Senators' Prospect Roundup

It was not the best week for the Binghamton Senators, dropping two in regulation and one in overtime. Shades of the big club, indeed. Moreover, the news that Nikita Filatov was relegated from fourth-line NHL scrub to AHL all-star will come as somewhat of a relief to Coach Kleinendorst.

Sens fans have been witness to the scant minutes Filatov was playing, predominantly alongside Zenon Konopka and Jesse Winchester. In the AHL, he has looked strong and certainly confident, playing top line minutes. The numbers do not lie: of Filatov's five points in seven games, four of them have been goals, and they have been indicative of his dominant play.

Albany Devils 3, Binghamton Senators 2

Of somewhat relevant note, Darcy Zajac and Stephen Gionta were both in the lineup and scored points for the Devils. The two are the the respective brothers of New Jersey and parent club's Travis Zajac, as well as former Devil and current Canadien Brian Gionta. Anyhow, despite the B-Sens outshooting Albany 30-33, one of few such feats thus far this season, they had no answer for meta-Gionta's third period tally. Mike McKenna started the game for Binghamton, as Robin Lehner had not rejoined the team by Wednesday. Jim O'Brien, who scored a highlight reel goal the week before in a game against Rochester, had five shots on the night. The BoroCop also had his first goal on the year.

Rochester Americans 3, Binghamton Senators 2

The B-Sens, with Robin Lehner, returned home for a Friday night affair against the Rochester Amerks. Binghamton's attack was led by the free agent product of University of Miami (Ohio) Pat Cannone, who registered his fourth goal on the season, along with six shots. Francis Lessard had his first goal and two fights on the night. Despite the unlikely heroics, it wasn't enough- Lehner's only win of the week came against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2, Binghamton Senators 1

Just as it was for Ottawa the night before, the shootout did in the Binghamton chapter of this club on Sunday. The team had a strong night overall, but were slighted by a few shots for the second night in a row. Other things that happened for a second consecutive night were Robin Lehner starting and Pat Cannone having six shots on goal. 

Some news and notes from the week:

• Seven assists in two games was enough to earn Shane Prince last week's Player of the Week honours in the OHL. Prince missed some time due to a shoulder injury earlier in the season. It's safe to say he is back in form.
• From this point forward, when a player has their first goal of the year, as well as two fights, it should be referred to as the "Francis Lessard hat trick."
• Mike Hoffman continued his strong play so far this season, with a point in each game this week. The star of the QMJHL has looked calm and in control with increased responsibility and ice time.
• As someone who watches Binghamton's games, I admit to being a little excited to be able to see Nikita Filatov play top line minutes again. He's an entertaining player to watch, and is going to quickly become a key part of this team. Corey Locke is still out of the lineup, but Mike Hoffman, Mark Parrish, Pat Cannone and Cory Cowick will get some company on the top end.

In an obvious attempt to make my job more difficult (or perhaps, for some more likely reasons), the Senators did not release a prospect update for the week ending November 7th. Fiddlesticks. Nonetheless, I have browsed the web and compiled a few stats that merit some mention.