Sens 4 Light 3

[officeglen]

I wasn't at the game, but it appears to have been a very interesting one.

Schaefer scored on a penalty shot with 59 seconds left to go in the third for the winning goal.

Spezza scored and assisted once, both at even strength, and was on the powerplay unit (with Alfie and White up front) that scored the goal that made it 3-3 (Redden from White and Alfie). Spezza won 12 of 15 faceoffs, had 16:07 ice time and finished +2.

Shane Hnidy only had 3:29 of ice time and may have had to leave the game for some reason.

Lights included Brad (call me Rich) Richards, Lecavalier, Svitov, Kubina, Pratt, Stillman, Modin, Cullimore, etc. with John Grahanme in nets. They had 25 shots on net, including 15 in the second period but only 3 in the third. The Sens had 24 shots on net, with only 5 in the second period, and 10 in the third. Sens (not already mentioned) included Smoke, Rachunek, Varada, Kelly, Vermette, Giroux, Hamel, Payer, Vauclair, Corso, Brookbank, and Prusek in nets - not the best of line ups.

See: http://nhl.com/onthefly/scoreboard/h...s/ES010104.HTM

and

http://nhl.com/onthefly/scoreboard/h...s/GS010104.HTM

The Sens, now 7-0 in preseason, close out the pre-season with weekend games against the Habs at home and the Sabres.

[Dr.Sens(e)]

I was there - sloppy game.

No one really impressed other than the regulars. Spezza, White and Alfredsson were ok, but not dominant. It's clear they need to get used to the way Spezza plays, as he often makes unpredictable moves into spaces that players aren't used to. They got bunched up a few times. Alfie pressed on a few things too. They were more opportunistic than anything else, but I still think they have good potential. White is rather smart and might be a good fit for the other two.

Brookbank struggled. Vauclair had moments. All of those fighting for the 13th or 14th forward spot were ok, but didn't stand out. Vermette had some slick moves, but could stand another season in the minors. Varada played pretty well, as did Schaefer. Rachunek was a little more involved physically and moved the puck well, which was good to see. Big Z was fine.

Nice to see us win a game when we play so ho-hum.

[16w]

7-0 unbeaten

not too bad

it shows how much depth the sens have



this is the second penalty shot game in a row

maybe referees are introducing a new way to score

shaefer got a nice one from the side

[Alfie#11]

Originally Posted by officeglen

I
Shane Hnidy only had 3:29 of ice time and may have had to leave the game for some reason.

On the radio, they mentioned him struggling to the bench after blocking/being hit with a shot.

[gbl1p]

Originally Posted by Alfie#11

On the radio, they mentioned him struggling to the bench after blocking/being hit with a shot.

Correct. Hnidy took a nasty low slapshot into the ankle area and immediately went down. He could not even skate to the bench properly and once off went directly to the dressing room.

I'd like to point out that Rachunek played a hell of a game, Spezza had a beauty goal, and Schaefer's was entertaining as well. Aside from that, this was one of the most boring Sens games I've watched in a while. No offence to the boys pushing to make the squad, but when you have 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines like we did tonight, you're not in for a huge treat.

[Other Dave]

How many games has Brookbank dressed for now? Talk about trial by fire! He's gotta be doggin' it by now.

Other Dave

[Dr.Sens(e)]

Originally Posted by Other Dave

How many games has Brookbank dressed for now? Talk about trial by fire! He's gotta be doggin' it by now.

Other Dave

Brookbank has only played four games. Vermette and Giroux have both played 6 out of 7.

[officeglen]

Originally Posted by Dr.Sens(e)

Brookbank has only played four games. Vermette and Giroux have both played 6 out of 7.

Not only that, but as pointed out in today's Citizen game story:

(see: Senators discover new way to win )

Dan Corso, Alexandre Giroux and Antoine Vermette played their third consecutive games last night, an arduous task to be sure, but obviously an indication that Martin wanted another close look at them.

Each has now played six of the Senators' seven games, as has Denis Hamel, who also played last night.

Three nights in a row - with a little travel too - really testing these players out for the NHL grind - of course can't play three nights in a row in the NHL regular season but team management can see what they have left in the tank.