Ottawa Senators TIDBITS & QUICK HITS!

Hoags wrote:

NEELY wrote:
Pretty sure the playoffs are all about winning 2-1, 3-2 games... which the Sens are doing. The Sens could beat anyone in the East aside from Pitt and Boston with the lineup they have now in the 1st round.

We're barely scoring goals now, a lot harder to score in the playoffs. 3 of our last wins are shootouts which don't exist in the post season. Our PP is so bad we should just decline them.

Any decent playoff team will shut us down because there is so few players which are a legit scoring threat.

But the ones we are scoring are the ones that go in in the playoffs. We're playing desperation hockey which is how you win against higher seeded teams in the post-season.

Edit: To address your second point -- because we don't have a legit scoring threat we are tougher to defend against. Many teams, you focus on one line or one player -- hold them off the scoresheet and you win. On the Sens we have three third lines and a really tough fourth. We don't score much, but what little we do can come from anywhere.

NEELY wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:We could absolutely beat Montreal in a 7 game series. Discussion over.

Haha seriously. Not sure when the Habs became some dominate force in the East.

When the schedulers decided to give Boston 4 games in hand half way through, then threw in a snowed-out game on top of that.

tim1_2 wrote:Hoags, you're telling me Ottawa would have no chance against Montreal in the playoffs. We beat them last game with an AHL roster and our backup goalie. Yeah, it was in a shootout, but there's not telling how it would've turned out if it had been continuous OT. I also remember putting up 5 goals against them earlier in the season.

By the playoffs we'll have Spezza and Michalek back in the lineup (and EK, but you didn't hear that here), and (best goalie on the planet) tending goal.

I agree that Montreal is a good team, and would have the edge right now in a playoff series, but things will be different in a couple months.

It only went to a shootout because Neil was given a penalty that should not have been called.

SpezDispenser wrote:I can tell you without fancy metric numbers:

Gonchar has sucked

Methot is amazing

Gryba has been excellent

Phillips has been VERY average

Benoit has been solid

Wiercioch has been just below Benoit

The end.

Those fancy metrics also ignore Silfverberg's 3 for 3 in shootouts. Without those don't win two of those games.

shabbs wrote:

Hoags wrote:

NEELY wrote:
A long article of absolute BS.

What exactly is BS in there?

I don't see much BS, if any. He's just using numbers to explain what's going on.

Over the top? Sure.

Trying to sound like a know it all? Maybe.

How does it go, "Lies, damn lies and statistics." Another way to say it would be "Bull s*, elephant s* and statistics."

NEELY wrote:[As for Silfverberg being better than Zibanejad, it's pretty obvious and probably a big reason why it hasn't even been considered to take Silfverberg out of the lineup or sent down to Bingo vs Zibanejad. Silfverberg creates more chances on his own, creates more chances for others around him, plays a much smarter and positional game, and is just a flat out better player who has performed better at this point.

Also, how are tougher opponents determined? Is Crosby a tougher opponent Zack Smith? I know which one is more likely to shut you down. Stats are so frigging subjective it's insane and not only that people actually try to use them to either prove their opinions based on them.

Hockey is and never will be a game of stats, that's why when people were ripping on Karlsson's D last year pumping out all this garbage about PK time, plus/minus from the previous year, etc, etc, etc, I called BS just like I am calling BS on all this. It's garbage.

Silfverberg is older and much further along in his development. It's not even fair to really compare him and Z. So of course he'll look beter out there, but Z has the same # of points with less games/less ice time and worse linemates. I'm not drawing any conclusions but that's an interesting development (so far).

These are (SF/SA)puck possession stats so "tougher" means which opposing players generate the most SoG for their team so we're talking about guys like Crosby, Malkin etc. When they are on the ice chances are quite high we're on the defensive and getting outshot. You are generalizing all statistics here and lumping them all into 1.

Again different stats, plenty of stats show Karlsson is legit and a very good defender and even better at generating offense. Plus/minus is a garbage stat as is PK time (which only shows your coach does not play you on the PK unit much).

And lots of NHL teams track advanced statistics. Whether they make any decisions on them or not I wouldn't know. But if it was a waste of time and money they would not do it.

wprager wrote:
But the ones we are scoring are the ones that go in in the playoffs. We're playing desperation hockey which is how you win against higher seeded teams in the post-season.

Edit: To address your second point -- because we don't have a legit scoring threat we are tougher to defend against. Many teams, you focus on one line or one player -- hold them off the scoresheet and you win. On the Sens we have three third lines and a really tough fourth. We don't score much, but what little we do can come from anywhere.

Desperation hockey is good and a testament to the team and staff.

If we had Spezza, Michalek, Karlsson that wouldn't change. Our legit scoring lines would only become more dangerous and harder to contain, the other lines would be the same or better as people get shifted down. Teams are focusing Turris, line with Silf and Alfie. That's our most dangerous line on paper. If Spezza were back, opponents would focus on him giving Turris and co an easier time scoring.

wprager wrote:
Those fancy metrics also ignore Silfverberg's 3 for 3 in shootouts. Without those don't win two of those games.

We're talking about 5on5 play here, obviously Silf is money in the shootout. But if shootouts were that important, Rob Schremp would be an allstar NHLer.

wprager wrote:
When the schedulers decided to give Boston 4 games in hand half way through, then threw in a snowed-out game on top of that.

Montreal is playing well, better than anyone expected. No they're not a force in the East, Boston is but they definately have a good team in the making there. And they thoroughly owned us last time. But that's as much of a statement as to how depleted our roster is as to how "good" they might be.

I'm sure McLean would like Smith scoring more.. but his job is to shut down the other team's top line.. which he is doing along with Neil & Dizzy -- a young player who has played 6 NHL games.. Unreal.

This team is learning how to win with hard work and heart.. due to all the key injuries. This will only help them going into the playoffs (crosses fingers) and moreso for next year.. when hopefully they start the season and ongoing with a healthy lineup.

With how Anderson is playing and if all the injured players were playing.... think of how good this team would be. They would be a playoff threat. Hoping Anderson continues his stellar play next season and the Sens make a long run then.

The NHL experience the young guys from Bingo are getting will help them during a playoff run with Bingo. But Bingo has been losing games lately.. Lehner in Ottawa, Lawson hurt again... Cheverie.. not getting it done.. Hopefully the Sens can send some of their forwards down once Michalek is back.. But I think the 3 D men stay in Ottawa.. Bingo will have to make due with what they have.

Soon some of the NCAA guys will be coming to the AHL...

Also.. courtesy of Senschirp.. Prospect update -- some really good numbers.

http://senators.nhl.com/v2/ext/PDFs/Feb%2025%20Prospect%20update.pdf

Michallica wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:Good teams find a way to win, is the saying.

And what hoags is saying is shootout isn't exactly a statement of 'victory'....I'm happy when they can win in shootouts but we're losing out on ROW and is no indication that it can lead to success in the playoffs.

Well, yeah. We're gonna be battling until basically the last day to make it unless Spezza comes back early. Even then we're gonna be in tough.

But...right now, I'll gladly take every 2 points we can get. I agree though, I think we're damn lucky to have won a couple of these games, especially vs Montreal. Didn't feel the same happiness about that win, although it felt great, it wasn't the kind of win that instils confidence going up against the Bostons of the world.

sandysensfan wrote:I'm sure McLean would like Smith scoring more.. but his job is to shut down the other team's top line.. which he is doing along with Neil & Dizzy -- a young player who has played 6 NHL games.. Unreal.

Not happy with Smith at all personally. I think his defensive game has been decent, but if you haven't scored in 40 games, that's not good enough at all.

If you wanna look at stats to determine who's playing good, just check ice time. Anything else is useless.

EDIT: Sifverberg is a better player at this point, we all watch the games, cmon now.

SpezDispenser wrote:

sandysensfan wrote:I'm sure McLean would like Smith scoring more.. but his job is to shut down the other team's top line.. which he is doing along with Neil & Dizzy -- a young player who has played 6 NHL games.. Unreal.

Not happy with Smith at all personally. I think his defensive game has been decent, but if you haven't scored in 40 games, that's not good enough at all.

The Gomez "1 calendar year without a goal" joke could be applied to Smith

LeKing wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

sandysensfan wrote:I'm sure McLean would like Smith scoring more.. but his job is to shut down the other team's top line.. which he is doing along with Neil & Dizzy -- a young player who has played 6 NHL games.. Unreal.

Not happy with Smith at all personally. I think his defensive game has been decent, but if you haven't scored in 40 games, that's not good enough at all.

The Gomez "1 calendar year without a goal" joke could be applied to Smith

It's not even funny right now. There's going on a cold streak, then there's this. If we want a guy who can play smash mouth hockey with zero offence, I dare say we have those coming out the ying yang.

shabbs wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:If anyone finds a link to this interview in a podcast format, or whatever, I'd appreciate it. I missed the first part, and then it cut out a couple times.

It will probably be on Fan590's web site later today...

whoop there it is...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/590/on_demand/

Michallica wrote:

shabbs wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:If anyone finds a link to this interview in a podcast format, or whatever, I'd appreciate it. I missed the first part, and then it cut out a couple times.

It will probably be on Fan590's web site later today...

whoop there it is...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/590/on_demand/

Sweet.

I love our team right now. I love that we're hard working, in your face and I love that our youth is being served and I love the experience we're getting right now.

It's a HIGHLY unlikely story - and it's probably pretty unlikely it continues, but it's been shocking and fun.

LeKing wrote:

The Gomez "1 calendar year without a goal" joke could be applied to Smith

Let's all pitch in and register the didzacksmithscore.com domain

Hoags wrote:

LeKing wrote:

The Gomez "1 calendar year without a goal" joke could be applied to Smith

Let's all pitch in and register the didzacksmithscore.com domain

I want to laugh, but damn if this guy needs to start scoring or move on.