GAME DAY: Atlanta Thrashers @ Ottawa Senators - 7:30pm ET - TUE. Nov. 9, 2010

Spezza's the team's highest paid player and longest contracted player. Combined with his play, he's a top candidate.

wprager wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:man am i happy spezza never got traded this summer. i hope he's happy too

He's killing penalties now too. Perhaps fatherhood has done him some good?

This might be an unpopular opinion but Spezza looks like a guy who's looking past the "A" and gunning for the "C" once it's vacated by The Alfie.

It was somewhat unpopular a couple of years ago when I brought it up I don't think a 4-game stretch is enough to sway the masses, so let's just see if this "sticks".

I don't think that's fair to say about him. He might not have put up points in a couple of the games earlier this year but he hasn't had a single bad game yet. He's scoring, killing penalties, protecting the puck, creating turnovers defensively and getting teammates involved with his sick passing skill. Through the first 10 games of the season, this is easily the best Jason Spezza I've ever seen in Ottawa - one who's offensively and defensively responsible.

I love Regin, but the poor monkey took his knocks last night.

I also think the appropriate question right now is:

What the hell was Pittsburgh thinking letting a legend like Gonchar go?

SpezDispenser wrote:I also think the appropriate question right now is:

What the hell was Pittsburgh thinking letting a legend like Gonchar go?

Letang has done pretty well to cover in his absence. I think the real problem with their PP has been the decline of Malkin.

PKC wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I also think the appropriate question right now is:

What the hell was Pittsburgh thinking letting a legend like Gonchar go?

Letang has done pretty well to cover in his absence. I think the real problem with their PP has been the decline of Malkin.

Letang's quite good, so it Goligoski (sp), but so far I'd say they're badly missing Gonchar's presence.

SpezDispenser wrote:

PKC wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I also think the appropriate question right now is:

What the hell was Pittsburgh thinking letting a legend like Gonchar go?

Letang has done pretty well to cover in his absence. I think the real problem with their PP has been the decline of Malkin.

Letang's quite good, so it Goligoski (sp), but so far I'd say they're badly missing Gonchar's presence.

They are also missing Staal.

PKC wrote:

wprager wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:man am i happy spezza never got traded this summer. i hope he's happy too

He's killing penalties now too. Perhaps fatherhood has done him some good?

This might be an unpopular opinion but Spezza looks like a guy who's looking past the "A" and gunning for the "C" once it's vacated by The Alfie.

It was somewhat unpopular a couple of years ago when I brought it up I don't think a 4-game stretch is enough to sway the masses, so let's just see if this "sticks".

I don't think that's fair to say about him. He might not have put up points in a couple of the games earlier this year but he hasn't had a single bad game yet. He's scoring, killing penalties, protecting the puck, creating turnovers defensively and getting teammates involved with his sick passing skill. Through the first 10 games of the season, this is easily the best Jason Spezza I've ever seen in Ottawa - one who's offensively and defensively responsible.

I can't say I noticed him (defensively) in his first attempt to play. After he missed 4 games and came back stronger, though, there was a couple of games when he wasn't scoring but playing really, really well. Good defensively, taking a turn on the PK, winning faceoffs and setting up plays. The offense in the last two games has been great while the defensive side of things has continued.

That's the 4 games I'm talking about (maybe it's more like 5 or 6). I'm not knocking his first X games of the season but I think the last 4-6 have been better.

Spezza and the rest of the team have been looking good against bad teams (except Montreal0. The next stretch of games is gonna be the true test for them. They looked like crap against a contender like Boston.

Big Ev wrote:Spezza and the rest of the team have been looking good against bad teams (except Montreal0. The next stretch of games is gonna be the true test for them. They looked like crap against a contender like Boston.

Aren't you a frickin' ray of sunshine

TheAvatar wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Spezza and the rest of the team have been looking good against bad teams (except Montreal0. The next stretch of games is gonna be the true test for them. They looked like crap against a contender like Boston.

Aren't you a frickin' ray of sunshine

So would you be fine if all this team did was beat up on non-playoff teams and lose to the good teams?

Again, not everything has to be rainbows and puppy dogs when it comes to the team you cheer for.

I hope we play well against the top teams soon...hopefully we have enough confidence to put up a fight.

Big Ev wrote:

TheAvatar wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Spezza and the rest of the team have been looking good against bad teams (except Montreal0. The next stretch of games is gonna be the true test for them. They looked like crap against a contender like Boston.

Aren't you a frickin' ray of sunshine

So would you be fine if all this team did was beat up on non-playoff teams and lose to the good teams?

Again, not everything has to be rainbows and puppy dogs when it comes to the team you cheer for.

I hope we play well against the top teams soon...hopefully we have enough confidence to put up a fight.

How about double rainbows?

Big Ev wrote:Spezza and the rest of the team have been looking good against bad teams (except Montreal0. The next stretch of games is gonna be the true test for them. They looked like crap against a contender like Boston.

I don't think you can call Atlanta a 'bad' team. They're gonna break some team's heart when they take 8th. For whatever reason, we caught them at a time when they looked very poor, but this was a team that have Detroit all they could handle and is nicely in a playoff spot.

Atlanta's not in a playuoff spot right now, and they are not making the playoffs at the end of the year...they're only .500 right now.

Big Ev wrote:Atlanta's not in a playuoff spot right now, and they are not making the playoffs at the end of the year...they're only .500 right now.

They must have just lost their spot because of last night's game. I wouldn't be too sure about them not making it, I can see them challenging right to the final day.

Big Ev wrote:Atlanta's not in a playuoff spot right now, and they are not making the playoffs at the end of the year...they're only .500 right now.

By that logic, if the senators beat pittsburgh, then its not really anything to be excited about since PIttsburgh is out of the playoffs.

Atlanta is a good team. They got their struggles right now, but many teams go through it (including your beloved penguins....no hiding this ) but the sens have been playing well and getting better, so there's hope yet.

EDIT: and I agree with SpezzD, Atlanta will make some noise in the EAst, which apparently doesn't require much since 11/15 teams are bubble teams anyways.

Big Ev wrote:

TheAvatar wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Spezza and the rest of the team have been looking good against bad teams (except Montreal0. The next stretch of games is gonna be the true test for them. They looked like crap against a contender like Boston.

Aren't you a frickin' ray of sunshine

So would you be fine if all this team did was beat up on non-playoff teams and lose to the good teams?

Again, not everything has to be rainbows and puppy dogs when it comes to the team you cheer for.

I hope we play well against the top teams soon...hopefully we have enough confidence to put up a fight.

It's not what you said as much as how you said it. Basically, the way you said it implies that their current string means nothing because they've played sh!t teams and they play like crap when facing a good team. I wonder why you bother with this team. Maybe you're just hoping they'll be crap to justify your earlier position that it was time to blow it to pieces and trade everyone except for a few guys.

TheAvatar wrote:

Big Ev wrote:

TheAvatar wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Spezza and the rest of the team have been looking good against bad teams (except Montreal0. The next stretch of games is gonna be the true test for them. They looked like crap against a contender like Boston.

Aren't you a frickin' ray of sunshine

So would you be fine if all this team did was beat up on non-playoff teams and lose to the good teams?

Again, not everything has to be rainbows and puppy dogs when it comes to the team you cheer for.

I hope we play well against the top teams soon...hopefully we have enough confidence to put up a fight.

It's not what you said as much as how you said it. Basically, the way you said it implies that their current string means nothing because they've played sh!t teams and they play like crap when facing a good team. I wonder why you bother with this team. Maybe you're just hoping they'll be crap to justify your earlier position that it was time to blow it to pieces and trade everyone except for a few guys.

Right, I can't be fan if I am ever negative towards the team

I never said it was time to blow it to pieces...even with this winning streak there is still a lot of work to be done, and there is still a ton of dead weight on the roster. Do you honestly think they are a contending team this season?

How is it not fair to say that we have only really beaten the average to bad teams this season? It's fact. Until they start beating grate teams then they are pretenders...sorry, it's just the truth. I'm pulling for them every step of the way.