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SENShobo

No Trading Partner For Murray, So Hartsburg Starts A Line Dance

by SENShobo on 12/19/08 at 08:36 AM ET
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From the Ottawa Sun, on the line juggling tonight in New Jersey,

“I’m excited about it,” said Fisher, who hasn’t scored since Nov. 27. “Every line has got a bit of skill and has got some guys that can play physical. It’s kind of a different look, which maybe we need.”

Hartsburg said he’d try to be patient, although he won’t stick with the new lines for long if they don’t work.

So, how long is that?

“A period,” Hartsburg said.

“(But) if I see guys competing and working together, that’s all we’re asking right now. I’m not asking for anything they’re not (capable of doing). Everybody is capable of working hard.”

Looking at a busy day myself, filled with far too much snow-obstructed travel, I don’t have time to say much today (including my NHL Christmas Wish List, which will continue and finish next week), commenting being anything but my job, other than to note that on one side you have a team that depended on stellar goaltending, lost it, but found a way to score and make it work, and on the other side a team that finally got great goaltending, but their scorers lost their touch, and have yet to find a way to make it work.

Look forward to seeing the new lines mentioned yesterday, with tonight’s lineup likely to look something like this:

Vermette-Fisher-Alfredsson
Heatley-Kelly-Foligno
Ruutu-Spezza-Neil
Schubert-Bass-Donovan

Volchenkov-Phillips
Kuba-Picard
Bell-Smith

Auld

Winchester is out with an upper body injury, work visa issues prevent Zubov from playing south of the border (he will play Saturday, but a regular for the Binghamton, New York, USA, Senators, how do you let this happen? I’d understand if it was the other way around and he couldn’t play in Canada, but this is very puzzling), McAmmond is still recovering from pneumonia, which can be quite serious, and will likely return Tuesday in Philly.

I hope Hartsburg has something up his sleeve, taking 63.1% successful face off man Vermette (2nd in the League to ex-Sen Bonk’s 63.2%), who went 90% in 10 draws against Atlanta, and putting him on wing to take no draws. Fisher’s wing, no less, the team’s 4th ranked face off man with a 48.2% success rate that was a harrowing 25% in 20 draws against Atlanta. No, I will not let this die. Hopefully some Ottawa video review guy will remind Ottawa that Vermette winning draws in other games led to goals and safe endings, whereas Fisher taking (and losing) them led to failed comeback attempts.

I look forward to seeing the Sens on Saturday, starting a relaxing evening at Marshy’s (we’ll see if the night ends relaxed), last chance before their massive road trip. The Sens are 0-6-2 in their last 8 road games; with 9 of their next 10 away from SBP, if they can’t win six of those, I will officially call it a done season. Not because this team couldn’t, but because they have mystified us with their inability to do so.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
 

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