Silver Nuggets: Spezza returns, Michalek out for a "few games"
The Ottawa Senators are on Hockey Night in Canada (regionally) tonight as they take on the Boston Bruins. Some pretty good headlines leading up to puck drop:
- Just as Jason Spezza is ready to return to the lineup, Milan Michalek is out for about a week with tendonitis in his recently-surgeried knee. (@NHL_Sens)
- Both Pascal Leclaire and Filip Kuba practiced with the team today, but neither will play tonight. Kuba reportedly made it through stepping on the ice without breaking his leg again. (@allenpanzeri)
- Who said the prediction panel was full of homers? All but one panelist picks the Bruins to win tonight's game. (Citizen)
- What an oddly formal headline: "Bruins Must Be Wary of Struggling Senators as They Commence Roadtrip". (NESN)
- Jeremy Milks wonders what happens if Spezza does indeed return to the lineup--does Cory Clouston shuffle the lines that are working well to fit the star centre in, or does he have Spezza works his way up from the fourth line? Milks prescribes the latter. With Michalek out tonight, it's likely a non-issue. (Black Aces)
- Despite butchering the lede (the saying attributed to Dan Patrick is "en feugo", which means on fire, not "el fuego", which means the fire", although yes, Daniel Alfredsson is on fire), Don Brennan puts together a kind-of-funny article that gains all of its funniness thanks to Alfredsson's quips, and little thanks to Brennan himself. (Sun)
- Good article about the reasons Jesse Winchester chose to rise through the CHL rather than heading to the OHL as a junior-aged player. (Citizen)
- For those who hadn't heard, Jarkko Ruutu had the "honour" of accumulating his 1,000th penalty minute last game. (Citizen)
- Sounds like someone is borrowing the seeking-fatherly-approval schtick, but "Craig Conroy's Dad is Disappointed in You" doesn't quite have the same impact as 'Hasse is unimpressed'. (Matchsticks and Gasoline)
- UPDATE: Corey Cowick and Tim Spencer were assigned to the ECHL Elmira Jackals today. They had started the season with the AHL Binghamton Senators (Jackals)