The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Nothing like a serving of extra offense, served on a thick defensive crust, topped with grit, hits, and special teams. Serve this puppy hot, and enjoy. Mmmmm.....! Pizza Pizza hasn't been too busy after a Senators home game lately, but they'll be serving some free pie for the next couple of days for those fortunate fans who were at Scotiabank Place tonight.

Didn't this outcome remind you of last season? There were so many that involved the Senators dominating the opposition and winning by margins of 5 or 6 goals last year. This was the sort of game that reminded you why they were considered an elite NHL team for the last few years. We'll wait until Christmas to see where they are before they're considered a force again, but anytime your team can outscore and outplay the opposition like they did tonight, it's nothing but a good sign.

It might be unusual for me to say it was was nice to hear the fans cheer after Daniel Alfredsson got a couple of minors for slashing & roughing at different parts of the game, but it was well earned. I'm not one of those fans who feels Alfredsson doesn't care or isn't passionate about playing for Ottawa, and I definitely don't won't him traded. But, when you're the captain and the team isn't performing to par, it's easy to be picked out as the scapegoat. The fans saw Alfie take some swings back at Panther forward Stephen Weiss after Weiss took some cheap shots at him, something the former Lady Byng nominee doesn't usually do. Seeing your team captain fight back like that gives the team a boost and generates excitement for the fans. Sure, the game was pretty much already a write-off, but it carries on during the season. Remember when Alexei Kovalev's did a version of Tito Santana's "Flying Jalapeno" to Toronto's Darcy Tucker after taking a shot in the chops from him just a few moments earlier? For the first time ever, I actually thought Kovalev had a bit of passion in him. (That feeling has since subsided). Regardless, I hope this is further proof to Sens fans that Alfie DOES care, and he is a key component of this hockey club, a player that any team (with the cap space) would gladly put on their roster.

Emery was solid in net again getting the shutout and I imagine he'll get the call for Saturday's game versus Tampa Bay. Ottawa has back-to-back games Tuesday & Wednesday against the Islanders and Capitals; expect Gerber to get one of those starts.