Senators HumourMaybe There's A Rivalry Here After All For The Habs

Tobalev astutely pointed out that games with Ottawa are tight matches no matter what now. No matter how good we appear to be, no matter how bad a slump we're in, no matter how much Ottawa is looking for that lottery place.

In the preview for the game, both Sens Chirp and I wondered out loud about the rivalry between these two teams. In the analysis, it seems there is one in its infancy, but by and large Montreal fans have never had a reason to bother with Ottawa (either far too good or far too poor). The time for rivalry looked ripe before the inexplicable implosion in our capital city. Since then, there's been little to despise.

But wait, I think I'm finding some reasons...

1) Senators fans like this guy:

That Olé chant is the homo anthem. Never heard anything so queer in my life.

Or this guy:

That ole ole ole stupid song is making me think Leafs fans are less annoying, and that's saying something.

Both posters on some Sens blogs after the game. Another guy who was at the game, who also detests our cheers, claimed he tried to drown out Ole Ole Ole with the ever-original and ubiquitous Go Sens Go.

This isn't the first wrath the Ole cheer has been showered with. Boston and Toronto fans also hate it, for it is so European. Oh please let us never need prompts from the scoreboards to cheer for our team like the Go ____ Go crew...

What's more, i don't think the Sens really hold the high ground when it comes to musically supporting their heroes. Both the theme tune (drum then trumpet, wait for it in the video) and Ray Emery's rap below are prime examples:





2) No Habs No!
Cleverly based on the only cheer they know, this Sens blogger has started a campaign to donate $1 to every player across the league who can score a GW goal against the Habs.

I'll be honest, I'm posting this bit because it is worth seeing. It is clever, funny and gives a good pretense to express hatred of another team. We'd be patting ourselves on the back too if we had come up with the Wicked Loser Bruins fund too.

It is so well established with a Facebook group, a section of the SensArmy blog, merchandise and coverage on one of the most popular hockey blogs around.


It's clear that hating this fan will be easier as he's already invested so much energy into the belligerence.


3) Car flags
They infected us. Somehow the Sens and their flag-waving fans infiltrated Montreal's best and brightest – now we have to look at flags everywhere, ugh...


I think it's safe to say there's a seed of something to go on here. Be sure the next time you see a Rev Up The Red flag or a No Habs No! T-shirt, to break into a hearty chorus of Ole Ole Ole, it's fun to watch them melt to the tune...

Weakness Protection ProgramGarth Murray Resurfaces

Just prior to the Habs explosion onto the NHL scene last season, they quietly removed one of their big weaknesses: a forward with plenty of ice time but not a shred of nose for the net.

Since that day of infamy, we haven't heard much from Garth Murray. Until now. Take note of what he looks like, then read on below.



Last night I noticed a pretty cool name in the scoring summary as I was looking for the pathetic Horcoff to put up some points for me in my hockey pool: Liam Reddox. As it happens, Dennis Kane of the eponymous blog had a bit about names today (he likes Bonk for himself, apparently) and so I submitted Reddox as the cooler name in the NHL.

I checked Liam's profile on Yahoo hockey to see if he could actually play anywhere near worth his name, and I found this.

Next time Garth Murray hires a lawyer and WRP expert to come up with a new identity, he would do well to pick someone who could come up with more realistic names than Liam Reddox. We know you're not in Phoenix...

Game #44Welcome to the Shootout Mr. Elliott

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Saturday January 17th, 2009
Opponent: Ottawa Senators
Venue: Scotiabank Place, Kanata, ON

Team Stripes

Final Score: 5-4 - Win (SO)

Habs starting goalie: Jaroslav Halak (W)
Opposition starting goalie: Brian Elliott (L)

Habs goalscorers: Alexei Kovalev (1, SO), Andrei Kostitsyn, Matt D'Agostini, Tom Kostopoulos, (Maxim Lapierre - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Chris Kelly, Dany Heatley (2), Mike Fisher

Play of the game
The play you're straining to see on the press catwalk monitor...

Unlike Don Cherry I didn't think that Max's goal was similar to Mike Richards' snail pace shootout effort. First of all Lapierre scored (great comparison Don...) and second of all Max came in with speed from the blue-line in, unlike Richards who walked all the way into the slot.

The goal itself was quite something. At first I thought the choice of Lapierre in the shootout was the wrong one, but I am actually quite ashamed by my lack of faith in both Carbo and Max himself. They both obviously knew something that I didn't and I think that was shown on Guy's face as he simply laughed after Max pulled the move off. Like I said, after a few slow strides Max picked up the pace and sped in. A few dekes with the puck froze Elliott before Lapierre eventually took the puck to his backhand. The final touch was when Max shelfed a backhand and won the game for the Habs.

Game puck
Trophies are for the end of the year, play well in the game, you get a lovely puck...

Alexei Kovalev
No I am not just putting Alex in here because of his 2 1/2 minute shift to start OT. Although I did appreciate it and found it quite comical I didn't think it helped the team. Kovy gets the game puck for a couple of beautiful goals. The first was a gimme after a sublime pass from Lang on a 5-on-3 and the second was a tantalizing deke in the shootout that was second only to Max's mind-blowing move.



Dome hockey team
We're going into the last minute with these 6 (and they're attached to the ice, so they're not coming off)...

Forwards

Robert Lang
Lang made two superb passes tonight that earned him his 19th and 20th assists on the year. He is now on pace for a 67-point season, his best since 2003-04, which he split with Washington and Detroit. In addition to his great passing he was also a scoring threat of his own. He always seemed to be around Ottawa's net as his line gave fits to the Sens' defence all night.

Maxim Lapierre
Max topped off a great night with another shootout goal. His line, and he in particular, were a big reason for the win tonight. Their line spent a good portion of the game in Ottawa's end as they were once again a force to be reckoned with. A team needs a player like Max who can do the dirty work, but also can flash some occasional brilliance, so Max, once again, well done.

Alexei Kovalev
Kovy came very close to scoring our 5th goal a few times, once in the third when he rang it off the bar, and again in OT right towards the end. Tonight I didn't notice Alex in our own end, which is always a good thing and whenever I saw him in the offensive zone something was happening. His linemates didn't have great games, but were saved by another solid performance from the skipper.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik
This was a solid performance from Hammer who at times had to play a little clean-up in his own end. It seemed that he stood out most tonight for making sure our other defenders weren't the reason we lost. He showed his toughness, and brains, when he didn't back down from a shoving match with Neil, but also didn't drop the gloves. He led the team in hits with 3 and also had the same amount of shots.

Andrei Markov
I noticed Markov caught out of position, way up the ice, on a couple of occasions tonight, but those were the only blemishes on what was another fantastic game. He got an assist on Kovalev's goal and took twice as many shots (6) as any other Hab. He also blocked 3 more shots than Komi as he ended with a team-high 5.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
After he let in the tying goal I was torn. He had played well till then, but he hadn't made the big save when we needed it most. I decided at that point, when it was obvious we would go to OT, that he would have to really impress me to keep his dome spot. Well, he did just that in the shootout. He stood his ground against Spezza and stopped the ever-dangerous Daniel Alfredsson. It was an OK game for the most part, but I am glad for his, and the Habs', sake that he came through in the end.



Eye-Openers
In this new section we are going to try and shed some light on certain plays or events that would otherwise go unnoticed

Forget what you heard or what you read - the Ottawa Senators will always give us a good game. We all know that Ottawa is struggling to find their form this year and it seems that they are the latest team to fall into the '3-star/no other good players' trap (Tampa Bay), but against the Habs, you can never count them out. The crowd, thanks in most part to our fans, had Scotiabank Place rocking and you could see how that made a difference to both teams. It really had a playoff atmosphere in there and because of it I think Ottawa remembered how they can play. Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley have always been Hab killers and that alone scares me. If you take away all of the other 17 players I would still treat that team with respect. Those 3 are world-class and are reason enough to be prudent. Add to all of that the fact that the Sens remain one of our fiercest rivals. We always say that a Toronto-Montreal affair will be a close game, but I think we should extend that sentiment to Ottawa too. For years we have had some great match-ups with them and I for one wasn't about to let a bad half season from them let me forget it. It was as exciting a game as we could have hoped for and for that I must give credit to the feisty Senators.

Overall Comments

I expected a good match-up on a cold Saturday night in Ottawa and I am glad to say that I wasn't disappointed. Early on the Habs were dictating play, but our failure to ever run away with the game was incentive enough for Ottawa. They played a quiet first two periods, but gave their home fans something to cheer about with 3 third period goals. The Habs should have done better not to let up a tying goal so late, but since we got the win it shouldn't really matter. I have a hard time believing that this single point for the Sens will help them beat us in the standings. Offence is something I knew they had, at least the potential of it, so I was always a little nervous. In OT every time I saw Spezza or Heatley with the puck I was glad that Souray wasn't around for us. If these guys know how to do something it is probably how to beat the Habs. Since they came in the league we have had quite a difficult time with them. One thing that did shock me a bit tonight, however, was their defence. I knew not to expect much as Volchenkov is out and they are clearly not the team they were when they had Chara, Pothier, Redden, Corvo or Preissing, but wow were they bad. Schubert is no Mark Streit, just because he occasionally plays the wing is no reason to keep him on your team. And what about Jason Smith? Still living off being the captain of the Oilers are we? This guy has no place in the NHL, well at least not since the lockout. To me their defence was the biggest change (goaltending has always been a huge question mark), but I never thought it would come to this. Phillips was a good #4, but does quite poorly as a #1. So, I feel your pain Ottawa, as we have been there too. It would be nice for your city and people if you were still at the top, but I guess all good things must come to an end.

As for us we now have 60 points in the bank. We have 38 points to go till we secure a playoff berth and we have 38 games to do it in (it took us 31 games to get our first 38 points of this year). That of course means .500 hockey will do, even 38 OTLs would assure us our place. I for one hope that we can exceed the 100-point plateau again this year and maybe even eclipse our 104 point total from last season. All that aside, however, as we have 2 more games before the All-Stars come to Montreal (for the first time since 1992-93). I think we must get at least 2 points in Atlanta and New Jersey to end what has been a fantastic 1st half on a good note.

Habs SensGuest Preview

The Canadian match-ups will start to come fast and furious soon, but until that time we must enjoy the last for a while. The last one for a while, though will be tonight's meeting with our friendliest rivals, the Senators. I asked Sens Chirp, fellow Score Sports Federation member, a few questions in the usual format, and he asked me some too, to be posted at his site before the game (as usual): Sens Chirp.

Sens Chirp's answers to my questions follow below.

Q1) We look at your team a foreign fans and think Spezza, Heatley, Alfredsson... Can you tel us from a Senators perspective who the players to look for tonight will be?

Sens Chirp: I always expect great things from Antoine Vermette when these two teams meet. Like all Francophone NHLers, deep down inside him burns a desire to play for Les Habs. I'm sure a similar desire exists in a certain Tampa Bay Lightning forward.


Q2) By the same token, who are the players you as Senators key on when you think of a match up with the 2008-09 Canadiens?

Sens Chirp: Every time we play the Habs it seems like that Kostitsyn guy is two places at once. Other than that its the usual suspects; Kovalev, Koivu, Higgins. Although with Kovalev I only worry about him every third or fourth match up; something I am sure Habs fans are use to.


Q3) This rivalry has been an interesting one, if not fully engulfed in flames of passion. The Senators won their first ever game against the Habs and since then have outplayed the Canadiens on many occasions (from early times to your total dominance of us for a while). How do the people of Ottawa feel about this rivalry and why do you think our two cities can't hate each other as much as say Toronto or Calgary?

Sens Chirp: Like every good rivalry, these teams will need to meet in the playoffs to really get things going. Habs fans still pack our barn every time these two teams play and to be honest with you that freakin Ole chant boils my blood. I think as it stands now Ottawa fans love to beat Montreal but Montreal fans don't quite take Ottawa seriously yet. Its a developing rivalry.


Q4) After all those playoff dead ends, someone decided to blow up the identity of the Ottawa team. Out with Euros in with grit. It got you a final, but has it set you back? Do you look at Euro-centered teams now and say - we built a better one than you once?

Sens Chirp: Its hard to say. See after getting kinda pushed around by the Ducks in the final we vowed never again. Then the following year while we were trying to get bigger and stronger the Euro-centric Detroit Red Wings won it all. Its kinda like that old Nintendo game, Ice Hockey. We lost to the Ducks and decided to stock up on all fat guys, meanwhile the Wings won it all with a team mostly made up of those fast skinny guys. Really we should have tried to stay somewhere in between with those middle sized guys. I really hope your readers remember this game otherwise this Q&A may have just gone off the tracks.


Q5) The fall happened so quickly, it took everyone by surprise. Which piece from the best years do you think would have kept this franchise holding firm? Zdeno Chara? Jacques Martin? Todd White?

Sens Chirp: Zdeno Chara, plain and simple. The guy was a one of a kind talent and we let him get away for nothing. Instead we kept Redden and eventually he got away for nothing too. Add to that the departures of Corvo and Preissing (also for nothing) and you see why we are where we are right now. Its the bad decisions on defence that have this team struggling right now.


Q6) Ray Emery was a massive pain in the butt, but how much would Sens fans enjoy having a hood young goalie again vs. the reclamation projects that hark back to earliest (Beaupre) years?

Sens Chirp: I really hope that was a typo because if it was its one of the funniest of all time. Umm in Brian Elliott we like to think we have something special and so far we have not been disappointed. Tonight should be a good test for him.

[I'll let you all judge if it was a typo...]


Q7) You haven't had a big draft pick in a while (Spezza, I guess). Hedman, Tavares or playoffs?

Sens Chirp: This is a tough question for me because unlike a lot of Senator fans I have yet to come to terms with the idea of missing the playoffs. I guess if I had to choose between the two of them I would say Hedman. The idea of a Hedman/Karlsson defence pairing is just too good to pass up although Tavares wouldn't be a bad consolation prize. All that being said...playoffs.


Finally, as with the last two Canadian match-ups, we had a look at some of the common threads and divergences between our two franchises. I asked Sens Chirp and Tobalev what came to mind (in a word or two) when they read the following:

a) Radek Bonk
Sens Chirp (Sens): Quite possibly the best Las Vegas Thunder to ever make the show
Tobalev (Habs): Solid defensive player

b) Benoit Brunet
Sens Chirp (Sens): Horrible Helmet
Tobalev (Habs): Crummy player, crummy commentator

c) 1992-93
Sens Chirp (Sens): Opening Night. After that the rest was a blur. (10-70-4)
Tobalev (Habs): Habs Cup

d) Oldest team name in the NHL
Sens Chirp (Sens): Ottawa Senators
Tobalev (Habs): Ottawa Senators [Well done Tobes, not too biased here to appreciate history...]

e) No-trade clause
Sens Chirp (Sens): Hand-cuffed
Tobalev (Habs): Brisebois


Always good to get a vastly different point of view. One not coloured by Pierre Houde/Benoit Brunet or the 110% guys. Thanks to Sens Chirp for taking part. Make sure you go by his site (Sens Chirp), dear readers, as it's a good old Sens blog with a taste for the rumour (which we'd all guiltily have to admit we love too, I think...)

Good game. GHG.

Game #43Montreal Holds On Against A Feisty Nashville Lot

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Thursday January 15th, 2009
Opponent: Nashville Predators
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

Team Stripes

Final Score: 3-2 - Win

Habs starting goalie: Jaroslav Halak (W)
Opposition starting goalie: Pekka Rinne (L)

Habs goalscorers: Guillaume Latendresse, Andrei Kostitsyn, Andrei Markov
Opposition goalscorers: Jean-Pierre Dumont, Vernon Fiddler

Play of the game
The play you're straining to see on the press catwalk monitor...

Plekanec, who was 10/16 at face-offs on the night, won a very big draw with about a minute and a half left. The Predators had already pulled their goalie which meant it was our 5 skaters vs. their 6. Because of the face-off win the Habs were able to take the puck into Nashville's end where they spent most of the rest of the game. In fact, I have never seen so many chances on an empty net before. The face-off win, thus the possession, allowed the Habs to avoid what may have very well been a 90-second onslaught which would have surely resulted in quality chances and quite possibly a goal. From what I have seen so far from the Habs this year we aren't a very good team at getting the puck out (without icing it) when we are down a man. So, for a change the play-of-the-game is neither a save nor a goal, it is simply a clutch play that avoided what could have been a very bad situation.

Game puck
Trophies are for the end of the year, play well in the game, you get a lovely puck...

Alexei Kovalev
For those referring to stats (0 points, 1 shot, 17 minutes) I may have chosen the wrong man. For those of you, however, that watched the game I think you'll agree with this selection. This was a game that Kovy probably shouldn't have played. He has felt ill for a few days and was actually sent home earlier today and we all thought he wouldn't play. Being the warrior that he is though he came and played and he not only played a good game considering his condition, he genuinely played a great game. Kovy wasn't on the ice for any of our goals, but then again he wasn't on for any of theirs. His solid defensive play - which included a lot of possession in the other end - was evident both on the PK and again when we were man down at the end of the game. He gave everything he had tonight and I think it was another great example of just how good of a leader he really is.



Dome hockey team
We're going into the last minute with these 6 (and they're attached to the ice, so they're not coming off)...

Forwards

Robert Lang
Robert bounced back from a difficult game in Boston with a fine performance tonight. He was at the centre of the Habs best line as he and the Kostitsyn's really made it hard for the Nashville defence. He assisted on two goals tonight to push his total to 18 and was able to keep pace with Markov for the team lead in points at 34. There was one play in particular where he batted the puck out of the air and then with a second mid-air touch got it to one of the brothers. It was a simple play for a player who is obviously a lot more talented than we all thought.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Andrei's strong play continued tonight with yet another goal. All of a sudden he has 15 goals and is almost a sure bet to hit 30 this year. In fact, if he keeps playing the way he is now for the last 39 games he may very well net 40. His goal was another great example of his incredible accuracy - it was a far-side, top-corner wrist shot. He was fast, hit and led the team in shots - another perfect game.

Alexei Kovalev
So, no points, but Alex did put together the two best offensive plays of the night. Considering how strong he was in the courage, leadership and defensive departments this was merely a bonus. The first play ended with a great save from Rinne, but started with some classic Kovalev moves around 4 Predators. It resulted in a PP as Kovy was tripped as he unleashed his shot. The second great play came with Nashville's goalie on the bench. Alex was able to fight off two defenders on the right half-boards before sending a perfect pass to Lang in the slot. A missed empty-netter by Robert cost Kovy a point and, thus some justification in a lot of people's minds for him being given the game puck.

Defencemen

Mike Komisarek
Can someone give a tape of this game to Mike. Tell him to watch it over and over and that if he plays like that from now on he may actually make the all-star game legitimately one day. Mike was very, very solid tonight. I really, at times, couldn't believe my eyes. He was able to get in his 4 hits and 6 blocked-shots, but it didn't cost him or the team. In addition he worked quite well in the offensive zone. He picked up an assist for his efforts and also put 2 quality shots on net. I think Carbo must have noticed this solid play too as he used Mike for almost 26 minutes; more than any other Hab.

Andrei Markov
Markov scored quite a lucky goal, the game-winner, which probably earned him 1st star honours. The star selectors (aka: stat readers) obviously think that shooting a puck off two defenders is what makes a player great. Although I don't agree that Andrei was our best tonight, I do agree that he was superb. In addition to his goal he made one heck of a pass to Kostitsyn on his goal; in my mind that was his big play of the game. Andrei was also on the ice for all of our goals and none of theirs which just shows how important of a player he is. My main point is that his goal was likely only the 10th best thing he did tonight. Even had he not scored he was already a lock for the dome and was a serious game-puck contender.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
Thank goodness for a good back-up. Now that we know that Price will miss (and has missed) significant time it is such a relief to have a goalie like Halak there. Can you imagine if we had to turn to Aebischer or Denis? I think we could kiss about 6-10 points good-bye. Halak by no means stole this game for us, but without his solid play a win may not have been in the cards. He remained calm and collected all game long as I saw no real signs of nerves. Luckily for us he wasn't tested too much over the last few minutes, but I am sure, that had he been, he would have been up to the challenge.



Eye-Openers
In this new section we are going to try and shed some light on certain plays or events that would otherwise go unnoticed

One thing that I have noticed a lot of lately is our players' ability to take passes out of the air with their sticks or hands and to play the puck and receive passes in full-stride with their skates. Just a few years ago a pass to the skate meant a turn-over and a flying puck was often swung at to no avail. Now, however, it seems that even our 'weaker' players are able to do all of this stuff with ease. Tonight there was Gorges taking the puck off his skate at full speed and leaving it for Latendresse (goal). There was also Latendresse himself who used his skates so effectively to keep and move the puck in the corners and behind the net. Bouillon had a moment where he was able to catch a hard-shot flying puck and turn it into a rush in our favour. These skills are no longer reserved for the Kovalev's on our team it seems. I think though that Alex may have something to do with all of this. The main change I see over the past 5 years on the Habs (vs. the years before) is the addition of a player of Kovy's talent. I know for a fact that practicing with talented players only makes you better yourself and that in time you can catch up with some of their tricks. This stuff is of course all child's play to a guy like Alex who has surely moved on to bigger and better skills, but I am convinced it is his presence on our team that has led to a lot of these team-wide skills. So, after looking at Kovalev's goals and assists don't be too quick to evaluate, you should also take some time to think about how he led, and changed this team over the past 5 years for the better.

Overall Comments

I personally thought that the Habs had a better team effort on Tuesday against Boston, but tonight we got the result. That of course is likely due to the fact that the Bruins are the superior team, that game was on the road and tonight we benefited from a bit of luck. We started the game well and actually doubled the Preds in shots in the first period (12-6). It took us a while to get the lead, but at the end of the first a long shot from Gui found its way in. Until then Nashville had not looked threatening at all and I think everyone had the feeling that it was only a matter of time. A matter of time, yes, but still we couldn't just sit on our 1-0 lead. That is, however, what seemed to happen. Over the last two periods we were out-shot 19-8 as the Predators scored 2 goals to match our 2. The good thing for us is that we played a relatively clean game and that meant very few penalties or odd-man rushes. Jaro was positioned well enough throughout the game that when he got a good look at a shot we were fine. In the end it took a lucky bounce by Markov to win it, but I think that even without that we were never in a real danger of ending this game with less than 1 point. It was a solid game, but more importantly it was 2 points. Next up is a trip to Kanata to see if we can add to Ottawa's woes.

Lecavalier Talks Sense

Either Vincent didn't read Michael Farber, or he decded to disregard the advice after checking what Lions in Winter thought. In any case, he'd be willing to come here (Fanatique.ca):

Questions (by Renaud Lavoie, RDS) about whether he'd accept a trade to Montreal, Vincent Lecavalier responded in the affirmative. Rumours of the big man n Montreal will now no doubt intensify.

Questionné (par Renaud Lavoie de RDS) à savoir s'il accepterait d'évoluer à Montréal advenant une éventuelle transaction, Vincent Lecavalier a répondu dans l'affirmative. Les rumeurs s'intensifient de plus en plus entourant la venue du gros centre étoile avec le Tricolore.

Apparently, he's not afraid of Renaud Lavoie and one Cup isn't life fulfilled.

Questions Of TankingHow Naive Is Howard Berger?

In searching for something, anything to write about the Preds, I came across this piece by Howard Berger instead.

In the piece, Berger (whom Leafs fans "revere") argues that:

...the concept of “tanking” has no merit. It’s an illusion; a cop-out for those who either don’t understand – or cannot deal with – the reality of professional sport.

Perhaps he is so adamant, because for all their years of futility, the Leafs have been as inept at tanking a season as they have been at winning a season. Their never quite good enough, never quite bad enough see-saw ride has seen them miss out on top draft picks and top awards for decades.


But don't tell the Colorado Avalanche that tanking never happens. Don't tell the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both franchises in their history have used tanking to great effect – to languish behind the Leafs and average teams for a while and then completely vault over them into contention without making stops in the middle ground.

Other than organizational tanking, how else can you explain this team (Quebec) losing to this team (Hartford)?

This team (Pittsburgh) tanked its way to 16 victories over 80 games! They squeaked by fellow tankers NJ to nab Mario Lemieux in the 1984 draft. Someone has to lose the season, but by trading their best defenceman when it looked to be getting too tight, Pittsburgh made sure they lost.

I realise that these examples show how managers and coaches can conspire to lose a season by playing a ton of rookies and trading good players for picks; however, the players can play a part too. After all, once the pressure is off from management (as it surely would be in a regime primed for losing), then some players stop trying as hard as they would have if they were pushed. Perhaps it's unconscious, but it happens.

Still don't believe in tanking. Ask Sweden how they got the plum semi-final at the Olympics. Ask Pittsburgh how they avoided the Bruins and got the Sens in the first round of the playoffs last year.