The Sens Army, growing by the nanosecond, should consider that the Senators are one game away from making this a best-of-three series, and yet have played their worst hockey since November. Consider the following:
- No. 1 defenceman Wade Redden playing more and more like a seventh rearguard and looking alarmingly close to a slow and sinking eight ball as seen at Elegant Street's many billiards establishments.
- Goalie Ray Emery is playing more like Patty Lalime at the most crucial times in games and due for a wake-up call (full pun intended)
- The Pizza Line is seemingly only capable of delivering half-baked pies with only three points in as many games of the finals (with Dany Heatley being stone cold) after burning the league with 58 points in the first 15 games of the playoffs.
As for Game 3, it was a welcome sight to witness the Senators finally sense the urgency of the situation at hand, especially since they had been left for dead by many after their sorry effort in La La Land. I say many because for some inexplicable reasons, there are still a few freeloading and vexing passagers on this suddenly faster, though still light rapid transit system.
No need to mention names, as I'm sure all those who have watched the games where you’re frigging supposed to watch them -- on your TV, and not at the Woodstock III, IV, V and VI sites around the GOGA know -- who the pukes are. Besides, those same ones are fully expected to make amends tonight and so, just look for their names in the game summary, should you still insist on missing 90% of tonight’s game.
Still, without meaning to sound too bleak, and only to curb the enthusiasm of many faithful in the aftermath of the Ottawa Citizen's Wayne Scanlan stopping just short of declaring a "McArthur Park Cakewalk" Cup win for Ottawa today, remember that the Senators are facing the most daunting of tasks of having to win three of the next four games, two of which would be on the West Coast.
The Ducks are bound to be extra-motivated tonight, not to mention "smarting," having received a very rude awakening on Saturday night before being jolted with yesterday’s off-ice drama involving Chris Pronger's suspension for Game 4.
Meantime, here's the main Game 4 questions:
- Who will Senators coach Bryan Murray insert if Dean McAmmond can't play? Enforcer Brian McGrattan or sparkplug Patrick "Spezza" Eaves of destruction? Did Denis Hamel clear waivers yet?
- Will Don Cherry become this millennium's Al Campanis when he goes on NBC between the second and third periods and utters something regrettable about the "real" reason behind the fact there’s not a token African-American on every NHL team like there are Swedes and French?
- Is Martin Gerber ready, in case Emery fights Chris Pronger in the pre-game, post-nap workout?
- Will Murray finally accept that the Antoine Vermette Trio is not some obscure group and elevate them to second line status, after the Mike Fischaefer Camaraderie Combo gets top lights tonight?
- Is the partisan crowd ready to be heard loud and clear from the opening faceoff this time, instead of nervously waiting for a goal that may not come?
- Riddle me this, Gary Bettman: How is it that Pronger's vicious elbow to Dean McAmmond's head went unpenalized, and Ryan Getzlaf's innocent and inconsequential grab of Chris Kelly was worthy of a penalty with 10 minutes left in the game or worse, Andy McDonald's breeze-by an out-of-crease Emery was punishable with 5 frigging minutes left in a 5-3 game?
Or for that matter, how did Chris 'Repeat Offender' Neil, who saw his wife deliver a baby girl on Friday, then delivered the hot goods that are usually the Pizza Line's business on Saturday, not get an invitation to a chat yesterday with the NHL for delivering his own brand of dirty hockey when he took several steps in ramming McDonald with a headshot? - Explain me another thing, Mr. Magoo Midget Puppet. Granted, maybe it was the NBC cameras that suddenly fogged up from showing a small market team, and a Canadian one at that, but it seems to me that Sidney Crosby's goal in the first round was less of a kicking motion than Alfie's. Ditto for the one by the Rangers’ Karel Rachunek against the Sabres in Round 2.
- Will Alanis Morissette sing the anthems sounding like Stephen Stills or The Stills? As long as it's not like the former Alanis, because You Can't Do That On Television when the entire Western World, and parts of the USA in the greater Buffalo region is watching.
- If the good guys tie the series 2-2, will the aging Parliament buildings register a 6 on the Redden Scale after the 800,000 members of the Wade Red And Black Army descend upon the Hill from the many bars, falafel joints and sushi stands on Elegant Street and join Bruce Cockburn and Les Emmerson in singing It’s Half Past Midnight, If A Tree Falls(On The Corn Field) and Move To California?
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On the Crosby non-goal, the puck wasn't going in unless Crosby had done what he did, i.e. make a kicking motion. On Alfredsson's goal, replay after replay showed that it was a clear deflection -- in other words, it was going in regardless of what Alfie did. On the Alfredsson goal, the kicking motion clearly came AFTER the puck had left his skate, and was on his way into the net. (I'm still waiting to hear who the "experts" were who said Alfie's goal shouldn't have counted.)
As for Neil, the short answer is that the result matters. Macdonald skated away, whereas Mcammond was knocked out cold. If you run a stop sign but no one gets hurt, you might get a ticket, and that's all. Run a stop sign and kill someone, and now you going to jail. Same act, different results, different consequences.
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