I tried cropping it to show more Colby and Kovalev, but I couldn’t make it look good.

You can’t have all backcheckers converge on the puck-carrier; it’s obviously Kovalev’s job to put back-pressure on Armstrong and try and angle him to the outside, while Alfie covers the trailer to prevent the drop or cross-ice pass. The one who’s given up in that photo is, expectedly, Kovalev—although he did help drive Armstrong to his backhand on the outside. If that was a goal, it would have been a pretty weak one.

I’m pretty sure I’d handle a 50-game losing streak better than my best friend sleeping with my wife.

Filip Kuba and Chris Kelly and to Phoenix for the rights to Z. Michalek and a pick.

If Melnyk wasn’t going to blow it up based on the team’s play for the first half of last year, he’s definitely not going to blow it up now. Not to mention the fact that the trade deadline has passed, and you can be pretty sure that few of those players are available (Alzner for Phillips? Alfredsson for Burns plus? It’s outrageous to think Alfredsson would be traded, let alone traded for a very strong defence prospect [especially since we already have three], another good prospect, and a first-rounder).

Look how close we are to the playoffs. Why give up on them now, after having put so much energy into the team for the first part of the season?

I also put him as a killer because, as you said, he was not so good with the turnovers. Neither were a lot of players (Alfredsson, looking at you). Phillips had an awful third period, but he did tie the game going into the second intermission, and that counts for something.

Dang Todd White was supposed to be injured.

That is just wrong. He has done so much for this team and Ottawa community. It`s like EDM trading Gretzky. Just a big no. Ya, we might get something in return for him, and I understand this is a business, but have a heart dude!

His contract’s up after next season, and I’m pretty sure whatever he signs after that will be a pretty deeply discounted retirement contract. He’s a valuable player to have, particularly for Cowen, but also to some extent for Wiercioch and even Karlsson.

Personally I think Ottawa would prefer to see Alfie play out his career here. Everyone saw how the whole Sundin situation played out and I don’t get the idea that Alfie has the ego that Mats did. I don’t think Alfie’s the type looking for a big last contract, he’s a Senator through and through and would be willing to play for less for the Sens as his production diminishes. As it is the Sens only owe Alfie 5.5 mil over the next 2 years as his contract was front loaded.

And looking at Alfie’s numbers this year they aren’t that bad. He’s just a shade under a point a game. Sure he’s on the downward end of his career, but with a couple more respectable seasons he could easily put himself in HOF territory, a Senators Hall of Famer. I don’t think you can diminish the impact of that to the Senators. I think he’d probably get special consideration as a lifer on one of the 90’s expansion teams. For a team that has long looked for respect, keeping Alfie for his whole career should be a priority.

I don’t think this team is in a position to bottom out quite yet. This was a team that didn’t make the playoffs last year and really wasn’t expected by many to compete this year given the whole Heatley fiasco. The biggest organizational issue is the inability to groom a franchise goaltender. Since they’ve never been able to do that, and they’ve long put their money into scoring talent, they’re left taking chances in hopes that a second or third tier goalie talent is going to flourish. Gutting the team without addressing the need for goaltending just leaves us in the same spot. Since Lehner is probably 2-3 years away(at least).

I’m not quite willing to write them off this season just yet. Remember Ottawa wasn’t really the hottest team going when they went to the Cup finals either.

Watch the hit and watch Suttons arm and shoulders with regard to where they make contact with Boulton. I understand being a homer but watch the hit again and realize that it was a perfectly clean hit. As they say “you can’t teach big” and that is what Sutton is and the refs over reacted plain and simple.

I decided not to put them down because Colby Armstrong was so much more infuriating and as bad as Sutton’s first period failure on Artyukhin was, Phillips’ beauty of a pass was worse. I wanted to give the entire Armstrong-White-Slater line more credit, too. Coming into the game with a combined 58 points and notching 7? Impressive.

You can’t cover everyone, though. General consensus is that the Sutton hit/penalty that led to the second Antropov goal was a bad call.

Because Boulton is a twat.

The NHL now has a culture that considers any big hit something that’s worthy of retaliation. Guys will get rocked and chase down someone and throw a punch just because they didn’t like getting hit so hard. Hit Crosby hard and his team will jump you even if it’s a clean shot.

That said, I wasn’t crazy about Sutton’s decision making skills in this game. Still, I’d rather have him deliever a big hit than not; for better or worse, that’s his role on the team.

I mean, sure, he’s on my team, maybe I’m biased, but I did see Alfredsson’s hit against Beauchemin on Toronto as dirty—and he’s my favourite player. Boulton didn’t see Sutton, sure, but it’s not because Sutton blindsided him. I don’t know what you want to call on that hit… I don’t see what rule it violates. I understand hits can be legal but dirty, but I think this one was neither illegal nor dirty.

When will Carvel get the axe? Is he not in charge of the abysmal power play?

I’m not going to downplay the good they did while they were here, there were some great seasons. But the reason they were fired was their inability—whether real or perceived—to get us over the hump.

Other than the “Shit, new GM, better smarten up if I want to stay” mentality.