Sunday, June 3, 2007

Senators vs Ducks: Round 4, Game 3

Senators 5, Ducks 3

PRESIDENT’S 2 CENTS: Back in the series! You can throw out the clichés now, folks. The Senators came home to a raucous, red, record-setting Bank crowd and battered down the hatches, forechecking and fighting their way back into contention for Stanley. The stepped-up forecheck effort, of course, was the mantra heading into Game 3, and the Sens made sure it was the difference. Leading the way was proud new papa Chris Neil, who welcomed 1-day-old daughter Hailey into the world with a Duck-smacking sideshow and a real nifty goal, focussed all the way as he kept his stick on the ice for the precise strike. Talk about a guy who had that extra jump in his step, right from the opening faceoff when he jostled with Travis Moen all the way to the end when sending a message after the dirty Chris Pronger elbow. Take a bow, Neiler … On the subject of the Pronger hit on Dean McAmmond, you can bet Ducks GM Brian Burke, who has a way with words, will spin the story and claim that the 6-6 Pronger didn’t see the shorter McAmmond and was just finishing his check. This was definitely not the case when Pronger elbowed Detroit’s Tomas Holmstrom in the melon in the West final, and certainly not this time. Replays clearly show a targeted elbow swing, and it appears that the big Ducks defenceman, now a two-time offender, will sit one or two games for his actions … The hit was probably a result of Pronger’s frustration after knocking the game-winning biscuit into his own net. The goal was credited to McAmmond but kudos also goes to Oleg Saprykin, who hustled in hard to corral a Chris Phillips dump-in, took the hit, passed to McAmmond and drew the defence away as he went to the net for the one-timer that Pronger took care of. Freakin’ Saprykin came to play again tonight, as did all the role players … On the subject, anyone not named Jason, Dany, or Daniel chipped in with some much-needed secondary support. How about Anton Volchenkov, who led the way with five shots on goal, three hits, and two blocked shots? One of A-Train’s shots bulged twine and he nearly had another, but Mike Fisher deflected it … Chris Kelly figured in nicely on the A-Train marker, as he was offside on the play but quickly retreated, spun around and zoomed into the corner to create room for Vermette to feed the Train. Just another blue-collar night for Kelly, really – it’s nice to see him finally figure in on the scoresheet. Second-liner Peter Schaefer almost got his second of the postseason on a third-period breakaway, but a muggy day in the Capital no doubt contributed to the bouncy ice that stymied the Sens’ best sticklandler …

… If the rest of the match would have went down like the first 10 minutes, Ducks F Andy McDonald would have been a game star. He forced Ray Emery to make one of his two best stops of the game off Dustin Penner, who was the recipient of McDonald’s gorgeous pass following a slick, twisting fake move off the wing. McDonald then scored a few minutes later after parking himself on Razor’s doorstep. It was the third goal of the series where an Ottawa player covering the guy behind the net didn’t hit hard enough to prevent a slot feed for a goal. As far as Razor’s second big stop, it came in the third period when he bailed out Tom Preissing with a spectacular stop (and midair stick swat of his own rebound) off Todd Marchant, who roared in on a breakaway on a Ducks penalty kill. The Sens still have work to do on the defensive end (especially against the PPG line), but the effort was exponentially better tonight … Speaking of feeds, Ducks pain-in-the-butt centre Samuel Pahlsson sure has fed Jason Spezza some frustration this series. The Spezz Dispenser let loose some of that pent-up frustration on Pahlsson in a second-period dustup, in which Pahlsson tore Spezza’s #19 jersey. What’s extra funny is that Spezza temporarily pulled on Patrick Eaves’ #44 sweater while his went for repairs. Notwithstanding last change, going in disguise is one way of getting away from that Ducks checking line …

… The physical play, normally a mainstay of the Ducks’ style, turned on them in the third period when Brad May got whistled for a trip. Minutes later, Ryan Getzlaf ruined his own team’s power play with a cross check, and the wheels officially fell off when Andy McDonald got a goalie interference penalty. Early in the first, discipline was a factor as Corey Perry knocked down Mike Comrie as the teams changed. The Sens truly stole a page out of the Ducks’ playbook, outhitting them 32-26 and forcing them into penalties … The two celebrity attendees CBC chose to show on camera both had a political twist: firstly, it was funny to see Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams in a Sens jersey, mere months after he took down the Canadian flag from the rock’s provincial legislature after a public spat with Ottawa over offshore oil revenues. The other celebrity ‘spotted’ on camera was CBC’s own news anchor Peter Mansbridge. Gotta plug the network’s newscasts on game night, eh? … Official Presidential Opinion: Daniel Alfredsson didn’t kick the puck in the net, but it’s in the realm of possibility that he, shall we say, ‘strategically’ stopped. Still, Alfie simply made it a point to go to the net …

… Don Cherry Suit Rating: normally you either like it or you don’t. However we’ll go in between and give the red-roses-on-white a seven. It was ok … the massive Canadian flag making the rounds in the Bank’s 300 level during the anthem was incredible. Speaking of anthems, please leave Lyndon Slewidge in there for Game 4. Nothing against Alanis Morrissette, who has a 1-0 record when singing them (1992 franchise opener), but Constable Slewidge is our guy and has earned his stripes … It was funny to see the Sens’ fourth line perform a little anti-Ducks karma at the end of warmup, as McAmmond, Schubert, and Saprykin turned the net backwards before leaving the ice, so Ducks D Ric Jackman could not get any empty-net practice. Looks like it worked, as the aforementioned Ducks’ penalty problems robbed them of any chance to re-take the lead a fourth time … Interesting Stat of the Night: Dany Heatley, with four missed shots to lead all skaters … Comforting Stat of the Night: Three shots on goal for Anaheim in the third period …

… That guy who held up the “Canada’s Best Chance” sign behind Ron MacLean and the crew during the entire pre-game show and past the opening montage had tireless arm stamina. Way to represent … Either Wade Redden is injured, or he’s having confidence problems. He needs to skate harder and finish checks. He’s capable of much better … Last but not least: the fact that the Stanley Cup was in town, polished and ready to be potentially awarded to the Ducks on Monday, had to be inspiration to the Sens. It’s only one win, but the fact that the entire team chipped in tonight, making the last change vs. the checking line sideshow a non-factor, is a true indication that the momentum has balanced out. If the Sens Mile jubilation and horn-honking was any indication, stay tuned.

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