Game Day - Ottawa @ Boston, 7:00PM, Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Pretty much. 2 lines are written in stone... there is a ton of ice time up for grabs. Filatov just has to prove he deserves it.

Supremacy of the NE Division is on the line tonight. A win by the Sens puts them in sole possession of top spot in the NE.

Crazy times these are... crazy times...

GO SENS GO!!!

#MAKEIT7

Interesting goalie stats match up tonight:

Goalie matchup for #Sens vs #Bruins tonight: Craig Anderson 6-2-0 3.66 GAA vs Tim Thomas 3-4-0 2.14 GAA

Via Dan Seguin: https://twitter.com/#!/SeguinSports/status/131412365957791744

NEELY wrote:Pretty much. 2 lines are written in stone... there is a ton of ice time up for grabs. Filatov just has to prove he deserves it.

Only spot I see up for grabs is #2C, Da Costa is struggling there, once Regin is back I think that will be solved.
Once Alfie is back, his spot is assured.
And I don't think MacLean will move Foligno anywhere, he's physical and crashes the net, something Filatov will never do.

As for the 4th line, he's better off in Bingo or the KHL.

The Ottawa fanbase wants their offensive players to be plumbers and checkers. Young Filatov should be no exception

Hoags wrote:

NEELY wrote:Pretty much. 2 lines are written in stone... there is a ton of ice time up for grabs. Filatov just has to prove he deserves it.

Only spot I see up for grabs is #2C, Da Costa is struggling there, once Regin is back I think that will be solved.
Once Alfie is back, his spot is assured.
And I don't think MacLean will move Foligno anywhere, he's physical and crashes the net, something Filatov will never do.

As for the 4th line, he's better off in Bingo or the KHL.

I meant in the short term there is ice time up for grabs. That's where he has to make an impression. Everyone gets a chance, it's whether or not they take advantage of it.

I agree he's better off playing more mins in Bigno but right now Ottawa may need him at some point as a top 6 guy. Hell, even if they feel he might work well beside Smith and Neil (where he did look good at one point) that's fine too.

I'll never buy the "he never got a real shot" argument. Daugavins is a perfect example of that. Could have bolted but he stayed in Bingo and earned it.

SeawaySensFan wrote:The Ottawa fanbase wants their offensive players to be plumbers and checkers. Young Filatov should be no exception

Players have to earn ice time. I don't see how this is even debtable.

NEELY wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:The Ottawa fanbase wants their offensive players to be plumbers and checkers. Young Filatov should be no exception

Players have to earn ice time. I don't see how this is even debtable.

Agreed.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

NEELY wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:The Ottawa fanbase wants their offensive players to be plumbers and checkers. Young Filatov should be no exception

Players have to earn ice time. I don't see how this is even debtable.

Agreed.

Filatov should still play his game even if he is on the 4th line, it doesn't mean he is being asked to go out and fight, bang bodies, etc. It does mean he has to work hard, work smart, and get noticed for positive things where the coach learns to trust him and put him on the ice during more important situations.

Back check hard, forcheck hard, quick shifts, positive attitude. Truth be told, a lot of ice time is earned at practice as well.

NEELY wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

NEELY wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:The Ottawa fanbase wants their offensive players to be plumbers and checkers. Young Filatov should be no exception

Players have to earn ice time. I don't see how this is even debtable.

Agreed.

Filatov should still play his game even if he is on the 4th line, it doesn't mean he is being asked to go out and fight, bang bodies, etc. It does mean he has to work hard, work smart, and get noticed for positive things where the coach learns to trust him and put him on the ice during more important situations.

Back check hard, forcheck hard, quick shifts, positive attitude. Truth be told, a lot of ice time is earned at practice as well.

I basically said the same thing about DaCosta. Well, it goes for everyone actually. Nobody should be taking a shift off or "checking out" even for a second or two because that's when you look bad. Of course, some guys are fighting for ice time more than others...

NEELY wrote:
Players have to earn ice time. I don't see how this is even debtable.

I agree, I just don't think he has it in him.

Yeah Filatov just has a big stink that follows him it seems. He seems like a douche. Hope he can turn it around

Maybe he should be going to more optional skates

Big Ev wrote:Yeah Filatov just has a big stink that follows him it seems. He seems like a douche. Hope he can turn it around

Maybe he should be going to more optional skates

Someone needs to reach out to him. Maybe on SpringSpace?

SeawaySensFan wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Yeah Filatov just has a big stink that follows him it seems. He seems like a douche. Hope he can turn it around

Maybe he should be going to more optional skates

Someone needs to reach out to him. Maybe on SpringSpace?

Well done.

Hoags wrote:

NEELY wrote:
Players have to earn ice time. I don't see how this is even debtable.

I agree, I just don't think he has it in him.

Could very well be. Yet to be seen but it would be awful to waste that talent buuuuut won't be the first, won't be the last.

Good one SSF.

Big Ev wrote:Yeah Filatov just has a big stink that follows him it seems. He seems like a douche. Hope he can turn it around

We may be a rebuilding team but MacLean has set the bar fairly high, only took 2 games to send him down. Filatov is too skilled for the AHL but he doesn't look NHL ready at all, except for his skill/talent level.

I have doubts whether he can make it and whether he can play the type of fast,physical 2-way hockey MacLean expects. He's a peripheral player and a playmaker at heart. While I agree he needs to earn his ice time, playing him 5 mins a game with 2 plugs who skate as half the speed isn't really a situation where he can shine and show his abilities. He got lots of top-6 icetime in the preseason and 2 games and only had 2 assists to show for it. Murray seemed very disappointed, clearly they expected much more from him.

He doesn't look like a good fit for the organization right now. He's a long term project now, maybe KK can fix him, maybe he can't. He's only here because Alfie is out and we need to ice a full roster.

He's a way more skiled Ilya Zubov right now IMHO.

Big Ev wrote:Filatov won't not make it because of lack of talent. If he never makes it, it will be because he isn't talented enough for NHL hockey. He can be an AHL star.

He can be a KHL All-Star for more money and no chance of getting head shot by Tim Sestito.

Filatov won't not make it because of lack of talent. If he never makes it, it will be because he isn't talented enough for NHL hockey. He can be an AHL star.