As you'd expect, there was plenty of rust for the Senators to shake off in the early going.
The Jets took the play to Ottawa through the first 10 minutes, registering the majority of the quality scoring chances and ultimately getting on the board first on a power play goal by Dustin Byfuglien. That seemed to provide Ottawa with the wake up call they needed, as Paul MacLean's team largely dominated the game from that point on.
Milan Michalek struck first for the Sens, picking up where he left off from last season. In the second period,
Ottawa found their legs a little bit and you could sense the tide turning. Late in the second, Chris Neil knocked a back hand past a helpless Onrej Pavelec, giving the Senators a one goal lead heading into the final frame.
The Jets had a couple chances to tie the game in the third but Craig Anderson was strong in the Ottawa goal. Erik Karlsson provided the insurance on the power play with a rocket that beat Pavelec high and Kyle Turris scored just over five minutes later to put the game away for the visitors.
Obviously there was plenty to like in Ottawa's season opening win but the play of Marc Methot really stood out for me. He looked extremely comfortable playing with Erik Karlsson and was certainly the Sens most impressive defenceman in his own end. It's obviously a small sample size but he really seems like the ideal partner for Karlsson.
The Senators look to build on yesterday's win when they play their home opener against Alex Kovalev and the Florida Panthers tomorrow night.
http://craigmainprize.bandcamp.com/track/alive-and-well-gonna-get-er-to-go
Sincerest apologies if links are not allowed here.
This summer they were talking about the Murray's being hockey people and their understanding of talent. Hopefully, Lundin can step in and play beside Gonchar.
If Wiercioch goes back to bingo (which I highly doubt) this will definitely be his last year outside the NHL. He has really filled out and the physical side of his game is ready.
Amazing what a Norris trophy does for CBC broadcasters opinion Karlssons defensive game. All of the sudden now they get it.. This kid may very well end up in the hall of fame as a generational talent.
Disappointed in Latendresse & Benoit, Latendresse because he looks slow & out of shape & Benoit because he seems too small to deal with the big NHL forwards. I would like to see Murray give Gryba a shot, he's been playing well in Bingo & he may be the right shot, puck blocking defensive defenseman they need.
If Wiercioch goes back to bingo (which I highly doubt) this will definitely be his last year outside the NHL. He has really filled out and the physical side of his game is ready.
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I would guess that the plan is that WireCock stays around even once Lundin is fit again with Benoit or Boro getting the odd game to spell the inevitable rest days for some of the blueliners.
Liked what I saw of him yesterday (Methot too), looks like everybody was keeping it simple, which is never a bad thing. Proves that patience is sometimes needed, even with first or second rounders.
Methot - too many short passes to Erik in 1st but got much better
Alfie - Looked great for 40
Spezza - Deserved a few points out there, played great
Jacob - Played very well and should get better
Weircoch - Played well but gave Schieffle that shot out front when he shouldn't have committed to that play behind the net. Nice Assist though
Latendresse - Had a rough night and should have had a couple of points, you could see how rusty he is
Anderson - Was lights out, amazing
Erik - Was pretty bad and lucky to get the points he did I thought. Missed a wide open Spezza on a 3 on 1
Go Sens! :) Florida is playing well
Latendresse will definitely lose his job from 2nd line. He was terrible and doesn't fit well with Alfie and Turris. After few games, I can see Paul moving Regin or Greening.
Andy was solid after the first 10 minutes of the game. I hope BM can try some of the UFA defensive guys.
Edmonton is definitely a work in progress.
One player I totally underestimated is Ladislav Smid. WOW! That guy plays physical and clears the crease like nobody's business!
If Murray decides we need to make a move on D, this is the kind of guy we need.
im thinking ill give Gamecenter a shot this year.. seems pretty cool i can watch on any device!
Does anyone already have it? and how do you like it?
It's amazing! Very much addicted
I started using GameCenter this season. It's been good for the couple games I've watched so far. I find it slightly lower quality than an HD cable feed, but it still looks fine. There are a couple big benefits aside from multiple devices, like you can tile 4 games at once and, if you use a service like unblock-us, you can watch local games that would normally be blacked out. On the other hand, if you plan to watch a lot of games per month, you might have to think about your bandwidth depending on what kind of cap you have...one game can be several GBs.
looking for another strong effort from all the players, like
they showed us against the Jets in Winnipeg !
Senators will most likely go with the same lineup they had in last game. Anderson will again start in goal, and forward lines will be the same, as will defence pairings !
Game Day Post should be up around the noon hour, and will see if MacLean sticks with same lineup as Jets' game !
GO SENS GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !
Honestly the guy has half a good season after 2 and a half terrible years and we resign him?
Say what you will about kuba, at least he had injury as an excuse. Phillips just got old, slow, intimidated and weak. And now we're stuck with him
But that's OK because he has so much heart....
Benoit is a solid pro but he's not NHL calibre. Sure he's good enough to fill in every now and then but he's out of place in the NHL. He's too small and lacks the foot speed to play in the big leagues and no offense to him but he doesn't have a future with the Ottawa Senators, unlike Borowiecki. Benoit is an AHL star and a NHL dud. It's time to see if Boro is ready for the big leagues.
One thing seems evident, Patty Wiercioh is ready for the show!! I loved his game vs the Jets and thought that apart from Methot, he was our best defenceman.
Can't read into game 1 too much, however. We'll have a real discussion after week 1.
GO SENS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0mEk_OfLWg
Benoit is a solid pro but he's not NHL calibre. Sure he's good enough to fill in every now and then but he's out of place in the NHL. He's too small and lacks the foot speed to play in the big leagues and no offense to him but he doesn't have a future with the Ottawa Senators, unlike Borowiecki. Benoit is an AHL star and a NHL dud. It's time to see if Boro is ready for the big leagues.
One thing seems evident, Patty Wiercioh is ready for the show!! I loved his game vs the Jets and thought that apart from Methot, he was our best defenceman.
I agree with that. I think Benoit is better used mentoring in the A. He was out match physically. I would rotate beetween him and Boro for a few games just to make sure. It looks like it's Boro's position for the taking. Good thing Anderson was sharp at the start of the game. Most underrated goalie in the league.
Thats a regular pairing down in bingo, and with Karlsson getting used to Methot and Gonchar/Phillip s struggling I think some regularity and familiarity will go a long way for the first few games
Also our 2nd pp unit needs some help on the back end. At leats thi way we can roll Karlsson-goncha r out on #1 and then weircoch-benoit again for #2.
I don't want to go back to Phillips as our #2 qb lol
Andy carries the load again this year, so Lehner will have to go back down, with knowing that he will get a few games up here on occaision, and before the start of next season he will be up here for good.
I agree with most posters that Lats needs a bit more time, however I fear that in a shortened season, he cannot get up to speed with Turris and Alfie... he was too slow last game, and you cannot keep Regin off, at this point Regin is the better of the two, and deserves some shifts on that second line.
Methot is the perfect tonic to Karlsson, he will only prosper more as they play more games.
Wiercioch is here for good, I would like Boro and Gyrba to get a shot, not sure if Benoit can handle the NHL heavyweights.
Sens win 4-2 tonight
Go Sens Go!!!!
Rusty would be Latendresse (slow, timing off), Spezza (expected more considering he's been playing non-stop), Phillips (slow but positionaly sound).
Over all, enjoyable albeit sloppy game. Looking forward to tonight and then seeing the boys live this Sunday. Hopefully a tighter effort against the Pens.
Game starts at 730. I imagine they are doing a bit of a Opening Night "hoopla" with each player skating out. Would that be at 730pm, or would that do that early to still have a 730 puck drop?
Yeah...dumb question. I just didnt want to take any risks. My first home opener.