GAME DAY: Nashville Predators @ Ottawa Senators :: 7:30pm ET :: Mon. Mar. 10th, 2014

Cowen has been unbelievable in the last two games. He is getting it, and it's gonna pay off big for this club. With his play we can play Phillips less.

Yah, I am on the same page there too.  Add work ethic to the PK for me though because if you don't have the speed to be a threat you better have the will to block shots and take a hit to make a play and clear it.  I was saying before I think a guy like Mike Hoffman is the ideal PKer like yourself... put him along side a guy like Turris and that's a threat to score each and every time they are killing a penalty... but baby steps with Hoffman.

Not sure about Hemsky though, think guys who don't get as much PP time or ES time should be out there too.

Ev wrote:Cowen has been unbelievable in the last two games. He is getting it, and it's gonna pay off big for this club. With his play we can play Phillips less.

Cowen is keeping his game simply and it's paying off.  Not running around, playing big, not overly aggressive (lunging), putting pucks off the glass and he has stopped rushing the puck so much and started to move it a little quicker.  Him sitting for those 3 games was super important.  You just hope it translates to Phillips playing in his correct role which is the #6 guy.

Ryan has been playing PK a bit so they are beginning to transition him to become like a Rick Nash has been this year.

Well Ryan's biggest issue the last little bit was his TOI.  The Sens keep taking penalties and Ryan just sits on the bench cold so what do you do to get him on the ice and let him get a feel for the game, put him on the PK.  IMO he's been ok there but will get better with time and practice but he needs to be there for no other reason to get into the game.  Can't play 5 mins or less a period and expect Ryan to produce like an all-star.

Zibanejad was 10% on the draws last night... that's a really bad number.

the fanbase would revolt but I'd send Zibby down for a bit.

Ev wrote:the fanbase would revolt but I'd send Zibby down for a bit.

Yup... same feeling.  Not sure if you need to send him down vs make him a healthy scratch with a guy like Da Costa coming up.

I don't think I'd send him down, but he's got no chance to contribute playing with Kassian and Condra.  When MacArthur comes back, hopefully Hoffman can give him a lift. We could use another forward from Bingo at this point.

SpezDispenser wrote:I don't think I'd send him down, but he's got no chance to contribute playing with Kassian and Condra.  When MacArthur comes back, hopefully Hoffman can give him a lift.  We could use another forward from Bingo at this point.

Bud, bullsh*t.  He's been playing with them for 2 games and he hasn't score since Jan 25 and before than Jan 2.  He's losing most of the draws he takes too which has very little to do with any winger and he refuses to shoot the puck.  Blaming Kassian and Condra even in the slightest is complete crap.

it's not 100% complete crap, he would be better off playing with skill players in Bingo than Kassian and Condra. Playing with Kassian is like playing with only one winger. It would be like putting hemsky with Zack Smith. I am not opposed to playing Zibby bottom 6 minutes but I would not play him with Kassian. They should call up Stone or Puempel.

Ev wrote:it's not 100% complete crap, he would be better off playing with skill players in Bingo than Kassian and Condra. Playing with Kassian is like playing with only one winger. It would be like putting hemsky with Zack Smith. I am not opposed to playing Zibby bottom 6 minutes but I would not play him with Kassian. They should call up Stone or Puempel.

I was gonna respond, but I couldn't have said it better.

Also, MacLean needs to work with him.  Tell him what he wants him to do exactly, give him solid direction.  It felt like putting Kassian there was to make Zibanejad shoot, but it's not a solid line at all, easy to defend when you're keying in on one guy.

EDIT: Reinforces the belief that the Sens NEED to be a 3 line scoring team with Smith, Neil and Greening/Condra as the 4th line.

I'd love to get a Bingo forward up for when Mac comes back to have:

Mac - Turris - Ryan
Michalek - Spezza - Hemsky
Hoffman - Zibanejad - Stone/Da Costa/Puempel
Greening/Condra - Smith - Neil
Kassian

Ev wrote:it's not 100% complete crap, he would be better off playing with skill players in Bingo than Kassian and Condra. Playing with Kassian is like playing with only one winger. It would be like putting hemsky with Zack Smith. I am not opposed to playing Zibby bottom 6 minutes but I would not play him with Kassian. They should call up Stone or Puempel.

I'm not saying Kassian helps the guy what I am saying is he has little to absolutely nothing to do with Zibanejad's play the last 2 months.  He's played with everyone and done pretty close to nothing in the new year.  Sending him down is a little extreme IMO but having him sit is not. So putting anything on Kassian or Condra is indeed 100% BS.

Fact of the matter is there are some serious red flags with Zibanejad right now and being complacent is the biggest.  He's super young so that's correctable but he's going to have to learn how to be a pro because right now losing face offs like he is (which can be improved with effort), losing puck battles in the corners, (which can be improved with effort), and losing races (which can be improved with effort) are what's dragging him down.  That's not going to be corrected in the AHL. 

The reason he is with Condra and Kassian right now is because he hasn't been much better than those 2.

There aren't any red flags, he's just a sophomore. Turris wasn't very good at face-offs before, this year he is. I have no worries about him, I just feel they should be playing him with more skilled guys to start playing offensively and to give him more confidence. It doesn't make sense to play with him Kassian and Condra at the moment. Playing him with Stone makes all the sense in the world IMO.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Ev wrote:it's not 100% complete crap, he would be better off playing with skill players in Bingo than Kassian and Condra. Playing with Kassian is like playing with only one winger. It would be like putting hemsky with Zack Smith. I am not opposed to playing Zibby bottom 6 minutes but I would not play him with Kassian. They should call up Stone or Puempel.

I was gonna respond, but I couldn't have said it better.

Also, MacLean needs to work with him.  Tell him what he wants him to do exactly, give him solid direction.  It felt like putting Kassian there was to make Zibanejad shoot, but it's not a solid line at all, easy to defend when you're keying in on one guy.

EDIT: Reinforces the belief that the Sens NEED to be a 3 line scoring team with Smith, Neil and Greening/Condra as the 4th line.  

I'd love to get a Bingo forward up for when Mac comes back to have:

Mac - Turris - Ryan
Michalek - Spezza - Hemsky
Hoffman - Zibanejad - Stone
Greening - Smith - Neil

Would be the best option without a doubt.

There are red flags for sure.  He was cut from camp for the exact same play you are seeing now.  Whether the message wasn't received, the maturity level isn't there, or he's just wearing down being a younger player, who knows... but yes, these are red flags much like Turris had.  They can obviously be corrected with time, experience, and maturity but there are a lot of holes in his game and it is a cause for concern.

Everyone is saying he should be playing with more skill but he has been replaced on the top 2 lines right now and there is no where to play except with the grinders.  I obviously believe there should be more skill in Ottawa right now but face of the matter there isn't and Zibanejad's play hasn't earned him any kind of breaks right now. 

I would suspect when MacArthur comes back Michalek might be sent down to play with Zibanejad to give him a winger who had a bit of skill but other than that it's play on the bottom line or don't play at all.  Da Costa looked just fine playing that 4th center role when he was up here so no reason Zibanejad can't either.

If you gave out red flags for young players not being consistent, the league would be like a red flag ocean. These aren't red flags, they are things to work on.

He hasn't been replaced on the top two lines, well by Hemsky yes but that is obvious. They just don't want him to play wing which I agree with.

There is nothing to be concerned about. Unless you are a Nathan Mackinnon prospect you will have holes and you will take time to mature.

I'd give him a couple of games in the press box for sure.

Michalek absolutely should be playing with Zibby. That combo worked earlier in the season and should be tried again. And for god's sake, Pmac has to stop playing the smith line so Cussing much and give more mins to zibanejad.

Hoffman-Spezza-Hemsky
MacA-Turris-Ryan
Michalek-Zibby-Greening (TRUE THIRD LINE, GIVE THEM 3RD LINE MINUTES)
Condra-Smith-Neil