Muckler on the Team

"I think people underestimate the grit we have here..."

He tried to answer the final question of whether the Senators were mentally tough enough this year, and ended up rambling on through the bumper music.

Volchenkov signs three year deal

Nice to get one of them done as they are only going to have a few days between the end of the playoff run and July 1st. Would be comforting to have Phillips signed too.
UPDATE: Volchenkov will get $2.1 million next season, $2.2 million in 2008-09 and $3.2 million in 2009-10.

Go Vote Sens fans!

I encourage all Sens fans to vote YES!

Schedule

I'm sure there will some more detailed end of season analysis and post season prognostication coming out here but the first round sched was released:

Series D - #4 Ottawa vs. #5 Pittsburgh
Date Time (ET) Location Network
Wed., April 11 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa CBC, RDS, VERSUS
Sat., April 14 3:00 p.m. at Ottawa CBC, RDS, NBC
Sun., April 15 6:00 p.m. at Pittsburgh VERSUS, CBC, RDS
Tue., April 17 7:00 p.m. at Pittsburgh VERSUS, CBC, RDS
*Thu., April 19 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa CBC, RDS, VERSUS
*Sun., April 22 1:00 p.m. at Pittsburgh NBC, CBC, RDS
*Tue., April 24 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa VERSUS, CBC, RDS

Dedicated to Leaf Nation...

A Doors classic that just seemed irresistibly appropriate today (from 1967, even):

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again

Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...stranger's hand
In a...desperate land

Lost in a roman...wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah

There's danger on the edge of town
Ride the king's highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby

Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
The snake is long, seven miles
Ride the snake...he's old, and his skin is cold

The west is the best
The west is the best
Get here, and we'll do the rest

The blue bus is callin' us
The blue bus is callin' us
Driver, where you taken' us

The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on
He took a face from the ancient gallery
And he walked on down the hall
He went into the room where his sister lived, and...then he
Paid a visit to his brother, and then he
He walked on down the hall, and
And he came to a door...and he looked inside
Father, yes son, I want to kill you
Mother...i want to...f**k you

C'mon baby, take a chance with us
C'mon baby, take a chance with us
C'mon baby, take a chance with us
And meet me at the back of the blue bus
Doin' a blue rock
On a blue bus
Doin' a blue rock
C'mon, yeah

Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end

It hurts to set you free
But you'll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die

This is the end

Leafs and Habs lay monster egg at the ACC

The Star:

This game, with its wild swings, inconsistent goaltending and unexpected scoring, mirrored Toronto's unpredictable season. The Leafs will learn this afternoon whether a year of ups and downs was enough to allow them to keep playing.

What a bizarre game. The first two periods were played like shinny and the 3rd period the teams combined for 7 shots.

Scott Clemmensen and the Devils play sudden Calder candidate Dooby and his Islanders at 3:30. Try not to eat too much chocolate Leafers as it could result in rash decisions should the bounces not go your way this afternoon.

Go Yashin!

2.5 hrs until the puck drops in Philly

Think the Leaf players are going to keeping one eye on the Islanders game? Montreal too. Montreal would need to win to ensure a spot if the Isle win this afternoon.

JAYUPDATE: Battle of New York is liveblogging all of Saturday's games.

DJs now simplified puzzle for the 8th spot

Who needs what done when right here.

Double header a doozy

Think Oiler players are as excited as their fans that they can put Calgary on the brink?

At least one Wade had a good game

Look at the guy - doesn't even make it up to the crossbar.

Game thread

Big games calls for big font. Comment font will be regular size.

Top line battle

It's not life and death, not at all, but the Sens-Pit game has an interesting element...

In a move designed to get centre Jason Spezza, winger Dany Heatley and captain Daniel Alfredsson ready for the playoffs, Senators coach Bryan Murray will likely stick his top trio out every time Crosby's line steps on the ice.

I've been of the opinion that it is nice to be able to play these three together at home when you can get the matchups you want and then move Alfie down with Fish and Schaefer when you're on the road.

The Star foreshadowing?

Alternate post title: It's in the Stars! (didn't think the readers were quick enough for it though but it was too good not to note that I thought of it)
Thanks to Paul for the heads up...
Montreal clinching and Mats hitting the links? Could happen tonight. Go Dubielsizkiyadkladkl!

Hockey Night in New York

All three teams chasing the eighth and final playoff spot will be playing in the state of New York. Two teams will be playing on Long Island as the Leafs (89 PTS 80GP) visit the Islanders (86 PTS 79GP). After keeping themselves in the playoff picture on the basis of their excellent road record the Leafs have slumped over the past month with a 1-5-2 on the road. The Islanders are 3-3-2 in their last 8 home games but I keep having nightmares about the first round matchup between the two teams when the Leafs struggled on Long Island.

The Leafs have a 1-0-2 record against the Islanders this year including two shootout losses in which DiPietro was the difference in the game. And if his absence gives Leafs Nation any sens of calm I would dispell it by pointing out that Wade Dubielewicz made 36 saves against the Rangers and the Leafs have made mediocre goalies look great at times this year. Mats Sundin is in the midst of a goal-scoring slump with only 1 goal in his last 18. While he has been racking up the assists (16 in those 18 games) and helping Poni and Antro score goals and he has been killing penalties (huge 5-on-3 kill Tuesday) now is the time for him to regain his scoring touch.

Meanwhile, the Habs travel to Manhattan to take on the Rangers. The Rangers have been great at home since the beginning of March as they have rolled to a 6-1-1 record while only allowing 11 goals in those 8 games. The Rangers are 2-1-0 against the Habs this year but have won the only game at Madison Square Garden. Luckily the Rangers did not clinch Tuesday night and in fact, with a pair of losses to end the season, they could still miss the playoffs. A win tonight would clinch a playoff spot and allow them a couple of extra days to rest any lingering injuries.

It's 10:30 and I already feel sick and cannot think of anything else. GO LEAFS GO!

Optional skate day - rest those bumps and bruises...

Stevenson:

Was it just me or did Brodeur give Heatley a little wink and a nod after he made a nice glove save on the Senators winger?

Nicks will surely skewer the PPV last night - any visitors here buy it? I heard stories from some co-workers.

Jared, they like to think they can change you. You're just a pet project for her now... a reclamation project...
I have also noticed people treating me different, one girl at the healthfood store I always go to has been extra friendly since I started wearing the hat

And, via Raking Leafs, an entertaining ranking of the NHL coaches by Greg Wyshynski - I'll even throw this one out there for you Leafers:

20. Bryan Murray, Ottawa Senators. You know you've been around the block a few times when your last Jack Adams Award came before the first "Back to the Future" film was released. A much better executive than a bench manager, Murray's coached 12 playoff teams during his career and has never gotten one of them past the second round. That's because a Bryan Murray playoff team is about as versatile as 50 Cent's acting career.

8th place analysis

Updated by David Johnson. Scary, scary.

Where is Eileen Mercier?

From the Sun yesterday:

Eugene Melnyk's been a part of many Hockey Nights in Canada.

Now he's done Hockey Night in Kandahar.

Yesterday, the Ottawa Senators owner touched down at the Canadian soldiers' base with a giant care package of Canadiana: $50,000 worth of hockey gear and 2,500 Tim Hortons gift certificates.

....

In the area after a business trip to Dubai, Melnyk toured the base and visited an open-air "rink" built by Canadian soldiers in the sand.

LOVE THEIR GAME

"It's absolutely phenomenal," Melnyk said in a conference call with reporters. "The soldiers here are very avid hockey fans. They get up at 4 in the morning to watch the games and they have a very well-organized house league."

Three nights a week, 300 players in 15 teams take turns facing off on the base. There were at least six games yesterday.

....

"The games are 25 minutes long because of the heat," said league president Maj. Mike Hendrigan.

They're playing for the Kandahar Cup, a pint-sized version of Lord Stanley's mug. Playoffs are set for May.

Games were called off last Friday because a rocket zipped over the camp.

The soldiers, with their ratty gear, were like kids on Christmas morning when Melnyk starting hauling hockey sticks, pads and Senator jerseys out of an armoured vehicle, his makeshift sleigh.

....

Before speaking with reporters back home, Melnyk watched a game between Canada and the U.S. The Canadians wore Sens jerseys while the Americans received Washington Capitals and New York Rangers gear. Canada won the game 9-0. Melnyk didn't lace up.

....

Even in Afghanistan, it seems Melnyk couldn't escape some ribbing from troops who prefer to wear the despised blue and white, but he did get Leafs fans to wear Sens jerseys during the game.

No word on whether the Leafs owners are doing anything similiar.

Trouble on the Backend

With the prospect of a playoff series against either the stingy Devils or, more likely, the high-powered offensive juggernaut Penguins the focus will be on how the sens D matches up. In the case of the Devils they would need to be able to match the opposition's shut down capabilities while the Penguins series would put them under significantly more pressure.

So it is definitely not encouraging to see that the senators have three players in the bottom 15 in terms of defensive deficiency (glove tap to Mirtle) which looks at a team's goals against average when a player is on the ice compared to when he is off of it. The list includes the shot blocking machine Meszaros (Edit: I mixed up my euro-sens. Volchenkov blocks shots and I guess Meszaros has no redeeming qualities.) and Wade Redden. It is a little confusing to see him on that list as the senators' record is so much better with him in the lineup than without. Maybe the rest of the team picks up their level of play knowing that they have to cover for his mistakes in the same way that kids' team play that much better when there is a new kid in net.

As an aside, Tom Preissing is among the best players in the ranking as is Carlo Colaiacovo.

Game Thread

Leafs need to win over the Flyers to stay in the hun for the playoffs.
The sens get the first look at the Lamoriello-led Devils as they try to hang on to home-ice advantage.

Document your angst, pain, joy, hopes, and dreams here.

Anxiety Tuesday Night in the Playoffs

First things first, Sunday night must be forgotten. Toronto has shown an ability to put bad games behind them and when the puck drops all of their focus and energy has to be put into winning tonight's game. The Leafs need to build an early lead. Like the favourites in the NCAA tourney (Go Gators!) the Buds cannot afford to let the Flyers stick around. A quick hole will hopefully make them quit since they realistically have nothing left to motivate them.

David Johnson has a rundown of some scenarios that will get each team into the playoffs. Needless to say, the permutations are mind-boggling. Check it out Leaf fans and let the anxiety attack sweep over your body.

Around The NHL

Boston - Montreal: For the love of the Old Gardens, Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and every Bruin that ever battled against Les Habitants please come out and play with some pride. You cannot win the Cup this year but wouldn't it make the off-season golf a little more enjoyable knowing that you kept the Habs and their fans out of the playoffs?

NY Rangers - NY Islanders: A Rangers win here combined with a Leafs win would essentially eliminate the Isles from post-season play. With DiPietro still out and the Rangers looking to clinch a playoff berth a favourable result looks to be in the cards.

Tampa Bay - Carolina: The Hurricanes pulled a hell of a comeback out of their collective rear ends. Apparently their goggles and swimcaps have magical powers. The Lightning beat the Hurricanes 5-2 Saturday on the road and will be looking to move one step closer to clinching a playoff spot.

Swamp Monster

Does this make you more or less concerned about playing them in the first round? I'd say more.

The Back Stretch

Six months of an often injury-plagued and gruelling regular season comes to a close this Sunday. By 10:30PM on Saturday (if not sooner) the Leafs will know if they will be gearing up for the second season or cleaning out their lockers after another failed playoff push. The loss last night would have definitely put the Leafs in an even better position but realistically they are still in control of their fate. They could hardly have asked for a better schedule. They play the last place Flyers, against whom they have a 3-0 record, the Islanders without DiPietro, who singlehandedly (well, with some help from Kerry Fraser) beat them twice, and the Canadiens who they have outplayed almost all season (damn shootouts). Two of the last three are at the ACC which the Leafs have recently turned into the fortress that it has been in the past. The Leafs are on a seven game win streak in front of their paying customers.

The rest of the contenders' schedule really plays out well for the Leafs as well. The Hurricanes travel to Tampa and play the Thrashers which are tough divisional rivals. The Canadiens travel to Boston to face the Bruins who could always decide to finally play the spoiler against their old rivals and the Rangers in New York where they have been almost untouchable in the last six games. If the Leafs knock off the Flyers and the Rangers do the Leafs a favour by beating the Islanders then they will basically be eliminated come Thursday night.

Overall the schedule favours the Leafs in terms of getting help of their rivals but ultimately, if they win their three games, those results are essentially extraneous to the team's ultimate success. The final push starts Tuesday at 7:30pm.

Maple Leafs - Tuesday Flyers, Thursday @ Islanders, Saturday Canadiens

Canadiens - Tuesday Bruins, Thursday @ Rangers, Saturday @ Maple Leafs

Tampa Bay - Tuesday Hurricanes, Friday Panthers, Saturday @ Thrashers

NY Rangers - Tuesday @ Islanders, Thursday Canadiens, Saturday @ Penguins

Hurricanes - Tuesday @ Lightning, Friday Thrashers, Saturday Panthers

NY Islanders - Tuesday Rangers, Thursday Maple Leafs, Saturday @ Flyers, Sunday @ Devils

A great way to start the week...

I'd only add that Raycroft got the yank again. Lovely.

Turn Four: Game Thread

The Leafs play game 79 in an hour in the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. A win tonight helps the Leafs not only leap frog the Habs but tie the Rangers for 7th place. Needless to say, that would be a spectacular position for the Leafs to be in heading into the final stretch.

For the health of any Leaf fans in NYC and myself at home I would appreciate a regulation win without the dramatics of last night. But beggars can't be choosers so in the word's of Adrian Balboa: "Win."

Redden Shuts'er Down

This explains Redden's poor play this season:

"Redden has clearly been playing well below his level, and his $6.5M contract, all season. The giveaways, the mental errors, and having Phillips and Volchenkov surpass finally makes sense after hearing that the assistant captain has been dealing with a groin injury all year. Fans have speculated that he was dealing with a chronic injury but today sens' trainer Ben Haad revealed that the pain was too great for Redden. Surgery has been scheduled before the playoffs in an attempt to have his groin on the mend before the inevitable heartbreak."

- Bruce Garrioch, Ottawa Sun.

Leafs suspend McCabe and Raycroft

Wow.
CTV:

CTV News has learned that Toronto Maple Leafs players Bryan McCabe and Andrew Raycroft have been charged with fraud related offenses on activities that have occurred during the past 6 months.
Staff Sergeant April Sloof announced that they were tipped off by some fans after it was discovered what the two players were being paid.

I think JFJ is going to get tied up in this before long. Multi-year contracts, no movement clauses, etc, etc. This goes right to the top.

Saturday Night in the Playoff Race

Fresh off a night in which all three relevant games turned the Leafs way (mostly because it was impossible for Tampa and Carolina to get 0 points) the boys in blue are at home to take on the Penguins. A win tonight is not just vital to the Leafs' playoff hopes but it also helps move the senators closer to home ice advantage in the first round so that when their series with Sid the Kid, Geno, and MAF goes seven they get to break their fans' hearts in person.

An interesting note about the Leafs-Pens season series is that 14 of the 18 goals that the Pens have scored have come on the powerplay. The Leafs' discipline (and the refs attention to Sidney's aerial hijinks) will decide the game. If they stay out of the box and kill what penalties they do get then they should be fine. If the penalties mount then so will the score. Also, the Leafs will be reunited with Gary Roberts who once led them past the senators singlehandedly.

Around the NHL

Atlanta beat Boston 3-2 so the Bruins are officially unable to catch the Leafs for whatever place they finish in. Sorry Sym. Tkachuk, Kovalchuk, and de Vries led the way (anyone else wish Hawerchuk was still in the league and on that line?) for the Thrashers who move closer to winning a great bet over at the Southeast Shootout.

Washington can make up for that 5-1 beating they laid on the Leafs by taking care of the Lightning. Sure it's on the road but it's still the Lightning and they have Ovechkin, Semin, and Kolzig. That's more than enough to win a game in that division. Wishful Prediction: 4-2 Capitals

Philadelphia has played the role of spoiler well this week with a 5-1 thrashing of the Hurricanes and another win over the Rangers would be much appreciated. Martin Biron has until the end of the season to instill hope in his new hometown fans and what better way than to beat the hated team from Gotham. Wishful Prediction: 3-1 Flyers.

After last night's performance in Ottawa (no evidence of it left at Habsblog damn commie censors) the Habs cannot be looking forward to playing an even better and more explosive team in Buffalo. I predict only bad things for the Habs as they either play Halak, whose confidence must be shaken, or Huet,who will just be returning from injury, or Aebischer, who is crap. Wishful Prediction: 7-1 Sabres.

As for those senators, they look to cement their hold on fourth and get their provincial rivals into the playoffs (a cup doesn't count without a series versus the Leafs!) by taking their seemingly unstoppable winning machine (6 regulation losses since Christmas? what was in their stockings?) to Long Island to heap some dirt on the Islanders' playoff hopes. No DiPietro and possibly no Smyth = no hope. 6-3 senators.

Considering the time of day I guess that this will act as the game thread. Sopcast is a good bet for anyone without access to either game whether through the tragedy of living in Ottawa or Hamilton (sorry Sherry, it smells funny). Good luck to both teams. Details on the road hockey elimination death match will be available shortly.

For Your Information

Here are the standings as of this morning to use as a guide tonight. A Leafs win and a Habs loss puts God's team into 8th place ahead of their matchup with the Rangers tomorrow. It, combined with a sens win, would almost clinch home ice for the sens. First things first, the Penguins.

Game giblets

Damnit. It's game night and we need a comment reset. Do it. Comment. You know you want to. You know you need to.

Just throwing this out there

Joe Corvo an Opus Dei monk?

After reading Stevenson's column, "Self-Thrashing pays off for Corvo", it all makes sense.

Corvo:

Silas:
Uncanny resemblance. His self-mutilating defensive play seems to be completed. Excellent.

Friday Night in the Playoff Race

I am a glass half full kind of guy so I will say that the single point last night will end up being the one that puts the Leafs into the playoffs. But to achieve that they will need some regulation help tonight. There are three huge games in the Eastern Conference and while two are easy picks the third is a bit more complicated.

Obviously, everyone one here will be sending positive vibes to the senators (except Muppet who will be sending extra negative vibes to the Habs) in the hopes that they will crush the overrated, needlessly arrogant Habs fans. Check into the Habsblog for what I can only assume will be a night of hilarity. As a tip, I have found that if they start blocking your name/e-mail address you can make up a new one/fake one to continue harrassing them.

In Buffalo, the slugs will be repaying the Leafs for their comeback a week ago by destroying the Dipietro-less Islanders.

The tough decision comes down to the Tampa-Carolina game. Both teams are struggling with spotty performances and nightmare inducing goaltending at the wrong time of the year. The Leafs don't have any games left against either team and at 7-1 it is a huge shame. So in the interest of keeping the teams behind the Leafs behind the Leafs and knowing that they play Montreal and the Rangers this weekend, Go Bolts!

Thursday Night in the Playoff Race

The Leafs, fresh from moving up into 9th place thanks to Carolina's second straight blowout, travel to Atlanta for their final meeting with the Thrashers. This year's matchups have been a mixed bag. The Leafs won the first one 4-2 and lost the next two 5-0 and 5-2. That is in stark contrast to last year when the Leafs blew the doors off of the Thrashers repeatedly and had compiled a streak of over 8 games where they allowed 2 or fewer goals (something like that) so here's to a blast from the past tonight.

Pittsburgh travels to Beantown to play a Bruins team that is torn between playing the spoiler or the patsy. A Penguins win puts them into second in the conference with 78 games played while Ottawa and New Jersey sit in 4th/5th. Both teams sport identical records but the next tiebreaker (points won in games between them) currently goes to the Devils as they lead the season series 2-1. This makes the April 3rd matchup between the two teams that much more important. Considering the huge lead that the sens have in goal differential a win would give them all of the tiebreakers with New Jersey and the critical seventh game if it's necessary.

Playoff ritual

There's a new contest at CBC - check it out here. You can win a bunch of stuff for a Stanley Cup party (Cup and Messier included) but best of all you'll be able to see all the videos being entered from Leaf fans from their parent's basements.
Daily prizes too for entering.

A Real Survey

From the same guy that brought us the mockery of a survey that ESPN released Mirtle dug up a players survey from The Hockey News. Here are some highlights:

If you could play for any NHL team (other than your own), which would you choose?

1. Toronto Maple Leafs (34) 14.4%
2. New York Rangers (29) 12.3%
3. Detroit Red Wings (19) 8%
4. Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks (18) 7.6%
5. Dallas Stars (15) 6.3%
6. Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens (14) 5.9%
7. Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning (10) 4.2%
8. Phoenix Coyotes (9) 3.8%
9. Calgary Flames (8) 3.4%
10. Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers (5) 2.1%
11. Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins (4) 1.7%
12. Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks (3) 1.2%
13. Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres (2) 0.85%
14. Carolina Hurricane and Edmonton Oilers (1) 0.42%

That bodes well for free-agency this summer. How much will that piss off the anti-Leaf brigade?

What is an appropriate penalty for fighting?
1) 5 minutes (273) 97%

Would you rather see a fourth-line roster spot go to:
1) An enforcer (177) 66%

These guys must really like the enforcers on their team to close ranks and protect their jobs like this. Will this take the wind out of the fighting is useless brigade?

Would you consider a shorter regular season knowing it would mean 10 to 15 per cent less revenue from gate receipts?
1) No (175) 63%

Looks like players AND owners are just as greedy. A shortened season would be better for fans but who cares about them.

Who is the best player in the NHL this season?
10) Erik Cole, Pavel Datsyuk, Rory Fitzpatrick, Eric Goddard, Josh Green, Jarome Iginla, Mike Modano, Ryan Miller, Brian Rolston and Henrik Zetterberg (1) 0.38%

How did Rory Fitzpatrick's mom get a vote?

Who is the most respected player in the NHL?
7) Teemu Selanne and Mats Sundin (2) 0.76%

Guess who was not on that list? Your Swedish Captain but he shows up on a later list ;)

Who is the most overrated player in the NHL?
10) Darcy Tucker (2) 1%
11) Daniel Alfredsson (1) 0.5%

Sure, the Leafs have FOUR guys in the top 10 (McCabe, Kubina, Gill (?!), and Tucker) but it is worth it to see YSC's name in there.

What’s the best thing about your job?
9) Women (5) 2%
10) Naps (3) 1.2%

I agree, naps are awesome but so are women. If you figure that Pronger is one of those five votes, who had the rest? Despite Spezza's vote, giggling was not listed.

What’s the worst thing about your job?
12) Backchecking (2) 0.81%
14) Cam Janssen (1) 0.4%

These answers are the easiest to identify: Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, and Tomas Kaberle.

Wednesday Night in the Playoff Race

Despite the relative quietness of tonight's NHL action there are still some important games. The Devils travel to the Alphabet Arena in a game that could see them hold onto the Atlantic title on the basis of more wins. sens fans will want to keep an eye out as a continued sputter could make the Devils their first round opponent.

Sabres 4
Devils 2

Speaking of sputter's, a week ago the Thrashers looked safe atop the SE standings but a loss to the Panthers tonight would put them only 1 point ahead of the Rangers, 2 ahead of Tampa and 4 ahead of Carolina with one more game played. This playoff race does not need more participants and the Leafs need Eddie to save up his wins for the games against Carolina.

Thrashers 5
Panthers 3

Speaking of Carolina, they are coming off a big loss to a certain team from a certain city whose name starts with a T ends with an O and in the middle is ORONT. They are facing the newly-minted # 1 goalie Martin Biron and the no-incentive Flyers. Now would be a great time for a favour from the City of Brotherly Love. Unless they want to save it for the last meeting against the Leafs.

Hurricanes 6
Flyers 3

The Gauntlet is Thrown

Rarely in professional sports do challenges get issued and ever rarer still is when they are met. Well, half of the BoO has been been challenged by Habsblog in the electronic version of that pansy glove slapping thing that French nobility (oxymoron?) used to do in the days of duelling. From Tricolour:

And Hab bloggers are all so instore for a visit from that blogging bitch from Ottawa,THM.So wear gloves when replying to her, cause she will give you stinky fingers,and God knows what else.

Considering their previous bitching you would think that they would not make bold proclamations about one small win. Logic is low on the totem pole in CEGEP I guess. Hopefully THM has recovered from the sniffles and can go over there and rile les fanatiques un peut. I suggest that Gee, DC, Sym, and Sherry join him. I can't wait.

Heatley: Time To Seal The Deal

The alleged evenness of the Hossa / Heatley trade is brought up every time the two teams play or when one or the other reaches a key milestone. I actually don't think the deal was as close as it is often made out to be and in fact I'd say it's one of the few occasions where John Muckler took a gamble and seriously improved the team's bang for the buck. Notwithstanding the de Vries salary dump, Heatley's back to back 100+ point seasons have cost about $44,000 per point, whereas each point scored by Hossa cost around $60,000. This will of course inflate significantly if a second 50 goal campaign can be reached.

What will allow an objective observer to conclude the trade was an Ottawa win? Heatley's playoff performance. In his first ever appearance in the NHL playoffs, he scored 12 points in 10 games, almost twice the number of playoff points per game tallied by Hossa in 51 appearances (34 points total). Given the fact that his performance from January on may well have saved the Sens season, a little more clutch action might be in store for his second trip to the post-season. As we patiently (hopelessly?) await Jason Spezza's transition into the next Steve Yzerman, let's not overlook Heatley's transition into the next Brett Hull.

The Definition of Irony

Any regular visitors to this site will know that there are very few things that unite both sides of the BoO. Our official 'feel better' site is one of them. The posters are mostly insane, inarticulate, incompetent, and incredibly blinded to reality. Some previous highlights include THM getting banned for pointing out that the Habs were in fact much crappier than the sens.

For a good taste of what a normal thread goes through over there check out the game thread for last night. A bucket of prescription medicine could not keep those guys on an even keel or in touch with reality. This was the best comment from a Mr. CANADIENS-DAWG:

I just was looking at the comments on TSN.ca by the Laff fans about the Laff win last night. They predict a 6th place finnish and The Stanley Cup. Raycroft is the next Ken Dryden. The Laff Fans are pathetic. They win one game and the Cup is theirs…

I guess I should add that they have the memory of a gold-fish. In December these Habs were the greatest team in the NHL. Now they are usually among the worst unless they win that night's game and then it's 1993 all over again! The bold part is the pinnacle of stupidity because over the past few threads Jaroslav Halak has been repeatedly compared to Dryden and Roy. I guess the red/blue/white-tinted lenses cause brain damage.

Fan rankings

From Erin:

Here's the deal: ESPN's SportsNation asked over 80,000 fans who their favourite team was, and how that respective franchise paid them back for all their support. Four organizations were included in the ratings: The MLB, NFL, NBA and the NHL.
...
Ottawa Senators
Overall Rating: 34

Toronto Maple Leafs:
Overall Rating: 99
Title Track (won or imminent championships): 111 (a lot less parade planners than anticipated)

But really, when you're drawing from 8 million or so people and sell out every night, who at MLSE cares?

They'll give anyone the extra point these days...

Spotted on the NHL.com scoreboard:

Game Thread: Hockey Night in Ontario

The Leafs will be looking to blossom into a playoff team. The Buds will be looking to hold on to a victory in the face of the Hurricanes. Based on what the Leafs showed against the Sabres (the good 112:15) they should be filled with confidence.

In the less important game, the sens are facing the Bruins who have learned a new trick: rolling over. The team from Kanata is coming off a 7-2 win over the Lightning so a 10 spot would not be beyond the sens.

Ahead of his time

Every now and then I check on YouTube for any great videos by Leaf fans. I shared the Bill Barilko death scene family outing a while back and now this...

I think Wilson's thoughts will be echoed throughout Leaf Nation a little over a week from now.

A Suggestion

Sure, some people make fun of the southern-based teams for having cheerleaders but this video might change your mind.

Courtesy of The Score and With Leather. This is the kind of quality programming that makes The Score a favourite channel of mine. They consistently bring the sort of irreverent approach to sports that Sportsnet Relaxed Dress Code aspires to achieve.

Tuesday Night in the Playoff Race

All six teams vying for the final three spots are in action tonight (apparently, so is Ottawa) as the Leafs look to keep their five game home winning streak intact. They host the Hurricanes and have a 2-1-0 record against them this year although the road team has won all three games (reverse the curse time?). The Leafs will go with the same lineup as Saturday night which means that the Leafs have decided that they have milked $1.5M worth of production (20-22-42) out of Jeff O'Neill.

In gambling news, Hurricanes are for Drinking (hopefully that name seems prescient and not ironic later on tonight) has a look at the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Leafs are 40-1 (all odds are from Sportbook.com) while the sens sit at 10-1 to win the cup. Sure the sens are higher but that algorithm clearly does not account for something happening.

This Week in the Playoff Race

The Leafs start off the week in 11th place and with 3 (and possibly 4) games against rivals for the 6th-8th playoff seeds. Toronto is still in control of their destiny but they would certainly like to see fewer three point games among their rivals. They could also use some help from the other teams on the outside looking in as the Panthers, Flyers, and Capitals can all help the Leafs. Sickeningly, so can the senators. So for this week Leafs Nation will be keeping a hopeful eye on Ottawa's game and rooting on Heatley's pursuit of 50 goals.

Maple Leafs - Tuesday Hurricanes, Thursday @ Thrashers, Saturday Penguins, Sunday @ Rangers

Hurricanes - Tuesday @ Maple Leafs, Wednesday @ Flyers, Friday Lightning, Sunday @ Panthers

Lightning - Tuesday Panthers, Friday @ Hurricanes, Saturday Capitals

Canadiens - Tuesday Rangers, Friday @ senators, Saturday Sabres

NY Rangers - Tuesday @ Canadiens, Friday @ Flyers, Sunday Maple Leafs

NY Islanders - Tuesday Devils, Friday @ Sabres, Saturday senators

Reports Of Their Demise Were Greatly Exaggerated

Great bit of news on a slow day for Leaf fans: CBC has retained the rights to Hockey Night in Canada.

Under a new agreement with TSN, which will be announced soon, the cable network will get rights to a limited number of [playoff] games featuring Canadian-based franchises. CBC does keep exclusive Canadian rights to the Stanley Cup Final and all Saturday night games.

Fans and 'experts' that were hoping to see the TSN-CTV-Rogers consortium steal CBC's meal ticket will be greatly disappointed. Leafs Nation could care less because it means at least six more years of the Leafs nationwide (except Quebec) every Saturday at 7pm.

Optional skate

A rare day off for the Ontario teams. Here are some posts that caught my eye if you didn't see them:

Starry Starry Hockey Nights - Hockey Dirt:
Sixty-three years ago, on March 24, 1944, Maurice "Rocket" Richard was named the First Star in a 5-1 Montreal win over Toronto in game 2 of the 1944 Stanley Cup semi-final series. Richard was also named the Second Star, and the Third Star.

Feeling....um...Pretty Darned...uh...Good About the Sens...I Guess - Steve Warne:
The Sens are always good. Always. But then something happens. Tugger can’t squeeze Derek Plante’s overtime slap shot. Sami Salo gives it away to Steve Thomas. Tie Domi is hit by Rico Persson. Jeff Friesen. Sundin in overtime. Patrick Lalime. Dominik Hasek’s adductor. The ’06 Game 1 Buffalo collapse. Jason Pominville.

The Worst Twelve Games In Oilers History - mc79hockey:
The Oilers 12 game losing streat is such a beast - very, very few teams endure a stretch that bad. I was digging through some stats to try and get some perspective on just how bad things have been in Edmonton since Kevin Lowe, Pat LaForge and the EIG declined the opportunity to go the extra mile for their fans.

SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY

What a weekend.
The mere mention of the word "playoff", even if it's a playoff race, means Ottawa have disappeared from the news. They played yesterday, right?
Toronto however are stuck right in the thick of one of the tightest jostles perhaps ever seen in the NHL. OK, right in the "thick of it" might be gratuitous as they are in fact clinging to the back of the pack for dear life. 11th certainly doesn't sound as good as 9th, but 2 points out of 8th means there is still some hockey to play for God's favourite team. Hear hear.

Today the New Yorkers play each other. The best case scenario in my eyes is the Rangers taking it in regulation. That would leave the Isles tied in games played with a one point advantage.

My own team plays today at 2pm, game 1 of round 2. Better get hydrated in a hurry, the Dennison's were going down nice last night.

Game comments

As mentioned in the comments, both the Rangers and the Islanders have grabbed two points this afternoon. If the Leafs lose can we start hammering in the nails?
Our Sens finish up the roadie in Tampa.
Have at 'er.

Scoring Depth at a Glance: East Contenders

Before we get into tonight's game thread, here's an adjusted chart of the eastern contenders scoring depth. I pro-rated each player's total for an 82 game season to account for injuries. There are anomalies of course; the guys who have played a handful of games in relief and scored a few goals improve the look of a team's depth, but on the other hand, this does reflect good players waiting to stand in in the event of a key injury.

From the chart, I suspect an ideal layout would have a balanced spectrum of scoring, a thick bar of 20+ and 30+ representation with the multiple goal scorers burrowing as deep into the 23 man (assumed here) roster as possible. Flecks of 40+ and 50+ scorers are nice, but you don't want to be too top heavy knowing that a big line may be shut down over a series (see Tampa Bay). Note that a large percentage of low goal scorers may also indicate a lack of offense from the defence (in New Jersey's case this also shows up in their 20th ranked power play). For BoO fans, Ottawa's D is also lacking goals this year (neither Redden or Meszaros has cracked the 10 goal mark this year) and the scarcity of goals at the bottom end reflects the presence of guys like Hennessy, McGrattan, Malec and Kaigorodov on the depth chart throughout the year. Leaf fans might want to put down the bottle of pills for the moment. Their scoring is one of the deepest of all the contenders as plenty of call-ups have filled in the 10 and 20 goal scorer's role. Too bad about that goaltending, though.



For reference, here's last years adjusted goal scoring depth for the Cup finalists:



Having 60% of your roster scoring 10 goals or more probably wouldn't be a bad bet.

Holy Mackinaw!

The biggest collapse of the year given the consequences?
Are the Leafs determined to stop Ottawa from getting first in the East that they'll throw a game that badly? How else to explain it?

Great comments in the post below. You can really feel the concern from the Sens fans for their provincial brethren.

How will the Leafs react and come out tonight?
Will Maurice turn to Aubin? I think Raycroft needed to stop the bleeding. He let in three straight shots representing the Sabres 3, 4, and 5th goals of the evening.

But then again, maybe I'm exaggerating the effect of this one game. AQG wrote that callers to AM640 weren't devastated. Just another loss - 40 years of practice makes their fans pretty good at adapting.

Friday Night in the Playoff Race

I hate the Buffaslugs. I think most hockey fans feel the same way. From their bandwagon nature (funny how tough tickets are to get now that the team is an elite team) that bankrupted the team to their constant whining about injuries during last year's playoff run to the mindblowing arrogance of their fans this year and their no-class players last year. Travelling fans can tell you all about the welcoming atmosphere at the Alphabet Arena. And God help you if you have to listen to the games with Rick Jeannerette. You would think that the Flying Buffaslugs had never taken a dive in their lives. Oh, and don't forget that their coach is a dick and apparently a pussy at the same time.

On the Leafs' side, Tomas Kaberle will make his return to the lineup tonight and it could not come at a better time. The Leafs will have the top powerplay unit of Wellwood, Tucker, Sundin, Kaberle, and McCabe together for the first time since December 16th. At that point the PP was clicking at a rate of 24%. Not bad. Since then it's puttered at around 14% and even worse since Kaberle went down at the beginning of the month.

With everyone winning last night the Leafs need these games. The bare minimum is two points and four would be unbelievable (most likely literally). The Leafs are 2-4 against the Sabres this year with three great performances against the slugs in their own building. The Sabres are in a similar position to the senators in last year's finale in that they are comfortably perched at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Leafs need to play with that same kind of desperation. Let's squash the slugs. Go Leafs Go!

Hardcore Fans Are Welcome

Warning: The link is very Not Suitable For Work.

Craigslist is a wonderful tool. Anything you can imagine can be found...anything. Here is one rather randy Canucks' fan desperate to see last night's game. I wonder what the 'personal services' are? Is she a doctor or accountant? It doesn't say.

The posting confirms what fans of other Canadian teams have always known: not only are Canuck fans bandwagoners but most of them sluts too. Thanks to Alanah (who would never do anything like that...for regular season tickets) at Canucks and Beyond for outing an entire fanbase.

Conspiracy Theory

I watched that movie this past Sunday (so it was broken up by mini-naps) and clearly we have a case of life imitating art tonight as every team competing with the Leafs won. Here is some proof of the shenanigans going on in what can only be an attempt by the NHL to keep as many Canadian teams out of the playoffs. Something is definitely rotten in the NHL.

Washington 3 - Carolina 4: Washington scored those three goals on 10 freaking shots. Did Hanlon issue a no-shooting decree? This is a team that features Alexander Ovechkin and Alex Semin. Those two combine for 10 shots on a freaking shift. They have 593 shots between them this year. That means that they average 8 shots a game by themselves.

New Jersey 1 - Tampa Bay 3: Brodeur allowed 2 goals on 7 shots in the third period. Are we supposed to believe that a player that is well on his way to becoming THE greatest goalie in NHL history could not shut down the Lightning? Add in that the Devils are in danger of losing the division to the Penguins and something stinks.

Pittsburgh 1 - NY Islanders 3: The Penguins are within spitting distance of a division title and yet their vaunted powerplay goes 0-6 against the 19th ranked penalty kill? Not only did Crosby get shut out but Malkin missed a penalty shot! Pittsburgh won 75% of the neutral zone faceoffs but only 37% in the offensive zone. Pretty clear that they were trying not to score tonight. The league is really stretching reality with this one.

Montreal 6 - Boston 3: Maybe Gary Bettman was not clear in his memo that the losses have to at least look believable to a casual observer because the sad-sack Bruins clearly missed that part. After two strong periods gave them a 3-2 lead heading into the third the Bruins realized that they had to lose. They showed their intelligence by picking the most understated way possible to cough up the game: FOUR GOALS ON THE ONLY FOUR SHOTS OF THE PERIOD! Tim Thomas' bank account probably shows a hefty deposit, oh, sometime around 9:20pm.

Sure, that last one has a Canadian team winning which might seem like a hole in my theory (note, how Calgary is also on the verge of an epic collapse while teams are suddenly losing to the Avalanche like they are actually a good team) but the truth is that the Habs are a terrible team and will choke their playoff spot away anyway. Their wins serve to unsettle the Leafs since they know that they cannot miss the playoffs again while les habitants qualify.

And what of Vancouver and Ottawa? Well they have the biggest bandwagon fans. They'll be done with the playoffs once their teams are eliminated in the first round. Sorry Vancouver, no shootouts in the second season. My bad Ottawa, Gary Roberts will be around to haunt you.

And that brings me to the ultimate goal of this Bettman-led conspiracy: To kill Canada's pastime. Sure, his previous moves have been far from subtle - overexpansion, two lockouts, a TV contract with Versus - but he is clearly onto the understated part of his Machiavellian scheme. By ensuring that the playoffs lack a Canadian element beyond the first round he is making sure that the second season will continue to get laughable ratings. One more element in his grand plan to help out his first love, the NBA, but tonight I am blowing the lid off of his scheme.

Thursday Night in the Playoff Race

It's another in a string of big nights in the Eastern playoff race and here is your easy post to remember who to cheer and who to jeer:

Washington @ Carolina - They beat Tampa and Toronto and feeding Carolina would be the polite thing to do. Go Capitals!

San Jose @ Atlanta - The Leafs need the Sharks to sweep their trip through the Southeast division so they can lose this one if it means that they beat the Hurricanes. But just to keep them in the winning mood: Go Sharks!

Montreal @ Boston - Their last meeting ended 1-0 for the wrong guys. Tonight it would help if they could score on a 21 year old rookie who is playing above his head. Go Bruins!

Pittsburgh @ NY Islanders - The Pens are just flapping their wings waiting for their first round elimination of the sens but winning this game could help them get home ice advantage for the first round. Go Happy Feet!

New Jersey @ Tampa Bay - The Leafs were good about not exacting a real pound of flesh from the Devils so now would be a good way to repay their debt to the Leafs. Go Devils!

Ottawa @ Florida - This game does not matter beyond the fact that I want the sens in the most fragile of mindsets going into the playoffs. Go Panthers and their billion dollar goalie!

We're Famous

While checking in on the current and future plight of the Oilers I noticed a comment linking to the Oilers' CNN/SI team page where CinO is part of the 'More Local Oilers News' and decided to see who was in the Leafs and senators' sections.

Lo and behold, the major media conglomerate has the BoO on both team pages. No idea why they felt the need to add other substandard sites as this one is clearly all you need but I guess that they had a quota to fill. Sort of the same reason Ottawa got an NHL team so I guess it's appropriate.

It's only a matter of time until we move from the depths of the team pages (does anyone get that deep into the site?) to the front page. No word yet on whether we will need to clean up our language, but fuck it, we won't.

Only wusses need to shut their eyes at night.

That's right. I bet Raycroft doesn't sleep with his eyes open. Ray does.

First round Battle of Ontario?

Just crossed my mind while looking at the standings....

The Sabres and Leafs have a home and home on Friday and Saturday. The Sens are 5 points back of Buffalo and if Toronto won both in regulation and Ottawa won their games against Florida tomorrow and Tampa on Saturday we’d be within a point of first in the East.

Small print: Keep in mind that Buffalo has two games in hand and also has more wins than Ottawa.

Wednesay Night in the Playoff Race

The sens stole a win from St. Louis after a good goal went unreviewed. Of course, it doesn't matter because it involves a team eliminated from the playoffs and another that is already guaranteed some post-season games. Of course, karma can even things up at the most inopportune time. Also, Gerber let in a brutal goal. Could things be evened up by some mystical force by having him thrust into the playoff starter's role? One can only hope.

The much anticipated appearance in Toronto by the Devils did not disappoint. The game was overall a pretty good one. Lots of good hits, solid goaltending, and good flow. New Leafs hero Wade Belak slaked the bloodlust of the ACC crowd with a first period decision over the scrub. To his credit, he could have hidden but he did not and he even waved the linesmen out to let the fight continue. The game also featured the first, and last, two times that Belak's name was chanted by the home faithful.

Sundin had another strong night as he set up both Leaf goals. Wellwood scored the first on a one-timer that probably fooled Brodeur with its fluttering and Antropov knocked in a rebound for his 6th goal in 8 games. Raycroft bested Brodeur with one more save as each faced 25 shots. That makes it four in a row at the ACC and the crowd is slowly rounding into playoff form as the Leafs continue their efforts to make The Hangar a fortress.

In tonight's action, there is only one game affecting the playoff race as the New York Rangers host the Philadelphia Flyers. Needless to say, they better keep an eye on Jagr in the last minute of the game unlike their in-state rivals.

Tuesday Night In The Playoff Race

As noted, Kaberle won't be in the lineup tonight so any dreams of him catching the scrub with his head down have to be put off until next year (Or the playoffs) There is a lot of action to follow around the NHL tonight including some tough ones to call.

Ottawa @ St. Louis - This one's easy. Verdict: Blues shock sens with their 110% effort.

Tampa Bay @ Islanders - Tortorella is losing the plot. No shootouts please although this could turn into the Battle of the Nobodies. Verdict: Lots of goals lead to another classic '25% rule'-like rant.

Boston @ Montreal - The Bs are coming off a slap on the wrist after their capitulation against the Rangers. It's the first of three games between the old rivals and a win for Boston would make for fun reading. Verdict: Bruins repay the Habs for their past two playoff meetings by making this the first of three straight wins over the Habs.

The "60 Minute" Standings

From Matt at BoA:

V is For Vengeance

As Don has nicely reminded everyone tonight the Leafs face the hero of the New Jersey inbreds in their first meeting since the scrub tried to injure rosy-cheeked Tomas Kaberle. Kaberle will await the doctor's word on whether he will play tonight and the sentiment is that the Leafs would prefer him taking until the weekend to return. The rest of the Leafs meanwhile seem to have their heads on straight and appear set to learn their history lessons:

"I don't think the boys will be looking for him," said Kaberle. "They'll be playing their own game. We just have to get the two points."

That sentiment has been echoed by the team and most fans in a Sun poll want nothing more than the critical two points. As McCabe has pointed out revenge is a dish best served cold and the scrub could conceivably be around next season as well.

Belak might drop the mitts early but the window is only about 1-2 minutes, the amount of time the scrub might spend on the ice and not picking splinters out of his rear, so it will probably amount to nothing. The scrub's obliviousness knows no bounds,

"I'm not looking to go head hunting or anything like that. I'm just want to go out there and play my game. I'm sure if I'm skating down the wing with the puck, he's going to come hit me too. That's obvious."

What was obvious was that the league does not need to employ players that take up minutes that a beer leaguer could fill just as well without the accompanying embarrassing incidents. What was obvious was that, as Kaberle put it, the scrub has no respect for his fellow NHLers. Attitudes like that generally end up coming back to bite the player in the rear whether it's a high-profile teammate that gets him shipped out of town or, in the case of the scrub, whether it's a little more personal attention in future matchups.

Would any Leaf fan be upset at a clean hit injuring the scrub? Nary a tear would be shed and it would be the biggest irony if it was on a play when a Leaf 'was just finishing his check.' But the biggest vengeance would be a win and that is where the focus must lie.

Go Cam Go!

Just to get your blood moving this morning, I present, the Cam Janssen fan club; In honor of the pugnacious sparkplug of the New Jersey Devils!

This one hurt

The winning goal...
19:26 of the 3rd NYR J. JAGR (25)
... that moves the Rangers to 3 pts up on the Leafs.

Funny. I think I want the Leafs to actually make the playoffs so we could get to play them but I get so much joy in seeing them out of the top eight spots.

And here's another body blow...

DiPietro, who was hurt in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Canadiens, stopped pucks during practice and afterwards didn't rule out playing against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday

Not lookin' good for the Leafs.

This Week In The Playoff Race

These are the standings as of this morning in the race that no one wants to win. Call me crazy but a first round matchup with Buffalo, while daunting, is certainly no reason for all the teams from Tampa Bay to Montreal to try to tank games in order to avoid opening the playoffs in lovely upstate New York. Clearly there must be a lot of collective fear because all of those teams are doing their damndest to end up in 9th. From Toronto and Tampa getting waxed by Washingston to the Islanders giving up 8 goals to Florida the teams on the bubble have shown no desire to grab this playoff race by the horns. The Thrashers did, from a then precarious position, and now they are seemingly safely ensconsed at the top of the Southeast division.

The Leafs face the top two teams in the East three times this week so conventional wisdom holds that they will be looking at three losses. However, as I told DC when he asked me to find 11 wins for the Leafs a couple of weeks ago, the Leafs tend to wins game that they shouldn't (New Jersey and Ottawa) and lose ones that they shouldn't (Montreal and Washington). That is why I simultaneously love and loathe the Maple Leafs. So I would expect another 3 points out of the week and pray that the Leafs' running mates continue to stumble towards the finish line. Of course, conventional wisdom is called that because it generally turns out to be correct. It's a nice reminder that last year the Oilers won the race that no one wanted to win in the west and came within 60 minutes of the Stanley Cup. Once again, the weekly lineup follows:

Toronto - Tuesday Devils, Friday @ Buffaslugs, Saturday Buffaslugs

Tampa Bay - Tuesday Islanders, Thursday Devils, Saturday senators

Carolina - Thursday Capitals, Saturday Sharks

Montreal - Tuesday Bruins, Thursday @ Bruins, Saturday Capitals

NY Rangers - Monday Penguins, Wednesday Flyers, Saturday @ Bruins

NY Islanders - Tuesday @ Lightning, Thursday Penguins, Saturday @ Flyers

St. Sunday

Ow. It hurts.

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone with a banging headache or some form of post St. Paddy's day sufferings. For this Muppet, it's not nearly as bad as the hangover from a troubling Leaf weekend, where one point out of a possible four is still good enough to be right in the thick of it. As thankful as I am that none of the other teams around us can put together a streak, it is not all that impressive to be hanging onto 10th with 11 games to go. Opportunities are quickly passing by. Time is running out. Pass the Advil.

Tonight, Ottawa will face the Stanley Cup champions of the (maybe not so distant) future, Pittsburgh. A match-up some are calling a first round preview.

Go sid.

Jersey or Pit?

As Chris Stevenson wrote on his blog, there's a chance the Sens could match up against New Jersey in the first round instead of Crosby et al. I'd prefer the shaky Fleury to Brodeur myself and winning tonight's game would make more likely.

A glance at the scoreboard today seems Tampa has fallen to the powerful Capitals as well. A playoff spot isn't in the bag for Lightning either.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

For Leafs fans as they look at their glasses today, they can look at the glass as being half full, or half empty. Yes, your team sucked badly last night and the issues to address are many and deep (defense, goal, PK, etc, etc). BUT, the Habs, Islanders, Hurricanes, and the Rangers don't seem to have what it takes either. Therefore, drink up Leaf fans. (Sorry for the picture to the left - couldn't find a half pint of Guinness)
Surprisingly, we in Ottawa are going to have the Sens on Hockey Night in Canada.
Think Cherry will come onto Coach's Corner with a beer like he did a few years back on St. Paddy's? MacLean asked him about it and Don said it was a coffee. It's why we love ya, Don.

Curses!

Tonight's game is on LeafsTV and not all of us are blessed with the channel or a provider that carries it or even with a residence in the Leafs region.

Here are two options for the frustrated fan that doesn't want to listen to the radio and use their imagination (how did people do it in the old days?):

LeafsTV Interactive - costs $4.19 and you can control your camera angles and the dashboard include a chatroom, a live blog, pictures, and a bunch of interesting features. This is what I am rocking tonight and so far it's great quality. The catch is that you have to be in the Leafs' region to be able to access it.

ChristTML - This site features SopCast and professes to show all of the Leafs games. I have never used the site but I have used SopCast to watch Liverpool games and it's usually pretty good. This can be accessed from any region in the world and it's free.

Friday Night in the Playoff Race

It was a successful night off for the good guys as both teams ahead of them faltered. Tonight, the Leafs are in Washington and someone special was on the trip. Kaberle won't be in the lineup tonight but he could be the extra emotional kick that makes the Leafs show up for a big, late-season game in Montreal. The Capitals are on a 9 game losing streak and are coming off a tough loss to Sym's Bruins in which they coughed up a 3-0 lead before falling in a shootout.

Andrew Raycroft will be looking to take one more step towards the Leafs' single-season record for goaltender wins (37). He currently stands at 32 wins with 4 coming via shootout so technically 28 but if the Leafs are going to make the playoffs he'll have to break it either way.

With the return of some of the players from the injury list Paul Maurice is no longer handcuffed by his lineup and he has the flexibility to juggle his team in order to produce the best results. The last two games have featured dominant performances and that should continue tonight. Update: Of course, after mentioning the team's new found flexibility they will have to use it as John Pohl and Wade Belak will be stepping in for Kyle Wellwood and Carlo Colaiacovo. Welly will be back on Saturday and Carlo is questionable.

Other big games tonight include:

Montreal @ Pittsburgh - Sid the Kid gets revenge on Aaron Downey for calling him a diver by pushing the Habs one step closer to total meltdown.

NYR @ Atlanta - The Thrashers are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Flyers. A win would hold off the Lightning and be great for the Leafs.

Buffalo @ TB - The Buffaslugs travel to the good Florida team's rink looking to keep the senators at bay.

DJ has a new predicted standings up and the Leafs are tied for 8th.

Thursday Night In The Playoff Race

It's been another productive day here at the BoO. Turns out some of us hate different teams in sports and religion as well and even entire leagues. Sym and Sherry are in charge of spreading the word among the fairer sex that sports are important while the guys are focused on corrupting (or saving, depending on how you view it) their family's youth by trying to switch their cousin's/sibling's kids sporting allegiance.

However, it's almost game time and there are quite a few important matchups in the NHL tonight. Washington will look to continue in their spoiler role. While they haven't been very good at it so far (8 game losing streak) I'd rather they perfect it tonight against the Bruins instead of tomorrow night. Atlanta will look to increase their lead at the top of the Southeast division with a win over Philadelphia. The Buffaslugs travel to Florida for some FLA sn...sun and fun and two points against the Panthers. In another game featuring a Southeast division team the Conn Smythe-less Hurricanes host the New Jersey Devils (soon with Richard Matvichuk!) as Marty Brodeur looks to take one step closer to officially being the greatest goalie ever. And finally, in a game featuring the evil side of the BoO Ottawa hosts the Ricky D-less Islanders and can do the Leafers a big favour by delivering a metaphorical slash to the face (they were aiming for the chest! honest) in the form of a regulation time victory.

Oh, and there are some games out West but I could care less.

Predictions, raves about Redden's astute hockey sense, praise for Spezza's defensive prowess, or vitriol at my sarcasm in the yellow update bar-less (not bra-less fellas) comments.

Gameday thread

We welcome Smyth, Yashin, and Si, er, Blake to Scotiabank Place tonight. We sit in 5th right now as Pittsburgh passed us last night with their win.

Redden/Meszaros

Related to yesterday's post...

Today in the Sun:

On Tuesday, however, he wasn't about to wait. The Senators coach had a wee bit of a butt-kicking to deliver, and defencemen Wade Redden and Andrej Meszaros weren't going to sit around long before getting it.

Makes me like Murray a bit more.

Just in time for Christmas

The overwhelming demand for the signed BoO shirts has forced me to make these public. Of course yours won't be signed. You'll need to show up at the Battle of Ontario tour events for the official signing party.

What I'd really like is some talented people to provide images for the front/back so we can provide some great BoO gear.

Here's the template required for the front and back images. My email is on the right sidebar.

The official Battle of Ontario store is here.

UPDATE: The man at Cafepress has shutdown our products. I guess I need to sort out some copyright concerns.

More clippings for the agent

Erin wrote an interesting post on Monday:

Here's a clip from a piece in today's Sun regarding Anton Volchenkov and his busted beak:

It's believed Volchenkov was to have his nose straightened out yesterday to resolve the breathing issue and Muckler was optimistic Volchenkov would be able to play tomorrow night.

"I suspect so. They'll give him a (face) mask or something," said Muckler after Saturday's game. "(Losing Volchenkov), that really hurt us. He's our second-best guy and he gets a ton of ice time."

Chew on this:
....

2) If Phillips and Volchenkov are Nos. 1 and 2 respectively, what does that make Wade Redden? No. 3?

3) If Volchenkov is up for RFA this year (and he is), how fast do you think his agent clipped that quote out of today's paper? ....

Icetime last night:
PHILLIPS, CHRIS 27:07
VOLCHENKOV, ANTON 27:18
REDDEN, WADE 21:36

Erin promises to have more PPV reaction today as well.

In-Game Comments

After a long day (Jesus plays hockey? Yeah he does) a new thread will make for easier reading especially for the sens fans that will be tuned into NHL.com thanks to the latest sens PPV offering. Blown leads always sound so bad on the radio.

Hockey Night in Ontario/New York

The sens travel to the world's most famous gardens, MSG, to take on the Rangers. We all know the score with this game. Leaf fans will grit their teeth and hope that the sens won't try to take their latest bout with choking to a new level. Last time in the Big Apple the sens almost conspired to cough up a 5 goal lead in the third period. Tonight all of Leafs Nation would appreciate some concentration, determination, and triumphanation from sens nation.

Meanwhile, in the Centre Of The Universe, the Leafs host the Lightning which resulted in this story which made me simultaneously cry, laugh in pain, spit my milk at the screen, and slam my head against my desk. Of course, who knows how the trade would have worked out in the long-run. Well, it definitely would have been the best thing that Jonas Hoglund ever did for the Leafs. Player development is a game of maybes and could bes or Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda so maybe this trade would have been remembered as the time that the Leafs traded away three future superstars while gambling on the NHL's Michael Jordan. But as it stands, Vinny would look good in blue and white.

Anyway, back to this reality, while the sens are boosting their chances of home ice advantage the Leafs host the aforementioned Mr. Lecavalier and his friends. This season the Leafs have shown some ability to control the Three Amigos (or at least limit their damage) and hold a 3-0-0 record in the season series against the Bolts. They picked up a pair of 4-2 wins in the Sunshine State bookending a 5-4 victory at the ACC. Tonight they will be looking to complete the season sweep but will have to once again look out for Richards, St. Louis, and the almost-Leaf Lecavalier the latter two which are among the top three in scoring while Vinny leads the race for the Richard Trophy.

On the fly

My TV listings show TSN showing NHL on the Fly tonight. Not a bad thing to watch with these Eastern matchups with my predictions:

Senators/Rangers 7:00 PM ET -- Sens 2, NYR 0
Panthers/Hurricanes 7:00 PM ET -- FLA 4, CAR 3 (shootout - sorry Leaf fans)
Lightning/Maple Leafs 7:30 PM ET -- TB 6, Leafs 3
Islanders/Canadiens 7:30 PM ET -- NYI 3, MTL 4 (OT)
Sabres/Penguins 7:30 PM ET -- BUF 5, PIT 2

I guess I don't actually want the Leafs in the playoffs.

Anyone predicts all the games right will get a limited edition Battle of Ontario T-shirt signed by myself, Jay, PPP, and The Muppet. They say they go for six figures on ebay.

This Week In The Playoff Race

Those are the standings as of this morning. Teams are headed towards the 70 game mark and the regular season is into its last four weeks. Here's how each team affecting the Leafs and sens hopes (playoff spot/home ice advantage):

Ottawa: Tues @ Rangers, Thurs Islanders, Sat Flyers, Sun @ Penguins

Toronto: Tues Lightning, Fri @ Capitals, Sat @ Canadiens

Atlanta: Mon Capitals, Thurs @ Flyers, Fri Rangers, Sun Sabres

Carolina: Tues Panthers, Thurs Devils, Sat @ Devils

Tampa Bay: Tues @ Maple Leafs, Fri Sabres, Sun @ Capitals

NY Rangers: Tues senators, Fri @ Thrashers, Sat Bruins

NY Islanders: Tues @ Canadiens, Thurs @ senators, Sat @ Panthers

Montreal: Tues Islanders, Fri @ Penguins, Sat Maple Leafs

Boston: Thurs Capitals, Sat @ Rangers

Florida: Tues @ Hurricanes, Thurs Sabres, Sat Islanders

A busy week indeed. There are a tonne of head-to-head matchups between teams jockeying for playoff position and those vying for a last spot in the post-season so there is the potential for a bit more clarity. However, it is likely that the playoff picture will be just as murky next Monday morning. Check out DJ's updated Predicted Standings.

The question....

.... right now is this for us Sens fans:

Do we want the Leafs in the post season or not? The Godfather wrote a year ago:

I'll just come right out and admit it: I'm cheering for the Toronto Maple Leafs to make the playoffs.
....
Having Leaf Nation simply fade out of the picture in a relatively quiet and painless fashion will not do the Battle of Ontario justice. It would be more appropriate to see them teased into a sincere belief that yet another upset is possible, to gradually sell themselves on the possibility that this could be their year and to piece their shattered confidence back together in the remaining 13 games -- only to be abruptly hauled back down to the cold ice with a crunching thud. As the starry haze wears off and vision is restored, their first sight will be that of Gary Bettman making an important center ice presentation to Captain Daniel Alfredsson. Truly an experience that will scar several generations of Torontonians and something Sens fans ought to throw their support behind.

Poetry.

Really, fretting about a few losses lately is so insignificant when Pit comes in for Game 1 of Round 1. The most important thing will be the health of the players. We don't want any aductor muscles (Hasek), lingering wrist/arm ailments (Chara), or whatever else limiting this team. We are much better built to beat Buffalo than we were last spring. Our goalie is better now, our team speed is better I'd argue, and we've conquered the Pizza line or bust dilemma. Who else in the East are we worried about? A Pit team with a shallow D and big questions in net? A one line Tampa team that we can isolate and also without a solid netminder? Unless Brodeur singlehandledly wins 4 games, is anyone really worried about Jersey?

But back on the issue at hand.

What are the chances we would actually play Toronto in the playoffs if they make it? If they squeak in at 8 they would play Buffalo. We wouldn't even play them in the 2nd round unless the top three seeds all lost. If they are 7th they would play Jersey and then would play us if the 8th team won and the 3rd won. Very unlikely we'd meet unless it was the conference final.

Would you want that to be the final stepping stone to a final appearance? Or would you rather the Leaf distraction end quietly like last year and watch summer come early for those in Toronto?

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

Despite being greatly outplayed by the buds the sens had managed to build a 3-1 lead on the back of some mental mistakes by the boys in blue heading into the third. Cue the comeback. First, Boyd Devereaux scored on the only mistake in an otherwise stunning display of goaltending when he sneaked a shot over the shoulder of Ray Emery who had gone down too early. Then, Mats outskated Wade Redden (is Sherry's theory of the money weighing him down on target?) and slipped a pass to the much maligned Nik Antropov who used his 8 foot reach to whack home his own rebound.

And that set the stage for the Leaf fans' sweetheart, Darcy Tucker, to finish the game off on a nice one-two with Pavel Kubina to notch his second goal of the game. The ACC erupted as the Leafs' faithful celebrated a deserved victory and smug sens' fans sat shocked wondering how another lead slipped away in the third. If only they coulda scored on that empty net then they woulda won the game after blowing a lead that shoulda been safe.

Wellwood made a welcome return to the Leafs lineup and his skill showed as he set up a number of chances. Last night was the first time since December 19th that he and Tucker were both in the lineup. No surprise that one of them was the difference last night.

Elsewhere around the NHL it was a bit of a crazy night. Some guy named Koci for the Blackhawks delivered a vicious headshot and Donald Brashear drilled Brendan Witt with a gloved punch after he had scored a goal to bring the caps within 2 goals. The wheel of justice is going to get a workout.

Are you READY TO RUM-BUUUUUUUUULLLLL!?!

Round 1: 4-1 Sens in Toronto
Round 2: 6-0 Leafs in Ottawa
Round 3: 6-2 Sens in Toronto
Round 4: 7-2 Sens in Ottawa.
Round 5: 3-2 (OT) Sens in Toronto.
Round 6: 3-2 (Shootout) Leafs in Ottawa
Round 7: 5-1 Sens in Otttawa

Game time is 7pm at the ACC.

TV: Hockey Night in Canada

With the Sens win on Thursday they clinch the season series. The Leafs are down but are they out?? Maybe we'll consider this the pre-game post. I know it's a few hours early but hey, it's the last BoO regular season game.

THE WINNER IS...

There were many predictions for yesterdays game.
From the outlandish score of 8-1 for the Sens, guessed by GeeIWonder, all the way to the very conservative 4-3 Sens, granted by Duff, it came down to one BoO commenter's perfect guess-timation.

PAV - You nailed it.
Damn you.

Jardine and DC both guessed 6-1, for the "close only counts in hand grenades" award.

Maggie Is Busy

Woke up early this morning and wandered over to Mirtle's neighbourhood and found this:

Yet another 'policeman' committing a crime. Now Maggie The Macaque and Colin Campbell have to make a decision. Do they spin the wheel and hope that it lands on 5 games+ or do they send a message and end Simon's career. McSorley received a suspension (and legal prosecution) until February of the next season for his assault of Brashear which combined to effectively end his career. Dale Hunter's late hit on Pierre Turgeon in the '93 playoffs earned him a 20+ game suspension.

Hopefully, Campbell will grow a pair and lay down a similar punishment because 3 gamers are not sending the message. The Islanders have 15 games left before being eliminated in the playoffs by New Jersey so that is maximum 22 games if Campbell goes the Bertuzzi route. However, 40+ games would be more appropriate as it would carry over significantly into next season. Enough maybe to keep the UFA from being signed again and hopefully ending his career.

But who knows, the NHL made ESPN again so Bettman will be happy and maybe Simon dodges a bullet. At this point, it wouldn't surprise me to see a limp-wristed punishment doled out.

Post-Game

Well, at least I wasn't at this game. The Leafs could have made it closer if any of their 5 or 6 open nets had fallen to goal scorers instead of Travis Green and Bates Battaglia. The Leafs crumbled under a potent powerplay (send Peca to Lourdes) although Razor had a pretty strong game. Highlight of the game for the Leafers was Steen's schooling of Priessing for the only good goal of the game.

The Leafs drop to 10th as the Canes pass them (more wins) and the Rangers tie them and have a game in hand after beating the Islanders. Happily, the Habs lost while simultaneously traumatizing their goaltender. Saturday night cannot come soon enough.

Comments, questions, ranting, and raving in the comments as always.

In-game comments

Consider the last post the pre-game show. Let's start a new post for the game comments to make comment viewing easier.