I know, I know, you don't need to say it: probably the Senators' most convincing win of the season so far and no blog entry. What the hell is the matter with Zamboni? Well, I could argue that such a momentous win requires special aforethought and worthy prose. But I'd be lying.



The Senators walked all over the best team in the League, and not by half-measures, either. The words "fully" and "completely" come to mind at this juncture.  I don't know if it's going to be a pattern, but I'd love to see it happen: that the team plays solidly as a whole, able to recuperate from its mistakes, while one or two players elevate their game to the next level. That's exactly what has happened in the past few games.

Daniel Alfredsson pointed the way against Montreal and Boston. Especially surprising this time was the work of Chris Neil. He was all over the ice, throwing his body, stealing pucks, and making a huge contribution to the Sens scoring with two assists. Chris Neil was scary against the Hawks. Another who rocked last night was Peter Regin. Regin helped establish and re-established the Senators' two goal lead. His shot toward the net that Ryan Shannon drove home was a lesson in basic hockey: when in doubt, put it toward the net. Of course, Peter Regin's wraparound goal was highlight reel stuff.

Speaking of highlight reels, Brian Elliott's save against Marian Hossa after a bobble behind the net was also something to bring the fans to their feet. But really, it was lucky as hell. When a player like Hossa has 24 square feet of target and you manage to slip maybe a square foot of laminated wood in front and stop the puck, well... don't bother with lottery tickets, you've already used up your luck. Otherwise Elliott played a positionally solid game and was there to make like a wall when required. He is alo benefitting from a Sens defense that battles hard for the puck, and an impeccable PK.

The Sens now need to secure their hold on 5th. Fourth place in the conference, held by the Penguins, is a good eight points away. There are six teams beind the Sens trailing by only five points. The overall strategy should be to disance themselves from the pack. The game against the St. Louis Blues tomorrow will count less than the next four against the conference rival Bruins, Devils, Penguins and Canadiens.