Senators at Bruins: Steve On Sens Preview

The Ottawa Senators visit TD Garden for the first time this season with multiple questions facing the streaky club. Will the defines be able to turn it around in the second half? Who will emerge as the number one goaltender? Where will the Senators end up at the end of the season? Why isn't Michael Del Zotto on the 2nd powerplay unit with Chris Phillips yet? Why is Chris Phillips on the 2nd powerplay unit? Did Joe Corvo get a tattoo of a mistletoe on his lower abdomen for Christmas? Why didn't Santa get me a Condra jersey? The Senators recognize that these questions exist and are hoping to answer them in the remaining games left in the 2013/14 season. The road to a wild card playoff spot starts tonight against the Bruins who have had success against Ottawa in the past few seasons. In their last meeting, the Sens were able to pull off an impressive win through some third period heroics by Jason Spezza, Jared Cowen and Bobby Ryan which prompted this great tweet by Euge

This team is the real deal! Now you know why we call them #fearless!
— Eugene Melnyk (@MelnykEugene) November 16, 2013

The Sens are hoping to prove that they are in fact the real deal and truly fearless tonight against the Bruins and my intro that lacked any real content is over. Time for the starting goalies!

Actual headline from 2012

Starting Goaltenders

Ottawa: Robin Lehner (5-8-3, 2.54 GAA, .926 SV%)
Boston: Tuuka Rask (19-8-2, 1.87 GAA, .936 SV%)


Lehner seems to play really well against Boston. Including tonight, 22% of his career starts have come against the Bruins.

Tuuka Rask's stats are incredible this season. He looks to continue his success tonight. My starting goalie section is very short tonight. My mom is cooking chili and I'm pretty excited and in a rush.

Keys To The Game

Ottawa

• Play a strong defensive game
• Win because I don't want to be harassed for the next 24 hours by my Bruins fan friend
• Use the emotional return of Joe Corvo to their advantage

Boston

• Strong start
• Strong goaltending
• Use the emotional return of Joe Corvo to their advantage

Steve's Picks

• Final score of 3-2 for Ottawa
• I get confused between Peter Chiarelli and Rick Chiarelli sometime tonight
• Sportsnet panel consisting of debating the 2003 All-Star Game line combinations
• Corvo scores 2

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

Team Mullet vs. Team Nation: Steve On Sens Blogger Classic Preview

After years of build up and anticipation, December 20, 2013 is finally here! Andrei Markov's 35th birthday! Happy Birthday Andrei! In other news, the 1st Annual Sens Blogger Classic is here. Team Nation faces off against Team Mullet in what will be a battle of grit, determination, coaching, wit and dump ins. The lineups have been made, rivalries established and hatred brewing between the most aggressive bloggers for the Ottawa Senators. Let's take a look at the Starting Lineups!

Detailed map of where this fierce battle of bloggers will take place.

Starting Lineups

Team Mullet
Eric Doty (Bonk's Mullet)
Graeme Nichols (6th Sens)
Juby and Lonnie (Bonk's friends or something. One likes the Habs. Probably Lonnie. He sounds French.)

Steve (Steve On Sens) 
Kevin Lee (BringBackLee)
Canuck (Sens Call Ups)
Jo (JoNana...victim of my nude pics. Gonna be an awkward time)
Paul (Sens_Army_) 

Team Nation
Owen (SensNation)
Grabovskeet (another of Bonk's friends. Also a Leaf fan.)
Spencer Gallaghan (Senturion)
Lorne Geller (LGeller18)
Bobby Kelly (BobbyBKelly)
Howie (SensVlog)
Dave Young (DaveYoung19)
Pan (Sens Call Ups)
Creech (TSN 1200)
Peter Raaymakers (Silver Seven Sens)

Keys To The Game

Mullet

• Keep pants on for at least the whole first period
• Sign Adnan as coach
• Avoid Marc Methot

Nation

• Move the puck. Team Mullet didn't have a morning skate.
• Capitalize on chances
• Use James Gordon as inspiration

Steve's Picks

• Final score of 20-17 for Team Mullet
• Attendance of 28 people (I would be very impressed with this.)
• Adnan sneaks into group picture like Raj Binder
• Bonk's Mullet is "that guy" who stays on the ice for the last 7 minutes
• 3 Condra open net misses for me

Come out and watch tonight at 9 at Mlacak Arena in Kanata! My agent is only letting me sign autographs for 2 minutes post-game.

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

Senators vs. Panthers: Steve On Sens Preview

  Well it's been a while since my last game preview and boy has a lot changed! Back then the Sens were teetering on the brink of playoffs or failure, lines were poorly made and I only had 1 goal in House B hockey. (In all honesty, not much has changed although I now have 3 goals in House B Hockey.) After a huge win against St. Louis, the Sens lost in a dissapointing manner to the New Jersey Devils. After the game, the Senators had a long meeting/ practice flash mob which at its peak featured Bryan Murray brake dancing to C.R.E.A.M by Wu-Tang Clan. If that doesn't provide a spark for the struggling team then we'll be forced to move on to Plan D which involves signing the player with the best advanced stats on #TeamMullet from tomorrow's Sens Blogger Classic. Too bad I'm not draft eligible yet. Connor McDavid watch out.

  The Sens are squaring off against the Florida Panthers  who have won 4 in a row and are only 3 points behind Ottawa for the prestigious 3rd from last position. The huge crowd of sub 16,000 in Sunrise, Florida Kanata, Ontario will provide the energy that the home team desperately needs during the final stretch before Christmas. Michael Del Zotto makes his Senators debut tonight...wait...I am just receiving news that this trade still hasn't happened due to Glen Sather being insistent that Colin Greening for Del Zotto is not actually a good trade. Let's take a look at the Starting Goalies.

Not very relevant picture of Scott Clemmensen. Thought it looked cool. 

He starts in goal for the Panthers tonight.

Starting Goaltenders

Ottawa: Craig Anderson (9-8-3, 3.36 GAA, .898 SV%)
Florida: Scott Clemmensen (3-2-1, 2.69 GAA, .894 SV%)


Craig Anderson is looking to capitalize on the failure of Robin Lehner in last night's 5-2 loss to New Jersey. Anderson is playing his former team in what has become a routine start for the veteran net minder. "We all know that The Lehner is much better than Andy" Lehner was quoted saying before playing darts with his skates. Anderson was happy with the opportunity to start saying "I am happy with the opportunity to start". 

Career backup (except with the Leafs in 07/08) Scott Clemmensen makes his seventh start of the season as he faces off against bitter division rival Ottawa tonight. Clemmensen has a solid record with a save percentage just below Anderson so I guess we know who's scoring first tonight! (still probably Florida).

Keys To The Game

Ottawa

• Quick start - Score 5 to 8 goals early to guarantee lead after the first period.
• Cure the flu
• Less mob, more flash

Florida

• Move the puck to open up Ottawa defence.
• Filip Kuba
• Corsi, Corsi, Corsi! (somehow this is a key to the game)

Steve's Picks

• Final score of 4-1 for Ottawa
• Denis showing shooting lanes (this is a given)
• Dean saying that the Sens have the flu.
• Sportsnet panel consisting of Nick Kypreos yelling nonsensical statements
• Corvo scores

I'll be watching the full game for the first time in weeks so expect huge things from Steve On Sens.

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

Senators at Pathers: Steve On Sens Preview

"A game vs. Florida! Ha no problem!" is something you may have said if the year was 1994 but this is 2013 and the Sens have a 10-13-4 record coming into this game. The Senators should be trembling as we speak. Turris is having a nervous breakdown, Lehner loses a bear fight and Phillips decides to drink Big Rig Gold. All really bad things. These days when thinking of the Panthers, you quickly remember Tim Thomas, the "Bed, Breakfast and Tea Center" and that one game where we had to watch the Panthers scoreboard feed. If this isn't giving you nightmares, then you're in for a game like no other tonight. It seems like there's been a ridiculous amount of "must win" games this year but this one is actually a "must win". I'll link back to this blog when I say that next game is "definitely a must win" too. So what are we waiting for? Let's look at the starting goaltenders sponsored by Corel Scotiabank Canadian Tire Rogers.

Preview of "Fifty-Million Cap"

Starting Goaltenders

Ottawa: Craig Anderson (6-8-2, 3.51 GAA, .894 SV%)
Florida: Tim Thomas (6-9-1, 2.89 GAA, .903 SV%)

Anderson playing an important game, something about a goaltender controversy, joke about Lehner doing something that Lehner does, goaltender controversy, something else, end. 

Whoops...forgot to update my "Anderson is playing" template.

Thomas is facing the Senators for the second time this year. Last game he let in 2 goals very early but ended in a solid fashion in a 3-2 loss. Thomas had fared very well against the Senators throughout his career until he became a member of the Panthers (who haven't fared well against the Senators or anybody ever). 

Keys To The Game

Ottawa

• See if Melnyk will travel the short distance from his home in Barbados to Florida to actually watch his team play
• Make "Fifty-Million Cap" this years version of "You Make my Dreams" by Hall and Oates
• Don't be startled by the huge crowd at BB&T Center

Florida

• Let Anderson win this one. It will scar the Senators in the long run.
• Filip Kuba
• Composure (still not sure what this means)

Steve's Picks

• Final score of 4-2 for Ottawa
• Denis talking about how the team should be moved to Québec because of heritage or something 
• Camera shows Robin Lehner after every Senators goal against
• Condra scores

Also I will be at my Midget House B game in Perth so I will be gone for the whole game. Might be able to contribute my insight on the road through Dave Schriber and Gordie "Wheeling Probs" Wilson.

Thanks for reading!