Senators win third straight Battle of Ontario with 3-2 victory over Leafs

But yeah, we really need to lead games early at some point.

Thanks to Peter for cleaning it up. No problem with opposition fans who want to talk hockey and offer a different perspective (I think discussion from Panthers fans on this site has been pretty good) but that was crap and it sucked feeling out numbered on here early on. I’ve read comments by our members on other sites and I’m glad it’s about the hockey. Let’s keep the discussion at a high level, kudos to Sens fans for their responses tonight.

Alfie looks like “So, I’m done with the celebration”
Michalek has a far away look in his eyes… yes, he does in fact look like a statue!

With the win tonight, the Senators are 37 points from their goal of 95. They have 34 games remaining. Barring a lengthy losing streak, we can probably feel comfy once the Senators have more games remaining than points needed to reach the goal.

Meanwhile, it is still hazy whether tee times are going to be booked at the Maple Leaf Golf & Country Club in picturesque Toronto. The Leafs lost in regulation, which means they remain at 49 points, with 37 games remaining. However, they remain in sole possession of 9th place because the Jets lost. The Capitals didn’t help, by losing to the Islanders (which means the Leafs remain only one point out of a play-off spot), but the Devils and Penguins both won tonight, and the Pens still have more regulation and overtime wins than the Leafs, so that’s good. It’s up to the Jets to overtake the Leafs, though, because I don’t see the Sabres or Canadiens doing it.

I wasn’t on here since I was representing Sens Army at a local bar, but I just wanted to say good work to the staff and members here for not feeding the trolls and generally keeping things from degenerating into a pissing contest.

While last night I originally stated my desire to see the Leafs rolled like a homeless crack whore, there was so much to like about tonight’s game, even if it wasn’t the swift 6-1 demolition that I was hoping for.

Firstly, watching Nick Foligno rearrange Dion Phaneuf’s face was amazing. I don’t know what happened to Foligno this year, but he’s feisty as hell and always seems to find the back of the net at opportune times. His newly found physicality and scoring touch please me greatly.

Secondly, Craig Anderson! That guy has been solid gold for the past 3 weeks. We gotta put in Auld eventually, I guess, but as long as Mr. Anderson keeps playing like this, Ottawa’s gonna have a chance in every game.

Thirdly, Alfie had a goal and an assist in the ACC. Suck it, Leafs fans. The best revenge is living well. (Even if it’s not a revenge that shows up in many opera plots…)

Fourthly, is it possible Kyle Turris is better than advertised? I know that the Turris-Rundblad trade will take years to properly evaluate and blah blah blah, but Turris seems to contribute positively in literally every game he plays in, and tonight was no exception. That game-winning snipe show was a thing of beauty. I defy any Sens fan to be disappointed with the kid. There’s no reason to believe that he’s not going to get better.

Fifthly, did I mention Craig Anderson yet?

Sixthly, more comebacks. I love this team. They don’t know when they are conquered. They truly had no business winning tonight, but they did it anyway.

Lastly, Toronto may have outshot us, and outplayed us for long stretches, but Ottawa was the more physical team, outhitting the Leafs 39-24, and winning both fights. I know Adnan some people don’t like fighting, but I think the fact that Ottawa was the dominant physical team tonight was an integral part of the win. As Conn Smythe memorably put it, “If you can’t beat ‘em in the alley, you can’t beat em on the ice.”

That’s all I’ve got for now. I do hope Ottawa starts playing better, though. They’ve won 2 of their last 3 with decidedly sub-par efforts and I’m sure they can keep that up during the rest of this epic road trip. Still, a win is a win. I’ll take a win over Toronto regardless of how we get it.

also from the highlights: loved the cowen hip check on lupul

The best Ottawa skater (i.e. non-Anderson) was Milan Michalek for me. The guy was flying tonight. He created a couple partial breaks for himself just by his pure speed and blowing by the guy.

Overall, the Sens were absolutely awful. The Leafs had so many glorious chances that Anderson saved, so many near tap-ins that were just broken up in time. It was the worst game the Senators have played this season in a win…but still another come back, from 2 goals down.

It’s always a pleasure to see the Sens win the ACC. The crowd was rowdy but not overly so, nothing thrown at me this time! :D

My Spezza jersey drew lots of abuse again, but for some reason, this guy seemed irate that Spezza used to wear #39. A lot of his chants with were using Spezza and 39 in some combination. Strange guy.

“I think it’s just the character of what we have in the room,” Anderson said. "Our leadership, our guys that find ways to bring it every day. You know, I think it’s a credit to our captain Alfie and how he comes to the rink every day, battles hard.

“That guy never takes a day off and he’s just a great role model for everybody else.”

Um, given by how many practices he skips, I’d say Alfredsson takes many days off.

Foligno really gave as good as he got there.