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rubberdinghy

By rubberdinghy
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Kanada Kev Newbie

Kanada Kev

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Depending on what goals are allowed, how the clocks work, if clocks start or stop properly .... these are the scenarios for the rest of this series. Don't know if this is news or not, but i just got it here at work and thought some of you Sens fans could use it for planning your next few days (yes, yes, i know already ... the series will be over in 5 ... yadda yadda )

Ottawa vs New Jersey (2-1):

Wednesday May 2 game - Ottawa wins (3-1) - Game 5 will be played on Saturday.

Wednesday May 2 game - New Jersey wins (2-2) - Game 5 will be played on Saturday and Game 6 will be played on Monday

Saturday May 5 game - Ottawa wins (4-1) - Series ends at Game 5, no game required on Monday

Saturday May 5 game - New Jersey win (2-3) - Game 6 to be played on Monday

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AD Newbie

AD

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funny article today

Blockbuster role for Spezza

Senators centre stars in The Commitments

By CHRIS STEVENSON

Senators centre Mike Fisher couldn't believe it.

Captain Daniel Alfredsson still is skeptical.

"It's like the Loch Ness Monster," said forward Chris Kelly. "You hear about it, but you never see it."

It happened with just a little more than six minutes left in what turned out to be the Senators' 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils in Game 3.

Jason Spezza blocked a shot.

Got his leg in front of it.

ON PURPOSE.

Stopped it.

"Yeah, I saw it," said Fisher. "We were sitting on the bench and we were all like, 'Yeah!' We were cheering. It was great."

Alfredsson didn't see it.

"I haven't seen it," he said, "and I still don't believe it."

This is how things have evolved for Spezza and the Senators.

First off, just the fact he was on the ice with six minutes to go in a 1-0 playoff game is noteworthy.

That Spezza was sticking a limb in front of a puck shot by Patrik Elias?

Well ...

"Fisher doesn't lie. If he says he saw it, then it has to be true," said Kelly. "There's a few other guys on this team if they say they saw Spezza block a shot, I don't know ... especially if it was Spezza (saying it)."

Spezza blocked 14 shots this season, last among the club's regulars. To be fair, a centre has fewer opportunities, especially one who doesn't kill penalties.

Defenceman Anton Volchenkov blocked an NHL-leading 273. He had eight alone in Game 2 against the Devils.

Spezza had that one, his first of the post-season. In Game 3 alone, there were 31 blocked shots.

Tease play

But there is something significant in Spezza sticking a leg in front of a puck.

His teammates noticed and took some joy in teasing him, but more importantly it stands out as another example of a player doing whatever the situation demands. This series is far from over heading into Game 4 tonight, but there are encouraging signs for the Senators.

Spezza has been the barometer for how well these Senators, especially the so-called skilled guys, are committing to playing the type of hockey this time of year demands.

Helping Spezza evolve into that type of player has produced a lot of push and pull between himself and coach Bryan Murray.

The coach said it has been a gradual, and sometimes frustrating, process.

"He and I had many discussions,'' said Murray. ''He was frustrated with me and I was a little frustrated with him early in the year, as we were at times last year. I think he recognized that if he would just play a little more without the puck, a little harder without the puck, he could really add to what he does for this hockey team."

Maybe it was the way the Senators played while Spezza was out with a knee injury in December. The team went 11-2-1 without him. That might make a guy think he should do whatever he could to help, grow his game some, make himself more valuable.

"Shortly after that, he started to do it more and more. He got rewarded by getting on the ice at critical times in games and he got better," said Murray. "Now I feel very comfortable with him going out on the ice and trying to win a faceoff or trying to shut a team down in the last minute of a one-goal game."

And there was Spezza, out there in the last minute of Game 3, in a one-goal game with Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur on the bench for an extra attacker.

Spezza got the empty-netter to salt it away.

"It's a long year and you're always going to have disagreements," Spezza said of his development under Murray. "Bryan's always been real open with me. He lets me know what he wants me to do differently and I let him know sometimes how I think things should be done ... a little bit.

"Bryan's been awesome. He's taught me a lot and helped me a lot."

But he didn't teach him how to block shots.

"I just went down and tried to copy Volch," Spezza said with a giggle.

"He didn't block it like Volchenkov," said assistant coach John Paddock. "But he did it. The effort was there. The desire to get it done was there."

So, what went through his head right before he decided to go down to try and block Elias' shot?

" 'I don't want them to score,' '' said Spezza. "My reaction was just to do whatever I had to do."

"He went down and did it properly," said Murray. "He looked like he knew what he was doing."

Yes, in more ways than one.

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Kanada Kev Newbie

Kanada Kev

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Great! Now see what you can do to have Bob Cole replaced by Don Whitman.

Thanks Kev!

~W

I would if I could (mind you, Harry should go first ).

Ever notice how Cole is trying to conserve the word "the"? He does this when he refers to the team names:

"Here come Buffalo Sabres with the puck"

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Blane Newbie

Blane

Posted
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Great! Now see what you can do to have Bob Cole replaced by Don Whitman.

Thanks Kev!

~W

I would if I could (mind you' date=' Harry should go first ).

Ever notice how Cole is trying to conserve the word "the"? He does this when he refers to the team names:

"Here come Buffalo Sabres with the puck"[/quote']

That's cause he's saving his use of "the" for refences to Ottawa players. As in, "the Ottawa defenceman", "the Ottawa goalie", etc. as opposed to (successfully) referring to them by their real names.

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Kanada Kev Newbie

Kanada Kev

Posted
Posted
Great! Now see what you can do to have Bob Cole replaced by Don Whitman.

Thanks Kev!

~W

I would if I could (mind you' date=' Harry should go first ).

Ever notice how Cole is trying to conserve the word "the"? He does this when he refers to the team names:

"Here come Buffalo Sabres with the puck"[/quote']

That's cause he's saving his use of "the" for refences to Ottawa players. As in, "the Ottawa defenceman", "the Ottawa goalie", etc. as opposed to (successfully) referring to them by their real names.

LOL ... too true. What the hell did he do back in the day when they didn't have names on their jerseys????

I think it was during the playoffs last year when Harry or Bob referred to a player on the ice. That player clearly wasn't ON the ice. That player had retired the year before! Brain is mush right now, I'll have to ask my buddy who it was. We hit the replay dozens of times to make sure we heard what we heard and laughed. Harry and Bob we're clearly into the sauce that night :)

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Freak By Night Newbie

Freak By Night

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Depending on what goals are allowed, how the clocks work, if clocks start or stop properly .... these are the scenarios for the rest of this series. Don't know if this is news or not, but i just got it here at work and thought some of you Sens fans could use it for planning your next few days (yes, yes, i know already ... the series will be over in 5 ... yadda yadda )

Ottawa vs New Jersey (2-1):

Wednesday May 2 game - Ottawa wins (3-1) - Game 5 will be played on Saturday.

Wednesday May 2 game - New Jersey wins (2-2) - Game 5 will be played on Saturday and Game 6 will be played on Monday

Saturday May 5 game - Ottawa wins (4-1) - Series ends at Game 5, no game required on Monday

Saturday May 5 game - New Jersey win (2-3) - Game 6 to be played on Monday

So what you're saying is, game 5 on Saturday, game 6 on Monday if necessary. That's the way it was originally scheduled.

I heard that if the Buffalo/Rangers series was over by game 5 (Friday), game 6 of the Sens/Devils series would be moved to Sunday afternoon. Now that the Buffalo/Rangers series is tied 2-2, that won't happen.

Something else that could throw a spanner in the works .... transition workers at Scotiabank place could go on strike this coming Monday... info here

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ollie Newbie

ollie

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"They didn't do that face off right so someone's going to have to leave."

New Jersey Players switch for faceoff.

"No, these two do it again."

::My mind explodes::

I worry for the next generation... wait a minute... that's us.

"Icing to start the game."

Players line up for face off in the neutral zone.

"Well obviously that was an offside."

I think Cole even knows how bad he is. He's taking a lot of long pauses before finishing his thoughts.

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