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head coach: Jacques Martin

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

injuries: Vaclav Prospal, c (sore hand, day-to-day); Janne Laukkanen, d (groin/hip, day-to-day); Stan Neckar, d (knee, day-to-day).

transactions: Igor Kravchuk, d, returned from hip injury, missed one game.

standings:

Eastern Conference - Northeast Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
x-Pittsburgh 76  37  22  17    91  209  175  
Boston       74  34  27  13    81  198  175  
Buffalo      75  33  27  15    81  192  170  
Montreal     75  35  30  10    80  219  190 
Ottawa       75  30  31  14    74  175  184  
Carolina     74  31  35   8    70  183  196  
x - Clinched playoff spot

game results:

3/25 at NY Rangers W 3-2 OT
3/27 at Chicago    L 2-1
3/30 at Pittsburgh T 1-1
4/02 San Jose      T 3-3
4/03 at New Jersey W 3-2
4/05 at Buffalo    W 1-0

team news:

by The Nosebleeders, Ottawa Correspondents

Let's Get Ready to RRRRUUUMMMMMBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!

So this is it...seven games left in the 1997-98 edition, and it's come down to a battle for the eighth and final playoff spot with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Right from Day 1 - back when Radek Bonk shared the team lead in scoring - everybody knew that the improved Senators would nevertheless be battling it out with somebody for one of the final playoff spots. The fact that 'somebody' turned out to be Carolina, we must admit, turned out to be quite the surprise.

Alexei Yashin by Meredith Martini

Granted, this isn't an expansion team, rather the reincarnation of perennial first-round drop-outs the Hartford Whalers. But after a slow start - and gawd awful fan support - we half expected the team to shrivel up and die long ago.

Yet here they are today, outlasting the New York Rangers and the same Florida Panthers who made the finals a mere two years ago. Glancing quickly at the Hurricanes' roster, we see a team that has nevertheless improved dramatically of late. Trevor Kidd is currently riding a three-game shutout streak. And the likes of Keith Primeau, Gary Roberts, Ray Sheppard, Martin Gelinas, Steve Chiasson, Kevin Dineen and tough guy Stu Grimson will not go down without a fight.

One look at these two teams' final schedules, and you would have to favor Carolina's chances, albeit very slightly. Hurricane veterans from last season (and there are not too many of them) remember the days as Whalers and in particular the fact that Ottawa's late season rush pushed them out of the playoffs. And with little pressure from the fans and media (apparently they get more excited over Ernie Irvan's exhaust manifold than playoff hockey), the 'Canes probably have the emotional edge as well.

But our beloved Senators are hanging on to their slim two-point lead, fully aware that losing a playoff berth would be considered a disaster in these parts.

Can You Spell O-V-E-R-K-I-L-L?

Yes, Steve Duchesne's playoff clinching goal in the final game last year against Buffalo was very exciting and emotional. And, yes the Sens' seven-game battle with Buffalo was as thrilling as they come. But three games against the Sabres in the final 10 games of the year? Look, we appreciate the gesture, but last time we checked, Mr. Schedulemaker, there were 11 other teams in our conference.

For those keeping score at home, Ottawa's seven remaining games are as follows:

Boston
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
at Tampa Bay
at Florida
Montreal
at Buffalo

Humble in Defeat

Speaking of last year's playoff rendezvous with Buffalo, if you recall, Kanata mayor Merle Nicholds challenged Buffalo's mayor to a bet that would see Nicholds personally deliver homemade BeaverTails (the pastry, not the rodent) to Buffalo fans if Ottawa lost, while Buffalo's mayor would deliver Buffalo wings to Nicholds if the opposite happened. Well...you know what happened (I still see Derek Plante before my eyes. Make it stop...) and - true to her word - Nicholds delivered prior to the Sens April 5th meeting in Buffalo. Steve Banko of the Buffalo mayor's office was on hand to savor the tasty treat in the parking lot outside of the Marine Midland Arena.

But Nicholds' got the last laugh - watching Ottawa blank Buffalo 1-0.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmmmm

Just an observation, but have you noticed how Sens GM Pierre Gauthier has kept a relatively low profile since word got out that he may be taking the GM job in Anaheim next year? If history means anything, that usually means he's a goner. Further proof - he was spotted in Toronto 'scouting' the Leafs-Sharks game last Saturday. Uh, let's see...the fate of both teams mean absolutely nothing to Ottawa's playoff chances. But hold on a sec, isn't San Jose a division rival of Anaheim's? Hmmmmm.....

As for that persistent rumor that Bryan Murray - an Ottawa Valley native - would leave the Panthers to assume the Sens GM job should Gauthier leave? Consider it a strong possibility. After all, Murray received a vote of confidence from Panther brass that he will return next year. And in hockey circles, that kind of promise is as valuable as North Korean stocks.

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

The Senators' huge overtime victory over the Rangers in MSG not only meant a rare victory in the Big Apple, but it could also be looked upon as the win that knocked Gretzky and the Rangers out of the playoffs.

So to whom shall we sing the praises? Should it be Alexei Yashin, who rifled home the game-winner? Or perhaps Daniel Alfredsson, who stole the puck from Brian 'Diggin' A Hole' Leetch and set up Yashin on a pretty 2-on-1? Or maybe Damian Rhodes for his fine work between the pipes?

Nope. If you ask Jacques Martin, it was all because of Jerry Casale. Casale, a New York restaurateur and former Bosox pitcher in the late 1950s, owns a restaurant in New York called Pino's. He guaranteed Martin a win when the Sens dined there prior to the matchup. "That's two straight," said Martin. "We ate there last year and we won. We didn't eat there last week and we lost."

Message to Sens' management - put Casale on your payroll. Now. Better still, open a Pino's franchise in Kanata Centrum and allow only Senators to dine there.

It's a Bad Year to be Canadian

Nothing to do with the Sens, but we had to offer up this opinion. Now that Wayne Gretzky's Rangers are officially out of the playoffs, this means that we will now have to witness a postseason without the likes of Gretz, Mark Messier (where are his Canucks going?), Mario Lemieux (retirement) and Paul Kariya (out with a concussion). Couple that with the fact that Ottawa and Montreal are the only two Canadian teams with legitimate playoffs plans, and it certainly looks bleak to be Canadian.

Oh well, on the bright side, maybe we'll see Gretzky and Messier hook up once again for Team Canada in the world championships? Who knows...

Trivia Time

The Sens' overtime win over the Rangers was their first on the road since 1993. Who did the Sens beat, and who popped home the winner? Answer at the end of this column.

Devil of a Comeback

Virtually every hockey beat writer likes to throw his or her two cents worth as to which game was the 'turning point' for their team's season. Well, here's our two cents Canadian (0.0000000000000067 cents U.S.) - April 3, 1998: Ottawa 3, New Jersey 2.

Down two goals heading into the third period against the league's top team - the same team they will most likely face in Round 1 - in a building that has proven tough to win in, against one of the best goaltenders in the league, and against the Devils' stifling defense, the Sens somehow digged deep down (way, way down) and pulled a minor miracle with three unanswered goals to beat the Devils 3-2.

If anything, it proved to the Sens and their fans that they can compete with the best of them on any given night, so long as everybody is giving it their 100% (gawd, we sound like Knute Rockne).

Even sweeter was the fact that Denny Lambert scored the game winner. Ya gotta love it when so-called 'thugs' come out smelling like roses.

Problem? What Problem?

During the frenzy that led up to the trade deadline, insiders were claiming that Sens GM Gauthier was on the lookout for a solid veteran goaltender to help propel the Sens into the playoffs. Apparently, the likes of Damian Rhodes and Ron Tugnutt between the pipes didn't win Gauts much sleep over the past few months.

But their play of late has done much to quell that ulcerous feeling in poor Pierre's gut. Nine goals against in the last six games - including a huge shutout against Hasek and his mates - ain't too shabby, if we must say so ourselves. In total, eight shutouts on the season, a combined GAA of 2.35 and save percentage of 91%.

Perhaps Gauthier should concentrate on more pressing concerns, like team scoring, both on and off the power play.

This, That and the Other Thing

Random notes from the Senators camp in the two weeks that were:

Ottawa 3 New York 2 (OT)

* Yashin's overtime winner versus New York was his 30th of the campaign. He currently holds the Sens modern day record for most goals in a season with 35, which he set last year.

* After coughing up the puck that led to the OT winner, Rangers' defenseman Brian Leetch skated off the ice to a shower of curses and insults. One vocal fan yelled out: "Hey Leetch! What's that make now, -80?"

Ottawa 1 Pittsburgh 1

* Despite squeaking out a critical point in Pittsburgh, the Sens still have yet to register a win at the Igloo (0-12-3 overall).

* Magnus Arvedson's third period game-tying goal against the Pens marked only the fifth time this year that Ottawa has been able to salvage at least a point when trailing after two periods (1-29-4).

Ottawa 3 San Jose 3

* Yes, folks, that indeed was Stan Neckar scoring a goal in the Sens snoozefest against San Jose. Neckar, doing his best impression of Bobby Orr, managed to deke his way in from the blue line and slip a backhander past a sprawling Mike Vernon. And that, our fine friends, is where the Orr comparisons abruptly end. With the goal, Neckar now has four points on the season, something Orr sometimes managed to do on one shift while skating backwards.

* Ottawa is famous around the league for its long and painful commutes between the downtown hotels and the Corel Centre. But nobody summed it up better than Sharks' forward Shawn Burr when he was heard mumbling: "Holy (bleepin') traffic jam, Batman!" upon arriving at the Corel Centre visitors' dressing room. Yup, we agree...

* Pity the poor Sharks. It's bad enough they had to face a traffic jam to the rink, but they also didn't get into Ottawa from Pittsburgh until 3 a.m. Apparently, the pilots never bothered to show up for takeoff, so replacements had to be found.

Ottawa 3 New Jersey 2

* Lambert's goal against New Jersey gives him a +6 plus/minus rating so far on the season. For reference purposes, please compare to Mr. Leetch's ratio in the tidbits above.

* The Devils loss marked the first time since 1995-96 that they've lost three games in a row.

* Before Jason York's goal early in the third, Devils goalie Martin Brodeur had blanked the Senators for eight consecutive periods, dating back to two straight shutouts in early February.

Ottawa 1 Buffalo 0

* Rhodes shutout against the Sabres was especially sweet for Damian since it was his first ever win against the Sabres in seven tries.

* Worst sign ever spotted at a hockey game: "Barnaby drives Radek Bonk-ers." Serenity now!

* Kanata mayor Merle Nicholds' Kanata Karavan (see story above) had many Buffaloers (ites? ians? Butts??) scratching their heads. Many thought that it was Canada spelled wrong. For those who failed Grade Nine Geography, Kanata is the suburb of Ottawa which houses the Corel Centre.

Drumroll Please

Dave McLlwain (another nightmarish Senator name to spell) scored in overtime to propel the Sens to a 3-2 win over Montreal in the old Montreal Forum on November 13, 1993.

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