Thoughts on last night's game
A couple of things:
1. Brian Pothier
This guy, who was sick before the game, plays 16 mins/game typically. He played 29 minutes last night against the Leafs top lines and, despite ending up a minus 3 on the night, showed some very good play - he definitely needs to keep improving since the team will need to make a descision when all of their 9 NHL defencemen get healthy. Remember - Pothier has only played 50 NHL games.
2. Josh Langfeld
Is Josh developing into the power forward the team has been needing? He gets in front of the net when required and has been rewarded with 6 goals in his 16 games. Langfeld will benefit from Shatslivy leaving and will have a chance to show Muckler and Martin that they don't need to replace him on the left side.
3. Patrick Lalime
I'll stick with my previous thoughts on his play - he's the man this year.
Some quotes....
From TSN:
"I've never seen anything like it," said Senators defenceman Curtis Leschyshyn. "I saw three guys getting intravenous. "They brought in soup and rice just to try and get food into the guys. I saw players lying on couches with blankets wrapped around them before an NHL game. It's beyond comprehension."
"It was one of those nights again," said Lalime, who allowed five goals on 27 shots. "I hope there's no more."
Said teammate Bryan Smolinski: "We had a four-goal lead and we play well defensively so we should be able to hold them off. We made some mistakes, and they worked hard."
From Slam! Sports:
Todd Simpson landed in the middle of the Maple Leafs-Ottawa Senators rivalry yesterday and quickly was asked by a reporter: Do you hate the Leafs?
"I thought everyone hated the Leafs," Simpson said without hesitation. "I have never been a big fan growing up, no. You play against guys for a while and definitely some you dislike some more than others but I don't need to name names."
1. Brian Pothier
This guy, who was sick before the game, plays 16 mins/game typically. He played 29 minutes last night against the Leafs top lines and, despite ending up a minus 3 on the night, showed some very good play - he definitely needs to keep improving since the team will need to make a descision when all of their 9 NHL defencemen get healthy. Remember - Pothier has only played 50 NHL games.
2. Josh Langfeld
Is Josh developing into the power forward the team has been needing? He gets in front of the net when required and has been rewarded with 6 goals in his 16 games. Langfeld will benefit from Shatslivy leaving and will have a chance to show Muckler and Martin that they don't need to replace him on the left side.
3. Patrick Lalime
I'll stick with my previous thoughts on his play - he's the man this year.
Some quotes....
From TSN:
"I've never seen anything like it," said Senators defenceman Curtis Leschyshyn. "I saw three guys getting intravenous. "They brought in soup and rice just to try and get food into the guys. I saw players lying on couches with blankets wrapped around them before an NHL game. It's beyond comprehension."
"It was one of those nights again," said Lalime, who allowed five goals on 27 shots. "I hope there's no more."
Said teammate Bryan Smolinski: "We had a four-goal lead and we play well defensively so we should be able to hold them off. We made some mistakes, and they worked hard."
From Slam! Sports:
Todd Simpson landed in the middle of the Maple Leafs-Ottawa Senators rivalry yesterday and quickly was asked by a reporter: Do you hate the Leafs?
"I thought everyone hated the Leafs," Simpson said without hesitation. "I have never been a big fan growing up, no. You play against guys for a while and definitely some you dislike some more than others but I don't need to name names."
