Senators top Devils, remain unbeaten

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A 4-2 win against the New Jersey Devils on Thanksgiving kept Ottawa undefeated. We are now 4-0, a much better start than last year. But man oh man this team better pick it up. We dominated most of the first and then it seems everyone started thinking about that turkey waiting at home.

Heatley - Spezza - Alfredsson were amazing again, combining for 8 points and scoring 2 of Ottawa's 4 goals. The other two came from Kelly and Redden. We almost let the game slip away though. They just could not get the puck out of their end in the 3rd period, and it cost them a goal. With the Devils within one and pressing hard, Heatley made a beast play to get it out and allow Alfie to score on the open net. He literally bowled over the defencemen on the point and took the puck with him.

Gerber was solid again. Neither goal can really be put on him. The first was a defensive collapse, allowing Asham to walk right out and sweep it around Gerber. The second was an exhibition of perfect hand eye coordination as Parise knocked the puck out of mid air on a rebound.

Other than that the game was mildly entertaining, which is more than you usually expect from a Devils game.

The best news of all? Gerber has a new mask. It is finally here, though he didn't wear it today. At least we know for sure now that this isn't some form of silent protest. Even though he wants out, Gerber is still a team guy.

Sens face Devils undefeated

Today the Senators host the New Jersey Devils in a special Thanksgiving matinée at 3pm. The Senators come into the match undefeated having beaten the Maple Leafs twice and the powerful New York Rangers.

On our side we have Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson who have been red hot to start the year. Alfie looks like he is in 05-06 offensive form, when he got 43 goals and 103 points. Heatley is once again scoring goals and setting up his line mates. If Heatley gets 49 goals and 99 points it's considered a disappointing season - how awesome is it to have a player like that?

Martin Gerber is having a great start filling in for injured Ray Emery. Gerber has gone 3-0 to start the season, but if you go into the pre-season, and even into last year, he hasn't lost a game in regulation in forever. This may not be the most popular opinion - but I am a big fan of Gerber. Always have been actually. I would be fine with having him as our starter. He got such a bad wrap last year when the entire team was playing horribly in front of him.

The other advantage to keeping Gerber as our starter is that Ray Emery's trade value is through the roof right now. There may not be a market for Gerber, but I'm sure there is one for Emery. With all that being said, I would rather keep both for this season. Having two starting goalies is a great problem to have.

Jason Spezza really needs to pick up his play for this game. He looked so dominant in the pre-season and has disappeared now that the games matter. I wonder if it's a case of confidence, which seems ludicrous talking about Spezza - often perceived as a cocky individual - but it seems like he is afraid to carry it like he did in the pre-season. Instead he is back to rushing impossible passes.

Chris Phillips looked better last game, which is great news because we badly need him to be in top form if we want to have a successful season. I've said it for years, but this guy is the foundation on our back end - always has been. He may not be the most skilled player back there, but he has always been the most important in my opinion. I wouldn't trade him for Chara or Redden.

Hoping for a good game today. The Senators exposed Martin Brodeur last year in the playoffs by shooting high glove side. I would be shocked if we don't see more of that today.

Senators beat the Rangers 2-0

I'm a little late on this one. I would give a complete summary, but I was a little too drunk during the game. Some things I do remember:

• Gerber was great again. Can't argue with a shutout - especially against a team like the Rangers.
  
• Mike Fisher's hard work led to a goal by Meszaros. There's a surprise. When does Fisher NOT work his ass off to get results?
• Our defence looked somewhat competent this game - a nice change.
  
• Alfie rules.
  
• Neil is back in form. Great hits.
  

Heatley, Toronto games, and stuff.

Well as everyone knows - we have Heatley for 6 years. $7.5 million per year is to me a bargain. This is a player that would likely get the max on the open market - so count me happy. Locking him up through his most productive years is amazing. We are talking about a guy who could have over 400 goals with the Senators by the time his contract his done. I'd be happy if he retires as a Sen when he is 40.

With the singing out of the way, Heatley went out and got 3 points against the Leafs, including a game tying and game winning goal. Wow. The Leaf killer strikes again. The rest of the game was pretty forgettable though. Not great hockey - at all.

Spezza regressed to his 05-06 form - lots of turn overs and attempts at impossible passes. This is somewhat odd, especially considering the excellent pre season he had. He has the ability to control games and looked like he would be doing that this year, but the first two games were not encouraging.

In the second game Ottawa was again outplayed, but they certainly looked better. There were moments of effort which was encouraging I suppose. Nothing amazing though. Alfredsson definitely looked much better which is a very good sign. He managed to pot two goals, both of which were gorgeous. His roof-daddy on Toskala to win the game was pure sniper skill. Unbelievable. It shut up every Leaf fan in the arena (not that there were many compared to years past).

Heatley also had a strong second game and now has 5 points in just 2 games. Guess he likes knowing that he only needs to work 6 more years to be set for life.

The best news to come out of these two games aside from the 4 points is Martin Gerber. He has continued his stellar play from the pre season. Aside from some rebound issues he has looked great. He was the main reason we were able to win both of these games, managing to make 41 saves tonight!

Overall it has been an exciting two days. Heatley is ours, we beat the Leafs twice, and our backup looks better than a lot of starters.

Hopefully our effort picks up though.