Monday, May 21, 2007

Senators vs Sabres: Round 3, Game 2

Senators 4, Sabres 3 (2 OT)

PRESIDENT’S 2 CENTS: They say that complaints fall on deaf ears. Thank the hockey gods that Jason Spezza’s complaints about the bad ice at HSBC arena apparently were not acted upon, as it was none other than the Spezz Dispenser who dropped the candy in double OT to Joe Corvo with a perfect bounce. Joltin’ Joe then let rip a 40-foot knuckle-puck that bounced halfway off a perfect rut and over Ryan Miller’s right pad. However, don’t forget that Joe skilfully compensated for the bounce by tilting his lumber just-so. It certainly was a game of bounces up to that point, and the Sens certainly deserved one of their own after owning the Sabres for the first 19:54 of the third period, before Daniel Briere found a yawning cage off a bad rebound. All works out in the end, as the Sens deserved to win in regulation and did end up getting the W … Speaking of W’s, Buffalo was again denied one as the Sens unexpectedly stole both road games of the series. Still, the Queen City’s big guns came to play tonight, notably Briere, Jason Pominville, and Thomas Vanek, who had six, seven, and six shots respectively after a subpar effort in the opener. The Briere line wasted no time in the first frame getting the second goal of the period right after Thomas Vanek made up for his glove deflection. On the play, Teppo Numminen took a good shot, Jason Pominville went for the rebound, and Anton Volchenkov neutralized him. Unfortunately, the bounce went right to Jochen Hecht. It was the first period where the Sabres clearly showed what their consistent pressure can do to create deflections and bounces in their favour. Unfortunately for them, the Sens woke up in the middle frame and cut down on those chances. Proof? Zero shots on goal for the home side more than halfway through the second. Numbers don’t lie … While numbers are sometimes subjective in counting scoring chances, there’s no doubt that the Sens handed Buffalo quite a few good ones in the first after opening the game sloppily. Notably, Daniel Briere had all day to tee up a 10-foot wrister on one power play chance. On the other side of the coin, the Sens began weathering the storm in veteran fashion and patiently waited until late in the first for a scoring chance of their own, which came when the Cash Line, er, cashed in with the Alfie goal. That started the tide turning in the other direction and it would not turn back until five seconds left in regulation, of course …

… Speaking of numbers, the Game 2 Curse is officially over, and the Sens now have their first 2-0 series lead ever. It’s unchartered territory for Ottawa, of course, but just remember that the Sabres are 0-11 in series in which they have dropped the two games … On that number, it was the second game in a row that Mike Fisher quieted the raucous 18,690 fans inside the HSBC Arena. Slewfoot deflated the building by scoring less than five minutes into Game 1, and tonight when he tied the game early in the second … Official Presidential Opinion: the Alfie hit on Henrik Tallinder in OT was technically dirty, but not intentional. The captain was running on fumes all night and would not be denied the win, and in this case allowed adrenaline to get the better of him as he left his feet for what turned out to be a head-first check. Alfie was double-shifted on the play and kept going full-tilt, despite being dead tired. Full-tilt certainly described his effort on Redden’s go-ahead goal in the third, as he scurred around the offensive zone around two Sabres to help set up the marker. A similar play happened in the period when he held off three Sabres to the dismay of a subdued, frustrated HSBC crowd. So quiet, in fact, you could almost hear Leaf fans booing 90 miles away in Toronto. Speaking of which, it’s funny how the same Buffalo fans could go from booing their team late in the third, to cheering again when Briere bought them some life again …

… Ray Emery still allowed his fair share of bounces—especially in the first—but came through with his save of the playoffs on Thomas Vanek in the first OT where he stretched his right leg to the limit to deny the biscuit’s side-door entry. Folks, this is proof positive why goalies need to do the splits. Healthy groins are important for playoff runs, eh Dominik? … Random Anthem Thought: Buffalo and Ottawa are one of the few rinks that have organ accompaniment. Just makes the anthems sound better … Speaking of the anthems, Chris Neil was caught chattering to a teammate on the bench during the Star Spangled Banner. He’s also always in constant (and extremely vocal) communication with the officials and with his fellow Sens on the ice during games. He’s a witty and smart character too. Consider this a safe bet (and hope) that he’ll end up in PR or broadcasting when he’s done playing. Unfortunately, his PR skills couldn’t get him out of his holding penalty on Derek Roy when he was caught on top of the Sabres sniper. Still, why didn’t Roy get a red card, er, penalty for head-butting Neil after? … Loved the arena staff’s music choice at one point between whistles in OT: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Chasing Stanley in OT in the third round? No kidding … In the latest instalment of How to Make an Entire City Soil Its Pants: a first-period Derek Roy post strike followed up by Roy’s shot through traffic, which Emery caught …

… Bob(vious) Cole Line of the Night: “They will look at it from all angles, then look at it again,” he analyzed during the video review of Thomas Vanek’s disallowed goal … It’s not the convention in 2 Cents, but had to single out Harry Neale for this gem in describing Alfie’s soft hands: “He could stickhandle through a rainstorm, and the puck wouldn’t get wet.” Love it! … Don Cherry Suit Rating: 7.5 out of 10. It takes a brave individual to pull off a light violet suit with a dark matching tie, but Grapes did ok … Being as this game was in a border town, maybe amazing saves should now be referred to “QEW robbery” instead of “highway robbery.” Just a suggestion … Stat Line of the Night: Anton Volchenkov. A minus-2, he made up for it with two hits and 11 (yes, 11) blocked shots. He’s now gotten in the way of a league-leading 53 pucks this postseason … On the subject, the much-maligned Wade Redden is now tied for second with a plus-9 rating the postseason … Last but not least: isn’t it ironic that the city that invented the world-famous, red-hot chicken wing now may be denied a chance to face the Red Wings in the finals? And how about further irony? If the series goes six games, the Queen City could be eliminated on Victoria Day in Ottawa.


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