I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back
Till things are brighter, I’m the man in black

Like my colleagues Senators Lost Cojones and Free Willig have already pointed out, live blogging can take a toll on one’s ability to follow the subtleties of a game, so I’m afraid I don’t have a really detailed commentary on this one. I do know the most important thing that happened, though:

SENS WIN! SENS WIN! THANK GOD ALMIGHTY WE HAVE WON AT LAST!!!!

Wow. That was awesome.

Tell Us Who You’re Wearing, Boys. I wore my lovely red Team Canada hoodie while I watched this one, having decided that it may no longer be possible to consider my lucky earrings lucky. The Sens had a new look too: the new black “Sens” jerseys made their debut. Like everyone else, I’d seen the leaked photos on the internet, but I was curious to see the jerseys in action. Now that I’ve seen them, I can say without hesitation that they are … pretty nice. The black is very flattering, and of course slimming — the team looks sleek and trim out there! (But don’t hockey players want to look bulky?) I really like the way the white names and numbers “pop” on the backs, and the red and white striping around and under the arms is a nice detail, though it looks better from the back. The only flaw is the “SENS” logo on the front. I’ve given it some thought, and I think the issue is that the logo is too wide and not high enough, which leaves a lot of empty space underneath it on the jersey.  It needs some detail to complete the look.

Offensive Explosion! Yes, we’re at the point now with this team where four goals has to be considered a huge night for the offense. Ignoring how sad that fact is … yay! They scored four goals!! (Technically five, given that Nick Foligno’s deflection probably should have counted, but then technically four given that Jarkko Ruutu was all over Steve Valiquette like an alien symbiote when Alfie scored his goal.) I thought two of the goals scored were notably impressive: Jesse Winchester speeding to the Rangers’ end and plowing through a guy! The lovely reverse Heatzza on the first goal! This was definitely a Heatley Moment of Awesomeness worthy of appreciation:

Finnish Frustration. Jarkko Ruutu had to be the player of the game for Ottawa. He was in top form, getting in people’s faces all over the place — especially the faces of Paul Mara and Colton Orr, both of whom seemed likely to flip out and kill him by the end of the game. The Rangers appeared to be totally distracted by Ruutu and his hijinks, and it clearly worked to the Sens’ advantage.

Sorry for the lateness of my postgame post. It’s the last week of school and I’ve had a bit of work to do. Since Saturday’s game, we’ve seen Ilya Zubov sent back to Binghamton. Mike Fisher will be back for tomorrow’s game against Toronto, and Ryan Shannon is awaiting medical clearance to play. Unsurprisingly, Alex Auld will start in goal again.

We’ll also have yet another live blog going, though it seems the blogger turnout may be a bit lower this time. That could mean we’ll be more likely to stay on topic … or not.

And now let me end with a random fact, courtesy of Bethany and the Puck-rakers blog at the Columbus Dispatch:

I don’t think there’s been a game in Nationwide Arena all season without a Senators scout on hand.

Make of this information what you will.

Today’s game featuring the Senators and the New York Rangers is a matinee: a noon start for those of us living where the mountains meet the ocean. Other notable facts about today’s game:

• This will be Wade Redden’s first regular season game in Ottawa since leaving the Sens.
• The Sens will be “back in black,” as they unveil their new black third jerseys to the world. With their new moustaches also in tow, the Sens should look like a particularly silly scary biker gang on skates.
• Members of the Ottawa Bloggers Collective will, for the first time ever, attempt a joint live game blog. Confirmed participants include Dany Heatley Speedwagon and Sherry of Scarlett Ice, Al from Hockeyschlock, The Universal Cynic, and myself. No word yet from Senators Lost Cojones — he may still be in his rage coma after last game. Head over to this post at Scarlett Ice if you feel like joining the fun! Well … hopefully it’ll be fun. Go Sens!

I have plenty of schoolwork I could be doing, but there’s just so much hockey today. I’m giving a look to the first period of the Canucks-Penguins game, then obviously the Sens game, then I’ll watch the Blue Jackets — quickly becoming my second favourite team — take on the Thrashers, and then perhaps Detroit-Calgary or Washington-San Jose.

Ahhh, Saturday.

Edit: Wow … less than a minute into the first at Vancouver-Pittsburgh and there’s already been a line brawl after Matt Cooke put a low hit on Alexander Edler. ‘Tis clearly a good day for hockey.

Pregame Notes

Tonight, in an effort to break their slump, the Sens have busted out the big guns, and I’m not talking about Cody Bass (though his return is sure to be glorious!). No, the guns I speak of are made of hair and growing on the players’ faces. That’s right: in the spirit of Movember, they’re growing moustaches. If you look at the now injured Mike Fisher, you can see the faint outline of what appears to be an Edge-ish set of handlebars.

Well. I can’t claim to understand male bonding, but I guess if working as a group to grow ridiculous facial hair doesn’t bring a bunch of guys together, nothing will. A break from the “hey guys, did you know you’re last in the East right now?” doom and gloom can’t hurt.

But back to Mike Fisher: according to the Sun, he’s got a strained ligament in his knee that is expected to keep him out for at least two weeks. Meanwhile, Chris Neil is having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, and will likely miss more time than Fisher. With those two gone, Bass is getting his chance at last. Ilya Zubov and Brendan Bell will also remain in the lineup, and Christoph Schubert is once again a healthy scratch.

Alex Auld is in goal for the Sens; Carey Price starts for the Habs. Our commentators are Dean Brown and Gary Galley in the booth with Ian Mendes down near the ice for Sportsnet.

Game on!

First Period

18:35: Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley have a two-on-one. Heatley elects to shoot (that’s right, Heater!) but Price makes the save. A few seconds later, Jason Smith lays a pretty big hit on Guillaume Latendresse. That type of violence is something I’d really like to see more of from the Sens.

15:39: The big three have the puck in the Montreal zone. Spezza battles for it in behind the net and gets it out to Alexandre Picard at the point. Picard takes the shot, and Heatley bats in a rebound! WOOT! He pretty much starts jumping up and down after scoring, which mirrors my own reaction.

14:09: The Bingo Line, as Dean calls them, of Nick Foligno, Zubov, and Bass have some good pressure in the Montreal end. Zubov has a very good chance but just can’t put it in.

11:45: It’s the big three with Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov giving the Canadiens heart attacks. Volchenkov does that thing where he jumps into the offense again, combining with Spezza for a good chance. Volchenkov and Spezza could be the new Heatley and Spezza! Volchenkzza! Heatley manages to put two pucks right through Price’s crease, but neither goes in.

8:50: Spezza hits Ryan O’Byrne. Hits him! Hard enough that the boards make a noise!

6:56: There’s a scuffle after Foligno hits his man at an icing call. Foligno gets a penalty, and the officials take advantage of the stoppage to review one of the plays when Heatley sent a puck through the crease, to see if perhaps he scored. They rule no goal.

6:27: Montreal gets a power play goal from Saku Koivu, who banks the puck off Auld’s pad. BOO!

3:45: Dean and Gary spend a minute or so marvelling at the fact that every forward line for the Canadiens is different than the last time these two teams played just nine days ago, seemingly forgetting that the same thing can be said for the Sens.

2:57: Latendresse takes a penalty for knocking Alfie down. After a TV timeout, we see the incipient moustaches on Chris Kelly and Antoine Vermette. Apparently the team has been calling Vermette “Pepe LePew,” despite the fact that LePew never had a moustache.

2:35: Heatley walks in on goal and gets a good shot away, then gets a shot from the slot a few seconds later. He’s very noticeable so far tonight, which can only be a good sign for the offense.

1:37: Vermette comes ridiculously close to scoring as he gets a pass from Zubov right in front of the net. Maybe the players are actually calling him LePew because they have to bathe in tomato juice to rid themselves of the stench from Vermette’s terrible, rancid “scoring touch.”

First Intermission

This appears to be a different team than the one I’ve been watching over the last couple of weeks. I neither know nor care what happened to the other Sens — I mostly just hope these ones can stick around for a while. Though the shots are somehow 8-4 Montreal, I don’t think that accurately reflects the way play went at all.

Second Period

16:56: O’Byrne is called for hooking Cody Bass, as Bass tries to muscle his way to the Montreal net. “That’s just hard work,” says Gary. And that’s why we love Bass!

14:56: Not much of a power play for Ottawa. They can’t get anything going and it’s especially bad for Spezza, who played the first three quarters of the power play and made a couple of dubious passes in the neutral zone. As the penalty ends, the Montreal fans in the building get the bloody Ole chant going. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I feel the rage trying to take over. I force it down and focus on the game.

12:17: Dean McAmmond misses the net on a glorious rebound chance after Shean Donovan gets a shot away.

12:06: Donovan and Roman Hamrlik get Joint penalties for roughing after an incident I seem to have missed.

10:50 or so: Price reaches up to catch a shot that was obviously going high. The Montreal fans in the building go crazy because it was such a great “save.” Did you know Price is the second coming of Christ?

6:55: Dean says there are representatives from 12 different NHL teams in the press box tonight. Trade rumours? What trade rumours?

6:23: Vermette and Kelly get a mini two-on-one, and Vermette misses on a brilliant chance. I’m yelling some … not very nice things at my TV.

5:13: Bass fights Steve Begin. Bass seems to be winning, but the fight ends when he falls to the ice on his back. Go Cody go!

4:26: There’s talk of the Sens’ new black jersey, which will be unveiled on Saturday. Dean claims he hasn’t seen it but hello, I’m pretty sure we’ve all seen it by now. It’s got to be the current worst kept secret in the NHL.

2:05: VOLCHENKOV SCORES! But no wait, they’re now disallowing it because of a delayed penalty call against Montreal, which does not seem to me to make sense because as Gary and Dean point out, the Canadiens never controlled the puck. That is one of the stupidest calls I think I’ve ever seen. And Volchenkov could have had his third! Come on!

Second Intermission

I’m outraged on behalf of Volchenkov here! I can’t believe that! I will be very interested to hear what the officials have to say after the game because right now it looks like they just royally screwed the Sens over.

Shots in the second were 7-3 for Ottawa. Goals in the second 1-0 for Ottawa, despite what the scoreboard says. Eff that. I don’t think the Sens were as good in the second as they were in the first, but they’ve still looked good.

Note to Bryan Murray: Please work on getting Anton Volchenkov signed to a lifetime contract as soon as possible. He should never, ever play anywhere else.

Third Period

16:26: O’Byrne is called for holding Donovan. As Leonardo DiCaprio said to Kate Winslet in Titanic, make it count, Sens!

15:20: So far I’m not convinced they’re going to take Leo’s advice.

15:02: I spoke too soon! Foligno wins the puck behind the net and gets it to the point. Picard takes the shot, and Foligno is able to put in the rebound! The officials can’t think of a crappy fake reason to wave this one off, so it stands and it’s 2-1 Sens. WOO HOO! But ew, Foligno with a moustache.

11:00 or so: Auld makes a great save with the Habs buzzing around the front of his net!

10:19: Spezza sends a pass from along the boards to Alfie in the slot. Alfie goes for the sneaky super fast did that even touch his stick? one-timer, but Price makes the stop.

8:11: Alfie is in alone again and takes another quick shot. This time he hits the crossbar.

6:46: Auld lets out a massive rebound on a Montreal shot, but Phillips is there to clear it away. Phew.

4:24: Andrei Markov ties the game with a hard shot from the faceoff circle. His first shot broke Alfie’s stick. Alfie went to get a new one, leaving Markov to take the second. Game is tied, and I hear the Ole chant again. I fight the urge to throw my remote at my TV. Or go find a random Habs fan and throw it at his head.

1:01: It’s a great save for Auld — see, Habs fans? I don’t think that one was going high — as he stops a point blank shot from Alex Tanguay. The Sens are hospitably allowing Montreal to spend the majority of the last two minutes of the game in the Ottawa end.

0:15: Volchenkov is down on the ice, having taken Latendresse’s stick to the face. Latendresse, who is now complaining about the penalty he’s been given, is officially on my list! So are the evil Montreal fans who booed when Volchenkov got up!

Overtime

Oh boy, this again. Well, the Sens will start on the power play. Shots in the third were 10-9 for Ottawa. A power play goal would be so excellent right about now. The Sens start the overtime with the big three and Filip Kuba as their four.

4:36: Kuba gets Heatley set up for the one-timer but it doesn’t go. This power play is a whole lot of setup and not much action, but at least they’re in the Montreal end.

3:05: The cunning Scotiabank Place music crew plays the Sens’ lucky song, Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape.” Oh I see what you’re up to.

Some nerve-wracking moments for both teams, but no one manages a goal in overtime and we’re off to the shootout.

Shootout

I’m normally not in favour of using Heatley in the shootout, but he’s been so visible tonight that I wonder if he might not be worth a chance. Heck, I might try Volchenkov. He was robbed of his goal tonight, and he has some surprisingly sweet moves.

Mendes informs us that the Sens, at 7-19, have the worst record in shootouts of any team in the NHL. Let’s hope he mentioned that stat to the team on the bench. I know it’s boosted my confidence.

Spezza vs. Price: GOAL! Off the crossbar and in! Spezza looked very good in the first 10 minutes of the game, but not so good from that point on. I’m glad he gets a chance to contribute.

Alex Kovalev vs. Auld: I really dislike Kovalev. I don’t know why. SAVE! Suck it, Kovalev!

Alfie vs. Price: Blocker save by Price.

Markov vs. Auld: Goal, through the five-hole.

Jarkko Ruutu vs. Price: Wow, that actually was a pretty fantastic save by Price.

Koivu vs. Auld: Save!! Extra shooters!

Vermette vs. Price: Vermette? Really? Too much dekage (surprise, surprise) and Pepe misses the net. What possessed Craig Hartsburg to put him in the lineup at all, I will never know.

Tanguay vs. Auld: Goal.

Postgame Thoughts

So that’s six in a row now. This one hurts more than the others because the Sens played well enough to win. I am still annoyed about the goal that should have been. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the Sens shaking off their slump. I thought the team as a whole played quite well overall tonight, and the third and fourth lines especially looked good. Heatley showed signs of coming to life, though he needs to try to get his other half in on the action. Antoine Vermette has got to do something about this inability to score.

Idiot refs.

Kukla’s Korner’s resident Sens blogger SENShobo has a post this morning entitled “Senators Improving as Losing Streak Reaches 5.” Geez, you know things are bad when.

Trade rumours continue to swirl: the Sun reports that Vancouver GM Mike Gillis and Minnesota GM Doug Risebrough were both at the game last night, along with scouts from Columbus and Los Angeles. Rumours involving the Blue Jackets make me nervous due to the slight chance that they could result in Jason Spezza leaving town: I know how much Bethany and her people covet Mr. Giggles, and I feel the CBJ would do almost anything to pry him away from us. Personally, I’m in favour of clinging to him for dear life until his no trade clause kicks in and all this nonsense can stop. Meanwhile, Yahoo is reporting that the Sens are stepping up their efforts to acquire Canucks defenseman Mattias “Ohuld,” and the Citizen has them looking at getting Jay Bouwmeester from the Florida Marlins, because apparently Bouwmeester is playing baseball now.

Okay, people. I know reporting rumours isn’t the same as reporting truth, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fact-check your story before going to press.

Reader Appreciation Note

To a reader named Jim who left me a nice comment earlier: I’m sorry, I seem to have accidentally deleted your comment. It may have been a rage reflex induced by your calling Buffy “the worst show ever.” Despite your clearly awful taste in TV shows and hockey teams (he’s a Leafs fan), you can rest assured that I read and appreciated your comment, and only deleted it due to my own idiocy.

To everyone else who’s ever commented here, I appreciate you too. Except the spammers.