No movement in Eastern basement as Senators slap Panthers 5-2
by Donny Rivette on Apr 6, 2010 10:29 PM EDT
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Mike Fisher had two goals, Chris Neil three points (1g), and Pascal Leclaire stopped 32 shots as Ottawa rolled in Sunrise over a heavily Rochester-influenced Panthers lineup. Man of the Evening Daniel Alfredsson - playing his 1,000th career game - picked up an assist.
Bright spots for Florida included an impressive single effort goal by Shawn Matthias which made him appear to have five more pro seasons under his belt, and a nifty wrister by Kamil Kreps which resulted in the game's final tally. Tomas Vokoun made 23 saves on a night where very little went right beyond the above goals, Nick Tarnasky's continuingly impressive effort, and the Islanders beating the Canadiens in Nassau.
Oh, and Evgeny Dadonov is ready. At least among this bunch, he did not look out of place. No points and 1 sog (-1), the 21 year-old, along with - ultimately - linemates Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss, still appeared poised and prepped, as testament to the efforts of Rochester coach Benoit Groulx.
Defenseman Keith Ballard had his own unique brand of action, which no simple description can fully grasp. No question, dude's had a funky season.
But let's dive into the meat of the issue: how do the standings stack up?
The aforementioned 4-3 Islanders victory gives them 78 points with three games remaining. It's knotted up tight from there south.
Visiting Carolina bombarded Tampa Bay 8-5 (wasn't nearly that close), allowing the Hurricanes to settle into a tie with the Isles at 78 as well. The Canes have two left on the schedule.
The Lightning remain alongside the Panthers with 74 points (three games left), heading up only Toronto, who lost a barnburner of a third period at home to the Flyers, 2-0. The Leafs (72 points) have two games upcoming to close out the year.
This home-and-home deal against Das Bolts next weekend is gaining in significance by the minute.
Next up: New Jersey in Sunrise on Thursday.
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I called it Saturday
The home and home will decide who enters the lottery with the 3rd pick. Frackin Maple Leafs are tanking Boston into the 2nd pick.
NY Jets = NFL's Chicago Cubs
There's a fine line between hopeful and desperate. Just look @ Jets fans.
The Leafs are going to be a good club, and probably sooner rather than later, and the traded first-rounder deal is by no means an unusual circumstance, but knowing the Broons are going to tumble into the postseason – along with quite probably the number two pick – is tough to swallow.
Granted, we could have made a pitch for Kessel as well. And at least we’re not in the NE division.
by Donny Rivette on Apr 6, 2010 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Here's what we are looking at:
Finish 28th (Behind TB ahead of Toronto)
Pick – Odds
1st - 14.2%
3rd - 56.1%
4th - 29.7%
Finish 27th (Ahead of TB)
Pick – Odds
1st – 10.7%
4th – 66.7%
5th – 22.6%
If by some Miracle we fall behind Toronto
Pick – Odds
1st – 18.8%
2nd – 42.0%
3rd – 39.2%
NY Jets = NFL's Chicago Cubs
There's a fine line between hopeful and desperate. Just look @ Jets fans.
The short answer would be
- 14.2% Chance
- ZERO Chance
Our biggest problem is that the only two teams we have been $ against are Toronto and Tampa Bay. If we hadn’t beaten Toronto back on March 23rd we would be last in the East and have the second overall pick right now. If we could lose to Tampa Bay we would get the third pick but that’s not gonna happen. Tampa put up 5 on Carolina and lost by 3. They are tanking the season because they know they have enough tools now to be a major contender. Add a top 3 player and they should be a lock for the conference semis. Maybe they skate us to an overtime loss at home but they are going to lay down against us at the BAC.
NY Jets = NFL's Chicago Cubs
There's a fine line between hopeful and desperate. Just look @ Jets fans.
Any more detail on Dadonov’s play in the game? How’d he look in terms of skating, puckhandling, chippiness, rapport with his teammates, etc.?
Bettman's Nightmare: A Blog Where Hockey Aficionados Dismantle That Mighty Empire, One Balsillie at a Time
http://bettmansnightmare.blogspot.com/
by Bettman's Nightmare on Apr 7, 2010 10:13 AM EDT reply actions
Looking good...
Check this out and tell me he’s not in his element.
by Donny Rivette on Apr 7, 2010 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Sorry for the advertisement…no way around it…only 15 seconds but worth the price
by Donny Rivette on Apr 7, 2010 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Pretty good…seems to play bigger than his listed size. Slick with the puck, made a few good offensive moves. Got caught lagging on the second Mike Fisher goal, but that will come.
Bettman's Nightmare: A Blog Where Hockey Aficionados Dismantle That Mighty Empire, One Balsillie at a Time
http://bettmansnightmare.blogspot.com/
by Bettman's Nightmare on Apr 7, 2010 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope he’s a winger next season, he looks like with 10-20 games under his belt he’ll be ready to contribute.
Also, Matthias looks every bit the starter next season. If Sexton can pick up or draft a top center who is ready to step into the #1 or #2 role, we have much better depth at center than we have had in the last few years.
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
53 | 25 | 17 | 11 | 61 |
|
Washington
|
54 | 28 | 21 | 5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg
|
56 | 26 | 24 | 6 | 58 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
53 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 52 |
|
Carolina
|
55 | 20 | 25 | 10 | 50 |
(updated 2.10.2012 at 3:26 AM EST)
Eastern Standings
| GP | W-L-OT | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New York Rangers
|
52 | 34-13-5 | 73 |
|
Boston Bruins
|
52 | 33-17-2 | 68 |
|
Florida Panthers
|
53 | 25-17-11 | 61 |
|
Philadelphia Flyers
|
54 | 31-16-7 | 69 |
|
New Jersey Devils
|
54 | 31-19-4 | 66 |
|
Pittsburgh Penguins
|
54 | 30-19-5 | 65 |
|
Ottawa Senators
|
57 | 28-22-7 | 63 |
|
Toronto Maple Leafs
|
55 | 28-21-6 | 62 |
|
Washington Capitals
|
54 | 28-21-5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg Jets
|
56 | 26-24-6 | 58 |
|
Montreal Canadiens
|
55 | 22-24-9 | 53 |
|
Tampa Bay Lightning
|
53 | 23-24-6 | 52 |
|
Buffalo Sabres
|
53 | 23-24-6 | 52 |
|
New York Islanders
|
53 | 22-23-8 | 52 |
|
Carolina Hurricanes
|
55 | 20-25-10 | 50 |
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