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Philly’s Guns No Match For Ottawa’s Fire
by SENShobo on 11/07/08 at 08:54 AM ET
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Today’s Ottawa Senators stories,
- Senators strike early and often, dominating Flyers in 4-1 win.
- Foligno working hard to reignite his early-season success.
- Biron explains why Gator is a tank.
- Dominating hardly does justice to the way the Senators had the League’s highest scoring team chasing the play all over the rink last night (NHL.com, Ottawa Sun, Ottawa Citizen).
Game Highlights from NHL.com
“There are still parts of our game that have to be better, but for the most part we played pretty well,” said Fisher. “We’ve had some good efforts but I think we’re becoming a better team. We’ve shown good commitment to defensive play in our zone and we’re improving.”
....
“I thought we did a great job on the forecheck. When you forecheck and make them play in their end, that’s the way to play,” said Senators coach Craig Hartsburg. “I’m starting to see them play well as a group. If they play well as a team, they get confidence. It’s a step and every day we can find ways to improve, but it’s another step.”
The line of Jesse Winchester, Mike Fisher, and Daniel Alfredsson had slowed down All-Stars Lecavalier and Ovechkin, but last night they fully cemented their power status. They accounted for 8 of the team’s 25 shots, 1 of the team’s 9 giveaways, 5 of the 11 points earned by Ottawa players, and 4 of the team’s 5 takeaways. This isn’t a flashy line, but a line that works hard, saves the team in its own end, and is rewarded for never taking a shift off. This is the blue collar line, and after their dominating performance against Philly last night, the calls for a reunited CASH line are sure to fade.
More than anything, this was a team game. Auld was solid and stoic in net, allowing only a single goal on 18 shots and a handful of good scoring chances. 17 shots from a team that averaged almost 30 before last night; that’s the kind of game Detroit is known for, shielding their goalie from any unnecessary work or especially hard shots.
The Sens managed to score an early goal, Spezza going through the paint to find Heatley for a tap-in early in a 5 minute boarding major against Philly for a nasty smash on Vermette. It would be the only powerplay for the Sens, and they would fail to score for the remainder, though they would kill of three close Philly powerplays at the end of the game.
I’ve been concerned before at the unbalanced time on ice load, which saw the CASH line all eating well over 20 minutes a game, and many players down close to or below 10 minutes a game. Last night, Hartsburg showed trust in his entire team. Only Kuba, Phillips, and Schubert logged more than 20 minutes. The most time by a forward was Heatley’s 19:58, with Donovan getting the least ice time with 9:03, the only sub-10 minute Senator.
Tonight against the Hurricanes (7-4-2) will likely see Gerber start in net, giving Auld a rest, and giving Gerbs a chance to show that he can help the team, especially as they’ve improved their defensive play dramatically since his last start.
- Foligno has slowed a bit from his energetic start, but knows hard work will get him back up to speed (Ottawa Citizen).
“I don think anything is going to be handed to me and I don’t expect that,” said Foligno, who emerged as one of the club’s few bright spots in last April’s first-round Stanley Cup playoff loss to Pittsburgh. “I think I played really well at the start of the year and I was getting rewarded for that, and I have to get back to that.
“It’s just a matter of being young, and that’s half the battle, staying mentally tough. I’m not going to go crazy about it. I’m going to learn that as I go, and I will get better as the year goes on.
‘’I just have to make sure I play a little bit smarter and just make sure I keep my feet moving. When you move your feet, you create ice for yourself, and that’s what I’ve got to get back to.”
Foligno has seen his results vary dramatically, from his stellar Detroit defense-busting goal, to his team-worst -6. Perhaps he benefited from his more aggressive and defensively sound linemates when playing on the top two lines. In the pre-game press conference yesterday, Hartsburg reminded us all that Foligno (and Winchester) are still rookies, still trying to match the pace and intensity of the NHL.
As the team solidifies its defensive play, Foligno will pick up and adjust his own play around the rink. He has the desire, the energy that comes in bursts needed to keep up with the play. He will succeed, and just as the team has done he will do so with hard work and time.
- Biron explains just what an unstoppable force Smith is (Ottawa Sun).
One of the most enjoyable conversations a hockey writer can have is and always has been with Flyers goalie Martin Biron. He told a number of neat stories in both French and English after the morning skate.
....
Smith is known to his friends as “Gator” for the large tattoo on his shoulder, apparently in honour of a buddy that played for the Florida Gators.
....
Biron remembered Smith playing with a hand that was “so messed up” from blocking shots and being slashed, and how he took injections for a shoulder that continually popped out of its socket. “There was this huge billboard in Philly, by the rink,” said Biron. “Our motto was ‘Back with a Vengeance’ and there was a picture of him, he has blood dripping down the side of his face ... one drop, that’s just leaking. He has a big black eye, he has his nose stitched up and taped over. It was humongous. It was right by the arena. And people are driving by and they’re like, ‘Holy crap!’ It was unbelievable. He’s just one of the toughest guys I’ve ever seen.”
Image from Flyers, a Latendresse high-stick last November
All the excitement about Smith’s signing over the summer was about his toughness, with my personal favourite being how well he contained Crosby and the Pens with two separated shoulders in the playoff Eastern Conference Finals. Currently, he’s 3rd on the team in hits with 30, second on defense only to Volchenkov’s 32, and is keeping pace in blocked shots, 2nd on the team with 32 to Volchenkov’s 35. His 12 giveaways tie him for 3rd on the team with Alfie and Spezza though, and from a defenseman that’s the one thing we should hope will change.
Even if he had not scored his first NHL goal and picked up an assist, this game would have gone down as Winchester’s best performance as a pro. The 25-year-old rookie from Long Sault played with an abundance of confidence on the suddenly explosive line that includes a warming-up Mike Fisher and his other sidekick, Daniel Alfredsson.
No doubt Winchester was propelled by the high he had from rattling the pots and pans in Alex Ovechkin’s kitchen Tuesday.
“(Winchester) told me, ‘I’m getting one tonight,’ “ said coach Craig Hartsburg. “We were kidding Alfie he got Fish one and now he had to get the kid one. It’s good for him to get the monkey off his back.”
The FAW Line (okay, so you come up with something better) was dominant in the first period, creating chances while working the boards and cycling the puck. It was rewarded with Anton Volchenkov’s goal in the opening 20, then Winchester’s historic shot in the second.
It was a great night for Winchester and the whole team. And for the record, I think the ‘blue collar’ line is far more fitting than the FAW line. Not only does it encompass the hard work they put in, earning every positive stat and accolade they get, but Fisher’s hometown of Peterborough is an outstanding, hardworking community (home of to-riches RIM Co-CEO Jim Balsillie), Alfredsson had to work hard to get from his 6th round selection, through the pre-lockout years that had him feeling like retirement was imminent, to the point of being our leader in every way, and Winchester had to work through university hockey at Colgate to finally turn heads and get signed as a free agent. ‘Blue collar’ line it is.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
Tags: Jason+Smith, Jesse+Winchester, Nick+Foligno,
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Fully addicted to hockey, Andrew Dodds finds it safe to live in the alleys, considering his allegiance to the Ottawa Senators in the middle of Leaf County. He tries to bring you as many worthwhile Sens stories as he can find, along with his musings on the team and the NHL in general; musings indeed since he is but a humble hockey hobo.
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