50'd

Wow what a crappy way to start Halloween Saturday. I hate you Ondrej Pavelec, seriously. Not much you can say when you outshoot a team 51-21 and have 2 of the games 3 stars, and lose by 2 somehow. We ran into a hot goalie and sometimes that will happen. But part of me can't help but think we would have put a few past him with Spezza playing. I'm not gonna dwell much on the game, even though it is our 2nd in a row to teams we should beat.

Some thoughts on the game:

-I thought Cheechoo finally had a decent game. He worked hard, had some chances and played smart. Now he just needs to score a few.

-Pascal Leclaire is very unlucky. That must have been the 5th or 6th goal already this year that banked in off a skate or something weird, poor guy.

-Why must everyone go insane when any semi attractive girl is on the screen? Please don't make them dilluisional and think they're hotter then they are. Today was even worse with Halloween and skanky costumes. Ah yes hockey games, where a girl who's a 7 becomes a 12.

-I still don't like Picard, sorry. Even though it was his 150th career NHL game so congratulation I guess.

-Brian Lee started well and then struggled. Nick Foligno has been meh this year and I'm a fan, still Happy 22nd birthday kid.

-I can't decide if I like afternoon games or not. On one hand I have to get up earlier after a Friday night of boozing, on the other hand, I get to see a game and be home by dinner, allowing my night to go on unfettered.

Happy Halloween everyone from The Mayor. What did you fine people think of the game?

Happy Halloween

Just a quick shoutout to all of my readers. Hope you all have a very fun, safe and happy Halloween today. Be sure to dress up, have a blast, drink a few too many (maybe one or two in honor of me?) and just enjoy the day and night. Hopefully the Sens reward us with a very nice treat and give us an entertaining victory this afternoon. Remember to have some of that UNICEF money around for the kids and have treats ready too for the next generation of Sens fans.

Happy Halloween everyone.

-The Mayor

Trick Or Treat: GDP #12 Sens V ATLiens

Welcome to a Halloween edition of game day preview, as the Sens take on the Atlanta Thrashers in a rare afternoon affair. The Sens should come out hard after that pathetic performance on Thursday in Tampa, that sens Sens Army into a rage. No one was safe, as Sens fans let everyone have it, which was to be expected after the team mailed it in.

To be fair, the game was their 2nd in as many nights with travel, and they were without the services of Anton Volchenkov, Jason Spezza and Pascal Leclaire, who are arguably their best defenceman, forward and goalie respetcively. The problem was we still had the better team. Look I never expect us to go 82-0 and I do know that during a long season, loses to soft teams will happen. I know this to be true, deosn't mean I have to be OK with it though. They had no jump, no effort and were undisciplined again. I swear if Cheechoo takes one more penalty in the offensive zone, while not scoring or contributing, then I'm gonna lose it.

The Sens take on the Thrashers, looking to make it 2-0 against Atlanta this season, after beating them at SBP 2 weeks ago. Their chances should be bolstered tremendously with Ilya Kovalchuk on the sidelines with an injury. Atlanta does have some solid players however, and after they way we played last game, I will not take this win for granted. If we want it, we will have to earn it.

Anton Volchenkov is still out of course and more bad news, since Jason Spezza won't be in the lineup either, missing his 2nd straight game with some sort of a back ailment. On the positive side, Pascal Leclaire is supposed to start, after a bout with the flu. The Mayor happened to run into him yet again at the store today (is he stalking me?), and he said he was good to go and felt fine. Straight from Snoopy's mouth is good enough for me.

The Sens should get back to their winning ways and beat the very beatable Thrashers, but you never know. Depends what team shows up. In the end, I think triple C will demand a big effort and the Sens will win a tough one. The game will be 5-2 in a contest that is closer then the score indicates. The game is on at 2pm on CBC and the Team 1200, and the Sens will be wearing their 3rd jerseys for the first time this season.

Bold Predicition: Cheechoo finally scores his 1st as a Sen in this game


Happy Halloween and Happy 22nd Birthday to Nick Foligno. Hope you get a Bday goal for us.

What do you guys think will happen?

Fisher Wins Hot 89.9 Contest, Gets 5 Stacks

As if he needed the cash, but even still, kind of a funny story, as Mike Fisher wins $5000 in a radio contest from Hot 89.9 called is it me. From my understanding of it, which is nothing really, they gave out a series of insanely easy clues to find out who the mystery person was. Of course it was none other then ol blue eyes, who then called in to win the money. Ever the nice guy, he donated the money to the Ottawa Mission. To hear the audio of his big call, click on the video below.




What do you think of Fish winning the 5 stacks?

Heatley Halloween Costume From Unlikely & Funny Source

No explanation needed, just watch the video and laugh. I assure you it's worth the watch. Forward to the 2 minute mark for the hilarity and witness one of the best hockey Halloween costumes of all time.

Back To The Drawing Board

What an overall awful game. We had no heart and didn't deserve the win at all. I know we were playing back to back and everything but still, what a pathetic game. Tampa owned us and Tampa should never own anyone.

Basically everyone was garbage but here are some of my thoughts from the game:

-Do we ever miss Spezza and Volchenkov. Without them we do NOT look good at all.

-Brian Elliott appears to in sophomore jinx mode, I haven't been impressed with him at all this season, especially on the Malone and Tanguay goals. Let's hope Pascal kicks the illness very soon.

-Milan Michalek is awesome. I wish he'd bury more of his chances but he is adapting well to a new team. I like him more and more every game we play. Leading contender for the back of a new jersey for yours truly.

-Steve Downie is a grade A punk. What a girl!

-Alex Picard needs to go away, right away. He's awful night after night. I can't stand him.

-Cheechoo needs to sit. He's invisible and brutal out there, except when taking non stop careless penalties. How do you say healthy scratch in Cree?

-Jarkko Ruutu has 4 goals in 11 games, to go along with his hard work and pest like bahvior. I'm impressed

Overall that game was just insanely bad to watch. If we want to make the playoffs, we can't have stinkers like that, especially to a weak team like Tampa. No excuses, excuses are for losers. We better play better on Saturday.

Anyone have any thoughts?

GDP #11: Sens V Tampa

Fresh off the victory last night, the Sens are back at it in Florida tonight, as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. At first glance Tampa looks horrible, going 3-3-3 this year, but at a closer look, they are an impressive 3-0-2 at home this year.

The Sens are looking to sweep the Sunshine state games, which has been almost a sure thing in the past, going an insane 24-6-2 in their last 32 games in Florida and Tampa. Getting another 2 points tonight would be huge for their playoff chances. We have a pretty easy schedule to start the year and need to take full advantage of it.

The big news last night was the return of Filip Kuba, today it's news of Volchenkov's injury, which should keep him out at least 2 weeks. This is awful news for a team that has playoff aspirtaions. The A-Train is having a career year and is as Pascal Leclaire put it, " a goalies best friend". There is no way we won't miss a guy like that, with all his toughness, hard play and blocked shots. It's definitely a huge loss and I'm bummed about it.

In his place, the Sens have recalled Brian Lee, who in my opinion never shoul dhave been sent down in the first place. Well here is your chance Brian, show everyone you deserve to be here over Picard, so we can get rid of him already.

The other news from last night, aside from the win and Volchenkov, was that Pascal Leclaire left the game after the first period. Here is the explanation from Triple C, "Part way through the period during one of the TV timeouts (Leclaire) came over and said he was starting to feel dizzy," coach Cory Clouston said. "He felt he would be good until the end of the period. He's a gamer, he tried to stay in but by the end of the period it kept getting progressively worse."

So with that said, Brian Elliott came in and played um, well he got the win. To me he looked shaky and his rebound control was brutal. Not the the Elliott were used to, maybe it was just an off game. Let's hope so as he gets the start tonight.

On the forward front, we had 4 different guys score last night in Alfie, Foligno, Fisher and Ruutu, who don't look now but has 3 goals and 6 points this year on the 4th line. Milan Michalek should thrive tonight with Tampa's lack of speed, look for him to have a big game. Cheechoo continues to be invisible, except when taking bad penalties. He was benched for the 3rd period last night, which was the 2nd time in 3 games for him. It isn't looking pretty for Jonathan.

Game time is 7pm on TSN and the Team 1200.

The Lightning to play well at home, but we did recently beat them 7-1 and I see a smiliar outcome tonight. I see the Sens winning 6-2. What do you guys think?

Nooooooooooooo

That noise you hear, is the collective frustration of finding out Volchenkov was hurt on the play pictured above. Just when we got Filip Kuba back to replenish our defensive corps, we lose the A-Train, Anton Volchenkov for several weeks. It is believed to be an elbow injury, that he suffered in the 3rd period of last night's game with Florida. Just our luck to lose him again, after he was off to show an amazing start. One guy back, another guy gone.

To replace him, Brian Lee has been called up from Bingo and will be in the lineup tonight. In other news, Pascal Leclaire, who had to leave the game last night too with the flu, said he was feeling much better today, but still will not play tonight.

What do you think Sens Army, time to panic or we can make it through?

A Win Is A Win

In was has become a theme this year, the Sens managed to hold on late, to beat the lowly Florida Panthers 4-3, in what was a sloppy game to the say the least.

The Sens took 7 penalties to Florida's 1, in what has become a recurring problem for us. We can't continue to be so undisciplined as a team, especially when they are coming from role players like Picard and Cheechoo, who took 2 in the offensive zone. If you're not going to score, at least don't hurt us.

Our goals came from Alfie, Ruutu, Fisher on a beautiful tip and Foligno, who scored the oldest way in the book. Bank it off McCabe's skate of course. That's his signature play. Filip Kuba looked a little rusty in his return after missing 8 games but still managed to have a quiet 2 point night.

Pascal Leclaire started the game but didn't finish it. Near the end of the first period, he told triple C that he was feeling dizzy. When the 2nd period began, Elliott took over and was shaky, especially with his rebound control.

The real issue of the night however, was that Anton Volchenkov left the game midway through the 3rd and didn't return. Hopefully it isn't anything too serious, as this would be a major blow to our team.

Other notes from the game:

-For those of you who saw the game on TV, was that an amateur broadcast or what? Crappy quality picture, poor following of the puck by the cameramen and awful anecdotes.

-Were there more then 5,000 people at the game?

-Great effort by Shean Donovan, who worked hard all night and even had a fighting major. Making it hard for Shannon to reclaim his spot.

Anyways, this was anything but a spectacular performance, but a win is a win right? We got the 2 points and that's what matters. Hopefully the A-Train is ok and off to Tampa to do it all over again tomorrow.

Sens are now 6-2-2, good for 14 points.

What were your thoughts on the game?

GDP #10: Sens V Florida

The Sens are in the Sunshine state, looking to erase the memory of our last 2 games and earn the 2 points. This is a must win, esepcially against a team with a 2-6-1 record this season. Considering our last 2 perforamnces, I would hope they come out flying, eager to prove they are for real.

Of course there are a lot of personel changes in the team for this game. Of course as everyone knows, Erik Karlsson was sent to Bingo and Filip Kuba will make his overdue return in the lineup, which should make a massive difference for us. In other surprising, yet happy news to me at least, Ryan Shannon will be the healthy scratch, meaning Shean Donovan will get the call again. Dono has been very effective when he's played this year in my opnion, plus he's just a really likeable guy. He's a very easy person to root for and I'm glad Triple C is recognizing his effort this season with more chances to play.

Pascal Leclaire will return to lineup, after taking Saturday's game off with the flu. I always feel better with him back there, he's been a rock so far. I couldn't be happier with the way things have worked out with him so far.

The chase is on to see who will score first between Cheechoo and Spezza. If either one or both of them got it going, it would really help the team out and make us a much more deadly team to deal with. I think it's a matter of time before Spezza pots one at least, but still it is a bit worriesome.

This is a team we definitely should beat and I would be shocked if he don't come out and dominate the lowly Panthers.

Prediction is a Sens 5-1 win and Spezza gets his first goal of the season. The game is @7:30pm on TSN2 and Team 1200

Kuba Returns + H1N1 + WC Team + Halloween Tix

Finally some good news, as Filip Kuba will return to the lineup tonight, when the Sens play in Sunrise, Florida. He has been gone, for which seems like forever and as a result our defence has looked mediocore and our PP has been awful. He should definitely make a big difference in both areas, he was severely missed.

In other news, pro hockey players aren't immune to medical problems either. Like the rest of us, they have to take precautions with H1N1, better known as the swine flu. To see what they had to say about it click here

Also I will finally be revealing my Western Conference team on Friday so stay tuned for that (2 days left to try and convince me who I should take) and don't forget to enter the Sens Town Halloween contest to win a pair of seats to the game on Saturday. Send your best costume or Halloween fun to senstown@gmail.com

Bingo Bound

Yesterday we discussed the possibilities, today reality has set it. Sens prospect Erik Karlsson has been sent to the Binghamton Senators of the AHL. I think we can all agree this will help his development and get him valuable experience. He became expendable with Filip Kuba finally ready to return for tomorrow night's game against Florida. Hopefully young Erik works hard and gains some confidence down in Bingo. If he does well, he will be back with the big club in no time. Here is the official press release concerning the demotion.

In the long run, I see this as the best thing for Karlsson and for the Sens. What do you guys think? I know it got a great back and forth going yesterday in the comments, so what do you have to say now that it's official? Good move or bad move?

Halloween Ticket Contest

Have an awesome Sens related costume or decorations or pumpkin carving for Halloween on Saturday? Well if you, you and a friend could be heading to the game courtesy of Sens Town.

Send me a picture of you in the costume or the pumpkin/decoration and the winner will get a pair of tickets to the game on Saturday for Halloween against Atlanta. You have until Thursday at Midnight to submit your entry.

I will post the best one's I recieve and the winner will be contacted on Friday to get the tickets. Send me the pics and your contact info to senstown@gmail.com with the heading Halloween. Good luck to everyone, can't wait to see what people have.

-The Mayor

Lehner Is Bad Ass

When Ottawa traded Antoine Vermette at last year's trade deadline, many were sad to see him go. Looking back on it now, it's insane that he got a long term deal from Columbus worth 3.75 million a year, while we got a star goalie (Leclaire) and a 2nd round pick, that has all of a sudden turned into a stud prospect, in return for an underachieving forward.

At the time people were skeptical, but now it sure seems like we robbed them doesn't it? Robin Lehner, who we took with that 2nd rounder they gave us, quickly has Sens fans drooling. He was the star of the rookie tournament and played well in the pre-season as well. Oh ya and he did all of this while only turning 18 at the end of July incredibly. He possesses the size, 6ft3 and 220lbs, to be the REAL monster, but has been nicknamed, real estate.

The kid also has an amazing attitude. Instead of going back to europe like many of his peers, he decided he wanted to play in North America to learn the style better and to increase his chances of getting to the show as soon as possible. If only all euro's were like him, see Ilya Zubov. So he plays in the OHL for the Soo Greyhounds and is doing very well and talk out of Sens training camp was he too good for junior hockey?

Well if you weren't already impressed, here's one more reason to get excited. Not only is he big, quick, determined and has a great attitude, the kid can fight too. He got into it with the Erie goalie the other night and more then held his own. Just another thing to like about the kid, he's tough and fearless as well. To see where the Lehner fight begins, fast forward to the 30 second mark and enjoy.



What do you guys think, is he awesome or what?

Jersey Foul 42

Fear not Sens Army, I think I may have found the source of Jason Spezza's scoring slump. Perhaps it was this jersey that jinxed him. I mean not only using the wrong number and cheap font, but then going with universally unlucky number 13 instead? Come on, Giggles is a superstar in the league and everyone knows he's #19. Must be the work of a Hab or Leaf fan, or Dany Heatley.

What are your thoughts, pass or fail?

Should He Stay Or Should He Go?

As I'm sure most of you know by now, the Sens have played 9 games, going an impressive 5-2-2 without Filip Kuba but now comes a very important decision. You see at 10 games played, it counts for a year off Erik Karlsson's rookie deal. Which means the next game he plays, a year is gone. So there is speculation he may be done with the Sens this year, as to me at least, he has looked out of place and Brian Lee would help us out more immediately for this season.

The options are:

-He can stay with the Sens and continue to play mediocorely, taking up Lee's spot
-He can be sent to Binghamton, but no point as it would still count as a year off his deal
-He can be sent back to Sweden to develop and rookie deal still intact

So those are our options. To me, the best one is to send him back to Sweden. I was never on board with Karlsson being a phenom this year and his play has proved me right. We all knew he would be a liability on the back end, but he was expected to be an offensive force, esepcially on the PP, where we have struggled mightily, having one of the worst PP's in the league so far.

The kid has 3 points in 9 games so far, but they have been invisible points and he hasn't done enough on offense to justify his horrible defensive play. I know he's a rookie and he will be up and down, that's to be expected but to me the decision is easy.

Adding to the speculation is the fact that Karlsson didn't practice this morning, but the team says he is simply under the weather, which is most likely true. Murray has said before that the games deadline won't affect his decision on Erik but how could it not? It would be foolish to not take that into account BM.

In the end, I think he should be on a plane to his homeland in a day or two, but all signs seem to point to him staying around. For whatever reason, BM loves this kid and seems to have yellow and blue colored glasses when it comes to young Erik. I don't get the hype at all, but that's why I'm a writer and he's the GM I guess. Maybe they see something me and everyone else doesn't.

So what's your call, has he done enough to stick around and is worth burning a year off his deal? Or would it be better for him to go to Sweden and keep his rookie deal untouched, while having Brian Lee replace him instead?

Lost Ad

Was feeling a little bored and frustrated today, so I did this (to read it easier click on the pic above to enlarge). Thoughts? How long will it take for him to score? What's to blame for the slump?

H.O.F.

Came across this little gem online recently and had to purchase it. It's a puck to commemorate an old Sens player into the Hall of Fame. Cy Denneny played 11 season for the original Sens and won 4 Stanley Cups. He was named number 62 in The Hockey News' Top 100 players of all time and was named to the HHOF in 1959. Cool little piece of Sens memorabilia. Happy lazy Sunday

Collapse

Another day, another game and another pathetic collapse, this time to divisional rival Boston. The Sens gave up 2 goals in the last 80 seconds before falling in the shootout, going scoreless by the way. What's the matter with this team?

Unacceptable finish, especially by Mike Fisher, who had not one but TWO separate chances to clear the puck on the game tying goal and failed to do so. Why are we paying you way more then you're worth for, if you can't even dump the puck out with the game on the line, especially when you got a mulligan.

I'm just insanely frustrated right now. I don't get it at all. I'm off to drown my sorrows in some cold beers. What are your thoughts on tonights abomination? Am I overreacting? I'm just fed up with all the choking. We should have easily held that lead. We just cost overselves a point.

GDP #9: Sens V Boston

After a horrendous game on Thursday, where we somehow managed to salvage a point from, the Sens are back for a big Saturday night contest against the divisional rival, Boston Bruins.

When it comes to Boston, everything starts with former Sen Zdeno Chara, all 6'9 of him. Of course, many of us are still bitter about the way things went with him, especially considering the way he says he was forced out by only being offered 6.5 million dollars a year. So whenever there is so new ammo to make fun of him, well it's a gift. That's why this will be the gift that keeps on giving. I fully expect the crowd to boo him all night, as they usually do. It's music to my ears.

The Bruins also have the reigning Vezina trophy winner in Tim Thomas, who has owned the Sens in the past, winning his last 7 starts against us and posting an insane 1.27 GAA. On the plus side, the B's are missing tough power forward Milan Lucic and top scorer Marc Savard, which is good news for us.

Boston, who won the division by an amazing 23 points over 2nd place Montreal, has struggled this year so far, only going 4-4-1 in 9 games. That doesn't mean we should take them lightly at all. They still do have a very decent team and considering our performance on Thursday, we need a big bounce back game as is.

For the Sens, the lineup will remain the same from the game against Nashville, except that Brian Elliott will get the start, as Pascal Leclaire is suffering from the flu. That means Donovan will sit again, as a healthy scratch. Still no timetable for the returns of Kuba (we need him back desperately) and Winchester (Jesse who?). Michalek has some bumps and bruises and didn't practice yesterday, but is expected to suit up tonight.

It remains to be seen if Picard will play better tonight or if Karlsson will prove he deserves a roster spot. So far I'd say nay to both.

The Sens need a big game tonight, to show last game was a fluke. I'm sure Triple C will demand a much better effort. Hopefully Spezza and Cheechoo can finally get on the scoreboard for us, it would help a lot.

I predict a tough 3-1 win for the Sens.

"I think there is more pressure on us here than we had on the team in Ottawa." -Dany Heatley

Another gem from clueless Dany Heatley. Gimme a break. How many people in San Jose care about the Sharks? 20k? 30k? 50k? Hardly the same pressure as a city that lives and breathes hockey. In fact, weren't you just whining about the media attention here? The article goes on to say how Dany isn't worried about his public image either and he blames it on Ottawa basically. They really need to have a rule that he isn't allowed to talk anymore. To read the whole thing click here

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

What a crazy game that was, wow!

The emotions of a whole season, in one game. It was a rollercoaster ride, from start to end. It was great to see them battle back, over and over again, but it was also awful to see them squander their comeback, by taking stupid, undisciplined penalties time and time again. It was frustrating being in the crowd, it was exciting, but in the end, the result was just. We didn't deserve the win, but managed to win a point.

Things we now know:

-Alexandre Picard is awful, like really bad. I've been telling anyone who listens that he's a garbage. I know many were praising him because he gets points, but watch him play. To me he's an AHLer. He was directly responsible for the first THREE goals. How fast can Brian Lee get here?

-The team has heart. It was amazing to see the team come back to tie it on 3 seperate occassions. We didn't get the win tonight, but this effort might go a long way for the rest of the season. It's good to know they won't quit and have the ability to make a comeback. Of course, if we had of played better, the comeback wouldn't have been needed.

-Pascale Leclaire is good, like really good. Perhaps the OT winner was semi questionable, but it was on a 4 on 3 PP, with lots of ice. It's nice to know we finally have a bonafide star goalie.

-The team shot itself in the foot, time after time, with ridiculous, undisciplined penalties. Very frustrating to watch, when they easily could have been prevented.

Well what is there to say really? On one hand, it was one of the most entertaining games I had been to in years. On the other hand, we just lost to a crappy team and gave up 6 goals to the lowest scoring team in the league.

I suppose for now, let's go glass half full and be thankful for the point gained.

I expect a better effort on Saturday against the B's. Expect Triple C to practice the squad hard tomorrow, he can't be pleased with them at all.

Your thoughts?

GDP #8: Sens V Nashville

Back to game time! (and yes I swear that is by FAR the best Nashville pic I could find). But the real question on everyone's mind is, will Carrie Underwood be at the game? Just kidding, sorta.

The Sens hit the ice tonight at SBP, following a 4 day layoff since their big win in Montreal, as they take on the Nashville Predators at 7:30pm.

Filip Kuba remains hurt and will not play, while Peter Regin returns to the lineup tonight, after missing multiple games. To free up a spot, Shean Donovan will be a healthy scratch (I would have chosen Shannon), while Jesse Winchester still remains awhile away. (Does he even matter anyways?)

There was some concern coming into tonight's contest that Jason Spezza might miss the game, but that won't be the case. He will be suiting up, still looking for his 1st goal of the season. Pascal Leclaire will get the start tonight, coming off an excellent game in MTL and a great season in general so far.

On the Nashville side of things, they are only 2-5-1 this season and if we hope to make the playoffs, these are the type of games you need to get 2 points from. When it comes to the Preds, the players to watch for are Jason Arnott, Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, JP Dumont, Steve Sullivan, Martin Erat and Pekka Rinne.

The Predators do have some decent players, so we shouldn't be taking them lightly at all, especially after a few days off. I'm sure Triple C will have kept the boys motivated.

Prediction is Sens win 4-1

Game is on Sportsnet East and Team 1200 starting at 7:30pm

Jersey Foul 41

What's great about society, is how you can always expect the unexpected. I would have thought I would have seen almost every concievable jersey foul at this point, but just when you think you've seen it all, a surprise comes. Which brings us to the latest jersey foul.

This is one of the weirdest jersey fouls I have ever come across, mostly since it defies logic and crosses over to multiple platforms. It combines the Roger Neilson memorial patch, with our 1992-2007 original jersey, with an Ottawa 67's barberpole jersey as it's base.

I can't even concieve that someone came up with this idea, let alone decided to follow through with it. Kind of like the massive changes in Montreal and Toronto.

So what say you readers, pass or fail?

The 1st Place Links

Doesn't it feel great to be in first place? Even if it is only 7 games into the season. With that said, time for another edition of the links.

-Matt Carkner is Mr Popular in Ottawa lately, great to see for a guy who waited so long to make it and now gets to do it at home. Fresh off his new 2 year, 1 way deal, get to know Matt.

-We all know Heatley scored his hatty and was named 1st star on the opening week but a good piece on a guy we got back in that deal in Milan Michalek, who had his own hat trick. And you will be happy to know he is currently in 2nd place, behind Volchenkov, for who ends up on the back of my new jersey.

-Everyone has been touched by cancer, a good piece on the Sens helping out and to support it by shopping click here

-New power rankings are out, to see where the Sens are, go here, here and here

-Johnny T has fond memories of Ottawa, too bad we showed him a rough time on his return, especially the A-Train

-A feature on NHL.com on former Sen Ray Emery

-Guess calling the Heatley 3 way trade wasn't the thing Buccigross was most wrong about this year.

-Jonathan Cheechoo thinks he can regain his form, well that makes one of us

-Hmmm this is interesting

-With Matt Carkner making good as a local boy, is Martin St Pierre next?

-Is there something wrong with Jason Spezza? Ian Mendes doesn't think so

-Say you had 1 wish, would it be to know more about Ryan Shannon? It is? Well then lucky you

-Say what? I cannot agree with this

-A pair of interviews on the Fan 590 for those of you who have a lisp fetish. You've got Tim Murray and Bryan Murray

-The A-Train has defeinitely picked up a lot of steam and a lot of love, as this and this will attest to. Plus I'm sure once he finds out that if he re-signs, that he will be on the back of a new jersey from me, the process will move very quickly. I expect pen to paper is imminent, once he gets the word.

-This is niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice

-What the hell is even the point of this? I guess this is there attempt at being cool and edgy, especially in the title, with their ultra clever play on words.

-ESPN has definitely been suspect lately but even with that in mind, Leclaire at 23? Spezza at 74 really? Is Eklund's real name Sean Allen?

-Time for a little video action, giggity giggity goo. But seriously, here's a video for a feature on Mach 9 2.0

-Even if it is the Habs, I have to admit this is cool. Pretty sneaky of Harper to pretend to show up for the event, just so he can watch his real favorite team, the Sens.

-Now this is outstanding! Even if it is 10 years too late

-Always love to see Triple C getting some love

-PK is OK says this

Hoep you all enjoyed another edition of the links, it seems to be the most popular feature, along with the Jersey Fouls. Keep the comments, suggestions and emails coming. I appreciate all the love.

-The Mayor

Heatley Wants Trade Back To Ottawa?

Pretty funny stuff from Ottawa Ghost. Good for a laugh.

Desperation Isn't A Good Look

Cheesy but funny in a way. It's like that girl you dump but always tries to get you back. Time to move on Habs fan. He's with us now and he is very happy but it's cute to know you will always be there to take him back.

Carkner Signs New Deal, Has Twin

Journeyman Matt Carkner has found a home today, signing a 2 year, one way deal with the Sens that will pay him 700k per season. I'm glad that he re-signed, a little more then I would have liked but I'm ok with the signing.

In other news, apparently Matt Carkner has a twin playing in the NHL, named Ryan Malone from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

What do you think, twins or am I seeing things? Good signing or a little premature after 7 games?

Reality Bites

Ouch! But as the saying goes, the truth hurts. Leaf Nation must be collectively on the ledge and thinking of jumping, especially when they look up and see their provincial rivals sitting in 1st place. Ya gotta love seeing Burkie being knocked down a peg or two. 42 and counting Leaf fans.

In Russia, Hockey Plays Zubov

It's official, disgruntled Sens prospect Ilya Zubov has been loaned (soccer style) to Russian club Salavat Yulayev of the KHL for the remainder of the season. Under terms of the agreement, Zubov will retain is UFA rights for the NHL following the season. The funny part is how poor the english is in the press release. Well done KHL. I once had high hopes for Ilya, he showed flashes of brilliance last season but he seemed to regress and has an attitude problem. I can't seem him ever being an impact player in the NHL again.

What do you guys think about this move? Will Zubov ever return to the NHL?

Sens Town Epiphanies I

Starting a new post series today. Sens Town Epiphanies will be a place where I can just rant on about thoughts I have about the Sens, SBP, former Sens players and just the NHL in general. So enjoy the 1st installment.

-First off, I have to say it's pretty great to look up and see the Sens in 1st place in the div and 2nd in the conference at the moment. I was always saying I thought we would finish in 5th in the conference and many experts thought I was crazy. But actually what is more satisfying is seeing the Canucks, Habs and Leafs all struggle, after everyone in the media said they were all better then us. Just goes to show that the media don't usually know what they're talking about.

-Was great to see Kovie get a warm reception in MTL, I'm glad I was there to experience it but it pains me to see how awful of a game day experience we in Ottawa have compared to Montreal. They have it nailed down, from a way better scoreboard (ours is seriously embrassingly bad), to ushers being actually young and pretty, to better food, to the fans being loud all game. You name it, they have us beat, except on the scoresheet.

-Outstanding to see that Dany Heatley has been demoted to the 2nd unit powerplay for San Jose already. How will he handle it? I suppose it depends on the attractiveness of the others players WAG's. Errr I mean his maturity to handle the situation this time.

-Have you noticed the hot start to the 3 players from Deadmonton, who were going to be Senators had the Heatley trade gone down? Pretty impressive.

-The jury is still out for me on Erik Karlsson. He definitely played his best game so far in Montreal on Saturday, but he still has a long way to go in my opinion. Though Murray seems to think he's doing well, and of course his is the only opinion that counts.

-Peter Regin will be back in the lineup on Thursday for the Nashville game, he may take Ryan Shannon's spot apparently. Honestly, this doesn't matter either way. Will Carrie Underwood show up for the game?

-Even though he doesn't have that many points this season and no goals, Spezza is definitely playing better. I will give credit when credit is due.

-Pascal Leclaire is the truth. We have our star goalie.

-Milan Michalek is leading the way to be on the back of my new jersey

Feel free to add any random comments you have.

No Love For Toronto, Which I Love

With the Leafs off to a hilarious 0-6-1 start, the hate is starting to come in fast as you can imagine. That's why it was extra satisfying to see that I'm not the only one who thinks they royally suck (I guess Brian Burke isn't such a genius after all). The good readers at The Hockey News declared the Leafs most likely to finish last overall, by claiming an overwhelming 54% of the votes. The best part of course, is that even if they did get that 1st overall pick, it would go to Boston. Classic Maple Leaf tomfoolery.

Do you think they will continue to slide or will they pick it up and make a playoff run?

The Day After

Well it's the day after the big return of Kovalev to Montreal and it was a game I just had to be at. Sens and Habs in MTL on a Saturday night, broadcast on Hockey Night In Canada, coupled with Kovie's big return to the Bell Centre. These games don't come around very often, so we got in our car and we cruised on down to witness it in person. And it didn't disappoint. I predicted a 4-2 Sens win and it was 3-1, but at least I was close and the end result was the same. I also thought that Kovie would initially be cheered and then booed, which did happen, until something magical occurred. The Canadiens faithful, stood and applauded after he basically put the game away. I never thought I'd see that happen EVER in Montreal, but there it was. It was definitely something I won't soon forget. And then Kovie paid his respects back to the fans when he was named the games 3rd star. I managed to capture the 2 moments on tape for all of you to see. I hope it gives you the chills as well. Kovie reaction + Sens win in Mtl = The Perfect night.


Standing O After Kovalev Scores


Kovie Shows Some Love to the Bell Centre Apres Jeux

So Sens Town readers, what did you think about the reaction from the fans and Kovie?

SCOREBOARD!!

Hey MTL, Scoreboard!!

Just in Montreal right now, celebrating our victory from tonight's game, so sorry for the lack of post game coverage. How great was it to see Kovie score that goal and get a standing O from an oppositions teams fans he just scored on to kill the game? Amazing!!

What did you guys think of the game?

Back tomorrow with exclusive footage of Kovalev and the Habs fans reaction to him. Until then, have a shot and a beer for Kovie and the Sens on their win, I know I will be.

Ole to that Hab fans!! Sens are now 5-2.

GDP #7: Sens V MTL

After ending a 4 game homestand, in which the Sens went 3-1, they head out on the road, down the 417 to Montreal for a clash at the Bell Centre with the Habs. These are always big intense games of course and even bigger tonight, since Alexei Kovalev will make his return to la belle province. It should be an emotional affair and a hard fought game.

The lineup for the Sens will remain the same as the one that dominated Tampa on Thursday. Hopefully a strong game from our top 2 lines, especially Kovie. He tends to play big in big games, so I expect a show from him tonight.

Pascal Lecalire is expected to start in net. The game is on CBC at 7pm and Go SENS!

Sorry for the short GDP but I'm on my way to MTL to see it in person.

Prediction Sens win 4-2

Cheered Or Jeered?

With the Sens in MTL tomorrow night, we all know what that means, Alexei Kovalev's big return to a team he didn't really want to leave by all accounts. How will the Habs faithful react?

Do you think he will be cheered and given a standing ovation? Or will he be booed for joining their divisional rivals?

Milan Magic

I bet you thought I was gonna go with some cheesy title like Lightning strikes 7 times or thunder and lightning or some other stormy weather reference didn't ya? But when everyone goes right, Sens Town goes left.

Not much to say about the game really, it went as a somewhat predicted. Tons of goals and pure dominance from start to finish by the Sens. No one played poorly really, too bad we couldn't get Pascal his shutout but it will come.

The star of the night was of course newcomer Milan Michalek, who scored a hatty, including 2 shorthanded, which is very impressive. Other goals came from Kovie, Foligno, Ruutu and Picard.

The game was over only a few minutes in, when Tampa folded faster then Superman on laundry day. That doesn't bode well for them this season, showing no heart, especially on a roster that has Ryan Malone, Vinny, St Louis, Stamkos, Tanguay, Ohlund, Meszaros, etc etc etc. They do have some good players and their effort needs to be better.

So now on to the big game tomorrow in MTL, where Kovalev makes his big return to town and we take on our rivals. Saturday night with Sens and Habs, can't be that.

Special shoutout to the 3 deer that almost killed me on the way to the game, luckily I was able to jam on the brakes and swerve around them, narrowly missing them by a few inches and coming out without a scratch on me or the car.

GDP #6: Sens V Tampa Bay

Wait are we sure Tampa Bay has enough money to fly here to make it to the game? I keeed I keeed but seriously that ownership situation is a mess that stands out in the NHL, which is saying a lot.

So on to the game tonight, as the Sens take on their expansion cousins, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa will be fun to watch if nothing else. The team is currently 2-1-2 and has a bunch of entertaining guys. Of course there is Vinny Lecavalier (is he in montreal yet?), Martin St Louis (who btw I met last year in Tampa and trust me when I say he is small. I'm 5'11 and i TOWERED over him), young star Steven Stamkos, Ryan Malone, 2009 2nd overall pick Victor Hedman (how did he not get a penalty for fighting in that gold medal game?), Alex Tanguay (who settled for Chris Neil money), former Sen Anrej Meszaros (can we give you Picard back?), Mattias Ohlund (we could have used him) and local kid Kurtis Foster from good ol' Carp. So you can see it's an interesting mix and they shouldn't be taken lightly.

For the Sens, the lineup will be the same as Monday night's loss to the Pens, with Pascal Leclaire getting the start again. Regin and Winchester aren't ready to be back yet and will sit this one out, but may be in the squad for Saturday's big game in MTL. The lines for tonight will be:

Michalek-Spezza-Cheechoo

Kovalev-Fisher-Alfredsson

Foligno-Shannon-Neil

Ruutu-Kelly-Donovan

On defence, still no Filip Kuba but he will skate tomorrow and be in the lineup next Thursday against Nashville apparently says Triple C. In other defenceman news, it seems Murray is in no hurry to get rid of Karlsson, despite his unspectacular play, so maybe the kid will be here for awhile. Makes sense, good babysitting help is so hard to find.

This should be an entertaining game, I could see a lot of end to end action and a gaggle of goals. Prediction is Sens win 6-3.

Who Says Bad People Don't Prosper

While the Sens struggle to score this year so far, the same hasn't been a problem for former Sen and public enemy number 1, Dany Heatley. Seeing this makes me feel ill. Any thoughts anyone? I think the picture sums up how the fan base feels about him still.

A Couple Of Firsts

Sens Town shoutouts go out to a couple of new Senators, who each scored their first goals for Ottawa this week. Alexei Kovalev scored against Atlanta on Saturday night in a 4-2 win and Milan Michalek score the lone goal in a 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh. Let's hope it's the first of many for both. Congratulations to both players on the milestone.

Ebay Find: Laukkanen Game Worn Jersey

Apparently tough economic times hasn't affected the obscure player, game worn jersey market, seeing as how they want $800 US for a Janne Laukkanen game worn. Then again, the seller is from Finland, maybe they don't understand what things are worth, considering the price of this and this, who are a thousand times more popular. I mean what has Finland ever given us, except Jarkko Ruutu right? If for some reason you actually wish to purchase this, click here

What do you think?

Humbled

Well that was a stinker. Maybe they were too full of turkey to move? Yaaaaaaaa I'm gonna go with that one for an excuse. What an awful game. Can we pretend it never happened? In a game where the Sens needed to prove they were for real, they came out with no heart. Very disappointed in the team.

Despite the scoreline, I continue to be impressed with Pascal Leclaire's play. It seems we've found our franchise goalie finally. Our defence on the other hand is awful, but I guess that's what happens when your bottom 4 are all fringe NHL player's. How soon til Kuba comes back again?

Only real brightside was new addition Milan Michalek, who notched his first goal for the Sens. He was a threat all night. I'm sure triple C was not impressed with the team either and will be skating them hard at practice tomorrow.

You live and you learn. Today we were taught a lesson by the champs.

GDP #5: Sens N Pens

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone again. I hope everyone enjoyed their turkey and what not. Now down to business, as the Sens and Pens play tonight at SBP. It will be the first big game for the Sens, after playing NYR, ATL, TML and the NYI, hardly stellar competition. But tonight that changes, as the champs come to town. Can you believe it's a matchup of 1st place clubs?

Of course whenever the Penguins are here, that means an endless supply of cry baby jerseys and obnoxious Pittsburgh fans. Newsflash, you got lucky twice with Lemeiux and Jagr, and ten Crosby and Malkin. Anyone who had those guys should win, plus add in another 1st overall pick for your franchise goalie and Maggie the Monkey could have made it a winning team. It is however, a great way to see if we're legit or a knockoff. Beating the champs would make me feel a lot better about our chances this year.

For the Sens, a few changes for tonight's game. Ryan Shannon returns, after missing the last 3 games, while Peter Regin sits out with an undisclosed injury. Filip Kuba will miss his 4th straight game, which leads me to believe it's a little more serious then day to day as they originally had said. Pascal Leclaire gets the start tonight and an excellent chance to show us he's the real deal as well.

The lines have been changed a bit, due to the Regin injury and Shannon coming back. The lines tonight will be:

Kovalev-Fisher-Alfredsson

Michalek-Spezza-Cheechoo

Foligno-Shannon-Neil

Ruutu-Kelly-Donovan

Good to see Cheechoo finally getting some top 6 minutes. I think that's the only way he can be affective. He's too slow to just be a 3rd line player, he's a finisher and now he will have passes from Spezza to finish.

I think it will be a tough, hard fought game with the Sens pulling it out 4-3.

Gobble Gobble, Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to send out a quick shoutout to all the readers on this fine Thanksgiving Day. Take some time out to appreciate the little things in life. Your life is better then you thought once you sit down and think of all the good things you have going on. So a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. What I'm thankful for is that my audience has gone up 10 fold in the last few months, all thanks to you guys and I really appreciate it. Thanks everyone and have a great day, try to not eat TOO much turkey, there is a game to watch tonight.

-The Mayor

Jersey Foul 40

Since it's Thanksgiving this weekend, I figured I'd post a jersey foul I'm thankful for. I'm thankful that we don't have this guy on our team anymore and I'm thankful that I will never see another jersey like this again. An old school retro jersey, circa 1992, with a current era (former) players name and number. Tsk Tsk to whoever did this. I know it's a holiday and I'm supposed to forgive and forget, but screw it. It brings back too many annoying memories, kinda like Thanksgiving dinner with your relatives. Fail from me.

What do you guys think, pass or fail?

Easy As 1-2-3

The Sens made it 3 wins in a row last night, after dropping the Atlanta Thrashers 4-2 (as I luckily predicted in my GDP) in front of a sellout Thanksgiving crowd. I know most of you didn't get to see it, as it wasn't on TV, but you actually missed a pretty decent game. And is it just me or was the crowd really into it? Good to see the nice atmosphere at SBP.

Alexei Kovalev got the scoring underway, notching his first as a Senator, with other goals by Ruutu, Fisher and Neil. Great to see that we are capable of winning without our goals having to come from Alfie or Spezza (who has been noticeably quiet lately).

Brian Elliott was solid in goal, stopping 26 of 28 for his first win of the season. The defence was decent but not spectacular, playing a third game in a row without Kuba. Volchenkov seems back to his hard hitting ways, laying someone out for the third straight game. Special shoutout to Chris Phillips who jumped in right away when Alfie was rocked with a big hit. No one hits the Legend and gets away with it anymore, Big Rig made sure of it. Also, I have to say that I'm loving Matt Carkner. He plays his role, doesn't do anything fancy, plays hard and appreciates being in the show. Plus he has actually played pretty well. Picard on the other hand...........

The Sens now sit in 1st place all alone in the Northeast division, taking 6 of a possible 8 points. We will have a big test tomorrow, when the champs come to town for a Thanksgiving treat.

Those of you who saw it, what did you think of the game? What are your thoughts on the season so far?

GDP #4: Sens V Kovalchuk, I mean Atlanta

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, skeet skeet skeet ! The Northeastern division leading Sens, yes that's right, we're leading the div at 2-1, take on the undefeated Thrashers tonight at SBP. Atlanta is much improved this year, trying to convince Ilya Kovalchuk to put pen to paper on a new deal. In the offseason they picked up Nik "the total package" Antropov and Pavel Kubina. Wait, so their big plan to success was to pick up unsuccesful players from a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 3 years? Now that is excellent management right there. Also be on the lookout for former Sen and Kanata resident, Todd White, along with superstar in the making, Bryan Little.

The Sens will shake things up a bit tonight, trying to get some better offensive results. Sens Town favorite Nick Foligno, will be moved up to the top line with Michalek and Spezza, while Alfie will play with Kovalev and Fisher. I have to say I like these lines better, gives us more balance, plus the thought of Alfie and Kovie together has me weirdly excited.

Filip Kuba is still out with bumps and bruises, so is Ryan Shannon unfortunately. We are really missing Kuba's services. Brian Elliott makes his first start of the season, against a team he won his first ever game against.

Puck drop is 7pm and there is NO TV for this game, not even if you have centre ice. Only way to see this game is to be at SBP.

Prediction: Sens win 4-2

Jersey Foul 39

Yes your eyes do not decieve you, that is a pro Jani Hurme jersey, which will set you back around $450. Pretty expensive piece of gear for a fringe player at best, but who knows, maybe this guy is making Chris Neil money, or maybe it was actually Jani Hurme looking for some attention.

"I knew when he dropped the gloves, it was time to get out of there" - Jason Spezza

Things got a little heated today at practice, with Chris Neil and Jason Spezza coming to blows after slashes were exchanged. Both shrugged it off as no big deal, with Spezza even saying he would buy Neil lunch today. I'm glad this happened, shows they care. Good to see a pair of vets with that kind of fire in their bellies still. Luckily no one was hurt. Seems like much ado about nothing in the end.

My Heatley Hate Grows After Hat Trick

I've noticed that Sens fans aren't letting up with showing their emotions and are getting more creative with displaying their hate for Dany Heatley, and I have to say I approve. Let's keep it going until we just run it into the ground and can't stand it anymore.

I wasn't going to post this one yet, although I said I would keep posting them as they came in, but in reaction to this nonsense, I had had to right?

I'm loving the creativity and the message. Simple and to the point is the way to go.

Ruutu Hits Cinq Sans

Shoutout to Jarkko Ruutu for playing in his 500th career game in the NHL last night against Long Island. He is in his 2nd season with the Sens and has definitely become a fan favorite. Sens Town wants to send out congrats to the Finnish forward on the milestone and wishes him a good season.

Carkner Pops His Cherry

Feel good story of the year makes good. Ottawa native and 28 year old rookie, Matt Carkner, scored his first ever NHL goal last night against the Islanders. The goal was unspectacular to say the least, but a goal is a goal, especially when you've waited so long to make the show. A special congratulations goes out to Matt from Sens Town. It was worth the wait to do it at home. Mazel Tov on the milestone.