SENShobo
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Schedule Break A Double-Edged Sword
by SENShobo on 11/26/08 at 09:02 AM ET
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Schedule breaks can be both dangerous and useful, a Fisher and Shannon injury update, and Picard finding his stride, but first…
From the Ottawa Sun, Spezza looks inward after signing with Reebok,
“I’ve always wanted to be a go-to guy. People have seen me since Day 1 and people have seen me grow as a player. They have high expectations of me and I have high expectations of myself. I wouldn’t change it,” said Spezza, who has seven goals and nine assists in 20 games this season.
“You’re the goat when you’re losing. You’re the hero when you’re winning. It’s unfortunate when things aren’t going good and people are all over you. The easiest thing to do is to ignore it. Nobody ignores it. You do hear it, but I think we can get this team to a good place and I can be a big part of it. I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
Quite simply, Ottawa is one of those markets where the pressure will always be on, and if you can’t take the heat, get yourself traded to Carolina. There are 49 million reasons why the fans make sure that no player feels more pressure in Ottawa than Jason Spezza. Buying a house in downtown Ottawa, by a school no less, suggests that Spezza has not been letting it get to him.
Points have always been Spezza’s bread and butter, and he currently ranks 2nd on the team in goals (9) and 3rd in points (16). Not yet at the better than a point per game pace he’s had since the lockout, but his overall game is developing. It may not show up on the stat sheet, but Spezza has battled much harder for the puck, has taken his skills from the high slot to the boards and the high traffic areas.
It was being by the crease that allowed him to take a pass from Heatley while hosting the Rangers, and stuff it in the net over Valiquette, that got him what by all accounts appeared to be a well hidden from the cameras goal on Joey MacDonald and the Isles. Like the team, you have to wonder if consistency has been found, but there’s still over 60 games left to show it.
From the Ottawa Senators’ website, on the layoff and players healing,
“Three days of practice (in a row), we don’t normally get that,” Senators head coach Craig Hartsburg said after a session at the Bell Sensplex earlier today that largely focused on special teams play. “It’s a good time to work on some of those detail things that you talk about but don’t really work on.”
“We’ve got to make these three days productive and come and play Toronto and bring that same energy that we had last week into the games again. That’s the key thing for us, come back against Toronto and have the same work habits and same energy in that game.”
The power play, which has struggled a bit in recent games after a strong start this season, got special attention today.
....
The Senators could also get a boost up front in terms of personnel. Mike Fisher (knee) and Binghamton callup Ryan Shannon (concussion) both took part in the full practice session today, heightening the possibility of either or both being available to face the Leafs.
Getting Fisher and/or Shannon back into the lineup could be a good motivator for a team hoping to come out strong after having gone Sunday through Wednesday without a game. Working on the powerplay could also pay dividends in a high-emotion game against the Leafs tomorrow.
Unfortunately for the Sens, what is most likely on the fans’ minds during every layoff is their 06-07 playoffs, where a layoff between the Conference and Cup Finals turned the team from a powerhouse, and made them look like they’d just come from the poorhouse. A little focus goes a long way, and if there’s ever a time to test the team to see how best they can hit the ground running after a prolonged break, now, early in the season, is as good a time as any for it.
From the Ottawa Sun, on Picard’s progression,
When Alexandre Picard sat across from Senators coach Craig Hartsburg during individual meetings the coach conducted with his players a week ago Sunday, not much was said by the boss.
....
“Hartsy didn’t tell me anything. He just asked me what I should do to play better and that got me thinking.”
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“I came up with answers. It was real simple. I figured I played my best games when I got the puck and I got my feet moving, got my head up and looked for the good play. When I played bad games, it was because I was standing still. As soon as I got the puck on the tape, I was getting rid of it,” he said.
Picard’s development will affect how the Meszaros trade is viewed, but so far he is coming along nicely.
His 8 points in 20 games ranks 2nd behind Kuba for defensemen, but he’s provided a physical presence (29 hits) and isn’t shy to put his body on the line for the team (25 blocked shots). Going from seven pointless games to four points in three games leaves you hoping for more consistency, and his 21 giveaways are only one shy of Spezza and the team lead.
Still, perhaps the biggest improvement made in this trade was the reduced groaning that stems from some of the defensive plays Meszaros used to make everyone cringe with. Picard has caused a few gasps this season, but with an outstanding defensive cast to look up to on the bench and behind it, and at only 23 years of age, there’s little reason to doubt that this motivated individual won’t grow by leaps and bounds.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
Tags: Alexandre+Picard, Jason+Spezza,
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