It didn't look like it would be an impressive match-up. After all, the 29th place Ottawa were facing the 26th place Panthers. But it soon became a battle of goaltenders: former teammates, both UFAs at the end of the season.



That "Neo" Anderson came out on top is no surprise for the Sens fans. He has been exceptional since arriving in Ottawa. If I hadn't jumped on the Neo nickname early on, one of Anderson's comments to the effect that he could fix any problem betweene the pipes would have earned him the moniker of The Plumber. But in the end, both Anderson and Tomas Vokoun have cemented their desirability at the end of the season.

Kudos to Erik Karlsson for scoring both Ottawa goals. While Karlsson is kinda spotty on defense and gets beaten way too often there (as proven by his dismal +/- numbers), his skills on the offense are undeniable. He has also learned to put the puck on the net and keep it simple. Good things happen when you put the puck on the net.

Kudos also to the penalty killers who had to kill an undeserved five-minute major awarded to Francis Lessard for charging. The charge was the that Lessard came off his feet for his check on Scott Timmins. Bulls**t! That was a good check. I think the powers that be are a little sensitive to the hard checking after the injury suffered by Max Pacioretty at the hands of Zdeno Chara. All bitching aside, the Sens penalty kill squad has successfully killed all penalties since the arrival of Neo Anderson between the pipes.

Another I want to point out is Ryan Shannon who's been really good of late, but never better than last night. Offensively and defensively, he was a presence on the ice. Finally, hats off to Sergei Gonchar for his 500th NHL assist.

On to Tampa Bay.

Neo's numbers


GO SENS GO!!

It's already a month since Mike Fisher was traded to Nashville, and 10 days after the trade deadline. What's been happening with the Senators alumni? Who's the best of the "ex-Sens"?



Believe it or not, it's not Fisher. Nor Chris Kelly or Alex Kovalev. It's Chris Campoli. Campoli has really come into his own with the Hawks and already has 2 points in just five games. For a D-man, those are really respectable numbers, and nearly twice as good as what he did with Ottawa. You could see it in his play near the end of his stay in Ottawa. Campoli was primo trade bait and had a huge "take me" sign painted on him.

What of the others? Except for Jarkko Ruutu, their performances have all slipped. Ruutu has improved marginally, going from an average 0.20 points per game in Ottawa to 0.25 points per game in Anaheim. Fish has dropped from 0.44 to 0.33 points, Kelly has gone from 0.40 to 0.25, and Kovalev has dropped like a stone: from 0.50 to 0.16. Strange how Kovie still managed to get a half-point a game in Ottawa, even though we felt he didn't perform for us.

And Brian Elliott? Well Elliott is Elliott. His numbers haven't changed much, nor has his win-loss ratio. He's likely another ex-Sens goaltender who is due for the woodpile behind the shed.

Meanwhile the acquisitions the Senators made have not panned out all that great, except of course for Craig "Neo" Anderson, who has been superhuman. We're still waiting for something out of Marek Svatos although he does try hard. It would be nice for his to recover his scoring touch after all the injuries he has suffered. This is likely his last crack at reviving his career. As for Ryan Potulny, he has not yet made an impact, but to be fair, he hasn't had much ice time.

In the end, it really doesn't matter. The new talent from Binghamton has really ramped the game up a notch and it's once again great fun to watch the Senators.

GO SENS GO!!

Why "Snake bite?" Well, it's all about Erik Condra. He's been nicknamed "King Condra" by a local paper, probably in reference to a cobra. The Sens Chirp blog has his nickname set as "AnaCondra' which I must admit is not bad. Both refer to snakes, ergo the title. You don't like it? Go read another blog.



All joking aside, Condra is showing some great stuff out there. The young'uns are putting this team back on the map and the rebuild stage of the Sentaors may be shorter than anticipated (although it's too early to tell). I especially liked the way Condra never gave up on any play and is willing to take the hit to try for something. You can't buy that type of grit. He's also sneaky fast and was able to slip in unseen behind the Devils D for the game winner.

It wouldn't be a complete blog without mentioning the enormous work of Jason Spezza. Boy oh boy, he was much maligned earlier this season, but now he is definitely "C" material for the Sens. He's developed into a great two-way player. He was key to the penalty kills, especially those two 5-on3s, he important face-offs, and set up Condra beautifully. Thanks Spezz.

And finally, there's Craig "Neo" Anderson. Once again he was a big part of the Senators win, giving them a chance and keeping them in the game... and displaying his new mask too (photo). How he didn't pick up a game star is beyond me. Not that Brian Lee didn't deserve it. He and Chris Phillips had to face Ilya Kovalchuk on most shifts, and they were able to shut him down. I just thought Neo more deserving.

Neo's numbers

GO SENS GO!!

How is it that the Senators, who won quite a few of their games of late, have wound up in the basement if the league? Simple really, all the other basement teams have been hot and are winning more games.

It's the push for a slot in the playoffs now. As much as the last team in the league has a better chance at the draft lottery for first pick, there still the stigma of being dubbed as "the last place team in the league". No one wants the title.

Yet the title means nothing for Ottawa right now. All that really matters is the effort on a game-by -game basis. A lot of decisions are being made right now, all the way from the top to the very bottom of the Sens organization. Think of it as an extended training camp where the newbies get to show their stuff for real in the bigs.

Cory Clouston's system also gets to be tested with new players. Perhaps the clean-up in the change room allows for a fair evaluation of Clouston's coaching methods. As a note, I don;t believe for one second that Clouston will be extended even for one season... but stranger things have happened.

Finally, there's Bryan Murray who may or may not get the confidence of Eugene Melnyk. It would be nice for him to stay a year or two more just to see the resuolts of his moves. After all, you have to give a GM about 5 years to see the results of his moves. But I'm not sure if Melnyk will give Murray that leeway. If he doesn't, who should replace Clouston and Murray?

GO SENS GO!!

Yup, I think the price of gas was too high for the Senators and they declined to fill up. Or perhaps it was the two road games plus one home game in 4 days that finally got the best of them.

Compared to the previous games, and especially to the way they manhandled the Flyers only a few days before, the Senators looked like they were skating in slow motion. Granted the Rangers played a little more desperately, nevertheless, the Sens should have been able to handle them.

But Ottawa didn't show the intensity they'd shown in the past little while, and lost too many battlles. Chief among their sins was the inability of their defense to keep the Rangers offense outside the crease. Some commentators called it mistakes by Erik Condra and Jason Spezza who lost track of their man. But they were the result of lost battle by Erik Karlsson and Filip Kuba, or of one of the too numerous gift-wrapped neutral zone giveaways that plagued the Sens.

On the attack, the Senators also seemed to be once again guilty on the "one-pass-too-many" syndrome, and forgot to shoot the puck. They only put a measly 27 shots on goal. On a night where Henrik Lundqvist was giving up huge rebounds, no one was there to take advantage of them. Even mighty "Neo" Anderson looked all-too-human.

Let's leave that one behind as it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The next one will be better after a few days of rest and recuperation.

Neo's numbers

GO SENS GO!!

It's a shame that Craig "Neo" Anderson couldn't arrive in Ottawa earlier this year. The incredible boost the Sens get from his goaltending have them becoming the spoiler of spoilers.

I have no idea why Anderson wound up being 3rd star for the game behind Bobby Butler and Nick Foligno. Oh, the stars were correct, just the order was a tad wrong. I mean, 42 saves and three breakaways by the Thrashers foiled? That's  first star performance right there.

I have to say that Butler`s goal was a beaut. I`m not sure how he managed to get such a shot lasered to the top right corner from the position he was in, but wow! Boggles the mind. Foligno was rock solid and played hard on the forecheck, his deflection of Derek Smith`s point shot was gorgeous. I also enjoyed Jason Spezza`s play. He has been excellent of late, and he finally truly deserves that A on his jersey.

I`m also introducing a little Neo Anderson feature. Up until such a time as Anderson blows a tire, I`ll keep posting his Senators stats right here. As you all know, Senatores bête noire Tim Thomas is the leading goaltender in goals against and save percentages. Well Neo`s got him beat so far with the Sens. That boy is a true wunderkind.


GO SENS GO!!

If the hockey gods were fair, there would be no team with two great goalies. But the gods aren't fair and the Bruins have Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask.

It''s strange to think that the Senatorw were the second team on the Bruins' six-game road trip. At that time, the Sens were just a speed bump on the railroad for the Bruins. The Sens were reeling from the trades of Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly, Jarkkoo Ruutu and Brian Elliott. The Bruins went on to defeat some potent temas, including the no. 1 Vancouver Canucks.

No one came as close as the Senators did to stonewalling the Bruins. The Senators were clearly the dominant attacking team, peppering Rask with 33 shots. But Rask was unbeatable. Meanwhile, it took a garbage goal for the Bruins to finally solve "Neo" Anderson.

Anderson's stats with the Sens so far:
1.19 GAA    .963 save percent.

The Sen played with a lot of energy but could have made better use of their power play opportunities. The Bruins were hard on the puck on the PK at one time sending three players below their goal line to battle for the puck. The Sens needed to send as many down below to win possession, but didn't. That could have been an opportunity. Possession from those behind the net battles would have left a 2 on 1 in front of the net.

But overall I can't complain. With all the changes in the line-up, the Senators have set themselves up as the ultimate spoilers for the end of the season.


GOSENS GO!!

Bryan Murray kept his cards close to his chest, and played the rest of them today. We now finally see the plan he'd been working on all along.

The first big move was the signing of Chris Phillips to a $9.25 million 3-year deal with the Sens. I think a lot of folks breathed a sigh of relief, while another bunch, likely remembering the Wade Redden debacle, are likely grinding their teeth. I for one couldn`t be happier. Phillips`knwoledge will be required with all the newbies on the ice.

Also on the blue line, the Senators have sent Chris Campoli to Chicago and obtained Ryan Potulny and a second round pick in exchange. Potulny played most of the season in the AHL, but was pretty good with the Oilers last season.

The blue line moves make room for some of Ottawa`s more recent draft picks like Jared Cowan next season. With Sergei Gonchar expected back tomorrow against the Bruins, the Sens now have a full blue line complement with no extras.

Oft-injured goalie Pascal Leclaire wasnt picked up off waivers. He played in the 3-2 win for Bingo this weekend, but it seems the groin is bothering him again. I think Leclaire`s career is likely over. While everyone expected Robin Lehner to stay and back up Neo Anderson, it seems Murray was serious about more conditioning in Bingo, and acquired Curtis McElhinney off waivers to serve as backup to Neo. McElhinney had been traded to Tampa Bay from Anaheim just last week.

In return for all these moves, Murray winds up with a dozen drarft picks, more importantly, two first rounder and three second rounders. Some of the other are conditional and could wind up being second round picks as well. On top of that, he`s cleared $20 million in cap space for next year, enough to go on a nice shopping spree over the summer. Murray has already recongnized the value of Neo Anderson, and it seems that talks are already underway to sign him as a permanent goalie.

GO SENS GO!!

The post-season may be a pipe dream, but don't tell that to the Senators.

The Senators are playing like a team with something to prove, and they're leaving few doubters in the stands. With the injection of new blood from Bingo, the rejuvenated Sens are playing hard and scoring goals again.

Nick Foligno reprieved himself from a poor performance on Friday by roofing a gorgeous power-play goal. Erik Condra scored his first, and second NHL goals. I wasn't sure what all the hubbub was about Condra, but he finally found his scoring touch by managing to get away from the opposing D on both goals.

The cherry on the sundae was Chris Phillip's seeing-eye goal, his first of the season. He deserved it as he has been bad-mouthed in Ottawa. Sure he hasn't had a great season, but who on the Ottawa team can say they're having a banner year? Phillips is needed to anchor the young 'uns. The same way Luke Richardson was brought on board as a vet. Richardson is the defensive coach, but Phillips can show the goods on the ice.

Craig "Neo" Anderson once again gave the Sens an amazing performance. He is setting his price for next season early on. Anderson is UFA at the end of the season currently earning $1.8 million. The Senators have cleared enough cap room to easily keep him next year. Neo has played four games for Ottawa and has a jaw-dropping 1.25 GAA. He has faced 140 shots and still has a .962 save percentage.

Bring 'em on!!

GO SENS GO!!

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The Lightning's lack of thunder landed him in Bingoland. Tired of waiting for Pascal Leclaire to get better, the Sens have decided to bite the bullet and put him on waivers.



It is very likely he will clear waivers. Leclaire had been acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in excahnge for Antoine Vermette. This was probably the most negatively lobsided trade ever made. Leclaire played only 34 games last year with a 3.20 GAA and .887 save percentage. Dismal numbers. This year, his numbers were improving before he once again suffered an injury after only 14 regular season games.

Meanwhile, Vermette has been posting the types of numbers his career in the QMJHL promised. He had his best ever season last year with 27 goals and 38 assists. His numbers aren't as good this year, but he's on his way to a near 50-point season. What's more, Vermette is a great 2-way player, and great on the penalty kill.

All I can say is good riddance. Leclaire may have shown brief flashes of his brilliance, but they were all too infrequent. His style required him to play well out of the paint, and try for the miraculous cross-crease save which is always hard on the groin. I very much doubt anyone will pick up Leclaire, and his career is likely over, at least on this side of the pond.

GO SENS GO!!