head coach: Jacques Martin

roster: C - Alexei Yashin, Radek Bonk, Sergei Zholtok, Shaun Van Allen. LW - Daniel Alfredsson, Randy Cunneyworth, Magnus Arvedson, Dennis Vial, Bruce Gardiner. RW - Alexandre Daigle, Andreas Dackell, Shawn McEachern, Denny Lambert. D - Lance Pitlick, Sean Hill, Chris Phillips, Wade Redden, Stan Neckar, Jason York, Janne Laukkanen, Igor Kravchuk. G - Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt

injuries: Oct 17 - Dennis Vial, lw (dislocated kneecap, out for two months); Alexandre Daigle returns from an infected elbow. Oct 19 - Janne Laukkanen, d (concussion). Oct 19 - Magnus Arvedson, lw (groin pull, day-to-day). Oct 22 - Alexandre Daigle out with sore forearm. Oct 25 - Janne Laukkanen returns from concussion.

transactions: Oct 21 - Traded Mike Maneluk, lw, (Worcester IceCats) to Philadelphia Flyers for future considerations. Oct 21 - Jason Zent, lw, reassigned from Detroit Vipers to Worcester IceCats. Oct 21 - Recalled Phil Crowe, lw, from Detroit Vipers. Oct 29 - Frank Musil, d; Jani Hurme, g; moved from Detroit Vipers to Indianapolis Ice (IHL). Radim Bicanek, d, moved from Detroit Vipers to Manitoba Moose (IHL). Derek Armstrong, c, moved from Detroit Vipers to Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL).

standings:

Eastern Conference - Northeast Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
Boston       15   9   5   1    19   41   35
Ottawa       15   8   4   3    19   47   36
Montreal     14   8   4   2    18   44   30
Pittsburgh   16   8   6   2    18   47   44
Buffalo      14   5   7   2    12   35   45
Carolina     15   4   8   3    11   38   47

game results:

10/22 at Toronto     W 6-2
10/23 Florida        T 2-2
10/25 Montreal       L 4-2
10/29 at Tampa Bay   W 5-2
10/30 at Florida     W 5-2
11/02 Boston         L 3-1

team news:

by The Nosebleeders, Ottawa Correspondents

"You just try and control the things you can control". Well said, Jacques (Martin). Jacques' Ottawa Senators, currently tied for 1st in the Northeast Division, are proof of this approach.

What a difference a season makes. November is not a kind month for the Senators. Traditionally they have lost (way, way) more than they have won. Last season the team got off to a good start but then came November (4-7-1 record in November 96) dropping the team from 2nd to 6th in the Northeast Division. Two seasons ago, Senators graduated from October over .500 and it seemed as if the teams fortunes had finally changed. Then it hit - BOOM - November. It washed out the rest of the Senators season, cost head coach Rick Bowness his job, and sealed the fate on GM Randy Sexton's job, who was eventually fired in January 1996. This November may just be a month that is more within the team's control.

Although not off to a good start (Boston loss on November 2nd), this November looks like it could be the one where the Senators break out. The team is not only poised with an excellent record and playing like a team, but this season they have something important - depth. Already we have seen strong goaltending from both goalies (Tugnutt 4-1-2 1.67 GAA, Rhodes 4-3-1 2.86 GAA), solid defense, and scoring from all lines (eight players with three or more goals). We've even seen a few defensemen playing forward. And what better time than November to break out? The baseball playoff's are over and the F1 circuit is complete (congrats to another famous Jacques on that one). Time to focus on hockey and time to separate the serious from the not-so-serious contenders. Fifteen games does not make a season but don't expect this team to collapse anytime soon.

Toronto to follow Senators blueprint?

Huh? Yes, folks, the second (by a large margin) most storied franchise in hockey sat down this summer and chose a team to model their rebuilding after. THeir choice? The Senators. Coach Mike Murphy said, "A year and a half ago the Ottawa team was in a very similar position to what our team is today". Huh? Mike, the Leafs have 11 Stanley cups and 80 odd years of NHL experience and the Senators were in last place four of the last five years. Murphy we hope is talking about the promise of youth and rebuilding. At least he's not talking about bringing back ol Orange-head.

Toronto entered the game against the Senators, billed as the battle for Ontario, as the underdog. A sellout crowd watched the work of McEachern, Yashin, and others as the Senators were all over the Leafs right from the opening horn. Yashin scored just 23 seconds into the game and the Yashin, McEachern, and Dackell line combined for seven points with McEachern netting a hat trick. The Senators sailed to an easy victory in this one, outshooting the Leafs 32-23. Alexandre Daigle returned to the lineup but was reinjured late in the second period when he was checked into the net. Rhodes started in nets for the Sens. He had posted a 2-0 record with a 1.50 GAA against the Leafs last season.

Unjust or unfair for some, a blessing for others

Chris Phillips, Senators defensemen, a.k.a LW, should have received credit for his first NHL goal against the Leafs. The goal, which bounced off the skate of a Leaf player was incorrectly given to McEachern earning him his first NHL hat trick. McEachern surpassed the 100-goal mark with his three-goal performance.

Quiz time

No, folks, no hat trick quiz this time. The Senators have a budding Ron Hextall in the works - what do we mean?

Hockey not Stewart

The Senators returned to Ottawa unbeaten in four to face the Florida Panthers. This game belonged to referee Paul Stewart who allowed, count 'em, 15 power-play opportunities. He even envoked a rule that calls for automatic fines of $1,000 after a fight between Denny Lambert and Florida's Rhett Warrener. The rule was inforced when the teams would not leave the immediate area during the fight.

Both teams enjoyed extended 5-on-3 situations but neither team could score and at one point midway in the second, 3-on-3 hockey was in vogue for some 51 seconds. Even with all the penalty-calling fun the teams managed just one power-play goal and four goals total. Although the work of Panther goalie Kevin Weekes (outshot 32-15) drew first star, Florida coach Doug Maclean and his screaming at Stewart for both penalty calls and non-calls should have won him a star.

Denny Lambert's second goal of the season allowed the Senators to gain the tie. Along with his two goals, he is plus 5 with 24 penalty minutes playing on a line with Shaun Van Allen and Bruce Gardiner.

After the Florida game the Senators spent their entire next practice working on the power play.

A return to Hockey night in Canada

The Senators seldom get to the "big show", HNIC (Hockey night in Canada). Against Montreal on this nationwide showcase the team has done very well. That is until the recent game against the Habs. The Senators did not play a good game as Montreal played tight defensively and beat them soundly. Tied 2-2 entering the second period, a Quintal-Lambert heavyweight matchup, which Quintal won, seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game.

Phil Crowe played a total of nine seconds in the game (one shift). That include time spent on the ice for his fight with Scott Thornton, which included two knockdowns.

Returning from a concussion, Janne Laukkanen was twice beaten to the outside because of the sheer speed of the Canadiens' forwards. Overall the Senators defensive core did not have a good game. Sean Hill's turnover early in the game lead to the Canadiens' first goal.

Hollywood?

Alexendre Daigle is reported as making plans to one day take a stab at the world of acting. Daigle, who spent the off-season in the LA area says, "I'm thinking of it (acting), but I like to think I've still got a long hockey career ahead of me first.". Rumors surrounding Daigle's future in Ottawa including one deal where he was on his way to Chicago in return for Eric Daze. With Daigle out of the lineup against the Canadiens, Alexei Yashin has taken over first place in the most-games-played-as-a- Senator race with 270 (to Daigle's 269).

The Senators' Florida road trip was their best yet. Defeating first the Tampa Bay Lightning and then the Florida Panthers, the Senators regained first place in the Northeast Division. In both games the Florida teams scored first but the Senators were able to mount a comeback. Alfredsson's two goals increased his total to seven. He now has 11 points in eight games.

Against the Panthers Sean Hill took seven stitches in the forehead when he was cross-checked into the boards. Chris Phillips finally got his first NHL goal when he converted an Alexei Yashin pass.

The Senators moved four players away from the Detroit Vipers citing a lack of ice time for the four. The Vipers are an independent IHL franchise and as such have a mandate to win and this sometimes comes at a cost of player development.

Senator turn solid defense into offense

Not wanting the headlines to be missread, Senator coach Jacques Martin has literally been using his defensemen as forwards. Chris Phillips has been a mainstay at LW and both Stan Neckar and Sean Hill have also seen action as fowards. On carrying eight defensemen Martin says, "It's not a luxery, it's a necessity. Given they have, for the most part, all been healthly, Martin has resorted to playing some of the them at forward to give them some ice time. Other than the benching of Wade Redden against LA and Laukkanen's injury, the core four of Kravchuk, Laukkenen, Redden, and York have seen action in every game.

Enter November

Senators started November on a bad note as they faced the much improved Boston Bruins. Tugnutt entered the game with 4-0-1 record and the team was on a roll. On the Bruins' winning goal by Rob DiMaio, referee Walkom declined to go to replay. Mike Sullivan was clearly well into the crease and the goal would have more than likely been disallowed. Walkom must have felt that Sullivan was bumped into the crease by Senators defensemen Jason York. Captain Randy Cunneyworth and the rest of the team were not pleased by the lack of review on the play or from comments from Bruins coach as ex-police officer Pat Burns, "If you think you've been robbed, call the police".

Speaking of the Tugger

A report from a local newpaper on a March 19th, 1991, Boston Bruin-Quebec Nordiques game had Ron Tugnutt facing 19 shots from Bruins' Ray Bourque alone. He faced 20 in total against the Bruins this time.

And the answer is...

Damian Rhodes is the only goaltender to score a goal at the college level. Twenty goalies have now scored 22 times in North American pro and top development leagues with the leading goal-scorer at the NHL level being Ron Hextall with two goals. Hextall became the first NHL goalie to actually shoot and score on December 8th, 1987. Michel Plasse was the first to score in the minor leagues for Kansas City in 1971.

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