Looking at tonight's roster for the Hockeyville game in Dundas, Ontario against Buffalo, one can't help but think that the odds have been stacked in favour of Buffalo.

The Sabres are fielding what I consider a much more "experienced" and "elite" group than the Senators are. As far as forwards go, the numbers are the same (7 newbies and 5 veterans each), but the five vets for Buffalo are Thomas Vanek, Tim Connolly, Jason Pominville, Rob Niedermayer and Drew Stafford, while the Sens are sending in Chris Kelly, Chris Neil, Peter Regin, Jarkko Ruutu and Jesse Winchester (who barely quelifies as a veteran). With all due respect for the Ottawa boys, I don't think the caliber is quite the same. It's even worse on the blue line where the only Senators veteran is Matt Carkner. By comparison, the Sabres are putting four of their veterans on the blue line.

Why is it so uneven? Well, Dundas probably has more in common with Buffalo than Ottawa, distance-wise, so a Buffalo win will likely help the Buffalo market. It may also be that there is some political posturing behind this as the NHL tries to prevent the implantation of another southen Ontario team. But then the NHL would likely have presented a Toronto-Buffalo game, something much more palatable for the Dundas residents. Of course, it could be that I'm reading way too much into it.

For sure, the newbies on the Ottawa team will have a chance to demonstrate how they handle adversity. The game seems so uneven as to be laughable. But it is pre-season hockey; it's the silly season after all.

The bottom line is that Dundas was chosen as Canada's Hockeyville for 2010, and earned the right to an NHL game for their efforts. Tonight is that game, and both teams, the Senators more so than the Sabres, are sending sub-caliber formations to entertain the Dundas folks. I'm sure the resident of the city have worked hard, and are justifiably proud to have earned the title of Hockeyville 2010. Sending sub-par teams as their recompense seems a bit of a jip.