As the afternoon moved along, and with the Ottawa Senators starved for offence, it looked like it just wasn't going to be their afternoon.
That was until the Sens Captain stepped up. Alfredsson put a backhand underneath the bar that tied the game at 1-1. That was the way it stayed until the shootout where Jakob Silfverberg picked apart the veteran Martin Brodeur and gave the Sens a huge two points.
(UPDATE 10;32 AM)- Two line up changes for the Senators today in New Jersey. Mika Zibanejad comes out of the line up in favour of Colin Greening who sat out Saturday night. Andre Benoit will also come out of the line up in favour of Patrick Wiercioch.
(UPDATE 9:59 AM)- Apparently Gryba was only the beginning. With some injury issues up front, the Senators have also recalled Derek Grant and David Dziursynski from the Binghamton Senators. Doesn't leave much down on the farm but a great chance for the kids to show what they can do. Practice at 11:00 AM at SBP.
For the second time in less than 15 games, Bryan Murray had to speak to the media about an injury to one of the team’s star players.
In an address this afternoon, the Sens General Manager indicated that defending Norris Trophy champion had surgery on a 70% cut and that the recovery time is expected to be 3-4 months. Murray said that as expected, “Karlsson’s season is effectively over.”
The Ottawa Senators played a hockey game tonight but hardly anyone is talking about the result afterwards.
Late in the second period, Sens defenceman Erik Karlsson was cut by the skate of Matt Cooke and left the ice in obvious pain. Replays showed the skate of Cooke slicing across the back of Karlsson's left ankle in a sight that turned stomachs across the city of Ottawa.
Looking to build on a solid outing against the Sabres last night, the Senators are right back at it tonight when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.
While the Sabres have struggled to start the season, playing the Penguins on a back to back presents an entirely different challenge. They come into the game holding down the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference and boast one of the league’s most offensively gifted line ups. Safe to say the Sens will have their hands full in this one.
With Jason Spezza on the sidelines for the foreseeable future, the Ottawa Senators will need their best players to step up to win hockey games.
That is exactly what happened on Tuesday night. Craig Anderson was an absolute rock in goal and defenceman Erik Karlsson scored the game winner while shorthanded, leading the Sens to a much needed 2-0 win over their division rivals, the Buffalo Sabres.
With the Ottawa Senators coming off a shutout loss to the Winnipeg Jets, a visit from the Buffalo Sabres may be just what the doctor ordered for a struggling offence.
Last time the two teams met, exactly one week ago, Ottawa was able to put four pucks behind Sabres starter Jhonas Enroth on their way to a 4-3 victory. Things won’t be quite as easy this time around as the Sabres are expected to go with their starting goalie, Ryan Miller.
As the Ottawa Senators get set for a week that includes a back to back against the Sabres and Penguins beginning tomorrow night, it seems like an appropriate time to quickly check in on the rumour mill.
While things seem relatively quiet around the Senators right now, you can be sure the team’s recent goal scoring troubles has General Manager Bryan Murray actively searching for help up front. And while nothing seems imminent, there are a couple names that could be options for the Sens in the not too distant future.
On the heels of a disappointing overtime loss at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, the Senators are back in action when they host the Winnipeg Jets in an afternoon affair.
Despite Thursday night's loss, the Sens were able to pick up a single point, something they have managed to do in every home game so far this season. Paul MacLean's team will be looking for a couple points this time around with the 11th place Jets in town.