(5) Pittsburgh vs (4) Ottawa Articles and Discussion

[Santacapper]

The mission now - and they have no choice but to accept it -- is to try and stop Sidney Crosby, the NHL's leading scorer.
If the Senators are going to win their opening-round Eastern Conference playoff series, stopping the 19-year-old dynamo and Art Ross Trophy winner is going to be the key.
Can other players score goals for the Penguins?
For sure.
Evgeni Malkin, the Russian rookie who's a good bet to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, had 33.
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Rookie Jordan Staal, who will push Malkin for the Calder, had 29.
Those are the Penguins' next biggest threats, but the jury is out on how well they will cope with playing and scoring in the post-season. You could say the same about Crosby -- who we tend to forget is still a teenager -- but don't bet on him fading.
There were only 19 games this season when Crosby failed to get a point.
The Penguins were 6-13 in those games.
One of his scoreless games was against the Senators, but the Penguins got a rare win without Crosby on the scoresheet, 5-4 in a shootout. But guess who got the winner in the shootout?
Crosby had a goal and three assists in four games against the Senators this season.
Senators coach Bryan Murray will have the advantage of last change in the first two games, which will be played at Scotiabank Place. Game 1 is Wednesday, while Game 2 will be Saturday afternoon at SBP, according to NBC Sports' website.
So, what will be the matchups favoured by the Senators against Crosby?
SHUTDOWN PAIR
Murray will try to get his shutdown duo of defencemen Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov on the ice against him, of course.
Up front, he will use either centres Mike Fisher or Chris Kelly. In the Senators' last game against the Penguins, Murray seemed to favour playing Jason Spezza's line against Malkin's.
Kelly said whoever goes up against Crosby will have their hands full not just because of Crosby's talent, but because he works so hard.
Checkers can often overcome more talented stars by working harder, but Crosby's work ethic is as good as just about anybody's in the league.
"That would be a challenge I would look forward to if that was Bryan's decision," said Kelly, "and we go from there."
Kelly sees Crosby as more of a handful than, say, the bigger Jaromir Jagr of the New York Rangers.
"(Crosby) sees the ice extremely well and works extremely hard, especially down low in the offensive zone, behind the net," he said. "He always has his feet moving and tries to draw people to him and make plays.
"Jagr's more of a bigger man and can control the puck just because of his physical size. Crosby's not as big as Jagr, but he moves his feet more. He makes it a little harder to cover him."
Taking away Crosby's passing options will be the key for the players not right on Crosby.
"Whoever's on my line and the defencemen that are paired up against him, their hands are full because he is looking to make that pass, draw more than one man to him and find the open man," said Kelly. "He leads the league in assists, doesn't he?"

 

[B.A.R.]

NHL gotta love having the kid in postseason. Should be interesting to see how he responds.

 

[Santacapper]

The Pittsburgh Penguins have some weaknesses, but fear isn't one of them.
Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien, who has helped lead the Pens from last in the Eastern Conference last year to a 105-point season, said he likes his team's youthful aggressiveness.
Maybe they just don't know any better.
"They've got no fear. That's the scary part of our team," said Therrien. "We have no fear. The second half of the season, they're saying a veteran team will have more success, it's more of a man's game. You know what? The second half of the season this is where we're at our best.
"Because we have no fear, we got better and better. I like the atmosphere with our team ... we're still learning."
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The Penguins will be in Ottawa on Wednesday to open their first-round playoff series against the Senators, the first ever between the two clubs.
NERVES NOT PROBLEM
Based on what he's seen from his club over this season, Therrien said he's not expecting nerves to be an issue with his young team.
Fifteen Penguins players will be playing their first playoff game Wednesday night.
"It's a totally different game in the playoffs," said Therrien. "The emotion is there. What I like about this team is when the emotion is there, this is when we're at our best. Sometimes for a team when the emotion is there, they get tight. "For us, through he course of the season when we have to play emotional games, this is where our team was at our best." <!-- Next and Previous stories -->

 

[Santacapper]

The Senators are set for a post-season dance with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
And while the Senators will be heavily favoured, they don't expect it'll be easy just because most of the young Penguins weren't around when the team last made the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2001.
But both sides expect this is going to be a "last goal wins" kind of series, because the Penguins are loaded with offensive stars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Gary Roberts.
"You have to score goals. No matter how you play because they're going to score goals on you," said Senators coach Bryan Murray.
"We hope to be able to match to their level. It's certainly important."
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That's going to put a lot of pressure on Senators goalie Ray Emery to come up big.
"You know they've got a lot of guys who can score," said Emery. "Personally, I like playing against teams like that because I look at it as a challenge to shut guys like Crosby and Malkin down. Normally, if you can shut them down, then you can be successful."
Oddly enough, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Binghamton Senators met in the AHL playoffs in 2005. It was the Pittsburgh farmhands -- many of whom play for the Penguins now -- who came back from a 2-0 deficit to knock off a Senators team bolstered (because of the lockout) by Jason Spezza, Anton Volchenkov, Chris Neil, Ray Emery, Brian Pothier and Chris Kelly.
"We learned a lot in that playoff series. We got up and we blew the series," said Spezza. "We learned a lot about how close it is in the playoffs and how every break and every bounce can turn a series. That's going to help us prepare us for them.
"But that doesn't really matter too much now. They're going to be excited about playing in their first playoff series and we're going to be excited about being back in the playoffs with a chance to win."
There's going to be a lot of media exposure in this series. As reported by the Sun's Rob Brodie yesterday, there's a chance Senators-Penguins could receive national TV exposure in the U.S. on NBC next Saturday and Sunday. The series is expected to begin Wednesday night.

 

[Santacapper]

The sight of Dany Heatley, blood running from his mouth as he sat on the bench after scoring his 49th goal, summed up what's just around the corner for the Senators.
The Stanley Cup playoffs are at hand, and the going is about to get much tougher.
There were hard hits, high sticks, fists thrown and even a little crease crashing for good measure last night at Scotiabank Place as the Senators and Penguins set the tone for their first-round playoff series, which opens next week.
Where they'll get it started remains up in the air. The Senators blew a chance to secure home-ice advantage in the playoffs as Maxime Talbot scored with nine seconds left to give the Penguins a stunning 3-2 victory.
"I don't think there were any messages sent. I think for ourselves we were just trying to finish off strong," said Penguins star Sidney Crosby.
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Heatley, who needs a goal tomorrow against the Boston Bruins in the Senators' final regular-season game to record back-to-back 50-goal seasons, and Jason Spezza scored for Ottawa. Now the Senators must get a win tomorrow night or hope Pittsburgh loses to the Rangers on Saturday to ensure home-ice edge.
"Take a look at that game and it's only going to be ramped up even more (in the playoffs)," said Spezza. "They've got some guys who work pretty hard over there and we've got some guys who work pretty hard over here.
"It probably won't be a short series."
The Senators lost blueliner Tom Preissing with a groin injury and he was kept out for what the club called precautionary reasons.
This game had a lot of ugly in it because Senators coach Bryan Murray and Pittsburgh's Michel Therrien aren't the kind to back down and the two teams showed a genuine dislike for each other.
"I think both teams more played more than of an edgy game than they normally play," said Sens goalie Ray Emery. "I know I don't like that team much right now."
Midway through the first, there was a crowd in the penalty boxes with seven players serving various infractions:
- Pittsburgh winger Colby Armstrong started a melee involving every player on the ice when he deliberately crashed into Emery. Even Crosby threw a few punches at Chris Kelly.
- Spezza was given a major and roughing penalty for elbowing Pittsburgh's Jarko Ruutu to the head in the first period. Spezza might not get supplementary discipline, but it will be reviewed by the league.
"I was glad he did it," said Murray. "Jason is not known for that and I thought it was a very severe penalty for what he did, but I'm not sorry he did it. The referees know there are players on each team who do these kinds of things and there should be a tolerance level for skill players.
"That didn't happen here."
How nasty was this game?
Well, Pittsburgh blueliner Josef Melichar was hit with six minutes in penalties for cross-checking Heatley on the face with a high stick at 3:34 of the second period.
The result was a two-man advantage for the Senators with the Penguins leading 2-1 and Heatley made them pay.
Wiping away the blood, Heatley took a pass from Spezza to beat Marc-Andre Fleury on the stick side.
It was Spezza who opened the scoring in the first on a power play by firing home his own rebound at 7:59.
But the Senators found out the hard way they're going to have to be careful about giving the Penguins chances on the power play in the playoffs.
First, it was Michel Ouellet, who beat Emery at 14:05 of the first to give the Pens a 1-0 lead. Then, Pittsburgh warrior Gary Roberts picked up a rebound in front and put it by Emery on the stick side only 55 seconds later. <!-- Next and Previous stories -->

 

[Santacapper]

<TABLE width=627><TBODY><TR><TD width=500>[SIZE=+1]Ottawa Senators[/SIZE]
Team Page | Roster | Stats
Regular Season Record: 48-25-9, 105 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 1-1-2
Last Stanley Cup Win: -
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: -
Last Postseason Appearance: 2006
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Martin Gerber

Team Analysis: After an awful early season slump that saw fans and the media calling for heads to roll, the Senators pulled everything together to show why they're Stanley Cup contenders. Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and captain Daniel Alfredsson make up the league's deadliest triple threat, powering an offence that ranks among the top three in the league. Their supporting cast aren't slouches either, with Mike Fisher, Peter Schaefer, Antoine Vermette and Chris Kelly finishing near the 40-point mark and playing a complete game at both ends of the ice. Even without Zdeno Chara, the defence made big contributions on the scoreboard, with Tom Preissing, Wade Redden, Joe Corvo and Andrej Meszaros each scoring at least 30 points this season. Preissing, along with blueliners Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips, also finished in the Top 10 in the league in plus-minus. The Senators didn't get much mileage out of Martin Gerber this season, and it should come as no surprise the way Ray Emery has been playing. After three seasons of waiting in the wings behind Patrick Lalime and Dominik Hasek, the young netminder finally rooted himself as the team's top option. And heaven forbid, if Emery gets injured or struggles early, the chance is there for Gerber to redeem himself from his flu-ridden performance in last season's playoffs. Any way you cut it, the Senators are on a short leash this spring. They have been distinguished as Cup contenders for the last five years and after this season's early free-fall and recovery, anything but a championship will be unacceptable.
</TD></TR><TR><TD>[SIZE=+1]Pittsburgh Penguins[/SIZE]
Team Page | Roster | Stats
Regular Season Record: 47-24-11, 105 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 3-1
Last Stanley Cup Win: 1992
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 1991
Last Postseason Appearance: 2001
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Mark Recchi (2), Gary Roberts

Team Analysis: As strange as it may sound, Pittsburgh's window for opportunity to win a Stanley Cup could be very small. If the young trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal keep scoring like veteran All-Stars and leading the Penguins the way they are now, their salary negotiations - which will take place over the next few seasons - could take up a huge chunk of the salary cap and force GM Ray Shero to make some tough choices. And we're talking the about the type of tough choices that Jay Feaster has had to make in Tampa with Lecavalier, Richards and St. Louis. With that in mind, the Pens must win now while their best players are producing at a bargain price. Shero has responded well to the call, acquiring veteran forwards Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque to join a young core that also includes Colby Armstrong, Michel Ouellet and Ryan Malone. Mark Recchi knows all about winning championships, and adds that much more experience to the mix. After an 82-game grind in the regular season, the playoffs are a clean slate. Everyone is ageless, and everyone has a fresh start. On defence, the tandem of Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney has been impressive, combining for 126 points and quarterbacking the fifth-best power play in the Eastern Conference. The rest of the blueline squad consists of stay-at-home guys like Mark Eaton, Brooks Orpik, Alain Nasreddine, Josef Melichar and Rob Scuderi. Their job will be simple enough - make things as comfortable as possible for Marc-Andre Fleury. His numbers won't gather a lot of first-place Vezina votes (at least not now), and he'll also be playing in his first-ever playoff campaign.
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[Santacapper]

The Penguins' clubhouse Saturday night was relatively subdued. It was difficult to tell by watching the players that the regular season had just ended with a 2-1 win against the New York Rangers.
"We can't jump around," Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said. "That was a good season, but what really matters is the playoffs."
The playoffs.
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<CENTER>Related NHL coverage</CENTER>

Ottawa flops are plentiful in the spring

Penguins Notebook: Players working on some magic for playoffs

Defending champions sitting out the playoffs

First round has New York flavor

Islanders gain last spot in playoffs </SMALL></STRONG></BOLD>
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<!--END SIDEBOX-->They had become nearly a foreign concept for the Penguins, who haven't been in the postseason for six years.
Now they're looking at a first-round series that starts in Ottawa, most likely Wednesday night.
Being included in the chase for the Stanley Cup this spring -- and knowing for the past several days that they had clinched a playoff spot and were playing for positioning and a possible home-ice advantage -- made this a stunningly different final week of the regular season for the Penguins.
"It's so much different," Fleury said. "More fun, too."
As the 2005-06 season wound down, players knew they would not be in the playoffs. Although the Penguins picked things up down the stretch, collecting eight of their 22 wins after the Olympic break, the bleakness of the season wore on them.
"Especially the last 10 games," defenseman Rob Scuderi said. "You can keep up a good attitude for a while, but it's tough to finish up a season without much to play for.
"We were just trying to finish up the season, play with some pride. It's tough to show up at the rink and know that you're probably not going to have a great chance to win. You have all the hope in the world, but at the same time, you realize your chances probably aren't so good."
The Penguins finished second to last in the NHL standings with 58 points last year.
With the final game came an emptiness. Players plotted out their offseason plans, traded their hockey sticks for golf clubs, said goodbye and dispersed.
"Last year it was, 'What day are you going to leave and what flight are you going to pick up?' " Scuderi said.
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<CENTER>Stanley Cup Playoffs
First Round
</CENTER>The Penguins will open their first-round playoff series against Ottawa at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Scotiabank Place.
Game 2 will be played there at 3 p.m. Saturday before the series shifts to Mellon Arena for Games 3 and 4.
The first game here will be at 6 p.m. Sunday, while Game 4 in the series will be at 7 p.m. April 17.
Game 5, if necessary, will be played at 7 p.m. April 19 in Ottawa. Game 6 is scheduled for 1 p.m. April 22 at Mellon Arena and if a seventh game is needed, it will be at 7 p.m. April 24 in Ottawa. Games 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 are scheduled to be televised by Versus, while Games 2 and 6 will be carried by NBC.

-- By Dave Molinari​

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<!--END SIDEBOX-->While a few players were heading to play in world championships or minor-league playoffs, most were facing a long layoff.
"When you think you're going to have five months off, that seems so long," winger Michel Ouellet said.
"You always want to play in the playoffs."
It didn't help that the Penguins were constantly reminded of their lackluster season.
"We had a long summer to work out," Fleury said. "People kept asking what happened, what's going on?
"But it's a great change this year for the team."
A change that began not long after last season ended. The Penguins fired Craig Patrick as general manager and hired Ray Shero, who replaced many longtime staff members, re-signed veteran Mark Recchi, drafted forward Jordan Staal and traded for defenseman Mark Eaton.
"Everything about this year has been different all season long," Ouellet said. "They made big changes."
So did the team, which improved by 47 points -- an 81 percent increase -- and earned the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference after finishing 15th a year ago.
That made the end of the regular season feel a ton different, even if the players didn't outwardly show that.
"It's certainly something that we're really looking forward to, the playoffs," Scuderi said. "This year, it's great. The guys are upbeat.
"Certainly the attitude is a lot different. We're very grateful for that."
The bulk of the roster is the same as last season. In hindsight, perhaps the experience of finishing so far off the pace but playing better down the stretch helped the Penguins get where they are this week.
"I thought that was one of the biggest positives going into this year, was that we played well [after the Olympic break]," Scuderi said.
"We set the tone for something we wanted to accomplish, which was working hard every night and giving ourselves a chance to win."
That could be why the Penguins weren't whooping it up or slapping backs after the last game of this regular season.
This could be just the continuation of a plan that was set in motion by a team that got tired of losing last season.
"Last year it was over right away after the last game," Fleury said. "We knew we wanted to do better this season. "Now we're there, and we get to play more hockey."
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[Santacapper]

It is neither fair nor accurate to suggest that Ottawa flops in the Stanley Cup playoffs every spring.
Occasionally, the Senators simply lose to a superior team.
Just not very often.
Ottawa, which will face the Penguins in Round 1 of the 2007 playoffs beginning Wednesday, has been one of the NHL's most consistent winners in the regular season -- the Senators have reached the postseason for the 10th consecutive year -- but one of its most reliable disappointments in April and May.
Sometimes, it's because the Senators' goaltending stumbles. Like when Patrick Lalime unraveled in Game 7 of Round 1 against Toronto in 2004, giving up two short-side goals to Joe Nieuwendyk before being pulled.
Sometimes, it's that the opponent's goalie seems invincible. Witness the way Curtis Joseph of the Maple Leafs shut out the Senators -- who averaged 3.34 goals per game in the regular season -- twice in Toronto's opening-round sweep in 2001.
And sometimes, it's pretty much about 20 guys underachieving. Exhibit A came in 2002, when Ottawa overcame a 3-2 advantage against Toronto to pull out a seven-game defeat in the second round.
That the Senators' most wretched playoff memories have come against the rival Maple Leafs -- imagine the Steelers imploding against, say, Baltimore in the NFL playoffs each winter -- compounds the misery of their fans, although Ottawa players insist they don't dwell on bygone failures, regardless of who they came against.
"It's obviously something that gets talked about, and there's only one way to silence that," defenseman Chris Phillips said. "But it's not something that's on your mind when you're stepping onto the ice."
Perhaps, but not because people outside the locker room will hesitate to remind the Senators of their rich history of playoff swoons, of the come-from-ahead collapses that have been the franchise's legacy, the first time the Senators sputter this spring.
Of course, Ottawa personnel point out, quite correctly, that it isn't necessarily reasonable to hold the Senators accountable for what their predecessors did. Or were unable to do.
"We're a different team now," center Jason Spezza said. "If you look at the past they had five or six years ago, some of the failures against the Leafs and stuff, not many of us were involved in that.
"It's fun for the media and everyone to look at it and say we're underachievers and stuff, but we're a bunch of younger guys coming up. ... We want to get rid of that stigma, but we're not going to lose sleep over it."
Trouble is, while some of the names on the back of the sweater change every year, the crest on the front does not. And neither do most of the partisans whose psychological well-being hinges on how the Senators perform in the spring.
"Everybody's waiting for us to falter a little bit, then get on us and see how we respond," Spezza said.
If anything, though, expectations for the Senators might be tempered a bit this year. After having the best record in the Eastern Conference in 2005-06, they didn't lock up home-ice advantage for the first round against the Penguins until Saturday night.
"Maybe there isn't as much pressure as in the past because we haven't finished on top of the league or conference," center Mike Fisher said. "But at the same time, we know we have a great team and we've been playing very well lately."
Captain Daniel Alfredsson, who broke into the NHL with Ottawa in 1995, echoed that sentiment and didn't flinch when asked if the Senators are capable of winning the Stanley Cup.
"We've got as good a chance as anybody," he said. "We know we can play well defensively, we can score goals, our special teams are good. It's just a matter of putting it all together."
It always is and, for the past nine years, the Senators haven't been able to do it. In 2006, after eliminating Tampa Bay in five games in the first round, the Senators dropped four one-goal decisions -- three in overtime -- to Buffalo.
"Last year, we were supposed to sweep everyone in every series and win easily," Spezza said. "We didn't do that. It's not that easy. It's tough to win."
It's worth the effort, though. Do it once, and all the losses that came before will melt from memory. "Once you win, you're considered winners," Spezza said. "We feel like this year, we have a good opportunity. And we want to make the most of it."

 

[Santacapper]

You could find all sorts of factors to weigh in the Penguins' first-round series against Ottawa, reasons one team or the other should win.
Some might say the youthful Penguins will need to find a bit of magic in their locker room.
Well, they have.
When defenseman Ryan Whitney missed his only game of the season Tuesday because of a groin injury, he was killing time when he wandered into a magic store on the South Side called the Cuckoo's Nest.
Whitney had seen a former teammate, Matt Murley, do some tricks and thought he was pretty good. After visiting the shop, Whitney began doing the familiar disappearing ball trick for teammates.
"I guess it could be a hobby if you do become good at it," Whitney said.
Wingers Ryan Malone and Colby Armstrong thought it was interesting and also visited the store.
"It's sleight of hand stuff," Malone said. "Mine's a pen that I stick through a dollar bill. I'm just messing around with it. I'm learning. It's just something to entertain the guys."
Malone wound up hiring one of the store employees to entertain guests at his wedding reception this summer.
Whitney said Malone is the magic ringleader. Malone said it's Whitney. Both said Armstrong is involved.
Despite his teammates' assertion, Armstrong claims to have nothing to do with the magic.
"But I like watching it," he said. "The ball trick's pretty cool. I think it's just something they're having fun with, something to fight boredom."
Perhaps some of them will learn a new trick for each round that the Penguins advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
"Yeah, that will be the rule," Whitney said.

Senators work it out

Although the Senators struggled through the early weeks of the regular season -- they were 7-11 in mid-November -- they believe the adversity they experienced then might have worked to their benefit in the long term.
"We learned how to win games, and not just on our talent," defenseman Chris Phillips said. "We had to work for it. We had to grind some out.
"Learning that has helped us out during this stretch, playing against some desperate teams trying to make the playoffs and, hopefully, strengthened our team going into the playoffs."

Inexperience not a worry

Penguins coach Michel Therrien is among those who isn't worried about his young team's inexperience in the NHL playoffs.
Of the 25 players on the active roster, 15 have never played in an NHL playoff game.
Therrien pointed out that many of them have played in the postseason in the minor leagues, junior hockey or both.
"So they have been in pressure situations," he said.
"You know, we didn't have much experience [in general] this season, and we've done pretty well."

Slap shots
The Penguins resume practicing today. ... After closing the regular season with 13 consecutive sellouts, the Penguins finished with 30. This is the first time outside of the Mario Lemieux era that the team has had that many sellouts. There were 34 sellouts in 1988-89 and again in 1989-90, 32 in 1992-93 and 30 in 1992-93.

 

[Santacapper]

IMO this is going to be a series to make money on after the first 2 games... the tone will be set there, and I for one have no idea who will be the team setting the tone. Nor how Fleury will react to the playoffs, how will Crosby play with playoff hockey etc...

 

[B.A.R.]

IMO this is going to be a series to make money on after the first 2 games... the tone will be set there, and I for one have no idea who will be the team setting the tone. Nor how Fleury will react to the playoffs, how will Crosby play with playoff hockey etc...

Exactly..in Hockey and Hoops it is much better to wait till a series gets going a bit to partake in some action.

 

[Santacapper]

<TABLE width=627 border=1><TBODY><TR class=one align=middle><TD>1</TD><TD>Wednesday, April 11, 7pm et</TD><TD>Pittsburgh Penguins @ Ottawa Senators</TD><TD><X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=163587&hubname=nhl">Recap | <X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/scores/boxscore/?id=6978">Box</TD></TR><TR class=one align=middle><TD>2</TD><TD>Saturday, April 14, 3pm et</TD><TD>Pittsburgh Penguins @ Ottawa Senators</TD><TD><X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=163587&hubname=nhl">Recap | <X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/scores/boxscore/?id=6978">Box</TD></TR><TR class=one align=middle><TD>3</TD><TD>Sunday, April 15, 6pm et</TD><TD>Ottawa Senators @ Pittsburgh Penguins</TD><TD><X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=163587&hubname=nhl">Recap | <X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/scores/boxscore/?id=6978">Box</TD></TR><TR class=one align=middle><TD>4</TD><TD>Tuesday, April 17, 7pm et</TD><TD>Ottawa Senators @ Pittsburgh Penguins</TD><TD><X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=163587&hubname=nhl">Recap | <X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/scores/boxscore/?id=6978">Box</TD></TR><TR class=one align=middle><TD>5</TD><TD>Thursday, April 19, 7pm et</TD><TD>Pittsburgh Penguins @ Ottawa Senators</TD><TD><X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=163587&hubname=nhl">Recap | <X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/scores/boxscore/?id=6978">Box</TD></TR><TR class=one align=middle><TD>6</TD><TD>Sunday, April 22, 1pm et</TD><TD>Ottawa Senators @ Pittsburgh Penguins</TD><TD><X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=163587&hubname=nhl">Recap | <X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/scores/boxscore/?id=6978">Box</TD></TR><TR class=one align=middle><TD>7</TD><TD>Tuesday, April 24, 7pm et</TD><TD>Pittsburgh Penguins @ Ottawa Senators</TD><TD><X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=163587&hubname=nhl">Recap | <X name="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/scores/boxscore/?id=6978">Box</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[catfood]

If theyre able to keep most of their core in the next few years, Pittsburgh should become a dynasty, just not this year.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Sens on the same boat as Dallas, gotta make a move on rather than just doing well in Season. I think this seeding is better for the Sens knowning they can easily be the underdogs here.

 

[Santacapper]

Series in the season saw it all... Ottawa blowing a 4-1 lead, a goal with 10 seconds left for a regulation win, 2 shootouts.

Hoping to see a 6.5 total in the first few... under for me please

 

[pcb525]

SC i was thinking the same on the under 6.5's in the series but i dont think that we'll see them, but hopefully

 

[mogo]

does anyone have a "Who will win the series" line yet???

i think that's the route i'll be going if the price is good for the pens.....

 

[Joe Public]

I've got the Pens at +165, Mogo. From the Greek.

The trick on series prices for me in years past is having a sense of who's going to win game one vs. who I think will win the series. If you guess right on that you can either get some value before the series starts or right after game one.

 

[Santacapper]

Fleury

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=ysptblthbody1 align=right><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="24%" height=18></TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>GP</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>GS</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>MIN</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>W</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>L</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>T</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>OTL</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>EGA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>GA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>GAA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>SA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>SV</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>SV%</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>SO</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow2 align=right height=16><TD class=yspscores align=left> Last game vs OTT</TD><TD class=yspscores>1</TD><TD class=yspscores>1</TD><TD class=yspscores>60</TD><TD class=yspscores>1</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>2</TD><TD class=yspscores>2.00</TD><TD class=yspscores>37</TD><TD class=yspscores>35</TD><TD class=yspscores>.946</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1 align=right height=16><TD class=yspscores align=left> Career vs Ottawa</TD><TD class=yspscores>7</TD><TD class=yspscores>7</TD><TD class=yspscores>364</TD><TD class=yspscores>2</TD><TD class=yspscores>4</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>29</TD><TD class=yspscores>4.78</TD><TD class=yspscores>218</TD><TD class=yspscores>189</TD><TD class=yspscores>.867</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow2 align=right height=16><TD class=yspscores align=left> Away (this year)</TD><TD class=yspscores>30</TD><TD class=yspscores>28</TD><TD class=yspscores>1717</TD><TD class=yspscores>17</TD><TD class=yspscores>7</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>4</TD><TD class=yspscores>1</TD><TD class=yspscores>97</TD><TD class=yspscores>3.39</TD><TD class=yspscores>850</TD><TD class=yspscores>753</TD><TD class=yspscores>.886</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Emery

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=ysptblthbody1 align=right><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="24%" height=18></TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>GP</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>GS</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>MIN</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>W</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>L</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>T</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>OTL</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>EGA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>GA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>GAA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>SA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>SV</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>SV%</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl>SO</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1 align=right height=16><TD class=yspscores align=left> Last game vs PIT</TD><TD class=yspscores>1</TD><TD class=yspscores>1</TD><TD class=yspscores>60</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>1</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>3</TD><TD class=yspscores>3.01</TD><TD class=yspscores>27</TD><TD class=yspscores>24</TD><TD class=yspscores>.889</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1 align=right height=16><TD class=yspscores align=left> Career vs Pittsburgh</TD><TD class=yspscores>6</TD><TD class=yspscores>6</TD><TD class=yspscores>369</TD><TD class=yspscores>3</TD><TD class=yspscores>1</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>2</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>17</TD><TD class=yspscores>2.76</TD><TD class=yspscores>151</TD><TD class=yspscores>134</TD><TD class=yspscores>.887</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow2 align=right height=16><TD class=yspscores align=left> Home (this year)</TD><TD class=yspscores>31</TD><TD class=yspscores>30</TD><TD class=yspscores>1804</TD><TD class=yspscores>19</TD><TD class=yspscores>8</TD><TD class=yspscores>0</TD><TD class=yspscores>3</TD><TD class=yspscores>2</TD><TD class=yspscores>63</TD><TD class=yspscores>2.10</TD><TD class=yspscores>888</TD><TD class=yspscores>825</TD><TD class=yspscores>.929</TD><TD class=yspscores>4</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[Santacapper]

<TABLE class=data cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2><TBODY><TR><TD class=datahl2>4/5/07</TD><TD class=datacell>OTT 2 - PIT 3</TD><TD class=datacell>PIT 178</TD><TD class=datacell>U 6.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=datahl2>3/18/07</TD><TD class=datacell>PIT 4 - OTT 3 (SO)</TD><TD class=datacell>PIT -111</TD><TD class=datacell>O 6.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=datahl2>3/6/07</TD><TD class=datacell>OTT 4 - PIT 5 (SO)</TD><TD class=datacell>PIT 178</TD><TD class=datacell>O 6.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=datahl2>11/10/06</TD><TD class=datacell>PIT 3 - OTT 6</TD><TD class=datacell>OTT -137</TD><TD class=datacell>O 6.5</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[Santacapper]

Back to Backs on Saturday and Sunday with travel from Ottawa to Pitt

<TABLE class=data cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2><TBODY><TR class=datahead><TD width=110>Team</TD><TD width=80>W/L</TD><TD width=80>ATS</TD><TD width=80>Money</TD><TD width=80>After W</TD><TD width=80>After L</TD><TD width=80>O/U</TD></TR><TR><TD class=datahl2>Pittsburgh</TD><TD class=datacell>5-8-2-0</TD><TD class=datacell>10-5</TD><TD class=datacell>123.0</TD><TD class=datacell>3-4-1-0</TD><TD class=datacell>2-4-1-0</TD><TD class=datacell>8-7</TD></TR><TR><TD class=datahl2>Ottawa</TD><TD class=datacell>7-4-0-1</TD><TD class=datacell>6-6</TD><TD class=datacell>305.0</TD><TD class=datacell>3-3-0-1</TD><TD class=datacell>4-1-0-0</TD><TD class=datacell>6-6</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[Joe Public]

I think the over on that back to back is going to deserve a look.

 

[Santacapper]

- Ottawa ranked 14th in the league on the power play, with a 17.9% success rate. Pittsburgh ranked fifth at 20.3%.

- Ottawa ranked ninth in the league in penalty killing, with an 84.5% success rate. Calgary ranked 17th at 82.1%.

- Chris Neil (288), Anton Volchenkov (205) and Mike Fisher (195) are the Senators' leading hitters.

- Brooks Orpik (186), Gary Roberts (127) and Maxime Talbot (114) are the Penguins' leading hitters.

- Antoine Vermette and Jason Spezza are the Senators' top face-off men -- 53.0%.

- Erik Christensen is the Penguins' top face-off man -- 56.2%.

- Ottawa's Chris Neil ranked third in the league with 177 penalty minutes.

- Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby led the league with 120 points and 61 power play points.

- Ottawa's Dany Heatley ranked second in the league with 50 goals.

- Ottawa's Dany Heatley tied for the league lead with 10 game-winning goals.

- Ottawa's Anton Volchenkov led the league with 273 blocked shots.

- Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby ranked third in the league by taking 36.5% of his team's face-offs.

- Pittsburgh's Jordan Staal led the league with a 22.1% shooting percentage.

- Ottawa's Jason Spezza ranked second in the league with a 21.0% shooting percentage.

- Pittsburgh's Jordan Staal led the league with seven shorthanded goals.

- Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson and Tom Preissing ranked second and third, with a plus-42 and plus-40, respectively.

- Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson led the Senators with six points in four games against the Penguins this year.

- Colby Armstrong, Ryan Whitney and Sidney Crosby led the Penguins with four points in four games against the Senators this year.

- Ottawa's leaders in power play ice time (per game):
Dany Heatley 4:59
Jason Spezza 4:53
Daniel Alfredsson 4:48
Wade Redden 4:33
Andrej Meszaros 3:42
Joe Corvo 3:37

- Pittsburgh's leaders in power play ice time (per game):
Sergei Gonchar 7:21
Ryan Whitney 5:59
Sidney Crosby 5:50
Evgeni Malkin 5:45
Mark Recchi 5:11
Gary Roberts 3:45
* Roberts' totals include games with the Panthers.

- Ottawa's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game):
Chris Phillips 4:40
Anton Volchenkov 4:27
Chris Kelly 3:04
Antoine Vermette 2:55
Andrej Meszaros 2:32
Mike Fisher 2:28

- Pittsburgh's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game):
Maxime Talbot 4:03
Colby Armstrong 3:53
Robert Scuderi 3:43
Josef Melichar 3:42
Mark Eaton 3:37
Sergei Gonchar 3:07

 

[catfood]

Thanks for posting those great stats SC. Because of those hitting stats, I think Ottawa will wear the pens down and take the series but there really is little value in taking them right now.

 

[Santacapper]

Thanks for posting those great stats SC. Because of those hitting stats, I think Ottawa will wear the pens down and take the series but there really is little value in taking them right now.

I think that and the blocked shots sure helps Ottawa out and benefits them should the series go deep which alot of people including myself think will happen