fired up he should be. Bring up as many farm boys as you can and make a few healthy scratches - remind the guys who have been around a few years what it is like to be playing for something! I am getting tired of folks saying how old and slow we are....you must be talking about the defence right - yet we have one of the best stats in the league in terms of goals against. Where we have youth, on offence, we are near or at the bottom! Interesting to see that nobody has torn Aulds head off with some of the softies he let in in the last two games...Gerber would have been eaten alive (for the record, I am not a fan of either). Neither are number 1s. But neither can be blamed for where the Sens are at. I was disgusted after watching last night.... Our top guys come nowhere near...

2-0 over the Lightning, big line invisible.

Here's the thing Chris, this is going to be long so bear with me.

Melnyk reminds me of a overly trusting parent.

"Don't throw snowballs at the neighbours Johnny or I'll get mad!"

"I'll get mad Johnny, don't throw those snowballs!"

"I swear Johnny, I'll get really really mad! Don't do that thing!"

MEanwhile, Johnny knows Dad is all talk and no walk. Did anyone really think Ottawa would lose tonight? The players KNOW their jobs are safe because these are Murray's guys and Melnyk will NEVER pull the chute on them.

Make no mistake, beating Tampa Bay and Atlanta next week does not mask the fact this is an average team that would get swept by Boston or Washington if they even made the playoffs.
I hope they DO make the playoffs...but if they DON'T...I hope Melnyk makes good on some of his threats.

The players will not get fired up because it's a phoquing country club. No matter how bad you play you have babysitter Hartsburg holding your hand and Murray patting you on the back. Look at Toranna, Kaberle benched, Blake sat. Result? Tighter play and a win.

Look at Anaheim. Carlye bagskated a team with Niedermayer, Pronger and Selanne(!)the year they won the Cup.

But no, not here in Ottawa...the poor poor dears might break a nail out there. :)

Good -not great - game tonight. Smith stood on his head like he does 9/10 nights. Previous comments by Tocchett and Melrose are bang on. Looks like the players are running that Lightning team, and Stamkos is NOT ready for the big league.Ottawa should have fared better against a team that is brutal defensively. In other news Brian McGrattan has entered the NHL substance abuse program..looks like the rumblings are coming to fruition.Who's next? I guess the KHL isn't covered by the NHLPA policy..but there are 2 or 3 others.....

Didn't get to see the game. But it was good to hear they won. Did I hear right? Did the Bolts waive Chris Gratton? I remember wishing the sens would trade Yashin for Gratton years ago. The great big strapping canadian center would've fit in well up here. I guess he's washed up, eh? I wonder if Murray might consider snatching him up cheap if he got called back. Maybe playing back in Canada might rejuvenate his career? What do you guys think?

Chris Gratton, not a chance. Talk about another overrated player.

Decent game last night. Hard to say decent to a shutout, but it wasn't all that much of an effort ont he offensive side of the puck.

I feel sorry for Alfie. He's the only one on the top line who will go into the corners and do any work on that line. Spez and Heatley have to stop acting like every game is a game of shinny. You can't always get the pretty goals - you've actually got to work for them sometimes.

Aas for Fisher, Vermette, Kelley, et all.......just find the frickin net already! With the icetime some of these 2nd and 3rd liners are getting, they HAVE to be more productive.

The more I watch Winchester, the more he looks like Vermette to me. Good hockey sense, works decently in teh corners, good anticipation, the puck always seems to head his way........but he can't do a damned thing with the puck once he gets it. It's a shame; if either one of these guys got a pair of decent hands they'd be good threats. (I will say Vermette is much more comfortable with the puck on his stick than Winchester - Win still has the rookie puck jitters.)

But don't worry guys! Don Cherry has found the problem and will save us! We're losing because the guys aren't wearing suits and ties to the rink! Alert the presses! *sigh* CBC, get this freakin clown off the air already.

I had a good laugh at Cherry but he does have a point...in a roundabout way.

If you look at some of the classiest, winningest organizations they have moral clauses and present themselves with aplomb off the ice. Nice suits, affable, etc. Washington, Montreal, Detroit...list goes on. When you take pride in your appearance and pride in your performance on the ice you breed a feeling of winning...as opposed to a feeling of hanging out with the boys and just playing some hockey. Dress sloppy, play sloppy, act sloppy...it's not so much different from a regular workplace you know?

I too feel bad for Alfie...Spezza and Heatley are floaters. Spezza got his usual two-minute minor (can't wait till he does that in the playoffs) and they both take too much time on their shifts. Sadly, Melnyk and Murray don't have the stones to move Spezza and Hartsburg is too weak-willed to make him a healthy scractch. For something so 'easy' it sure seems hard. :)

Picard and Kuba are looking solid out there. Sadly, with one goal scored per game (Empty netters notwithstanding) going to be hard to win except against crappy goaltenders.

Atlanta up next...another two points in the bank, then the make or break of the season in a 9-game road trip.

With a much younger & fit Bobby Luongo going down for a long time with the same injury the Dominator suffered, isn't it time all the Sens brass, players & fans stand up & appologize to Mr. Hasek. By golly he wasn't really tanking it; this is a serious injury! But in typical Ottawa fashion most were quick to crusify Hasek & the maronic GM ran one of the best goalies ever to play the game out of town. Now the crew, as is evident by the comments above, are about to do the same to Spezza, one of the top players in the league. The fact that the Sens suck has little to do with Spezza & more to do with all the competent people leaving the organization over the last 4-5 years. The people replacing them are not nearly as good, hence the inferior team we have now. As much as we need a goalie, we need scouts who can evaluate talent, a GM who has a clue & a coach who can coach.

Why are people always blaming lack of work or lack of motivation whenever the Senators lose a game or two? Could it be that sometimes the coaching staff is not coming up with the right game plan, strategy, line matchups or whatever to beat the team that they are playing against. I've seen games where the effort was there from most of the players but the results were not. Something to think about perhaps for Eugene Melnyk?

Bobby...

Spezza has been held pointless in half the games he's played in.
Spezza has not had a point in the past 3-4 games.
Spezza takes a penalty a game.
Spezza had a fantastic playoffs in 2006-07 and two good seasons after the lockout.
Since Spezza has signed his big contract?

-1 point in 4 playoff games
-Mediocre this season

Paid 7 million a year and producing like a third liner.

If you're happy with that...fine. But you shouldn't be. You should be demanding Spezza be a point a game if not more and that he carry this team to a Stanley Cup championship.

It's Spezza's fault if this team isn't playing well, period!

Michel, I call BS.
It's time to stop blaming the coaches. This team has had THREE coaches the past two seasons.

Players are well paid. Suck it up princesses and get your asses into gear out there or you'll miss the playoffs.

The 3rd liner is 3rd on the team in scoring. He was held pointless 'cause Heatley and Alfie have missed many chances the usually capitalize on. Heater should have had 3 goals last night. He takes a penalty a game because he is engaged...perhaps you like the fly bys, I don't. Mediocre this season?...so he is the reason the team sucks? You are just silly. I suppose Tampa should blame Vinny for their demise...You saw two teams last night with two dummies for coaches. The result was a dull affair. St Louis was awful, Mezaros hasn't got a goal this year...trade em all I say! I think you are just offended at the salaries and don't even watch a game. You hate Spezza when he scores points and you hate when he doesn't. Michel is right and you...you are dead wrong. You are just bitter for some reason. Can you comment on anything but Spezza...I don't think so. You are blowing smoke son... Fisher, Foligno, Winchester, Kelly, Vermy and Neil are minus 37 and the problem is Spezza...get a grip. What is worse than that is our two top defensemen Volchenkov and Philips are a collective minus 22 and that is Spezza's fault as well! You are foolish. I don't even think you watch hockey you just read and write. Michel is right on and the team has been blessed with losers for coaches (just look at their records) but maybe that is Spezza's fault as well. Perhaps you are with Dum Cherry and simply want the boys to show up dressed like Liberace...what ever it is...get over it and examine the real problems plaguing this team. Check out the other teams plus minus and ask yourself why they are on the plus side of the ledger. How can a team go from top scoring to the leagues worst? Did fisher and Vermette forget how to score? Has Philips and Vochenkov forgot how to eliminate scoring chances? Whatever Spezza has done to you...get over it and start sounding a little bit intelligent...please.

The simple fact is - Spezza and Heatley only use 1 or 2 moves a game. They've been doing it for years, and other teams (you know, the whole watching video thing the Roger started?) have caught on and know how to stop them now. That's why they need to come up with something new.

Alfie is the one on that line who has the defensive conscience, the one who battles in teh corners to feed the guys pucks, the one who makes pick plays (I know its illegal but hey) and draws opponents to him to clear out room for Spez and Heater. But, he just can't do it alone anymore.

That, and a lack of a good transitional defenseman means that Spez and Heater have to do a little more than they used to. They have to go back further in their zone to pick up pucks, they need to go into corners occasionally to steal pucks, they need to show opponents some dazzling new offensive moves.

And Bobby, it's not a bad thing!!! Rounding out their games and developing more offensive tools makes Spezza and Heatley better players.

Just look at Yzerman. As a rookie and young player he scored alot, but he was easy to paly against and couldn't bring home a championship. After he matured a little, developed a rounded game, and voila, he turns into one of the best players (and best leaders) in the league. So what if he loses 10-15 points a year when his rounded game brings so much more to the table?

I mean really Bobby, all you do is harp on plus minus. Have you seen what Volchenkov does on the blueline? I doubt anyone on this board has the cajones to stand in front of the net and block shots like he does (no offense guys - I wouldn't do it either).

And yes, I have seen a fair amount of Jr B games and there are guys on those teams who could easily be stars in the OHL and good NHL players, but for whatever reason, they choose to play in Jr B. Nothing wrong with that.

Really, stop looking just at the stats. Start actually watching the game. Whether you're willing to believe it or not, Winchester does bring some good things to the table - but you won't see it on the stat sheet. Same with Volchenkov. Does this mean I'm penciling these guys into the Hall of Fame? No, it just means they are competent NHLers that do contribute to the team.

Now, all that said, I am NOT excusing our so-called secondary scorers. Kelly, Fisher, et all need to put more pucks in the net. And yes, I do think coaching has a little to do with it, but a lot has to do with what's going on between the ears of a lot of these guys.

Nancy, I respect you and your opinion but what do you say for the minus 37 and minus 22? Don't suggest they are useless stats? How many goals has Zetterberg got, or Franzen or Datsuk or Vinny? They have similar number of goals as Spezza, but they have secondary scoring and defence who they can rely on. Watch how often our defence vacate the blue line early so we cannot keep pressure in the opposing teams end. Blocking shots is great but he and Philips are not goalies they need to prevent goals. I would trade the block shots for hits and keeping the others off the score sheet any day! Nancy -22 from a single tandem is horrendous. I watch the games very closely...and Philips looks frantic and Volchenkov is very very slow...brass nuts but slow. When you have 7 guys who are collectively minus 59 my god almighty you will not win any games...and Visitor harps on Spezza? Yes Jason needs to pick up his game but he is a set up guy and if they are not scoring his numbers will fall. Compare Sens stats to the stats of successful teams...everyone here has a HO for Getzlaf...he has 14 goals but a big plus because they have defencemen who inspire fear and take care of business. Philips for a big lug hasn't had a fight in his career!!!!! Do you not think forwards know that? Nancy...every team knows they have to stop one line...even hold them to one or two goals and they will win. Everyone has a thing for Alfie... and I love him too but he gives the puck away often. See who comes back and gets the puck often, Jason get flack like Mahovalich got it because his stride is long and slow and everyone thinks he floats...You like Winchester...what do you like about his game? His choppy skating, instability on his skates? His shot that couldn't break a pain of glass? His puck carrying capability...the many scoring chances he generates...or his dump ins (which is safe and he does it well and often). My case Nancy, is this team is very poorly coached. I maintain that the GM is actually interfering. No team in the league would have Winchester playing a regular shift. Zubov comes up and instantly looks far better than JrB; Zack Smith looked far better ion his 3 shifts. This team is last in scoring and as much as you hate it the stats rarely lie...did all these players forget how to play offensive and defensive hockey? Really Nancy, Hartsburg got fired twice before because he is useless. Paddock, as much as I like the man, spent 12 years in the manures because he is a minor league coach...and Murray...is a goof. Playing against a very tough Anaheim team for a STanley cup he didn't dress B/Mack for one game and some on Ottawa suffered from no-ball-itis (I would have had 2 additional neanderthals on the bench for good measure but not the intelligent Murray). For Visitor to keep blaming Spezza for the teams woes is down right retarded. Do you think that Philips and Volchenkov are playing well Nancy? I personally don't believe in a Team Identity beyond hard working and constant presure. Forcheck with 2 guys in deep (one on the man one for the puck) and hound them...I believe in forcing the play when killing a penalty...make the other team make a perfect play. And I believe in picking up your man when the puck is turned over and be proud to keep your guy off the score sheet...I don't know what system hartburg plays and I suspect that the players don't either.

They're gonna come back guys. They know what it takes later on in the season, and playoffs. They've been there. Murray's retooled this team into a playoff team. He'll tweak the roster later on in the season with another rushing D-man, and possibly some 2nd line scoring if it's obvious Spezza & Heatley can't produce with anyone else. But I hope not. $18MILLION says they should be able to. Call me stubborn, but I still think they gotta try Fisher with Spezza & Heatley. And play Alfie with Kelly & Vermette. Even if just for a few games. The potential dividends are many. Considering the money all six of those professionals make, they should be able to adapt to each others styles, and produce. Fisher could open up space in front of opposing goalies with his speed, or clog the crease with his physical play. The line would be grittier. Alfie would easily lift Kelly & Vermette's play. Am I too optimistic?

Well said Bobby. The last house league teams I coached I told my guys to watch how Ottawa moves the puck from D to D until a side opens up & with a quick pass the speedy forwards were off to the races. I couldn't do that today because this defence doesn't have that ability. To me this is the big difference between the great Sens teams & this one. I used to lament on how Gordie Howe was so lazy & never gave a good effort until my dad told me not to watch him but focus on the other guys struggling to keep up to him. He skated so effortlessly but, I came to realize, was fast & damn effective. Spezza has these same qualities, he's smooth as silk. I watched Washington play the system Bobby described & they're not only effective they are so fun to watch. People watching the Caps get their money's worth, we can't say that about our passive Sens.

So let me get this straight...if our D is slow and has a hard time making a good first pass up the ice, its perfectly OK for our forwards to stand at centre ice picking their noses until thier shift is over. Great, wonderful!

So if someone at work can't completely do their job, I'm not going to pitch in and try to help out. I'm just going to stand there and "just do my own job." Who cares if the business fails in the meantime? I'm just doin my job.

Yep, and let the losses pile up.

Look, I know it sucks for one dimensional offensive guys to *gasp* actually go into their own zone once in awhile to help their D, but if you want to WIN, you've got to do it.

Do you really think we would have one of the lowest goals-allowed figures in teh league if Volchenkov hadn't blocked so many shots? That's how he contributes. And unlike Fisher, he actually plays when he's injured and badly banged up.

As for Winchester, he's just a rookie. This is his first (and maybe only) crack at the NHL. And yes, I have seen some good things from him so far. He has good hockey sense, the puck seems to follow him around the ice (and no, you can't teach that) and he goes into the corners and gets the puck to his linemates, he can play the cycle game in the corners, and he's actually trying while on the ice. Granted, he's very shy trying to handle the puck on his stick for more than a second, but when he gets more comfortable in the league he should get over that. Will he be a great player? No. Will he be a decent, NHL-capable 3rd liner? Yep, it's definitely within his range.

The simple fact is Spez and Heater are two of the top paid guys in the league. Well, the top guys int eh league each have over 40 points so far this season. Spez is at 22 and Heater 28. That's just not acceptable. I realise our D overall isn't as good as it used to be but that means good players who actually care aobut their game will dig down that much further to do just a little bit more to get the points. I don't expcet them both to be at 44 points a la Malkin and Ovenchin, but they should be around 30-35 or so by now.

Now, just to keep things straight, I am NOT giving our other offensive lines a free pass either. Fisher, Vermette, Kelly, Phillips et all haven't been doing thier jobs either. I would trade just about anyone on D and lines 2-4 for some decent players about now.

Jim - Yes, Washington is fun to watch, but they also have the tools and talent to play a fun game. We don't have those hands on the blueline to generate entertaining plays, so if we want to be successful, we either need to make a few big trades to get those hands, or we change the way we play. I would love to see the Sens of old who were always making pretty plays and lifting people out of their seats. But our team just can't play that way anymore. Maybe if young Lee can make a dramatic leap in confidence, we might see glimpses of that game again, but I doubt it'll happen without a trade.

Meh, sorry Bobby, I shouldn't be focusing totally on your comments. I'm just getting so frustrated with this team. In reality, no one in this organization is pulling thier weight, from the owner, to the coaches, to the guys on the ice. It's just so hard accepting how far this team has fallen in two years.

As much as I agree with letting Redden go (he needed a change of scenery as much for his own sanity as the organization needed for him to go), I wish the organization had realized that Lee just wasn't ready to take over such a key position on the team and brought in a guy with good hands and hockey sense to fillt hat hole.

I guess all we can to is wish for a miracle........or the first overall pick this summer.......to start turning things around.

There is a good article in the Citizen today that talks about a lot of the points being raised by folks here.

on a different note, I agree that the Caps are fun to watch, they can play that style at the moment...we simply cant. Imagine the outcry in Ottawa if we would have done as well as the Caps over the last few years!!! Everybody would have been fired and traded....LOL

So why can't Ottawa play this pleasing style? Weak defence? Heck outside of Green I don't see many premier defencemen on the Caps. Speedy skilled forwards? Ottawa has more than its share of guys who can skate & handle the puck. Coaching philosophy? Bingo! Hartsburg plays not to lose, Budreau to win. Ottawa stopped playing that agressive style last year when, after a record start, it became apparent that their goalies were absolutely no good. So they fell back into a defensive shell that is still in use today. As their record indicates they aren't doing real good with this approach. Washington, on the other hand, is using an all out forechecking game with 2 & sometimes all 3 forwards deep & banging. They hide their defensive shortcomings because they play the majority of the game in the other team's end. They create all kinds of scoring chances, a lot flubbed by their hard working but stone handed 2nd to 4th liners. Theodore & Johnson aren't a lot better than Ault. Ovetchkin & Semin are 2 of the best, but so are Spezza & Heatley. We need a change in overall philosophy, get rid of the trap, & play all out agressive hockey. I'll bet, with their hands untied, Fisher Vermette & the gang would rediscover their scoring touch, & Senator hockey would be worth watching again. I watched Washington dominate a very good Montreal team Saturday &, if not for McCreary keeping them shorthanded half the game, would have won big. The Sens can do the same.

I wish I had your optimism Jim. I would love to see those up tempo, fun games back in Ottawa.


Now I've gotta ask, what coach out there is available for the Sens to pick up?

Nancy, no one player brings home a championhsip. Spez is on pace for 36 goals and Heater for 42 and this is bad? This, in spite of the fact that our defence suck and can't move the puck out of their end nor can they pinch to keep it in. We are the same Nancy and Jim and love the Sens and that is why we are passionate...I challenge anyone contributing to this blog to have some fun tonight and lets keep track of a few things: 1) who gives the puck away and how often (and a give a way is when a player passes it right on someone's stick, so we are on the same page) 2) how often spezza comes back to get the puck and goes into their end to get it 3) how many times JrB touches the puck and how often he simply dumps it in 4) how often Spezza makes a pass to set up someoneand they miss...one more would be fun...how often Ottawa shoots the puck and misses the net!
We can compare notes tomorrow....waddyasay...I would be willing to by y'all a beer as well...hell, even Visitor!

Bobby, I am in! Ill get my tally sheet ready

Man its been a few days since I have been on here and there is enough information on here to write a novel.

Nancy, I am sure Pat Quinn can coach for us. He is a bit busy right now, but he is already here....... ;-)

I'd bet Quinn would do a decent job with our guys. I worry about the juniors tho, and more than a little disappointed that young Taylor Hall didn't make the team. I was really hoping to see what he could do against elite competition. Good on young Esposito to start dropping the Daigle-syndrome and start his journey to becoming a professional.

Anyways, Bobby, I'll give it a go. Not promising anything...been up nearly 20 hours straight so far so I'll probably be seeing double by the time the game starts. I don't know if "dump ins" is a bad thing tho. When goals are scarce, maybe going back to basics, old north-south hockey and a few garbage workmanlike goals might just light a fire under the guys (hows that for enough cliches?).

Go Sens!

The Sens should have no problems beating a very poor Atlanta team tonight. The 10 games after tonight where 9 are on the road will be a true indicator as to whether the Sens will make the playoffs or not. If they don't go 4-6 or better, it might be all over but the crying.

I thought Cherry's comments the other night made a lot of sense. Perhaps I am just an old geezer but I am constantly amazed at how shabbily and unkept pro hockey players always seem to be. Between facial hair that resembles a typical street person to juvenile and thug like fashions (silly toques, sloppy jeans, tee shirts that I might have owned 35 years ago), most NHL players are not a pretty sight. I guess the times have passed me by. Can you picture Jean Beliveau walking into the Montreal Forum wearing bagging, worn out jeans with a tee shirt that probably hasn't seen the wash in weeks, along with a woolen toque that would be more appropriate on a street gang member?

...comming from anyone...anyone but Dum Cherry it would have been credible. He is a cross between Bozo the Clown and and a very radical Liberace. But Daniel, you are right...I remember as a Junior having to wear a jacket and tie. I don't by the cold weather thing...it is just fly to wear the tougue pulled down low. Why all professional athletes want to look like rappers from the "pojects' is beyond me. But Dum Cherry is not the one to comment...he is a fool and a moron...and someone should tell him that the bad English thig was done 40 years ago with Dizzy Dean. Have you noticed how hard he is working to get his digs in on Ron Wilson...how dare Wilson challenge Dum Cherry!!!

My tally (of give a-ways) at the end of this horrendous display: Heately 3, Spezza 2, Kuba 2 Picard 1, Fisher 2, Donovan, Bell and Zubov all with 1 and Winchester with 5 in half a game as he was benched the second half. This team is far too gone to salvage. I had my brother over and I only watched it to the end because he was visiting. I printed off 4 copies of the Sens roster and we all (son and daughter) agreed on what a give a way was. We compared notes at the end and that is how I determined my numbers...sadly we also determined this was not entertainment.

Awesome 3-1 Atlanta win.

I agree with Bryan Murray, this team is HARDER TO PLAY AGAINST.

I also agree with Eugene Melnyk that I'd rather see familiar patsies than players that want to win.

Onto New Jersey!

I have to admit Bobby, Spezza did play a spirited game. I noticed at least 3 times where he picked up the puck deep in his own zone and carried it up the ice to make plays. None resulted in goals, but they were decent scoring chances. It's something I haven't seen from him in awhile. My only hope is he doesn't give up that style after one game and go back to swirling around centre ice again waiting for the D to get the puck out.

Now, I do think our D have gotten a lot better in their own zone compared to the beginning of the season. They're a lot more organized and seem to communicate better. Maybe it was because they wanted to do it for Gerber, I don't know.

The third period, however.........ugh. You could see after those 2 quick goals they just gave up. This team is still way too fragile mentally. I don't understand hw they could've given up so easily when they still had about 18 minutes left to play.

I can't help but feel bad for that Atlanta goalie. He was a lil over a minute away from his first NHL shutout.

As for the giveaways, there were a couple by each of Spez and Winchester. I didn't see Winchester at all in the third. He didn't seem to get injured at any point so maybe he was benched? And yea, some soft dump ins by Winchester too. A dump in is good if its hard enough to go deep for a dump&chase, but he didn't put the necessary weight behind them tonight.

Strong effort by Vermette and Fisher again.........if those guys had decent hands they'd be real threats.

Good hit by Neil. I just wish guys wouldn't act so stupid on good legal hits tho. If someone deliberately throws a dirty hit or tries to injure one of your mates, then let 'em have it.....not when its a good hit.