Game Summary - Game 54: Lightning Visit Ottawa, but Sens Bring the Thunder

By Luke Peristy

Editor's note: We're doing our second Sens Money on the Board game of the season for Saturday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. And we have a ridiculous prize: Every donation of $40 or more enters you into a draw for a heritage classic Robin Lehner jersey. To make your pledge, use this form. Thanks!

I'll be honest, it was tempting to recycle my pregame blurb from last week's game for the beginning of this recap, but luckily I've found something else to talk about: The Standings.

I've made it a habit not to look at The Standings for most of this year because I found that when I did, it made me unhappy. However, I broke down today and took a quick peek. Based on that brief browsing session, I've got some good news and some bad news.

The Good News: Ottawa currently sits only one (1) point behind Carolina for the last wild card spot.

The Bad News: Four (4) other teams currently sit two (2) points or less behind Carolina for that same wild card spot.

There's a common metaphor that people (read: I) like to use that goes like this: you don't have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun the slowest person in your group. It's a great expression that in no way applies to the Senators' current situation. If Ottawa is going to make the playoffs, they're going to have to outrun everybody. If ever there was a good time for Ottawa to rip off an 11-game winning streak a la That One Time in 2009, this would be it. Related: does anyone know Mike Brodeur's phone number? (And if you do, get in touch with @RyanClassic).

Anyway, buckle up Sens fans, because the next 30 games are going to be one hell of a roller coaster whose final destination will either be the playoffs or the golf course.

In tonight's game of monumental importance (spoiler: All games are now of monumental importance), Ottawa took on Tampa Bay at home. Just like last week, Anderson and Bishop both started in goal, although this week Paul Maclean stated his desire to exploit Bishop's inability to move off of the colour he starts the game on. Would the Senators make the most of their advantage on the light squares ice? Will I ever stop making chess jokes? Let's find out!

Photoshop Gameday Preview - Ottawa vs. Tampa Bay

by Steve On Sens and Capital Gains

The Sens enter tonight's game against the Lighting having won their last game Tuesday night against Columbus. A pair of Stephane Da Costa goals and a late Jason Spezza tally lifted Ottawa over the surging Blue Jackets. The Senators are hoping to avenge their 4-3 Shootout loss to the Lightning last week. Tonight's game looks to feature western shootouts, Marc Methot nature walks and a mourning Denis Potvin. Let's take a look at the Starting Goalies!

Starting Goalies

Ottawa: Craig Anderson (17-10-7, 3.02 GAA, .907 SV%)
Craig Anderson looks to get his second straight win tonight. Anderson is playing a Lightning team that beat him three times in regulation and once in the shootout last week. Ottawa's starting goaltender is up to the challenge and believes that his team can pull of a victory because lightning never strikes twice! (Sorry...had to incorporate that somewhere)

Tampa Bay: Ben Bishop (26-7-4, 1.99 GAA, .933 SV%)

Former Senator Ben Bishop is looking to add to his success this season which has featured impressive stats in every column. Bishop currently leads the league in save percentage for goalies with over 25 games played, but more impressively, he leads all goalies in height. Time for the Storylines!

Potential Storylines

After their shootout loss to the Lightning last week, Craig Anderson complained about the deciding factor in the game. "It's a skills competition. It should be reserved for All-Star Games," Anderson was quoted saying. Since the Sens missed on all of their shots against Ben Bishop last week, it seems the team of Spezza, Zibanejad and Turris and Andy have been practicing their shootouts in preparation for tonight!

Sheriff Bishop, this town ain't big enough for the two (or five) of us!

Last week in Tampa, Marc Methot spent some quality time improving his tan while relaxing in the Sunshine State. Fast forward to today and Marc is out exploring the nature of Eastern Ontario!

Marc is still struggling with the concept of snow angels. On your back Mark! Just like Jared in the crease!

With the announcement of TSN taking over the regional coverage of Sens games next year, legendary colour commentator Denis Potvin has been wondering about the certainty of his job. Ottawa fans have grown to love the witty former defenceman and Potvin will be missed greatly.

There is no joke about this image because I am too sad to make one.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the game!

Game Summary: #BellLetsTalk about the Sens and Jackets

by Bonk's Mullet

Hey folks! The Sens took on the Jackets (the blue ones) on Tuesday night, but I thought I'd start with a blurb about #BellLetsTalk. I know this is a blog for jokes, but let me remind you that an essential part of any mullet is the business in the front. I already made this rant on Twitter, so if you want to skip to the jokes, they're down there somewhere!

The goal of the initiative is to end the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Here are some facts about depression. What struck me is that even though most people suffer from depression in their lives at some point, most stories come in the form of celebrity success stories. Take a look at this Wikipedia article of famous people who've suffered from depression. That's pretty much all the celebrities I know.

Although it's nice to hear these "it can happen to anyone, even extremely successful people" stories, if you're anything like me, it's extremely difficult to relate to people of this stature. It's difficult to say "I can be just like them and get through this" when they seem above personhood to begin with. You might say to yourself, "I'm not strong enough to win a gold medal or an Oscar, so how can I get through this depression?" When you feel worthless to begin with, it's not encouraging to compare yourself to a famous athlete, musician, or actor.

Days like today are extremely important. It's nice to hear stories from average joes, with equally boring stories to your own, talk about their struggles. At times, it's more encouraging to hear about someone who had nothing and managed to turn it into something. My point is not to diminish the efforts of those trying to bring the issues into the spotlight, but to make sure we turn our attention to those at every point on the "coolness" spectrum. Everybody needs someone to relate to, and there's always someone out there who's gone through what you have. Speak up and you might inspire someone you know to do so as well.

The other tricky point is that some of us, including myself, don't feel like they can describe what they are going through as "depression." You hear stories of suicide attempts or emotional paralysis, and you think to yourself that you've never felt that low, so you're probably okay. But the reality is that there's no binary; there's no black and white. Whatever your feelings are, let them be known to someone. These things pile up quickly and it's best to wade through the shit together. Don't feel like you have to suck it up because there's someone worse off than you. We all need help sometimes. Some people might need help from a doctor, but most of us probably just need to talk to a friend.

I strongly recommend these two [1] [2] Hyperbole and a Half comics that attempt to explain the author's bout with depression.

Anyway, let's keep the dialogue open, let's be a little nicer to one another, and remember to listen.

Now that I've got the crowd warmed up... Jokes!

Photoshop Gameday Preview - Ottawa @ Carolina

by Steve On Sens

Saturday afternoon, the Ottawa Senators face off against the Carolina Hurricanes, in their first rematch since the bitter fight these two teams put up against each other on November 24 in Raleigh. We all remember that game, of course, which memorably reached its climax for Sens fans at the 1:07 mark of the first period when Jason Spezza made it 1-0 for Ottawa. It all went downhill from there, though, with the Hurricanes scoring three goals in just under six minutes. Boy, does that sound like a November game . . . but now it's January! With three out of a possible four points taken so far on this current road trip, the Senators are hoping to continue their recent success and finally climb into a playoff spot. Let's take a look at the starting goalies!

Game Summary - Game 51: Senators Tie Game, Lose Skills Competition to Tampa Bay

By Luke Peristy

As the two teams that joined the NHL in 1992, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators will forever be inexorably linked. The similarities begin in their choices of alternate jerseys where in lieu of a logo, the jerseys sport the nickname of the team in words, something which everyone agrees is a terrible decision.

We play for the words on the front, not the name on the back.

While separated by geography, both franchises share a sort of spiritual connection and think of each other like brothers. Like the Romulus and Remus of the NHL, they are the central characters in the Myth of The Creation of Bettman's NHL. Nowhere is this more clear than at the Tampa Bay Times Forum where there is a magnificent sculpture of a two hockey players suckling at the teat of Wolf Gary Bettman. Bettman commissioned the statue himself. If you are ever in Tampa, you simply must see it.

In tonight's game, Craig Anderson started against his former backup Ben Bishop. Coach Paul Maclean stated he wanted the Senators to exploit Bishop's poor movement, as Bishop can only move diagonally*. Would the Senators be successful? Let's find out!

*I'm really sorry.

Photoshop Gameday Preview - Ottawa @ Tampa

by Capital Gains

It's game day! The Sens are in Tampa to take on the Lightning tonight. Ottawa is coming into this game having just beaten the Capitals 2-0. The last meeting between the Sens and Lightning resulted in a 3-1 victory for Tampa, as Captain and Canadian Olympian Martin St. Louis scored two goals. Will the Lightning continue their success? Will Marc Methot improve his tan? Where is Brian Lee seated? Here are your story lines for tonight's game:

Game Summary - Game 50: Senators @ Capitals - Inspector Zack Smith vs. Dr. Claw

by Chet Sellers

"Don't look back; you can never look back." Don Henley wrote that, and it's as true now as the day I tattooed it across my shoulder blades. So sometimes the only thing you can do after a couple of tough home losses is grab your Eagles tapes, hit the road, and put everything behind you. And what better way to do that than head to Washington and play a team you haven't lost to since 2011?

That's right, the Senators begin another road trip tonight against the Washington Capitals, a team they'd beaten six times in a row coming into this game. Even so, tonight's game almost didn't happen, as Washington has been hit by a blizzard of "average Tuesday in Ottawa" proportions. In fact, several Senators were heard to remark that today's inclement weather actually made them feel more at home. "Yes, just like home," Bobby Ryan was heard to remark, quietly.

Also, some lineup notes coming at you - Mar(c)(k)s Methot and Stone are both out, which means Binghamton call-up Stephane Da Costa and "Oh Yeah, That Guy!" Patrick Wiercioch will draw into the lineup. And for the Capitals, what about Alexander Ovechkin? More like Out-vechkin, because he's got a lower-body injury! Does that mean everything's coming up Ottawa tonight? Let's find out!

Photoshop Gameday Preview- Ottawa @ Washington

by Kevin Lee

The Ottawa Senators travel to the capital of the United States tonight to face the struggling Washington Capitals. The Senators are looking to rebound after a poor effort at home against the New York Rangers. In their last meeting with the Capitals, the Senators came out victorious and hope to continue that trend tonight. Will they?

• On our way to Washington, our photographer stopped by Binghamton and snuck into the homes of Jim O'Brien, Derek Grant, JG Pageau, Mike Hoffman, and Stephane Da Costa. The same object was found in all of them:

Looks like Mark Stone is out with a hand injury. You heard it here first.

• It looks like Da Costa's voodoo doll was the one that worked as he's been called up following a Mark Stone injury. Unfortunately, with no seats additional seats available on the flight to Washington, it was up to Cory Conacher to use some of his extra leg room to get Da Costa on board:

Just don't tell Conacher Da Costa raising a child these days.

• With Craig Anderson being named starter, Robin Lehner took another day backing him up in stride. During the Senators game day skate, Lehner was spotted wearing a new hat, throwing his support behind an unexpected player:

Did he steal that hat from Ovechkin? Why does Ovechkin have a Senators hat?

• Unfortunately for Robin, Alex Ovechkin is reportedly a game-time decision with a lower body injury. Clearly Da Costa's call-up has had a bigger impact than we all expected:

Ovi deserved a kick in the shin for those boot cut jeans

• Finally, ex-Leafs Clarke MacArthur and Mikhail Grabovski were spotted hanging out together before the game. Reports say they've done some deep, inward reflecting and they have no hard feelings towards the Leafs organization:

Always wear your helmet when you drink, kids.

Enjoy the game!

The Chet Sellers & Luke Peristy Podcast - Episode 1

by Chet Sellers and Luke Peristy

Folks, why not set sail with us on the maiden voyage of the Chet Sellers & Luke Peristy Podcast - it's like those articles you sometimes skim to the bottom of, except this time it's live!

In the first episode, Luke and Chet try to answer the important questions - Why are the Canadiens so fun to play? What's going on with Eugene Melnyk's horses? Have we reached Peak Mups? Then they get back from the Rangers game and things get a little loose. Come join us!

Game Summary - Game 48: Price is close to right without being over, Habs beat Sens 5-4 in OT

By Luke Peristy

They say that familiarity breeds contempt, so when you throw in geographical proximity, one fanbase with an easily offended and misguided sense of justice, one fanbase which likes to watch the other fans be unhappy for a change, and some (hilariously) lopsided results over the past 12 months, the rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators has contempt with a dash of something extra.

Even the players are not immune. Contrary to the talk of hockey players being emotionless professionals who just take things "one game at a time", Paul Maclean, Jason Spezza, Clarke MacArthur, and Robin Lehner let it be known that the Senators go into games against Montreal with a bit more Bobby Ryan inclusive synonym for intensity.

Paul Maclean: "I think they bring out the competitive nature of our team."

Jason Spezza: "It's a natural rivalry with how close it is and now that we've played them in the playoffs I think it has intensified. Usually it's a split building and it's pretty feisty in there so they've always led to good games."

Clarke MacArthur: "There's definitely more emotion in the game, it just feels like a pride game more than other games."

Robin Lehner: "There will be only destruction. The guilty shall be struck down by the righteous. They shall wail in the streets as the blood..." [Quote continues for 20 more minutes]

This game was not lacking for storylines as the Senators could move into a playoff spot with a win, the Canadiens were trying to avoid losing 3 of their last 4, and Chris Neil made his triumphant return return was of no importance whatsoever as Matt Kassian drew into the lineup bumping Jean-Gabriel "Habs Kryptonite" Pageau back to the AHL in the process. Would this prevent me from inventing facetious narratives to add excitement to the game recap? Unlikely!

Let's get to the hockey-related lies!

A Brief History of Eugene Melnyk

By Luke Peristy

I believe it was Leo Tolstoy who once wrote, "All popular sports owners are alike; all unpopular sports owners are unpopular in their own way." Speaking of which, you can't spend much time on the Senators-related internet without noticing that Eugene Melnyk is a somewhat controversial figure, much in the same way George W. Bush or Justin Bieber are controversial. Some people would describe him as an arrogant, tone-deaf blowhard, but then again, he also has his detractors. Sports owners in general are a mixed bag, but I think it's safe to say that few bags have been more mixed than The Euge over the past 11 years.

I'm sure that you could go back through what Melnyk has said over time and say that he's contradicted himself, but I beg to differ. If you read between the lines, you can see that he's been saying the same things all along. This is the basis for what I'm calling The Unified Theory of Melnyk. Let's take a look at my Unified Theory using the one thing The Man Himself couldn't possibly disagree with: Eugene Melnyk.

I present to you Eugene Melnyk as expressed by Eugene Melnyk.

Game Summary: Game 47 - Sens Gone Wild

by Bonk's Mullet

Good morning or afternoon or night, Sens fans! The Senators were in Minnesota on Tuesday night to take on the Wild. Not only was Eric Gryba extremely disappointed to learn that this meant for a hockey game, he was also shattered to hear he wouldn't be in the lineup.

Robin Lehner got the start for this one in order to rest Craig Anderson for Thursday's game against Montreal, although after watching this game, I'm fairly certain Anderson would have been more rested had he have played.

Matt Kassian made his return to Minnesota, looking to find the scoring touch he once had with the Wild. 2 out of every 3 Kassian goals have come while playing for the Wild. So literally 2 out of 3.

Dany Heatley got to take part in the semi-annual hatefest that has become a proud tradition for Sens fans...and media:

Heatley made himself disappear before the media came in the room. He will not be available today. This is my shocked look. #sens
— Don Brennan (@SunDoniB) January 14, 2014

But I'm sure the hate for Heatley has died down by now right? Let's go to our friend Don in Oakville who has managed to look beyond Heatley's ugly past with the Senators, assessing Heatley as the true leader that he is:

Fitting with Parise out the Wild chose Heatley to fill the A hole.
— Don in Oakville (@Don_inOakville) January 15, 2014

Let's play some hockey!

Game Summary - Game 46: Senators @ Predators - Red Solo Mup

by Chet Sellers

Here at RBM, we like both kinds of music - country and western. And that's why we're so excited about tonight's showdown in Nashville - not only will these two teams write the latest chapter in the story of one of the top 500 rivalries in the NHL, but it gives us an excuse to turn this place into a honky-tonk! Let's see what happens!  

Photoshop Gameday Preview- Ottawa @ Nashville

by Capital Gains

It's game day! The Sens are in Nashville to take on the Predators tonight. The Sens are looking to bounce back tonight after their first loss in five games, so they're coming into this game on a relative low note, which is weird considering they were just in Colorado. Here are your story lines for tonight's game:

Game Summary: The Sens Fly Mile High and then Die (in Denver)

by Bonk Bong's Mullet

Good evening Sens fans! I've been on hiatus for a few weeks while attending the Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, so it's good to be back. The Senators and Avalanche were in action on Wednesday night in their annual competition for the I Guess We Have To Put This Game On The Schedule Cup. And what a night it was!

Here were the storylines heading into the game:

• The Sens appear to be riding a 4 game winning streak. How long was I gone for?
• Craig Anderson played his first game back in Colorado since being traded for the S.S. Elliott. 
• Patrick Roy recently said of Jean-Sebastian Giguere, "Jiggy needs to be better. He hasn't played well in the last four or five games. He should stand up and say, 'I'm not playing up to what I should.' And he did not. He needs to be better, and we need him playing better. Period," which is the nicest thing Roy has ever said about one of his players. Varlamov was given the start.
• Jason Spezza made his return to the lineup this evening. The captain missed the last 4 games due to a hip injury, which he obtained by crashing his fixie into a thrift store.
• Marijuana is legal in Colorado.

Here were the lines, which surprisingly lasted the entire evening:

MacArthur - Turris - Ryan

Michalek - Zibanejad - Conacher

Stone - Spezza - Greening

Kassian - Smith - Condra

Cowen - Karlsson

Phillips - Ceci

Methot - Gryba

With Mark Stone's tree stump legs and Jason Spezza's wonky back, it's assumed that Colin Greening was included on the third line solely to be stripped down for parts.

And then there was a game! Here are the video highlights from NHL.com.

1st Period

• Now, I'm not saying the Sens are a predictable team, but let's just say that the next 5 points could have been copy and pasted from any of my other game summaries against Western Conference opponents this year. In fact, I had a template prepared before the game even began.
• [Cory Conacher] takes a [tripping] penalty on [Colorado] player [Cory Sarich], sending [the Avalanche] to the power play.
• The Ottawa Senators most likely regret letting UFA defenceman [Andre Benoit] walk this offseason. [Benoit] has been surprisingly effective on the [Avalanche] powerplay.
• Ottawa goes down 1-0 early off a power play goal from [Jamie McGinn]
• Minutes later, [Jan Hedja] scores to put the Senators down 2-0. [Senators starting goaltender] really has to be more reliable in the opening minutes.
• Thankfully the MacArthur-Turris-Ryan line gets the Sens back in the game. [Clarke MacArthur] scores on a one timer in the slot from a great feed from [Bobby Ryan], closing the gap to 2-1.

And then the game goes off the rails...

• Denis Potvin claims Erik Karlsson tripped skating backwards near the end of the second due to "Pygmies shooting poison darts." The camera cuts to the bench as Paul MacLean places his hand on Gryba's shoulder. Gryba lowers his weapon.
• Potvin explains his mindset minutes later when he says, "5280 feet. Straight up in the air is how high we are." So it's going to be one of those nights.
• I start to question my own sobriety when I witness this Karlsson hipcheck on MacKinnon:

"This wasn't what I had in mind when I asked for a hit, Erik."

• The Avalanche go 10 minutes without a shot, which is longer than anyone lasted in the Sens press box, according to Alexei Kovalev.
• In the first intermission, the Sportsnet panel proclaims, "That's where a lot of the goals are scored against Colorado, folks: In front of their own net." Topics in the second period intermission will include "Teams prefer not to be called for penalties", "Why goaltenders should save the puck", and "Oh God we have to fill 12 years of intermissions."
• After going down 2-0 early, the Senators totally dominated the rest of the period, setting the stage for an exciting game.

it's like five minutes into this game somebody told the senators possession is legal
— Chet Sellers (@chet_sellers) January 9, 2014

2nd Period

• Two minutes into the second, Tyson Barrie learns the hard way that you can still be penalized for a trip in Colorado.
• Okay, let me be blunt. From this point forward the summary is pretty much just going to be drug puns, so don't say I didn't warn you in advance, officer.
• On the ensuing power play, the Senators hit the pipe more times than Rob Ford at a flutist convention.
• After Corey Sarich is called for a slash on Colin Greening, Jan Hejda takes a 2 minute delay of game penalty for burning one out into the lower bowl. 
• On the 5-on-3, MacArthur hooks up Spezza for a dope backdoor tap-in to tie the game at 2.

"Back pain isn't the only chronic I'm feeling."

• Just as the second power play is expiring, Mark Stone cooks up a one timer for his bud Kyle Turris who smokes it top corner.
• Twitter made lots of jokes:

"Nice pass, Stoner" said Turris as all 18,000 in attendance respond, "Thanks!" in unison.
— Bonk's Mullet (@BonksMullet) January 9, 2014

@BonksMullet it might be because they've been rolling 4 lines......?
— TomSENS (@TomSENS) January 9, 2014

@BonksMullet Sens have weeded out their mistakes, but it's high time they pot a couple more before their lead goes up in smoke. #sorry
— Michael Woods (@michaelrwoods) January 9, 2014

@TravisHeHateMe @BonksMullet @SensChirp that line's chemistry shows they're great buds.
— JayZito (@JayZito) January 9, 2014

Funny how the sound of a puck going off the post in Colorado now sounds like "BONG".
— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) January 9, 2014

@ian_mendes if we had a dime for every time they hit the post tonight...
— Chet Sellers (@chet_sellers) January 9, 2014

Everyone in Colorado keeps telling Kyle Turris to slow down and mellow out.
— TomSENS (@TomSENS) January 9, 2014

The #Avs look disjointed #Sens #420
— Sens Call-ups (@SensCallUps) January 9, 2014

@TravisHeHateMe @SensChirp Anyone else feel as though @BonksMullet should pipe down a bit?
— Jake Gambier (@JakeGambier) January 9, 2014

Okay.

3rd Period

• Up 3-2 going into the 3rd, the Sens should have been able to pull off the win as long as they played disciplined four twenty. (h/t @SensCallUps)
• But rather than sitting back on their lead, the Sens continued to light up the joint for the majority of the third. Unfortunately after about 13 minutes of solid possession, the Sens looked completely burnt out.
• After hitting the post at least 4 times in the dying minutes, it was clear the Avalanche were Jonesing for a goal. Paul Stastny played the role of buzz kill as he finished off a Landeskog scoring chance to tie the game at 3 to send the game to overtime.

Overtime

• A mere 33 seconds into overtime, while Anderson and Karlsson were reduced to performing an interpretive dance routine in the crease, Tyson Barrie scored from the slot to pot home the winner.

Somewhat Serious Words at the End

I'm sorry about the terrible weed jokes. We at Bonk's Mullet are always looking to expand our readership.

Expect the post-game interview from MacLean to include the words "full", "sixty" and "minutes." The Sens looked to be playing some of their best hockey of the season for about 45 minutes, but this was book-ended by some of their poorest hockey to both start and finish the game.

This game was also marked with some of the strangest officiating I've seen in a while. I was worried the refs had clouded their judgment by re-fashioning their whistles during the third period, but the puffs of smoke were confirmed to be coming from Patrick Roy's hears.

Now please excuse me as I take after my idol Bobby Ryan and go to sleep. 

Game Summary - Game 44: Senators @ Canadiens - Is That A Bat?

by Chet Sellers

Here's something - for two teams that are supposed to be developing a vicious rivalry, the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens have only played each other once over the first half of the season. You might remember that game as the night this happened:

 

"God Jul," said Lehner, getting an early jump on the holiday season.

Considering these are two division rivals who play five times this year, one game in half a season seems odd, doesn't it? In fact, I'm pretty sure I remember these two teams playing five times in a week last year! Yep, according to Wikipedia, they did! And apparently this happened:

"It was a crazy night, man. We all went home with somebody else's gloves."

In any event, starting tonight, the Senators and Canadiens play twice in two weeks and four times before the end of the season. Ottawa comes into the game having won three in a row, only the second time they've achieved that feat all year - the first time was almost two months ago, and during that streak you might remember this happening:

Shortly after the exchange above, #BourqueFacts failed to trend on Twitter.

In other words, two things have been happening recently when the Senators and Canadiens meet - conflict, and a Senators victory - but will those trends continue tonight? Let's find out in another fair, even-handed recap!

Ottawa Senators Off-Ice Power Rankings - January 2014

by Chet Sellers

If you were an Ottawa Senator last month, you did two things: you lost more games than you won, and you withdrew considerably from social media.  December was a wasteland for good off-ice material, folks; usually-ebullient guys like Marc Methot and Bobby Ryan more or less went to ground, while November Twitter virtuoso Robin Lehner never even picked up his instrument. It’s almost as if Paul MacLean sat these guys down and told them, “Until you goldbricks can focus enough to win two in a row, no more Snakechat, no more Pentagram, no more Twister.” I like to think that MacLean made a special exception for Erik Karlsson, just so Karlsson could keep brandishing swords in his onesie, arguing with the Popsicle corporate account, and cooing slow jam lyrics at Marc Methot.

So what are we going to do? Thanks for asking. You see folks, lucky for us, late last month the Senators realized that if they were ever going to get anywhere this season, on the ice or on the internet, they needed to do it as a team. And that’s when they got together and made their greatest team Christmas video ever.

I know what you’re saying - it doesn't mean much to call this video their greatest ever, when the idea of a hockey team showing the world its lighter side through a social media-driven Christmas video is a relatively recent phenomenon. And yes, it’s possible that earlier Senators teams could have made videos that stand up to this one, if only they'd had the technology we do today. But they didn't – when they wanted to let loose, all they had was the cover of Bodycheck magazine. And folks, that’s a reality I can’t change. All I can do is address the Christmas video we’ve got in front of us. And tell you that they nailed it.

We’re going to use this month’s power rankings to count down the Senators’ performances in their 2013 Christmas video. Yeah, I know it came out last week and you already saw it, but we’re still within the twelve-days-of-Christmas window, and this time, we’re gonna watch it together! Let’s do it!

Game Summary - Game 43: Intnesity

by Bobby Ryan

4-3 Sens.

Photoshop Gameday Preview - Winnipeg @ Ottawa

by Capital Gains

It's game day! The Senators kick off 2014 with a game against the Jets tonight and are on a relative roll, having finished 2013 by winning two straight for the first time since November. Can they make it three straight? Dare to dream, Sens fans! Here are your story lines for tonight's game: