GAME DAY: Ottawa Senators @ Calgary Flames - 9:30PM EST, Thursday, March 11, 2010

It's the same old story. Nice, even great, puck movement yet no one wants to pay the price to obstruct the goalies vision. It's been the same for YEARS and it just isn't going to change.

Nope, it hasnt. Chris Neil was out there on Saturday night to do that and it payed off, might want to start looking at something similar going forward because it isnt working.

The biggest problem IMO is entry into the zone right now and a couple guys refusal to dump it in and chase, at least when the circumstances call for it. You can run rought shot over Edmonton, but a team like Calgary where you need a little bit of grit out there, it was awful.

They seriously need to work that out in a big way.

N4L wrote:Nope, it hasnt. Chris Neil was out there on Saturday night to do that and it payed off, might want to start looking at something similar going forward because it isnt working.

The biggest problem IMO is entry into the zone right now and a couple guys refusal to dump it in and chase, at least when the circumstances call for it. You can run rought shot over Edmonton, but a team like Calgary where you need a little bit of grit out there, it was awful.

They seriously need to work that out in a big way.

Yeah, they literally try to break in, four abreast, at the blue line and try to make an east-west play there. Here's the problem, you dump it in, you have to retrieve the puck and possibly (gasp) get hit. It's Diddling ridiculous.

Only guy doing that last night was Cullen from what I saw.

The two guys that need to step up here big time going down this stretch are Alfi (who has been playing non stop this year) and Spezza. They were brtual last night and despite the points against Edmonton, Spezza wasnt all that great there either.

People question why Spezza doesnt have the assist he used to, well he doesnt have Dany Heatley on the other wise waiting for the one timer, he still hasnt figured anything out on the PP.

Thank God for EK because otherwise I dont even think they would gain the zone. Cullen has been pretty solid as well out there.

Big Ev wrote:N4L, when did Elliott ever wear black pads?

When he was in Bingo his first year. That was a training camp pic Im pretty sure.

I disagree about Spezza, I thought he was very creative. It was Alfie that had a terrible game, but we all know he'll bounce back.

New GDT is up.

SpezDispenser wrote:I disagree about Spezza, I thought he was very creative. It was Alfie that had a terrible game, but we all know he'll bounce back.

Spezza was the one who through it right in the middle for their 2nd goal. How was Spezza creative? He got stood up at the blueline almost everytime on the PP. He refused to adjust to it and just kept trying it, that's not creative. Cullen finally had to wrap it around the boards just to gain entry a couple of times because Spezza refused to just dump and chase.

Alfi was awful too and he needs to step it up, he starting to be guilty of doing way too much out there. He's great but he doesnt need to take control every shift. I have no doubt he adjusts him game.

Say what you want but Spezza along with Alfi, have been brutal on the PP all year long. Those are the only two constants on that PP, everything else changes around them.

great.....2/3 goals of jamal mayers this year have come against the sens (and elliott). Just perfect. I'm willing to bet that the sens would have won this game if they didn't fall behind so early...but that doesn't excuse the sens to hand kiprussoff a shutout. Its been said many times before: the senators just make other goalies seem like vezina winners. We had plenty of chances on the PP, very disappointing.

I would like to give a shout-out to Andy Sutton though. I thought he was still awesome yesterday.

Yeah, Spezza and Alfie on the PP looked pretty tentative. Damn...it's like the only guy who gets it on the PP is Karlsson, he'll move guys around by walking the line, but when he stops, the movement stops.

Very frustrating.

N4L wrote:
Say what you want but Spezza along with Alfi, have been brutal on the PP all year long. Those are the only two constants on that PP, everything else changes around them.

Our powerplay has never looked better than when it was Alfredsson and Kovalev along the half boards, Regin down low, and Karlsson and Kuba at the point. I am 100% perplexed as to why Clouston doesn't have Kovalev on the first unit. I would force Spezza to the front of the net, if for no other reason than he forces too many difficult plays from the half wall that accomplish dick.

PP's are very weird. You'd think Spezza and Alfie and Kovalev would be PP specialists this year. Same goes for Pittsburgh. Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar on the same PP unit, you'd think they would score every time, yet their PP has not been that great either.

Gohan wrote:

N4L wrote:
Say what you want but Spezza along with Alfi, have been brutal on the PP all year long. Those are the only two constants on that PP, everything else changes around them.

Our powerplay has never looked better than when it was Alfredsson and Kovalev along the half boards, Regin down low, and Karlsson and Kuba at the point. I am 100% perplexed as to why Clouston doesn't have Kovalev on the first unit. I would force Spezza to the front of the net, if for no other reason than he forces too many difficult plays from the half wall that accomplish dick.

They're hoping he demands a trade due to his diminished role.

N4L wrote:
If that PP doesnt get going with Alfi and especially Spezza, then The Sens will be in some serious trouble. They make every goaltender look like Patrick Roy in a game 7.

Their lack of finish is just surprising now... It was expected that they would struggle a bit following the loss of Heatley, but they still have way too many nights, with way too many chances, where they make the goalie at the other end look like a world beater. It doesn't help that all of our snipers refuse to shoot in prime opportunities WAY too often. If Alfie, Spezza, Kovalev, and Fisher would take more shots and pass up fewer chances, we wouldn't be seeing as much of this crap.

Big Ev wrote:PP's are very weird. You'd think Spezza and Alfie and Kovalev would be PP specialists this year. Same goes for Pittsburgh. Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar on the same PP unit, you'd think they would score every time, yet their PP has not been that great either.

Actually the Pens PP is fine when Gonchar is healthy. It's without him that they struggle to enter the zone... just like us, all the time...

Either way you look at it, if the PP doesnt start to come around, especially on the road, Ottawa is going to have a tough time wiining games.

The only good thing is all the best goalies are our West. Might be their saving grace come playoff time.

Gohan wrote:

Big Ev wrote:PP's are very weird. You'd think Spezza and Alfie and Kovalev would be PP specialists this year. Same goes for Pittsburgh. Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar on the same PP unit, you'd think they would score every time, yet their PP has not been that great either.

Actually the Pens PP is fine when Gonchar is healthy. It's without him that they struggle to enter the zone... just like us, all the time...

I know you hate Kuba but he runs a good PP man. They struggle without him.

Gonchar has been healthy for basically the whole year and their PP is 21st in the league. St.Louis also has a terrible PP, I thought they would be much better than 25th.