "The younger kids ... they're Senators fans because that's how they grew up," he said. "We need a few more generations before it's completely turned (around), but it doesn't matter who you ask, everybody's passionate about hockey and that's great."

    The day Sens fans truly own their own building against the Leafs might not be all that far off. A few years back when I was still at the Ottawa Sun, I had the good fortune to be asked to cover the "fan story" of the Senators playoffs in 2006-07 — the year of that magical run to the Stanley Cup final, as it turned out, when Ottawans let their hair down in an unprecedented way over the hockey team that means so much to them and their identity.

    During one of thpse many rollicking nights at Scotiabank Place, I decided to do an experiment of sorts. I limited my interviews to just high school students — in other words, fans whose age roughly mirrored that of the franchise. The simple question was this: Which NHL team rules at your school? Almost without exception, the answer came back coloured in red and white.

    A clever editor titled that story "Generation Sens" and that pretty much summed up what this franchise has always believed. Given time, they'll grow their own generation of fans and it'll become an perpetual wave as the years march on. Alfredsson, for one, also believes that day is on the way, although he's pretty much certain he'll have hung up his skates — and the captain's 'C' — by the time it comes to pass.

    "It won't be around when 90 per cent of the fans (in Ottawa) will be Senators fans, but it's progress," he said of the slowly changing tide. "Starting with my first year here, when we played Toronto, it felt like we were the road team. Now it's much more balanced out and that's just the way it is with a new franchise. But I think over time, when i'm not around anymore, there will be a lot more Sens fans. And (then) it'll be more like a real home game for us."

     

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• In need of 2 points

  • From: Gordwilson
  • Description:

    Greetings  all  from  Scotiabank Place,  where  its  game day in the capital,  with the  Senators  hosting the  Toronto Maple Leafs.  Yes,  round   two of the  battle of  Ontario, but this game has  more meaning  than  just  another   round  in this provincial  rivalry.  This is a game,  at the  quarter  turn of the season,  that  features   two  teams   desparately in need of  2 points.  2 full points.....not a  single point in an overtime, or  shootout  loss... but a  win,  and 2 points. Both  teams  are on the outside looking in, as  far as the playoffs are concerned,  and  both have struggled  picking up wins  in regulation.  Senators  have  but one  win in their  last 10 games,  under a  sixty minute ,  3 period  game.

    Lots of  games  have been close,  and  you  could argue  that the  Senators  deserved a better fate in a few of those  games,  but the bottom line is,  the team has  not picked up the " W "  often enough.

    The  Rangers  game on  Saturday is a great  example.   The  Senators  outshot, outchanced, and  pretty much just  outplayed  New York, but  still wound  up losing  2-1 in a shootout. Yes, the single   point is  good,  but  giving up 2  to a  team you're  chasing in the  Eastern  Conference is  not.

    Watch for a change or two  to tonight's  lineup.  After  watching practice yesterday, I'm anticipating Jesse  Winchester  to draw back into the lineup,  replacing  Peter Regin as the centre  between  Jonathon Cheechoo, and  Chris Neil.  Winchester has played  but  one game so far this year, so  he'll  need to develope  some  early chemistry with his wingers.

    Line combo's at practice  looked like this... 9-19-11......71-12-27.....41-18/43-25..... and 73-22-10.

    Nice to see Shean Donovan  stay on the right  wing  with  Ruutu and  Kelly.  All three have been most effective  when  playing  together. When  Donovan has been out of the lineup,  the  production, and effectiveness of  Ruutu and Kelly has  dropped off dramatically.

    Despite the great  performance  from  Brian Elliott in goal against the  Rangers, don't be surprised to see  Pascal Leclaire in goal tonight. He's  1 and oh this  year against  Toronto,  backstopping  the  Sens  to a  2-1 win in  Toronto  October 6th.

    Vesa Toskala  is expected  to start for the  Leafs.  He's  6-3 and 1  in  10 career starts against the  Senators.

    Face off time is 7:30...this one can be seen on  Roger's  Sportsnet, and of course  heard all along the  OLG  Slots and Casino's  radio network ...( TEAM 1200 ) with  yours truly, and  Dave Schrieber.

    I'm Gord Wilson,  enjoy the game.

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• Ottawasenators.com This Week -

  • From: Sens_Web_Team
  • Description:

    

     

     

     

     

     

    Looks like someone's got a case of the Mundays. You know what that means...time to look into the future to see what's happening on Ottawasenators.com this week. We're right in the meaty part of a 5 game home stand which features 3 games this week so don't miss out on all the exclusive pre and post game coverage we've got for you.
    
    SENS DAILY
    Every weekday, check out Rob Brodie's latest feature, which will focus on the news of the day.
    
    MONDAY
    - Sens Daily
    
    TUESDAY – GAME DAY – Sens vs. Leafs
    - Sens Daily
    - Player profile
    - Gord’s preview
    - Pregame pressers and player scrums
    - Postgame pressers and players scrums
    - Postgame highlights and photo gallery
    - Bell All Access
    
    WEDNESDAY
    - Sens Daily
    - The Sens Show Episode #8 - An exclusive interview with Jason Spezza

    THURSDAY – GAME DAY – Sens vs. Penguins
    - Live Q&A for the President's Lunch available on SensTV
    - Sens Daily
    - Player profile
    - Gord’s preview
    - Pregame pressers and player scrums
    - Postgame pressers and players scrums
    - Postgame highlights and photo gallery
    - Bell All Access
    
    
    FRIDAY
    - Sens Daily
    - An all access video with Nick Foligno
    
    WEEKEND
    
    GAME DAY (Saturday) – Sens vs. Sabres
    - Player profile
    - Gord’s preview
    - Pregame pressers and player scrums
    - Postgame pressers and players scrums
    - Postgame highlights and photo gallery
    - Bell All Access
    
    
    I thought I'd get a little topical with the webtip and look at this Saturday's Gameday Experience. What is the Gameday Experience and how did I know it was on Saturday? Well, just like most things...we've got a page for that. Come check out the Sens gameday skate at 10 a.m., admission is free of charge for all fans with a non-perishable food donation in support of the Ottawa Food Bank. You can learn more and find out what other games with feature the Gameday Experience by checking out this page.

     

    As a little added bonus, here's a look at this past Saturday's in-game music. What do you think? Are their songs you like? Hate? Want to hear more of? Let us know on Sens Central.

     

    Until next week,
    
    
    
    Craig the Webmaster

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• needing some powerplay time

  • From: Gordwilson
  • Description:

    Greetings  everyone, from  Scotiabank Place, where  today, the  Senators  host the  New York Rangers.  2nd  meeting of the year  between the two teams,,, with the  Rangers  beating Ottawa  in New York October  3rd, by a   5-2 score.  Both clubs come into this game  following losses.  Sens  dropped a  5-1 decision in  Philadelphia  on Thursday,   while  the  Rangers  have  now  lost  2 in a row, after   falling  5-3 to  Atlanta.

    Just  three  points  separate  these  two clubs in the  standings,  with  New York on  top, but the  Senators  do hold  3 games  in hand.  Senators   hope to,  and in fact,  really need to ,,,, take advantage now, of all the home games  they're going to be playing this  month.  After a  four game stretch, that  saw the team go 2 and 2,    Ottawa  went  on the  road  for  the  Flyer  game,  and  are  now  back  home  for  5 straight.   And all five are against  teams  in the Eastern Conference.  So the  Sens  can ill afford to give away   too many points. 

    One  thing  the  Senators  are  not  giving away  is powerplay  time.  Because  they're  not  getting any.  No other  team in the  League  has  had  fewer  powerplay  chances  than  Ottawa...( just  3 in total in the last  3 games.), and  that's  too  bad,  because the powerplay was starting to click... being  successful  about  21 percent of the time, before  hitting this  drought.

    Watch for  a change  or  two  to Ottawa's  lineup  today.  My  guess is  Brian Elliott  gets the call goal... he's   0-1 lifetime  against  New  York.   And  I wouldn't be surprised if  Shean Donovan  draws  back into the lineup.  Cory Clouston is not one to let  a player  sit  too  long,  and  Donovan has been a healthy scratch for 4 straight  games.

    As for the  Rangers... well, they'll be  without   forwards   Brandon Dubinsky, and  Chris  Drury. Drury  has  concussion problems,  while  Dubinsky is  out with a  broken hand.   Expect to see  Henrik  Lundqvist in goal... he's   6 and 9 lifetime against  Ottawa.

    This  game is on   CBC  today, with  Dean  Brown and Garry Galley... and of course, heard all along the  OLG  Slots and  Casino's  radio  network,  ( TEAM 1200 ), with yours  truly, and Dave Schreiber.

    I'm Gord Wilson,  enjoy the game

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• My Two Sens Worth -- Nov. 11

  • From: 2sensworth
  • Description:

    Their excellent first adventure in Ottawa has reached its end. But to hear Peter Regin tell it, Ottawa has made quite the first impression on his parents. So much so that Regin Jensen and his wife, Lene, would have glady extended their stay, it seems.

    "They like the city. They really like the city," Regin said of his parents, who made their first trip from Herning, Denmark, to see their son play in the National Hockey League. "They've been downtown a few times. (Monday), they went to see Parliament (Hill) and some museums and stuff. They really like it here. I guess they would like to stay here a little longer."

    Of course, nothing was more exciting for the Jensens than seeing their son live out his biggest hockey dream. It was a trip that was supposed to happen a year ago, when Regin made his NHL debut, but his callup from the Binghamton Senators was so sudden, it had to be put off. But finally, the timing was right and Regin has had his parents in the stands for the last three Senators games at Scotiabank Place.

    "They were really impressed by the first game (against the Tampa Bay Lightning last Thursday). That was a big thing for them to see," said Regin. "They wanted to see me play in the NHL for the first time in the big rink. Just the atmosphere around the whole thing ... they were pretty excited about that."

    And like every parent who watches their child succeed at such a high level, Regin's parents no doubt had their hearts filled with another special emotion.

    "They were proud, I think," said Regin. "We don't talk too much about the hockey or how I played. They were just happy to see me in a game on the ice. That's all we really talk about."

    The Jensens also got to watch their son play at a normal hour, which is a rare treat. Usually, they huddle in front of a computer in the wee hours back in Denmark, watching his games online. But it's back to late-night (early morning?) viewing for them on Thursday, when the Senators are in Philadelphia to face off against the Flyers.

    "That was a nice thing for them, instead of being up late every night," said Regin. "But they are going home (today) and we have a game on Thursday."

    Regin is also finally enjoying the comforts of home. While he isn't feeling secure enough yet to buy he own house, Regin was recently told by Senators management to vacate the hotel he was staying in and find something a little more permanent. He's currently renting a house from former Senators defenceman Christoph Schubert.

    "It makes a huge difference," he said. "Just with being able to make your own food and stuff like that ... It makes it a lot easier to live."

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• Foligno: New Kind of Battle

  • From: sensplayerblog
  • Description:

    You've probably heard about The Battle of the Blades, the show on CBC that has former hockey players and figure skaters in a pairs competition. In our dressing room, we know it's around but we haven't watched it too much. We just miss it when it's on TV or we just don't see it. We've heard little things about it and it's funny to see the reaction of some of the guys. I know some of my family members have watched it and it's pretty funny and pretty interesting. Some of those guys are really good, they say.

    I don't think I can ever see myself doing something like that, but that's one of those things that's their personal preference. It's something they just want to do and that's fine. It's more for the fun of it. I don't think they're trying to be too serious. They're just having some fun with it. It's nice to see them try, at least, and it makes people watch them on a different level, so it's good for them.

    To be honest, I haven't really thought about doing something outside of hockey like that. Obviously, you put all your efforts into what you're doing right now. Hopefully, retirement doesn't come too soon but as that comes, I'm sure I'll think of other things that maybe I want to do with my life. Hopefully, hockey's a part of it but if not, there are so many other opportunities out there and if you keep yourself open to it, they could present themselves. It'll be interesting to see what happens. It would be pretty cool to see if I could get into something else.

    We've got the Edmonton Oilers in our building tonight, and we always like playing our Canadian rivals. Any Canadian team is a rival for us, for sure, and we want to show we're the best team in Canada, if not in the NHL. That's always a goal of ours every time we step on the ice. It's going to be exciting. There's going to be a lot of people in the building and it's just a matter of us going out and doing what we need to do. I watched them play Sunday night and they're a pretty good team, so we've got to match that, come out with a good start and keep them on their heels.

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• Needing to take advantage of h

  • From: Gordwilson
  • Description:

    Greetings  everyone,   game  day in the  capital, with the  Senators   hosting the  Edmonton Oilers  in the first of  2 on the  year between the two teams.  The  return engagement is set for Edmonton in  early  March.  Senators  are  wrapping up a  4 game home stand, and are looking to get back into the  win column.  They're  coming off a disappointing  3-2 loss to the  Devils on Saturday.  Sens  led  2 nothing  midway through  the   2nd period, but  then  gave up  3 powerplay goals and  suffered the loss.

    Despite  giving  up   6 powerplay  chances  against, the  Senators  don't feel  they have   any discipline  issues.  Although  they  are  the most  penalized  team in the   league.  Coach  Cory Clouston  wants  to turn  that  stat around, and  thinks  his team has to do more  to draw  more penalties.

    Clouston will make  one lineup change tonight.. replacing   Jesse Winchester with Ryan Shannan.  Shean  Donovan  remains  a  healthy scratch.   Pascal Leclaire starts in goal... his  12th start of the season, and  4th straight.

    The  Oilers  come to town  fresh off a  5-3 win in  Colorado  on Sunday night. This is  game 2 of a 5 game  road trip.  They're a  team  decimated by  flu and injury.  Included on the  injured  list  are  Sheldon Souray,  Shawn Horcoff, and  Ales Hemski.

    Jeff  Deslaurier  will start in goal  tonight.

    It's a  7:30 faceoff.

    Enjoy the game.

    cheers, Gord

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  • 2 weeks ago
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• Ottawasenators.com This Week -

  • From: Sens_Web_Team
  • Description:

    
    
    
    

     

     

     

    All signs point to today being Monday, so here's your Ottawasenators.com This Week blog for the week of November 9th. Another busy week as we've got three games in the span of six days. How on earth are you going to keep up with all the pre and post game content? Don't you worry, I've got you covered. Here's this week in a nutshell.
    
    SENS DAILY
    Every weekday, check out Rob Brodie's latest feature, which will focus on the news of the day.
    
    MONDAY
    - Sens Daily
    
    TUESDAY – GAME DAY – Sens vs. Oilers
    - Sens Daily
    - Player profile
    - Gord’s preview
    - Pregame pressers and player scrums
    - Postgame pressers and players scrums
    - Postgame highlights and photo gallery
    - Bell All Access
    
    WEDNESDAY
    - Sens Daily
    - The Sens Show Episode #7 - An episode dedicated to Minor Hockey
    
    THURSDAY – GAME DAY – Sens @ Flyers
    - Sens Daily
    - Postgame highlights and photo gallery
    
    FRIDAY
    - Sens Daily
    
    WEEKEND
    - DECEMBER/JANUARY tickets go on sale at noon on Saturday
    
    GAME DAY (Saturday) – Sens vs. Rangers (2 pm start)
    - Player profile
    - Gord’s preview
    - Postgame pressers and players scrums
    - Postgame highlights and photo gallery
    - Bell All Access
    
    
    I'm getting some pretty good feedback about these webtips, so thanks for everyone for checking them out. I'm feeling a little nostalgic this week, so let's take a look at the Game by Game Results stats. Under the main menu, hover over "Stats > Game by Game Results" and you can check out all the boxscores from every Sens game since millennium (or Newmanium) started. Remember that game you went to back in 2002? Well, you can go back and revisit when Alfie buried the overtime winner against Martin Biron on January 25, 2003 to give the Sens a 4-3 victory. Or maybe you can't remember who the Sens 3 shooters were in the league's first ever shootout? How about revisiting the Sens playoff run from 06-07? It's all there in its statistical glory. That should kill some of your morning.
    
    Until next week,
    
    
    
    Craig the Webmaster

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• A taste of Devils hockey

  • From: Gordwilson
  • Description:

    Hi everyone, and  greetings from  ScotiaBank Place,  where the  Senators  play host to the New Jersey  Devils tonight.   First of  4 games on the  year between the two teams.  Devils  come to town having  won  4 in a row, including a 2-1  win over the Islanders  last  night.   Senators  are coming off  a  3-2  overtime  win over  the Lightning on Thursday... they  welcomed  back  Jason Spezza to their lineup after  he  missed the previous  two games with an undisclosed injury.  Spezza  had an immediate  impact on the club,   scoring  the  game winning goal, and  setting up the  other  two.

    Jacques Lemaire  has  returned  to  coach the  Devils, and has the team  thinking  defence  first.  Of the  ten  victories  the  Devils have this year,  7 have been by  one goal.  This is a club that has also won   7 straight on the road.  For the  17th straight  year, they're  led by goalie Martin Brodeur, who we think  is making  his   1000th  career  start tonight.  Brodeur has  appeared in  1,011 games  over the  course of his career, and  the  future  hall of famer  will  start  in his  1000th  game this evening.

    Pascal  Leclaire  gets the call in goal  for the  Senators,  who  will  welcome  back  Jesse Winchester to their  lineup. Jesse  hurt his  knee in pre season, and spent the past  2 weeks on a conditioning stint in  Binghamton. His  time was well served,  scoring twice, and picking up 2 assists in  4 games.

    Ottawa's  lineup looks like this..

    9-19-11

    71-12-27

    41-43-25

    73-22-18.

    Don't  forget  about tomorrow afternoon's game at  Scotiabank Place  between  Binghamton and the Hamilton  Bulldogs. It's  the  rematch of a game between the  two clubs in Montreal last night, that  saw  the  B-sens win 2-1. It's a  3 o'clock  start  tomorrow, with  plenty of affordable tickets available.   Coming up tonight on the  Team 1200  pre game show,  I'll visit with Don Nauchbaur, the  head  coach of the B-Sens, and  during our   first intermission our  guest will be Erik Karlsson.

    game time tonight is 7 o'clock,

    I'm gord wilson,

    enjoy the game.

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  • 3 weeks ago
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• Foligno: Keep It Fun For Kids

  • From: sensplayerblog
  • Description:

    (Minor Hockey Week begins Saturday and runs through Nov. 14. In his lastest blog post, Ottawa Senators forward Nick Foligno shares some of his experiences and thoughts about minor hockey).

    Minor hockey is something that I remember being so much fun. I learned a lot and got to know so many good people. Because of my dad's playing and coaching career, I was able to move around a lot and see a bunch of different minor hockey associations. I played in Colorado, I played in Buffalo, and I played in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I met a lot of great people and saw how they ran their organizations. It's neat to see what kind of levels they have.

    For me, minor hockey was more of an American experience, so it was different than it would have been in Canada, where they've had minor hockey around for a long, long time. Some places I went to, hockey was just up and coming, so that was kind of neat to be a part of and to see.

    If I could say anything to kids in minor hockey today, it would be just enjoy yourself. Learn as much as possible. Your coach is hopefully going to do a good job and make it fun for you. Learning should be fun and I think for kids nowadays, sometimes the fun gets taken out of minor hockey and there's so much emphasis on winning. That's not what it's all about. When you get older and you're getting paid to play, that's when it should be all about winning.

    But kids should have a lot of fun and just enjoy themselves and spend time with their friends in hotels and play mini sticks. Those are the memories you'll never forget. I still remember those things and it's because of them that I've enjoyed hockey so much to this day.

    I still remember winning the big peewee tournament in Quebec City. We won our division there back in 2000 and it was it huge for our team from Hershey. We weren't even a favourite at all going in. It was a big deal to make that team in Hershey and then to go there and win it was pretty exciting. I remember hoisting the Cup and we had fake cigars in the dressing room. It was pretty cool. It was your first taste of winning and they made it fun for you , so you enjoyed it and you wanted to go do it again.

    There were 17,000 people in the Colisee when we played in the final in Quebec City. It was a taste of what it could be like for you in hockey someday. That's where I really enjoyed it and thought wow, this is so neat. I remember feeling the butterflies and every game meant something. Those are the kind of memories you have, but I also remember some of the friendships I created. I still keep in touch with a lot of guys that I played with back then.

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• My Two Sens Worth -- Nov. 3

  • From: 2sensworth
  • Description:

    There's just something about a classic metal band that draws a crowd. Take, for example, tonight's sold-out Metallica show at Scotiabank Place, which figures to rate as one of THE events of the year in our building.

    Not that Jarkko Ruutu needs convincing about any of that. The agitating Ottawa Senators forward, you see, has been a Metallica guy for years, going back to the days of his youth in Helsinki. He guesses he's seen the band in concert "probably 10 times in the last 20 years or so."

    "I love their charisma," Ruutu said in describing what's behind his Metallica love affair. "It's hard to explain. When you go to a concert ... there's not many concerts where (you see) everybody is standing up. The energy between the band in the crowd ... it's good."

    Ruutu doesn't profess to a certain attraction to any particular Metallica song but says "I have a few favourite albums. Most of their older stuff."

    Finland, as it turns out, has made metal music a bit of a cause celebre over the years. Whether it's producing their own brand of that genre or rocking to bands like Metallica, the country is a haven for metal heads.

    "Finland is a metal country, big time," said Ruutu. "A lot of bands come there because they sell out. (Metallica) was in Helsinki last summer. Actually, they were in Finland three times last summer. People there just like it.

    "It's the rhythm. I don't think they listen to the lyrics as much. There's a lot of good metal bands coming from Finland now, so it's a tradition there ... I guess it's the darkness in it. I don't know."

    Ruutu should have plenty of familiar company at tonight's show. He figures "half the guys" on the team are taking in the concert, "maybe more."

    "It's a good show," he said. "Even if you don't know all the songs ... it's the charisma, how they take over. From 20 years ago until now, they're a little bit different. They're not as angry now. But it'll be a good show."

    Even head coach Cory Clouston admits to being a bit of a Metallica guy. So will he be at the show tonight?

    "Normally, I would, but I've got to stay low profile," he said with a grin. "They're not KISS, but I like Metallica. Absolutely."

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• Ottawasenators.com This Week -

  • From: Sens_Web_Team
  • Description:

    

     

     

     

     

     

    Hey Sens fans, another week...another ottawasenators.com this week blog. This week we'll be focusing on the two home games against the Lightning and Devils (Thursday and Saturday respectively). Don't forget that the Tampa game is Canadian Forces Appreciation Night, these games are always a blast and a great way to catch a game and meet some our of country's military personel. I'd say be cool and buy them a beer but they typically travel in large packs, but if you see one stray...toss him a tallboy and say thanks.
    
    SENS DAILY
    Every weekday, check out Rob Brodie's latest feature, which will focus on the news of the day.
    
    MONDAY
    - Sens Daily
    
    TUESDAY
    - Sens Daily
    
    WEDNESDAY
    - Sens Daily
    - The Sens Show Episode #6
    
    THURSDAY – GAME DAY – Sens vs. Lightning
    - Sens Daily
    - Postgame highlights and photo gallery
    
    FRIDAY
    - Sens Daily
    
    WEEKEND
    GAME DAY (Saturday) – Sens vs. Devils
    - Player profile
    - Gord’s preview
    - Pregame pressers and player scrums
    - Postgame pressers and players scrums
    - Postgame highlights and photo gallery
    - Bell All Access
    
    GAME DAY (Sunday) – Binghampton Senators vs. Hamilton Bulldogs
    
    
    Hopefully you guys find these webtips helpful, I know I'm always finding cool things around our site and I like to pass them along. This week, we're looking at our prospect updates, which can be found in the drop down menu off our main site under Team> Player Roster and Bios. Check out the regular updates to all your favorite Sens Prospects and track their progress all year long. Also, come check some of them out live at Scotiabank Place on Sunday as the Binghampton Senators take on the Hamilton Bulldogs at 3 pm.
    
    
    
    Craig the Webmaster

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• Foligno: Tricks and Treats

  • From: sensplayerblog
  • Description:

    Saturday is my 22nd birthday and it's also Halloween, and I can't think of a better way to spend it than playing hockey. It's funny, a lot of my games in the past haven't fallen on my birthday. Either I had the day off or we were travelling. It'll be nice to play on my birthday and have some fun playing the game I love. Getting a victory over the Thrashers would make it even better.

    Since it's a day game, I'll get to be home to greet the kids who are out trick or treating and I think we're going to have a lot of them coming by. It'll be my first time handing out candy at my own house. We were away last year and I didn't have a house the year before. We're going to make it a good time for everyone with some good treats. We'll have an assortment of candy and goodies for the kids, so it'll be a lot of fun us and for everyone who stops by.

    I still remember the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle outfit that I had as a kid. It was Donatello and it was my favourite. I'll remember that until I'm old for sure. I don't remember ever going out dressed up as a hockey player. I always tried to something different, like a vampire or something like that. I'm sure I had a few great costumes when I was younger.

    It was always fun having a birthday on Halloween. You'd get both candy and presents, and you got to mix cake in there as well. It was a great day for a birthday and we had some really good times. We had a lot of birthday parties, too, and you'd have a lot of kids come over all dressed up. Then we'd all go out trick or treating. It was always a lot of fun.

    Today is different for all the guys on the team, with it being an afternoon game. There's no morning skate, so you just have to make sure you're ready from the time you get up. Have a good breakfast, get up early and come to the rink ready to go. It's a big game for us against Atlanta and we want to play well. It's going to be a big two points and we need this win, especially since we have a few days off afterward. We need to make sure we work hard and get this win, and it starts with preparation in the morning.

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• All hands on deck for this one

  • From: Gordwilson
  • Description:

    Hi  everyone, and greetings  from  the  very  hot, and  muggy,  Tampa Florida,  where  tonight, the Senators  wrap up their  mini 2 game road trip....a trip that  began  with an impressive  4-3 win over the  Panthers, in Sunrise last night.  Senators  won that  game  despite a  decided edge in  calls  against  them.  The  final  powerplay  tally  saw  the  Panthers  finish with 7,  to Ottawa's  one. 

    Not  saying that  the  Senators  didn't  deserve the  penalties  they took, but  it was  clearly a double  standard  last night,  with  not much  rhyme or  reason  to some of the plays  that weren't called.  In other words,  I had a big problem with consistency  from the officials, and tonight, we'll see  how   Justin  St.Pierre  responds. He was  one of the men in stripes last night, and will work this evening's game as well.

    All right,  enough said about that. A big win for the Senators, but  tempered by the fact they've  lost  defenceman  Anton Volchenkov  for an extended period of time, after he  suffered a right elbow injury  late in the game.  Volchenkov's spot on the roster is  being  filled by  Brian Lee, who was being  summoned from  Binghamton  today. Lee, will likely get  teamed up with Chris Campoli this evening, while  Filip Kuba moves up to  play with Chris Phillips.  The pairing of Picard and Carkner will  stay the same, and  should. They  played  very well against the  Lightning, the  last  time these two teams  met, October 15th.

    Forward  line combinations  could be a little messed up tonight, after  coach Clouston announced that  there could be a last minute change to the roster.

    One thing is certain... Brian Elliott  gets the call in goal.  He was  solid in relief of  Pascal Leclaire last night. He's also  2 and 0  lifetime against Tampa.

    Now, you  thought it was  all fun and  games  when  players  go on  road trips, but  upon arrival in Sunrise on  Tuesday night... the  players  were  all asked to use their brains.... to answer  some  tough   trivia  questions  that  were  put  together  by  Gwen West, the Meetings Director at the  Crowne Plaza,  the  hotel at which the team stays. Gwen is a  huge  hockey fan, and one of the best  in her  business, trying to make  life on the road , as  pleasant as possible for professional  athletes.

    Here's a sampling of  just  a few of the questions  that  challenged  the players....

    1. Who blasted a shot so hard that is shattered Dominik Hasek’s helmet during the 1998 Olympics?

    A)Team Canada’s Steve Yzerman B) Team USA’s Brett Hull

    C)Team Russia’s Pavel Bure D) Team Czech Republic’s Jaromir Jagr

    2. Who is the first NHLer to win both the hardest shot and the fastest skater categories at an All-Star skills competition?

    A) Sergei Federov B) Pavel Bure

    C) Peter Bondra D) Bobby Hull

     

    3. In what NHL season did a goalie first place his water bottle on the top of his net?

    1964-65 B) 1974-75 C) 1984-1984 D) 1994-95

     

    4. On average, how many pucks are used in a game?

    A) Less than 5 B) Between 5 and 10

    C) Between 10 and 20 D) More then 20

    5. Which NHL team’s scoreboard crashed to the ice prior to a game in 1996-97?

    A) The San Jose Sharks B) The Buffalo Sabres

    C) The Calgary Flames D) The Washington Captials

    -In total, there were  16 questions, and the  winner got to take home a  brand new  Nike putter.

    Who won you ask?  There was  a tie, between the  best  video coach in the  NHL, and a player  who has a brother  who plays for another  NHL team, and another brother, who  scouts for the Senators.

    Give up?  Answers,  next week. 

    Thanks to  Gwen for that contest, and  another  great stay at the Crowne Plaza in  Sunrise

    Game time tonight is 7 o'clock, with all the action all along the TEAM 1200  radio network.  your's truly and  Dean Brown with the call.

    I'm Gord Wilson, enjoy the game.

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• GOTS - Karlsson sent down

  • From: ggroove
  • Description:

    Good afternoon Sens Army, and welcome to another GGroove on the Sens (GOTS) entry.

    So after a solid preseason and a nine-game, regular-season audition, 19-year-old Erik Karlsson has been sent down to Bingo to hone his game a bit more.

    Is it a prudent move at this point?

    With the expected return of veteran Filip Kuba to the blueline for tonight's game vs. Florida (7:30 PM, TSN2), some say it was inevitable anyway. But others insist the young Swede's skills are solid enough to adapt further to the NHL game - enough to keep him beyond the 10-game threshold, after which a rookie's contract is guaranteed for the rest of the season.

    Some would point to the positive development of Maple Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn, who patrolled the blueline last season as an 18-year-old rookie, albiet in more of a stay-at-home role than that of Karlsson, who plays the more risky offensive and free-wheeling style.

    Make no mistake - Ottawa's prized 2008 first-round pick (15th overall) has wowed fans and management alike with his skill. On more than one occasion these past 10 games, his ability to work the power play, navigate the neutral zone on a breakout, or play smart positionally has caught the spotlight.

    Notably, his slap shot is deceptively fast, and most of those sharp, 100-foot passes perhaps surprised the Senator forwards more than anything. You certainly can't fault Karlsson for pushing the envelope, rather than playing it safe and not being proactive.

    However, the speed and physicality of the NHL game, combined with Karlsson's 170-pound frame and playing style, likely makes for a pace of development best served in the AHL.

    His style strikingly mimics that of Scott Niedermayer, who started as a similarly-sized rearguard with the New Jersey Devils, eventually winning three Stanley Cups with the team before moving to Anaheim and winning another in 2007. He's also won an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada in 2002, and is a skate-in for the Hall of Fame. Book it.

    While it may be little consolation, Karlsson could find inspiration in the fact that Niedermayer played only four regular-season games with the Devils after making the team in 1991-92, before returning to his junior team, the Kamloops Blazers.

    After winning the Memorial Cup that season and taking home MVP honours, Niedermayer would make the Devils the following season, making the all-rookie first team. He would hoist his first Cup in 1995.

    Sometimes, it takes time. Brian Lee, who played 53 games with the big squad last year only to find himself in Bingo this year due to depth on defence, could certainly empathize with Karlsson.

    Heck, Michael Jordan didn't make his high school basketball team the first time around.

    Before he knows it, Karlsson will be back. I bet captain Daniel Alfredsson's kids miss the now-departed house guest a lot already.

     

    SENS CENTRAL CONTEST: A reminder to enter our Contributor of the Week contest on Sens Central - we've already awarded two pairs of tickets and will be awarding three more pairs to this Saturday's game vs. the Thrashers. Details are in the featured thread at the top of the message board. Deadline to enter is Thursday, October 29 at 11:59 pm, and myself and the two other moderators, hawthy and Scrambllllle, will choose the winners.

    HALLOWEEN: There's a thread on the message board to suggest Halloween-themed nicknames for the Senators players, and could be used in a video board feature. Get yours in!

    - ggroove

     

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• Business attire required

  • From: Gordwilson
  • Description:

    Greetings  everyone, from Sunrise   Florida, where the  Senators  are to begin their  two day business trip  in the  sunny  south.  The  Florida  Panthers  tonight, then  tomorrow night in Tampa to play the Lightning.

    This   is an  interesting  test  for the  Senators... playing  their  first  game since  a  disappointing  4-3 shootout loss to the Bruins on Saturday. I say interesting, because I think we're  all  more  than just a  little  curious to see  how  this  team  responds  to something  like that.  No question, the  Senators  were the better of the two teams  through the  first  58 minutes on Saturday,  and  then to have  one  slip away like that, especially against a  division opponent, can be  very demoralizing.  The " bounce-back "  game,  can be  so important if a  team hopes to get on a roll.  That's  why  the  Senators  should   avoid  looking at the   standings, and  record of the  Panthers,  at all costs. Florida  has  struggled  mightily  this  year, but are  due, and any  lapse  from  their  opponents   could  work in their  favour

    We'll see a  few lineup changes  tonight.  First  of all, as you all know  by now, Erik Karlsson has been sent to  Binghamton.  His  spot on the roster   gets  taken  by  Filip Kuba,  who's  back after missing the last  8 games with a lower body ailment.   As well,  up front,  Ryan Shannan  will come out of the lineup,and  Shean Donovan  comes back in.  He's been a healthy scratch the last  two games. 

    Line combinations will look like this....

    9-19-41

    27-12-11

    71-43-25

    73-22-10.

    It  will also  be  fun to see how the  league's  worst  rated  powerplay  fares tonight.  No question, having  Kuba  back will help, but  so too should  the  coach's  decision to put  Daniel Alfredsson back to play a  point position. Heck, it  can't  hurt.  The powerplay  can't  get  much worse, and there's  just  far too much talent to not  have this thing working properly.

    Pascal  Leclaire is  back in goal... almost  fully recovered  from last week's  bout with the flu.

    As for the Panthers... well,,, a wounded  cat  to say the least.  No David Booth, or  Radek Dvorak, both  knocked out of the lineup  during  Saturday's  loss to the  Flyers.  They've  got  offensive woes  like  nobody's  business, and they  give up way to many  shots on goal. But coach Pete DeBoer  said  today  he  doesn't  pay much attention to statistics.  Ask him in  30 games if the trend  has  continued, and he'll  have  more of a concern.

    Tomas  Vokoun  gets the start in goal for  the Panthers,, as he tries to end a personal 7 game losing streak.

    This  one is  on  TSN 2, and of course  heard all along the  TEAM 1200 radio network, with yours truly, and  Dean Brown.

    I'm Gord Wilson,

    enjoy the game

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  • 4 weeks ago
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• The Sens

  • From: alfie5000
  • Description:
    1. The Sens have made a lot of moves\trades. I was happy they traded Heatley but we could have gotten better players out of this trade. Like Heatley,Kelly and Shubert\Karlsson for Phaneuf,Conroy and Backlund\Nystrom.Or to Boston Heatley and Kovalev for Lucic,Ryder,Wideman,Hunwick and a 1rd pick (2010) . All im saying is we could have gotten a better defensive corps and i think Phillips is becomind less valuble with his huge turn over against Boston that cost us the game who cares if he scored Vs Nashville to tie the game . Imagine these lines.                                   

              1.Lucic-Spezza-Alfie 2.Foligno-Fisher-Ryder 3.Shannon-Kelly-Neil 4.Ruutu-Regin-Donovan

              1.Wideman-Volchenkov 2.Hunwick-Phillips 3.Kuba-Carkner         

               And if you're wondering where i put Picard,Campoli and Karlsson. 

               I put Karlsson in the minors (2 Way contract) and i traded Campoli and Picard For Matt Gilroy

     

               Thanks for reading my Blog !!!!

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