Is it just me, or has this week of watching and waiting been the most grueling stretch of the 2011-2012 season?
Ottawa last played Monday night against Winnipeg, but isn't scheduled to hit the ice for an official sixty-minutes until Saturday afternoon when they play the Philadelphia Flyers. After the Flyers tilt, the team immediately travels northeast to Long Island, where they'll play the New York Islanders on a Sunday afternoon.
A bit of bizarre scheduling, no question. Let's hope the team can answer the bell after an extended break.
Below, some Thursday thoughts:
-- With the exception of an unbelievable surge by the Buffalo Sabres to temporarily wrestle control away from the Washington Capitals for the eighth and final seed, very little has changed with the overall playoff landscape. As of Wednesday, the Ottawa Senators are still far more likely to play the Boston Bruins (67.5% weighted, 58.0% 50/50) than any of the other thirteen Eastern Conference teams combined. That's pretty remarkable, especially considering those splits have held steady for quite some time.
The realization that Ottawa's likely drawing Boston - assuming the team doesn't run off five straight wins/losses and unexpectedly flip seeding - should finally be settling in. The good news? There's not much, other than that the Bruins have looked beatable at times in the second-half of the season.
The bad news? Essentially everything else. It's not that Ottawa can't give Boston a series; I certainly think they're one of the few Eastern Conference - or, NHL - teams in general that can bang with the Bruins in a lengthy series. The team has tons of scoring depth, play relentless defensively, possess the third-best even-strength differential in the NHL at 1.31. For what it's worth, Ottawa's considered above-average in this category, and they sit at just a 1.05.
Oh, and don't forget about The Grim Reaper, less commonly known as Tim Thomas around the city of Ottawa. His career splits v. the Senators: 23-9-2, .937 save percentage, 1.98 GAA.
The reality is that Ottawa's success this season should be defined by - again, assuming current standings hold - reaching the post-season in a rebuilding year. No one expected it.
No question, though, that the most absolute of exclamation points on a Cinderalla season would be a first-round upset of the defending Stanley Cup champions. Improbable? Yes. Impossible? Hardly.
I've already opined that the Ottawa Senators in a potential two-seven draw with the Boston Bruins would be the biggest first-round underdog in Las Vegas, so you know how the experts are pegging this one.
-- There's a lot of amateur-hour stuff that's organized in the Ottawa Senators organization, starting from the suits up top and trickling all the way down to the fan base. Some of it's really tough to get behind.
Taking a note out of other playbooks(see: Quebec Nordiques), fans are organizing a countdown in honor of Daniel Alfredsson at 11:21 and working down to the 11:00 mark, all in an effort to show appreciation to the longest-tenured captain in the National Hockey League.
The fans want him back for another season. And for good reason. Alfredsson's been cookin' like few thirty-nine year olds can. On the season, Alfredsson's tallied 26G/30A, throwing up splits comparable to Thomas Vanek and Joe Pavelski, and better than Ryan Getzlaf and Rick Nash.
If you're at Scotiabank Place in the near future - well, get involved.
-- After extensive thought, I've decided that my All-Underrated Team - which will drop sometime next week - is down to the below-referenced finalists. As always, my parameter remains the same: The largest differential between real and perceived value.
LW: Loui Eriksson, Dallas Stars. Ray Whitney, Phoenix Coyotes. James Neal, Pittsburgh Penguins. Matt Moulson, New York Islanders.
C: Valtteri Filppula, Detroit Red Wings. Patrik Elias, New Jersey Devils. David Backes, St. Louis Blues.
RW: Martin Erat, Nashville Predators. Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets. Teddy Purcell, Tampa Bay Lightning.
D: Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks. Kevin Shattenkirk, St. Louis Blues.
G: Kari Lehtonen, Dallas Stars. Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche. Brian Elliott(!), St. Louis Blues.
-- Is Anaheim the weird-goal capital of the world? After Sunday's debacle against the Boston Bruins, the Ducks have again found themselves right in the middle of some controversy. At least this time, they were on the right side of a bizarre call.
Late in last night's tilt against the San Jose Sharks, Corey Perry was awarded a goal for a shot that he completely missed. Yep, you read that right.
With Antti Niemi pulled, the San Jose Sharks were frantically searching for a late-game equalizer. After a turnover and subsequent rush by the Anaheim Ducks, the game appeared over, with Corey Perry in control of the puck just mere feet from the net.
The surgical Corey Perry didn't bury the shot, though. He drew complete side-iron. Soon after missing, Dan Boyle - the shot-blocker - slammed into the net, knocking it from the moorings.
Call on the ice? Goal. Come again?
Although unexpected, the goal did go to review, and in the end, the call was upheld.
It's careful to make note that Dan Boyle's contact with the net comes after Ryan Gezlaf's shot and miss. Further, it's important to take into consideration that Perry's shot was never obstructed by the shot-blocking Boyle. The puck missed, then flew high-and-wide.
The most important element here is the lack of deliberate intent by Dan Boyle to knock the net loose. I certainly don't see any. Attempting to block the shot, so long as the net isn't deliberately dislodged, is perfectly acceptable under the NHL Rulebook:
3.6 Awarded Goal - In the event that the goal post is displaced, either deliberately or accidentally, by a defending player, prior to the puck crossing the goal line between the normal position of the goalposts, the Referee may award a goal.
In order to award a goal in this situation, the goal post must have been displaced by the actions a defending player or goalkeeper, the puck must have been shot (or the player must be in the act of shooting) at the goal prior to the goal post being displaced, and it must be determined that the puck would have entered the net between the normal position of the goal posts.
When the goal post has been displaced deliberately by the defending team when their goalkeeper has been removed for an extra attacker thereby preventing an impending goal by the attacking team, the Referee shall award a goal to the attacking team.
If the goal did go to review, there's no reason why this goal should've counted. My only guess is that upon going to review, the NHL War Room realized that the judgment call(i.e., awarding the goal to Corey Perry) on the ice could not be overturned
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