GAME DAY:Philadelphia Flyers @ Ottawa Senators - 7:30pm ET - TUE. Apr. 5, 2011

Big Ev wrote:Go Couturier or Huberdeau!

Go lottery balls!

Alright, Huberdeau it is gonna be then. Let's hope Craig Button is right.

Big Ev wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Go Couturier or Huberdeau!

Actually, I think we can still get Landeskog if we finish 4th.

I'll take Huberdeau thanks I'll always take the center and I think people will be surprised on his leadership qualities. Not that far behind the Lando.

Now, DaCosta is looking like a legit top 6 prospect out there. Probably too small and overwhelmed right now, but the vision and hands are definitely top line material.

spader wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

hemlock wrote:Cussing garbage. Can these stupid female parental unit diddlers not lose 3 measly games to playoff bound teams please? A win tonight almost assuredly means FLorida finishes behind us, not to mention those pathetic diddles from Denver. Cussing terrible.


WHAT THE Diddle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


For real. This is pure garbage. Pride will cost us at the draft. Someone needs to teach Murray, Clouston and the players how to female parental unit diddling tank.

The only thing that's garbage right now are those Dung teams that can't win. Also, the garbage we got rid of was garbage. This was never really a garbage team so consider yourself lucky that we are in the lottery this season because it won't be happening again for awhile...

Right on, SSF. Here's my take:

We're winning. This team is demonstrating that there was some dead weight and that the major issue was goaltending. This is great news. I get more excited for next year with every passing game. Diddle the draft. The whole point is to get someone to help us win. This team is showing that it can win games right now. This is good.

Spezza is a Cussing machine. I can't remember who was involved in the conversation a few weeks ago when people were splitting hairs over whether or not he's a point a game player. Who cares? Right now he's a Cussing MACHINE. He plays this good next year, he's top 5 scoring. Book it.

We're gonna get a stack of quality prospects this draft. There's also the (slim?) chance of moving up or someone making a surprising pick. We'll be fine. We don't need the #1 pick. Winning culture + confidence > finishing slightly lower in the standings.

That is all.

If we Dung the bed in December I will on you



No but seriously, this might look pretty right now but It's nothing I haven't seen before and until I see the same efforts night in night out from September to January I won't buy it.
All those kids are energized but I tell you when they will play a full season and start to question why they are not scoring goals anymore it will look bad. We are still relying on Spezza and Anderson here. Nobody else is doing anything special. LIke Grabner/Giroux/Couture special.
"Diddle the draft" Yeah, I'll have to disagree totally here. We're talking about a player that will be on this team for 10+ years, we better get the best one. Because if the N2 pick is like Spezza and our N4 pick is Stephen Weiss, I can assure you you wouldn't be saying that.

Imagine if Spezza goes down injured in november next year... we're pretty much done for the year.

awww WTF!

uhhhgggg, i mean GO SENS GO!

well i hope spezza can translate his new found composure to when the games really count.

so 4rth overall it is eh? what am i saying we might even pick 5th...

marakh wrote:
If we Dung the bed in December I will on you



No but seriously, this might look pretty right now but It's nothing I haven't seen before and until I see the same efforts night in night out from September to January I won't buy it.
All those kids are energized but I tell you when they will play a full season and start to question why they are not scoring goals anymore it will look bad. We are still relying on Spezza and Anderson here. Nobody else is doing anything special. LIke Grabner/Giroux/Couture special.
"Diddle the draft" Yeah, I'll have to disagree totally here. We're talking about a player that will be on this team for 10+ years, we better get the best one. Because if the N2 pick is like Spezza and our N4 pick is Stephen Weiss, I can assure you you wouldn't be saying that.

Imagine if Spezza goes down injured in november next year... we're pretty much done for the year.

I guess "Diddle Tank Nation" would have been more appropriate. Also, I was intentionally overstating my position.
I certainly don't want a Weiss over a Spezza, but I'm happy we're winning and certain that we'll get a good player (or a few since we have exactly one jillion picks in the first 2 rounds)

spader wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

hemlock wrote:Cussing garbage. Can these stupid female parental unit diddlers not lose 3 measly games to playoff bound teams please? A win tonight almost assuredly means FLorida finishes behind us, not to mention those pathetic diddles from Denver. Cussing terrible.


WHAT THE Diddle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


For real. This is pure garbage. Pride will cost us at the draft. Someone needs to teach Murray, Clouston and the players how to female parental unit diddling tank.

The only thing that's garbage right now are those Dung teams that can't win. Also, the garbage we got rid of was garbage. This was never really a garbage team so consider yourself lucky that we are in the lottery this season because it won't be happening again for awhile...

Right on, SSF. Here's my take:

We're winning. This team is demonstrating that there was some dead weight and that the major issue was goaltending. This is great news. I get more excited for next year with every passing game. Diddle the draft. The whole point is to get someone to help us win. This team is showing that it can win games right now. This is good.

Spezza is a Cussing machine. I can't remember who was involved in the conversation a few weeks ago when people were splitting hairs over whether or not he's a point a game player. Who cares? Right now he's a Cussing MACHINE. He plays this good next year, he's top 5 scoring. Book it.

We're gonna get a stack of quality prospects this draft. There's also the (slim?) chance of moving up or someone making a surprising pick. We'll be fine. We don't need the #1 pick. Winning culture + confidence > finishing slightly lower in the standings.

That is all.

No one is talking about the #1 pick. Top 3 should have been a priority though, having basically lost the season by New Years Day. And it's not like they had to blow it up like Colorado did to do it, all they had to do was stay the course. Spezza is a machine now, but along with the youngsters like Condra, Butler and Greening, will they be able to repeat this year's output? If Peter Regin is any indication, things won't look too pretty. Bottom line, is that while we are winning games right now, there is NO pressure whatsoever. Will these young players step it up if we are in the thick of a playoff race next season? Too early to tell, and therefore, it's way to early to annoint this team as anything but a bottom feeder next year. Sure the goaltending is better, but if we struggle to score goals like we did for huge chunks of this season, we won't contend for anything. All we've done in the last two weeks is get worse in the draft. Guys aren't playing for jobs right now, at least not the young guys. They'll still have to come into camp and earn spots, without question. Just look at Cody Bass after the year he played well in the playoffs against Pittsburgh. He's basically the invisible man, even in Bingo, having been passed on the depth chart by some 10 guys it seems.

Book it for Spezza in top 5 scoring?

He's never finished higher than a 3 way tie for 6th, and that was when he centred arguably the best line in hockey. That's an incredible reach if you ask me. Of course, like clockwork, we can count on him missing 10-15 games which seems par for the course.

hemlock wrote:

spader wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

hemlock wrote:Cussing garbage. Can these stupid female parental unit diddlers not lose 3 measly games to playoff bound teams please? A win tonight almost assuredly means FLorida finishes behind us, not to mention those pathetic diddles from Denver. Cussing terrible.


WHAT THE Diddle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


For real. This is pure garbage. Pride will cost us at the draft. Someone needs to teach Murray, Clouston and the players how to female parental unit diddling tank.

The only thing that's garbage right now are those Dung teams that can't win. Also, the garbage we got rid of was garbage. This was never really a garbage team so consider yourself lucky that we are in the lottery this season because it won't be happening again for awhile...

Right on, SSF. Here's my take:

We're winning. This team is demonstrating that there was some dead weight and that the major issue was goaltending. This is great news. I get more excited for next year with every passing game. Diddle the draft. The whole point is to get someone to help us win. This team is showing that it can win games right now. This is good.

Spezza is a Cussing machine. I can't remember who was involved in the conversation a few weeks ago when people were splitting hairs over whether or not he's a point a game player. Who cares? Right now he's a Cussing MACHINE. He plays this good next year, he's top 5 scoring. Book it.

We're gonna get a stack of quality prospects this draft. There's also the (slim?) chance of moving up or someone making a surprising pick. We'll be fine. We don't need the #1 pick. Winning culture + confidence > finishing slightly lower in the standings.

That is all.

No one is talking about the #1 pick. Top 3 should have been a priority though, having basically lost the season by New Years Day. And it's not like they had to blow it up like Colorado did to do it, all they had to do was stay the course. Spezza is a machine now, but along with the youngsters like Condra, Butler and Greening, will they be able to repeat this year's output? If Peter Regin is any indication, things won't look too pretty. Bottom line, is that while we are winning games right now, there is NO pressure whatsoever. Will these young players step it up if we are in the thick of a playoff race next season? Too early to tell, and therefore, it's way to early to annoint this team as anything but a bottom feeder next year. Sure the goaltending is better, but if we struggle to score goals like we did for huge chunks of this season, we won't contend for anything. All we've done in the last two weeks is get worse in the draft. Guys aren't playing for jobs right now, at least not the young guys. They'll still have to come into camp and earn spots, without question. Just look at Cody Bass after the year he played well in the playoffs against Pittsburgh. He's basically the invisible man, even in Bingo, having been passed on the depth chart by some 10 guys it seems.

Book it for Spezza in top 5 scoring?

He's never finished higher than a 3 way tie for 6th, and that was when he centred arguably the best line in hockey. That's an incredible reach if you ask me. Of course, like clockwork, we can count on him missing 10-15 games which seems par for the course.

Pretty sure I qualified that by saying that you can book it if he plays as well next year as he's playing now. What does he have, 7 points in 2 games? 19 in his last 13 or so? Ya...he plays like that, he's in the top 5.
BOOK IT.

I don't know what you mean when you say that there's no pressure and that the young guys aren't trying to play their way on the team. This is pro sports. There's always pressure. As for the young guys, you think they're thinking that their play right now won't impact their chance next year? I'd argue otherwise. I'd also argue that the coaches and management staff is paying close attention right now and thinking ahead. Call it a hunch.

There may not be pressure on the core, and those with long-term contracts. With Alfie, Gonchar, Karlsson all out, that leaves pretty much Spezza and Phillips. The callups are playing for a chance to not ride the bus in the AHL next year; the 2nd/3rd year players are looking over their shoulders at the AHLers, and pending free agents are playing for their next contract -- be it here or elsewhere.

What will be different next year is how the college kids adjust to playing a full season. It will also be interesting to see how they deal with losing and scoreless streaks. We are not going to win at the pace of the last 20 games, even with the injured players coming back.

I think Spezza is finally learning how to carry the team. This team overcame a one goal deficit twice in this game, and Spezza was in on each goal (I still think he should have gotten an assist on the empty-netter, but in any case the empty net goal did not decide the game).

Big Ev wrote:Why bother playing Da Costa if you give him 6 minutes?

He didn't deserve to be played anything more than 2 mins in the last 2 periods. His first period was absolutley brutal, not in the sense he wasn't trying or made a mistake, in the sense he doesn't get it yet. The forecheck was non exsistant, he just skated by everyone without laying a hand on them, and he was just really soft.

Clouston gave Da Costa a shot in the first period, he had a few shifts where he could have made people take notice but he didn't. The kid as a ton of NHL tools, right now, no tool box. He will spend time in The AHL for sure next year because he clearly is not NHL ready mentally even though his skills are.

PRetty solid game to be at last night, crowd was better than you can hope playing a meaningless game in April.

The Sens are giving an honest effort each and every night and it seems wins are following. Like everything else, you have to take what's going on right now with a big grain of salt from Anderson's play to Spezza's to the teams overall. Is it great to see? Absolutely. Will it be the same thing from game 1 next year? We'll have to wait and see.

Spezza was awesome, either he wasn't well liked by the other guys that left town or he just wanted the room to himself because he looks like a new hockey player. He is dominating every time he is out there and he is making lesser players better. Hopefully he carries it into next year.

Da Costa, my thoughts are above. He didn't do anything to warrent more ice time.

Philly, they are getting bounced in round 1. Richards and Giroux are the only 2 guys that actually give a damn. They were awful in every aspect and it's been like that for well over a month. That team is not making it out of the east and probably not out of a first round matchup with either Buffalo or NYR.

Kuba had a nice bounce back game, very solid. I thought Wiercoich had his best game to date, really starting to look comofrtable back there but he absolutely needs to put on some weight. Lee and Phillips were pretty close to perfect again, they honestly look like a top shutdown pair right now.

Anderson was Anderson. Saw it, stopped it.

I was at the game. Freakin' Sens played great again, and Anderson was his usual self. A couple things:

1) Spezza is the Man. Best player on the ice all night long.

2) Ryan Shannon has confidence. He looks like a $3M player out there. We almost have to resign him at this point.

3) Mike Richards scored with what is the hardest one-timer-from-the-slot that I've ever seen. He absolutely rifled a shot top shelf for Philly's 2nd goal. It was unreal. Not even a brick wall would've stopped it.

[quote="tim1_2"]I was at the game. Freakin' Sens played great again, and Anderson was his usual self. A couple things:

1) Spezza is the Man. Best player on the ice all night long.

2) Ryan Shannon has confidence. He looks like a $3M player out there. We almost have to resign him at this point.

3) Mike Richards scored with what is the hardest one-timer-from-the-slot that I've ever seen. He absolutely rifled a shot top shelf for Philly's 2nd goal. It was unreal. Not even a brick wall would've stopped it.[/quote]

Sent a text to my buddy about 1 second after that goal. Best one timer in The NHL. No one in the world could have stopped that shot.

As for Shannon, I don't see how you let him walk at this point... I don't see how you don't give him a 2 year deal at 850K-1 mil a year. He looks like a legit top 6 forward and can play in every situation, honestly it would be stupid not to get him locked up. He's turned into a very nice player.

[quote="NEELY"]

tim1_2 wrote:I was at the game. Freakin' Sens played great again, and Anderson was his usual self. A couple things:

1) Spezza is the Man. Best player on the ice all night long.

2) Ryan Shannon has confidence. He looks like a $3M player out there. We almost have to resign him at this point.

3) Mike Richards scored with what is the hardest one-timer-from-the-slot that I've ever seen. He absolutely rifled a shot top shelf for Philly's 2nd goal. It was unreal. Not even a brick wall would've stopped it.[/quote]

Sent a text to my buddy about 1 second after that goal. Best one timer in The NHL. No one in the world could have stopped that shot.

As for Shannon, I don't see how you let him walk at this point... I don't see how you don't give him a 2 year deal at 850K-1 mil a year. He looks like a legit top 6 forward and can play in every situation, honestly it would be stupid not to get him locked up. He's turned into a very nice player.

Yet another brutal BM trade. Imagine what this team would look like with Lawrence Nycholat on it?

Is Nycholat even playing pro hockey anywhere?

That's the trade no one really talks about at this point but ya, that's 100% robbery on Murray's part.

Shannon is a nice depth player for sure but I wouldn't consider him a hidden top six forward gem either. Shannon has done well in seasons when we're out of the playoff race down the stretch when the pressure is off so nice depth guy and definitely a steal when you consider where Nycholat is now.

NEELY wrote:That's the trade no one really talks about at this point but ya, that's 100% robbery on Murray's part.

It's 100% robbery I guess but it's not like NOT having Shannon would make a difference