GAME DAY - Ottawa Senators @ Philadelphia Flyers, Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012, 1:00 PM EST

Big Ev wrote:lol gotta love HF

As a Sens fan, I have to say Jared Cowen. He makes boneheaded decisions all over the ice. He roams in his own end, makes poor pinches and constantly loses his man in the defensive zone. For a shutdown defenseman who provides little offense, I expected solid defensive play at least. These issues can be worked out, so there's potential in the kid, especially when he bulks up (he's still very skinny), but as of right now he's just plugging a spot on the roster.

Although, he wasn't great this afternoon.

SpezDispenser wrote:What's the magic # now? 5?

4. 94 is our sweet spot.

A loss from either BUF or WAS tonight, and that number shrinks to 2.

i'm cheering for the Canes tonight.

rooneypoo wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:What's the magic # now? 5?

4. 94 is our sweet spot.

A loss from either BUF or WAS tonight, and that number shrinks to 2.

So the possibility exists we could clinch tomorrow...

rooneypoo wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:What's the magic # now? 5?

4. 94 is our sweet spot.

A loss from either BUF or WAS tonight, and that number shrinks to 2.

At first I read that as 4.94 -- I thought you were being witty and for the life of me I wasn't getting it

Really impressed with Carkner.

NEELY wrote:Really impressed with Carkner.

Like Kuba last year, if you start your season on the IR it's hard to catch up. Luckily for him the team didn't suck as badly as it did for Kuba last year.

Still, is he on this team next season?

SpezDispenser wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:What's the magic # now? 5?

4. 94 is our sweet spot.

A loss from either BUF or WAS tonight, and that number shrinks to 2.

So the possibility exists we could clinch tomorrow...

It doesn't really matter, does it? All we have to do is keep winning, hope New Jersey loses to Deroit and then pull out all the stops on the last day.

At this point I don't think resting the vets is necessary. Anderson just had a month off, and the team, in general, has had nice long breaks between strings of 3 games in 4 nights, probably with less practice time than they would have otherwise. Plus once they get to the playoffs, it's just one game every couple nights -- easy-peasy.

Starting today, it is 5 games in 8 days. Alfie skips a lot of practices. If/when the team is locked into 7th, rest whomever needs it.

NEELY wrote:Really impressed with Carkner.

So much better than Gilroy. I guess all he needed was to get into game shape.

NEELY wrote:Really impressed with Carkner.

Was solid today. Pinched when it made sense to and didn't get out of position and was clearing the front. Nice to see.

Carkner is an asset if he plays within his role. It took Michalek a full year to come back from a knee injury. Carkner had 2 surgeries so I'm not surprised that it may have taken some time to get back to 100%.

I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in a 6/7 type of role.

And, he is good in the community.

I wasn't amused at PJ Stock trolling Karlsson between periods What an idiot.

Carkner looked very good, best I've seen from him in a while, and he's miles better than Gilroy.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Big Ev wrote:lol gotta love HF

As a Sens fan, I have to say Jared Cowen. He makes boneheaded decisions all over the ice. He roams in his own end, makes poor pinches and constantly loses his man in the defensive zone. For a shutdown defenseman who provides little offense, I expected solid defensive play at least. These issues can be worked out, so there's potential in the kid, especially when he bulks up (he's still very skinny), but as of right now he's just plugging a spot on the roster.

Although, he wasn't great this afternoon.

He hasn't been all that great at all, lately. I think the long season is wearing on him a bit.

Carkner should be on the Sens next year. How many guys in the NHL is a top 3 fighter and a guy that can play the 6, 7 role on your blueline? Not a lot. Carkner deserves another 2 year deal IMO at around the same price, he does fill a role.

As for Cowen, he's a rookie playing 20 mins a night every night, that's tough on anyone. He is being put into high pressure situations by the coach and he's learning as he does, even now I think he's doing a great job all things considered.

Hoags wrote:I wasn't amused at PJ Stock trolling Karlsson between periods What an idiot.

Carkner looked very good, best I've seen from him in a while, and he's miles better than Gilroy.

PJ Stock is a moron full stop. I have no idea how he continues to be on the CBC... someone must think he's good or something, or he has some blackmail photos on a senior exec... heh heh.

shabbs wrote:

Hoags wrote:I wasn't amused at PJ Stock trolling Karlsson between periods What an idiot.

Carkner looked very good, best I've seen from him in a while, and he's miles better than Gilroy.

PJ Stock is a moron full stop. I have no idea how he continues to be on the CBC... someone must think he's good or something, or he has some blackmail photos on a senior exec... heh heh.

I took it more like PJ saying that Karlsson gets away with doing things other D-men in the league couldn't. That pass from just a couple feet outside his crease, through the attacking forward's legs, for example -- he is absolutely 100% right that you can't do that play. You have to bang it off the boards and hope, somehow, it gets out. But Erik threads the needle and makes what amounts to an outlet pass. He is *that* good. And as for that pinch at the blue line that led to Alfie's goal, the reason he can do what he did is because he's got that blinding speed to catch up to the play if he misses it at the blue line. Like the all-star center fielder playing shallow and having to run and make an over-the-shoulder catch on a ball that most other outfields just camp under, but then he catches the shallow line drive that would be an RBI single for everyone else.

PJ had that look on his face that said "He shouldn't do it, you just *can't* do that ... and yet the results speak for themselves."

Heh. Clearly PJ is not a believer...