Silver Nuggets: Leclaire starts tonight, Murray looking for forward help
It's game day between the Ottawa Senators and the Edmonton Oilers, and there is plenty of news to go around:
- For tonight's game, Pascal Leclaire gets the start, while Jesse Winchester joins Shean Donovan in the press box. I still don't get it; why not change the lineup a bit more significantly after your team had such a disappointing loss last game? Mix it up a bit? (Twitter)
- Prediction panel, whoooo! And the Oilers get no love. (Citizen)
- Daniel Alfredsson missed practice on Monday, but don't worry, he's fine. Meanwhile, Anton Volchenkov had a setback in his rehab, and might still be out a while. (Citizen)
- Apparently Bryan Murray thinks the Senators need to add another forward. Really, they just need to add a better forward, in exchange for some third- and fourth-liners. (Hockey Capital)
- Don Brennan discusses what he calls the "suspicious discrepancy" between powerplays and penalties for the Senators. The numbers (67 times short-handed, 51 powerplay opportunities) are a piss-off, but I'm not ready to call them 'suspicious' just yet. (Sun)
- Things don't look pretty for Alex Kovalev (oh, you hadn't noticed?), and now even fantasy hockey pundits are suggesting he's "droppable" because he's not fitting in in Ottawa. (ESPN)
- Geez, Andrew Peters said Jarkko Ruutooth bit him again? Get over it, guy. (Sun)
- UPDATE: Wysh did another 'Top Ten' today, this time the biggest hockey upsets of the decade. I'm actually quite pleased Ottawa stayed off the list, because I'd rather not relive the 2000-01 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals when the second-in-the-East, 109-point Ottawa Senators were swept by the seventh-in-the-east, 90-point Toronto Maple Leafs. *shudder* (Puck Daddys)
- Binghamton Senators goaltender Mike Brodeur is starting to look like the AHL All-Star the organization thought they were getting when they signed him, and he won the Player of the Week award: Two wins in three games, stopped 94 of 96 shots in that span, good for a GAA of 0.67 and a SP of .979. (Sharp on the Sens)
- The Sens have their prospect rundown available again in .PDF format. US college prospects Jeff Costello (5G, 5A, 8GP) and Derek Grant (5G, 7A, 10GP) are looking good, as is 2009 first-rounder Jared Cowen (3G, 9A, 15GP) and fifth-rounder Michael Hoffman (9G, 5A, 13GP). (Twitter)
- It's pretty amazing that there really seems to be no ill will between Ray Emery, the Ottawa Senators, and fans. It's kind of remarkable, really. Apparently, he's only a little bit extra excited to come back here and play this Thursday. (CSNPhilly.com)