GDT: Game 1: Season Opener - Senators vs Sabers - 7:30 - SNET/RIS/MSG/Team1200

It's quite disappointing for sure. Nice third, but not good enough. Leclaire was brilliant, needs to bring that every night.

spader wrote:

marakh wrote:I'd say FIsher on the ice just to take all those face-offs at the end of the game there pretty much killed the power play. There were absolutely no threat from behind the goalie...
Until that PP clicks I will continue my propaganda on the one D only QB-ing the PP. the one timers and/or shooting lanes were non existant from the point.
Karlsson looked like he just woke up.
How dominant was Myers SHould have been 1st star.

Or "Myer", as Potvin insisted on calling him.

It was refreshing to hear Potvin criticize Regin a little for not burying opportunites. Better than the excuses and velvet glove treatment we've heard for years on the Ottawa airwaves.

Even in a 30+ save night Leclaire does not give me nay confidence whatsoever that he will make the next save. It's just so uncomfortable watching him right now.

Then you look to the other side of the rink and you have Miller. Calm, confident, and you get that feeling that he will stop anything that comes his way.

The way I figure it, you can lose less than 30 games in regulation. Any more than that and you're in the mix for 7-12. That's 1.

Cory Clouston will have them prepared tomorrow. We need some offence, drive the puck to the net, shoot the puck, make defenders make plays.

Should we call Locke up if Spezza can't go? We need a talented C for the top line.

Big Ev wrote:Even in a 30+ save night Leclaire does not give me nay confidence whatsoever that he will make the next save. It's just so uncomfortable watching him right now.

Then you look to the other side of the rink and you have Miller. Calm, confident, and you get that feeling that he will stop anything that comes his way.

Even Miller would freak out if he had all those breakaways in the 2nd period there. Sens had one breakaway in that period, and it translated into a goal.
That 2nd period was a slaughter.

Gonchar needs to stop trying to be the nice new guy by passing to everybody just and shoot himself! I think he had 1 SOG tonight.

Coles notes thoughts on the game:

How important is Spezza out there? Maybe it's just cause his icetime went to Fisher and Regin bu that was ugly.

Fisher and Regin were god-awful, I really think Fisher should be isolated on that 2nd line no matter injuries to Spezza or not, and Regin is much better on the wing imo.

Karlsson was very shaky, as was Lee. Expecting bigger things from them.

Loved what Gonchar brought to the table, and Foligno seems to have kept up his solid play.

No confidence in Leclaire, even after his performance tonight. Moves around so much in the net and seems to be flopping around. Will be interesting to see how Elliot responds tomorrow.

Big Ev wrote:Gonchar needs to stop trying to be the nice new guy by passing to everybody just and shoot himself! I think he had 1 SOG tonight.

That stupid one-timer setup to the man at the half boards has to stop. You'd think with a lineup of shooters, they wouldn't have a problem putting the puck on net on a two man advantage. Not these guys.

PKC wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Gonchar needs to stop trying to be the nice new guy by passing to everybody just and shoot himself! I think he had 1 SOG tonight.

That stupid one-timer setup to the man at the half boards has to stop. You'd think with a lineup of shooters, they wouldn't have a problem putting the puck on net on a two man advantage. Not these guys.

That's what happens when you put a rightie on the right and the leftie on the left...
MYers on the Buffalo PP plays just centre of the ice, that's what Gonchar did in Pitts.

Anyways, I don't understand the criticism on LEclaire for flipping around. I mean, if he doesn't the game is over in the 2nd period.
He's what he is and he's not gonna change his style just like that at 27.

marakh wrote:

PKC wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Gonchar needs to stop trying to be the nice new guy by passing to everybody just and shoot himself! I think he had 1 SOG tonight.

That stupid one-timer setup to the man at the half boards has to stop. You'd think with a lineup of shooters, they wouldn't have a problem putting the puck on net on a two man advantage. Not these guys.

That's what happens when you put a rightie on the right and the leftie on the left...
MYers on the Buffalo PP plays just centre of the ice, that's what Gonchar did in Pitts.

Anyways, I don't understand the criticism on LEclaire for flipping around. I mean, if he doesn't the game is over in the 2nd period.
He's what he is and he's not gonna change his style just like that at 27.

Of course he's not gonna change his style, it got him as far as he did. However, I don't have to have confidence watching him over-commit and flop around to make up for it.

He got it done tonight, but there aren't many goalies that can get away with that too often.

I had a pageful of comments typed in, then some accidental key-combination reloaded the previous page in history and everything's gone. OK, one more time, but more briefly, this time.

Regin is not ready as a top-two center. Fish *barely* is. Honestly, I would have preferred Foligno in Spezza's spot (he earned it out of camp), leaving Regin at wing. Regin also missed a couple beauty setups from Kovalev -- those empty nets aren't going to fill themselves. Honestly, maybe next time Kovalev should try to bank them in off his shinguards instead of putting it on his stick -- I'm pretty sure he *could* do that with regularity if he thought of it.

Kovalev's rehab must have gone a heck of a lot better than Michalek's. #9 looked slow and awkward out there. Cheechoo-esque. Move him down to the 2nd line until he can win a foot race with Shannon again.
Edit: Just recalled that he was sat out for precautionary reasons a week ago with a "lower body" injury. That could be it as well.

Alfredsson almost looked like he needed Spezza out there. Some flashes, but too few over the course of a full game. Spending half your ice time on the PK doesn't help, of course. Maybe Michalek not being anywhere close to 100% also contributed to that.

Phillips/Karlsson did not impress me. I think Klarlsson may have put on some weight with off season training, but he may have lost a step. It's just game 1 so I'm not too worried, but he didn't seem to have that blazing speed he had last year.

Why is Clouston insisting on putting Shannon on a checking/energy line? Maybe, as great as the Kelly line is playing, split them up at times like this. I think Kelly has earned the right to play 2nd line center for a couple of games *a lot more* than Regin. Actually, maybe there's something there. Regin centering Ruutu and Neil? Hmm, it could work.

The powerplay needs a lot more practice. But with a different PP coach. Whoever is running it should be ashamed of themselves. With the likes of Gonchar/Karlsson/Kovalev/Alfredsson out there they can't figure out that we need to shoot more? Keep it simple by putting a guy in the crease (well, close to it). Right now the defenders are being too aggressive because, frankly, our PP is not scaring anyone. Keep someone's butt in Miller's face -- take the defenseman's attention away from the puck to try and move him out. Score a few ugly goals to give you some confidence and to put some doubts in the defenders' minds. Watching the Leafs PP the night before, wow, what a difference.

Thank goodness we get to play right away again. Maybe we can pick up a few pointers from the Leafs' powerplay.

Last comment, I promise. Why Derek Roy? I hate that little guy but it seems the Sens *always* have problems with the little pest kind of players. Is management telling the players to stay away from them (for fear of taking penalties)? Is that why he was left open so much? I cannot stress enough how much I dislike Roy, and Tucker and Barnaby before him. I'm sure I could come up with a few more names, but it's time to feed the animals.

Fisher: 20:31
Regin: 15:17
Kelly: 12:55
Winchester: 10:00
Smith: 6:52

Kelly line was our best -- maybe a bit more ice time, Cory?
What did Smith do to deserve *that*?

marakh wrote:

PKC wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Gonchar needs to stop trying to be the nice new guy by passing to everybody just and shoot himself! I think he had 1 SOG tonight.

That stupid one-timer setup to the man at the half boards has to stop. You'd think with a lineup of shooters, they wouldn't have a problem putting the puck on net on a two man advantage. Not these guys.

That's what happens when you put a rightie on the right and the leftie on the left...
MYers on the Buffalo PP plays just centre of the ice, that's what Gonchar did in Pitts.

Anyways, I don't understand the criticism on LEclaire for flipping around. I mean, if he doesn't the game is over in the 2nd period.
He's what he is and he's not gonna change his style just like that at 27.

I don't mind the one-timer on the half boards, just not Kovalev doing the one-timer. He has completely lost it, he can't aim anymore. Most of his shots went wide yesterday.

Gonchar didn't play centre ice on the Pitt PP, he just frequently moved to that area. There was still a second D on the ice at the time (Goligoski, Letang). Keep Karlsson with Gonchar.

Big Ev wrote:

marakh wrote:

PKC wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Gonchar needs to stop trying to be the nice new guy by passing to everybody just and shoot himself! I think he had 1 SOG tonight.

That stupid one-timer setup to the man at the half boards has to stop. You'd think with a lineup of shooters, they wouldn't have a problem putting the puck on net on a two man advantage. Not these guys.

That's what happens when you put a rightie on the right and the leftie on the left...
MYers on the Buffalo PP plays just centre of the ice, that's what Gonchar did in Pitts.

Anyways, I don't understand the criticism on LEclaire for flipping around. I mean, if he doesn't the game is over in the 2nd period.
He's what he is and he's not gonna change his style just like that at 27.

I don't mind the one-timer on the half boards, just not Kovalev doing the one-timer. He has completely lost it, he can't aim anymore. Most of his shots went wide yesterday.

Gonchar didn't play centre ice on the Pitt PP, he just frequently moved to that area. There was still a second D on the ice at the time (Goligoski, Letang). Keep Karlsson with Gonchar.

THos guys were on the left side, and that's my point:



See Malkin in this? we need someone like that on the right side, leftie... maybe Kovalev can't shoot as well as before but he can still do the job and will attract the opposition.

Spezza feeling better, will make game time decision!

Ok? That was my point as well, put Karlsson on the left side.

Put somebody else on the 1st PP...Kovalev should be on the second unit IMO.