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Sens Give Thrashers Chance To Leave Basement Tonight
by SENShobo on 12/03/08 at 09:52 AM ET
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Hard work pays off with a new line, injury updates, and Gerber’s professionalism, but first…
From the Ottawa Citizen, on the continued head scratching,
“We’ve just got to find a way to win games,” said captain Daniel Alfredsson. “If it has to be the power play or penalty killing that’s big one game, it doesn’t matter. I don’t think we can say that this guy has got to do more than that guy.
“As a team, we’ve just got to find ways to play better and find ways to win.”
....
“It has been tough to really put a finger on it. You look at the big picture and it has been scoring goals that has been hurting us. We haven’t scored five-on-five enough to win consistently.‘’Even though we play really well some nights, we don’t win, anyway. We might lose in a shootout or we might lose by one goal.”
There’s a beast in the room, looking for wins. The only way to appease it? More.
Don’t hesitate, don’t stare, don’t think. Give it more, every bit more, more until you keel over. Are you saving up energy for the playoffs the team is anything but set to make? Is effort being held back for fear that it will increase your trade value, even though being a key part of wins should calm those cries? Has it been to avoid exhaustion, after having seen five and four day layoffs, with another three day pause set to start after tonight?
What have you got to lose? Tonight, the prize will be staying out of the League’s basement, as the Thrashers, hungry after losing to the Habs 5-4 despite a four goal flurry in the third, will undoubtedly want to change their non-winning ways.
From the Ottawa Senators’ website, on another line change for tonight,
“(Donovan) has brought a lot of energy to us in the last couple of weeks,” said Hartsburg. “We’ve had some injuries and we move people up because of that. He was a guy that stepped up and played extremely well for us.
“We like the way he skates and works. If he can continue to do that, he hopefully brings some of the other players along with him in that work habit.”
Interesting combination indeed. It’s a balanced enough proposition: Vermette has two goals and three assists, Donovan numbers add a goal to that, and Fisher’s production adds an assist to that. All three are defensively responsible too.
In reality, it’s not quite that clean cut. Donovan has played 143 minutes this season, Fisher 336 minutes, and Vermette 418. Donovan’s also the only player on the team to see no powerplay time, with the exceptions of the freshly retired Richardson, and Bass and Zack Smith, who have combined for 5GP. Fisher’s got over 43 minutes of powerplay time, Vermette nearly 47.
Even if you discount the time they’ve all spent shorthanded (none have scored in that time), Donovan will give you a point every 24 minutes. Fisher will give you a point every 48 minutes, half of Donovan’s production, and Vermette takes over 83 minutes to make his way onto the scoresheet. Harsh? Yes. But I can’t be the only one to say that judgement is more than fair.
Look at this another way. Maybe having the real scoring demon on the second line will take pressure off of Fisher and Vermette, and they’ll be able to follow Donovan’s lead, and wind up with successful scoring chances. What’s the worst that could happen?
From the Ottawa Citizen, you’ll find some injury updates. Donovan, of course, would not let a sore shoulder keep him off the 2nd line, and Picard’s wrist appears to feel good enough to play, likely sending Lee back to Binghamton. Today, Shannon will undergo testing to see if he can resume play after his concussion, and Neil’s post-surgery swelling is going down, enough so that you could see him Saturday against the Pens. Like me, McAmmond is out with a sore throat.
From the Ottawa Sun, Gerber has been the consummate teammate,
Gerber vowed he will not be a distraction.
“Never. That’s no help for anybody and it doesn’t help you when you try to force things,” said Gerber. “You just have to put your best effort out there and hope the coaches like it and hope that sooner or later, they’re going to put you back in there.”
....
“We’ve both been through it,” said Auld, who’s been a backup with the Canucks, Panthers, Coyotes and Bruins.“(Gerber’s) so professional about it and he works so hard. You can’t not talk to him about (the situation) ... Nothing has changed in our relationship since the start of the year, but we probably know each other better.
“We both know this is nothing personal and we both want success for the team. I don’t think you will see him become a distraction. He’s such a professional and such a team guy. There is no issue there at all.”
In case you haven’t guessed, Auld will be starting tonight against the Thrashers, a game that many thought Gerber might get a shot at. While it does start a busy stretch, seeing Auld out of action for a week might not have been something Hartsburg wanted. Gerber may start Monday against the Panthers, but then again, Hartsburg may well play Auld four times in seven evenly spaced days, starting with the Pens on Saturday, then rolling through the Panthers, Blackhawks, and Capitals. Gerber will all but surely start on Saturday against the Lightning.
Or maybe Hartsburg didn’t disagree with Paddock’s overuse of players, piling up minutes with reckless abandon for the top line, only with the players he chose to overuse. Auld is good, Auld is great, but the risk of injury, which has affected many goaltenders this season, should not be forgotten until it’s too late. Granted, Emery wasn’t endearing himself to anyone last season with his play or his antics, but even he saw more games than Gerber’s looking towards this season. If you’re going to reward Donovan for his hard work, reward Gerber for the same. Nobody’s asking for a 50-50 split, but Auld is not Brodeur or Luongo, and nobody wants to see him join them this season.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
Tags: Martin+Gerber, Shean+Donovan,
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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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