GAME DAY: Ottawa Senators @ New York Rangers - 7:00pm ET - Sat. Oct. 3rd, 2009

beerandsens wrote:

Agreed...but less emphasis doesn't mean no concern over a 0-10 record. We'll win some games, we'll lose some. I just think early on the focus should be on figuring out what works and what doesn't and it didn't seem like Clouston was doing that last night.

"Mental note: pulling our tendy while down 4-1 didn't work..."

Yeah I didn't understand that either. Clouston made some mistakes last night, lets just hope its a bit of rust that he'll shake off.

beerandsens wrote:

Agreed...but less emphasis doesn't mean no concern over a 0-10 record. We'll win some games, we'll lose some. I just think early on the focus should be on figuring out what works and what doesn't and it didn't seem like Clouston was doing that last night.

"Mental note: pulling our tendy while down 4-1 didn't work..."

Ya, between that, a Karlsson/Campoli pairing, and not mixing the lines up at all until a min left... Clouston really dropped the ball on opening night.

marakh wrote:Also, it's nice to have one or max two Mike Green style defensemen but when half your defensive core want to jump in the rush there will be massive counter attacks. I don't know if it's Clouston's advice, but I don't ever want to see Philips doing that when there was one forward ahead of him who could have shot. I would have probably been singing another tune if that goal went in, but it didn't.

I feel the same way. Phillips and Volchenkov need to get back into their shut down role. They're at their best when they let the forwards do the work down low and stick to the points when attacking. They both have decent shots, if not all that accurate.

Leave the pinching to Campoli, Karlsson and Kuba.

Im dissapointed in last nights game because the one SURE THING going into the year was Clouston and now I am questioning him in a huge way. Does he have the ability to adjust in game? Does he have the ability to get his team up when they have no jump?

Last year when things were not going well all he did was pull Elliott, a lot of times unjust. This year he doesnt have that card to play with Leclaire being the true number one, so how does he send his message. I know it's only 1 game but that was concerning for me.

N4L wrote:Im dissapointed in last nights game because the one SURE THING going into the year was Clouston and now I am questioning him in a huge way. Does he have the ability to adjust in game? Does he have the ability to get his team up when they have no jump?

Last year when things were not going well all he did was pull Elliott, a lot of times unjust. This year he doesnt have that card to play with Leclaire being the true number one, so how does he send his message. I know it's only 1 game but that was concerning for me.

Keep in mind that things could've been quite different going into the third with a few bounces our way...that 3rd NY goal really hurt but it could've just as easily been us up 2-1 going into the third.  Things clearly weren't working in the third and Clouston should've made changes early in the third when that pp didn't click at all and we looked flat.

N4L wrote:Im dissapointed in last nights game because the one SURE THING going into the year was Clouston and now I am questioning him in a huge way. Does he have the ability to adjust in game? Does he have the ability to get his team up when they have no jump?

Last year when things were not going well all he did was pull Elliott, a lot of times unjust. This year he doesnt have that card to play with Leclaire being the true number one, so how does he send his message. I know it's only 1 game but that was concerning for me.

C'mon... we've seen him adjust in-game before... he did it last year with some success... let's give it a few games. Not sure what happened last night but let's take a mulligan and come out swinging on Tuesday vs the Leafs.

N4L wrote:

beerandsens wrote:

Agreed...but less emphasis doesn't mean no concern over a 0-10 record. We'll win some games, we'll lose some. I just think early on the focus should be on figuring out what works and what doesn't and it didn't seem like Clouston was doing that last night.

"Mental note: pulling our tendy while down 4-1 didn't work..."

Ya, between that, a Karlsson/Campoli pairing, and not mixing the lines up at all until a min left... Clouston really dropped the ball on opening night.

I was yelling at my tv last night and most of it was at clouston. We were down 3-1 in the third and had not registered a shot on net in over 10 minutes. Has he never heard of a time out? Say something like um guys since we need 3 goals to win this game, don't you think we are going to need to take a f*****g shot on net once in a while, thanks.

One last comment...I'm not convinced Michalek, Alfie, Spezz won't work.  They looked good in the first, with a number of solid chances.  I do think something has to be done with the second line or more precisely Kovalev.  We've got to find him some mates that work with his game.  I won't have a problem if Clouston has the same starting forward lines next game but if things aren't working with that second line, he better be prepared to make changes early on.

^ Yup. I was also screaming at my TV for someone to shoot the puck. It was all a little too fancy at times. When a goalie hasn't faced more than one shot in half a period of hockey, shoot the damn puck.

I definitely didn't think of Clouston once until reading it here this morning. So true though, he had a bad game last night. I still think it was isolated but I guess we'll find out.

One last comment...I'm not convinced Michalek, Alfie, Spezz won't work. They looked good in the first, with a number of solid chances. I do think something has to be done with the second line or more precisely Kovalev. We've got to find him some mates that work with his game. I won't have a problem if Clouston has the same starting forward lines next game but if things aren't working with that second line, he better be prepared to make changes early on.

Sure, there Michalek will find chemistry on that line eventually and I thought he actually looked good a few times last night. BUT I do want them to at least try Cheechoo as a sniper on that line. And I believe Michalek would have more success against team's 2nd best checkers.

on a positive note

heatley has not scored a goal wearing a SJ uniform

beerandsens wrote:

One last comment...I'm not convinced Michalek, Alfie, Spezz won't work. They looked good in the first, with a number of solid chances. I do think something has to be done with the second line or more precisely Kovalev. We've got to find him some mates that work with his game. I won't have a problem if Clouston has the same starting forward lines next game but if things aren't working with that second line, he better be prepared to make changes early on.

Sure, there Michalek will find chemistry on that line eventually and I thought he actually looked good a few times last night. BUT I do want them to at least try Cheechoo as a sniper on that line. And I believe Michalek would have more success against team's 2nd best checkers.

I agree cheechoo is a sniper and michalek is a play maker-use their strengths!!

alfie spezza cheechoo
michalek regin kovalev
foligno fisher shannon
rutuu kelly neil

It's been one game... let's not bust up all the lines just yet.

TSN's Ice Chips for today:

Ryan Shannon did not skate with the team on Sunday. It does not seem to be serious matter, just a recovery day and he is day-to-day. - TSN

The team juggled some lines at practice. Mike Fisher moved to the middle, Nick Foligno moved up and Peter Regin moved down to centre the third line with Shannon absent. - TSN

Practice lines from today:

Forwards:
Michalek - Spezza - Alfredsson
Foligno - Fisher - Kovalev
Cheechoo - Regin - Neil
Ruutu - Kelly - Donovan

Defencemen:
Phillips - Volchenkov
Kuba - Karlsson
Campoli - Carkner
Picard - Lee

Goaltenders:
Leclaire
Elliott

111519 wrote:on a positive note

heatley has not scored a goal wearing a SJ uniform

but he got an assist...

Anyone see James Gordon's "dud" for the game? He has Kuba as his dud His reasoning?

"Arguably the Senators' No. 1 defenseman this season, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time Saturday night. The result: zero points and a team-worst minus-2 rating."

He was a minus-2 because a) Karlsson is a rookie (resulting in the 2nd goal) and b) he was on the ice for a Diddling empty net goal.

Why is it so tough to get people who know how to watch hockey to write about it and get paid? wtf.

Volchenkov was the runaway dud last night. Kuba doesn't even factor into that equation. Runner's up are Kelly, Foligno, and Spezza.

Number Twenty Nine wrote:

111519 wrote:on a positive note

heatley has not scored a goal wearing a SJ uniform

but he got an assist...

he got two actually... All this hoping for him to fail is absolutely terrible karma. He was a minus-3 on his first night...and so were we. Coincidence? probably, but he's gone now and there's no more reason to waste time or mental energy on him.

shabbs wrote:It's been one game... let's not bust up all the lines just yet.

TSN's Ice Chips for today:

Ryan Shannon did not skate with the team on Sunday. It does not seem to be serious matter, just a recovery day and he is day-to-day. - TSN

The team juggled some lines at practice. Mike Fisher moved to the middle, Nick Foligno moved up and Peter Regin moved down to centre the third line with Shannon absent. - TSN

Practice lines from today:

Forwards:
Michalek - Spezza - Alfredsson
Foligno - Fisher - Kovalev
Cheechoo - Regin - Neil
Ruutu - Kelly - Donovan

Defencemen:
Phillips - Volchenkov
Kuba - Karlsson
Campoli - Carkner
Picard - Lee

Goaltenders:
Leclaire
Elliott

Oh boy what a waste that would be of Regin.

asq2 wrote:

shabbs wrote:It's been one game... let's not bust up all the lines just yet.

TSN's Ice Chips for today:

Ryan Shannon did not skate with the team on Sunday. It does not seem to be serious matter, just a recovery day and he is day-to-day. - TSN

The team juggled some lines at practice. Mike Fisher moved to the middle, Nick Foligno moved up and Peter Regin moved down to centre the third line with Shannon absent. - TSN

Practice lines from today:

Forwards:
Michalek - Spezza - Alfredsson
Foligno - Fisher - Kovalev
Cheechoo - Regin - Neil
Ruutu - Kelly - Donovan

Defencemen:
Phillips - Volchenkov
Kuba - Karlsson
Campoli - Carkner
Picard - Lee

Goaltenders:
Leclaire
Elliott

Oh boy what a waste that would be of Regin.

I don't mind that line assuming Shanon is ready by Tuesday.