Game Day Thread -- Sens Vs The Man Who Wants Options

This site originally had an Itunes link via the Big Contact program application, but I wasn't too pleased with how it displayed on Itunes. Consequently, I've decided to nix that relationship and host our own podcast feed instead. Here's the new and official link of The 6th Sens Podcast that's available using Itunes.

Tonight's the night that everyone has been looking forward to -- The return of Anton Volchenkov to the Senators' blueline. There's no question that some (read: most) fans will be looking forward to watching Dany Heatley wave his stick in the air calling for a pass every time San Jose has puck control in the offensive zone, but I'm not looking forward to it. Personally, I'm more interested in watching how Cory Clouston handles his glut of defencemen with Volchenkov's return. Unlike Bryan Murray over the summertime, Clouston has options. Will he scratch the recently called up Karlsson, or will he do everyone a favour and let Chris Campoli rot in the pressbox.

Another reason I'm not looking forward to tonight's game from a Heatley perspective? Bruce Garrioch is doing his best to bring some bad karma on the Ottawa Senators.

Tonight is the night.
The Senators will finally get their first look at Dany Heatley in Sharks' uniform.
But, if he holds true to form, he likely won't do anything.
As an Ottawa player pointed out to me during the summer: "Look how he used to play against the Thrashers."
Good point. Heatley never did much when the club played in Atlanta.
Let's see what he can do here.
The situation is a little different. He looks happy with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.
You have to wonder about the pressure Todd McLellan is under with this guy on his bench. He must feel forced to use Heatley on the No. 1 power play unit. He has no choice. Gotta keep Heatley happy. That's what this is all about. ~ Off the Posts

I know it's tradition for players who have been moved to normally hang some money on the bulletin board as added incentive for whomever scores the game winning goal against their former club. However, would anyone be surprised if the members of the Ottawa media pooled their resources and hung some cash on the Senators board? No, me neither. Anyways, as is the norm, here's my prediction for James Gordon's Ottawa Citizen panel. To view the rest of the panel's predictions, click here.

Senators 1, Sharks 4

Even though the Senators have relinquished the title of being the most penalized team in the NHL, their penchant for demonstrating Keith Ballard'esque levels of stick discipline could prove costly against a Sharks team whose power play is operating at a 24.1% success rate. While Ottawa's unheralded blueline has held the fort in lieu of Volchenkov's injury, even a returning A-Train might not be enough to overcome the League's highest-scoring team and this year's biggest threat to capture the President's Trophy and subsequently choke in the playoffs.

Another Enigmatic Rumour Alert!

Last week it was a Jaromir Jagr rumour, now Mark Christopher is back from Hockeybuzz and has posted on Twitter that Ottawa and Columbus might be talking trade regarding Nikita Filatov. The rumoured package from Ottawa involves Jesse Winchester, Brian Lee and Ottawa's 2010 second round pick. If this is an indication of how much Filatov's worth has fallen under the Hitchcock / Howson regime then I feel sorry for him. Especially when he could have bribed Hitch with some burgers to get more icetime.

Heatley's Dad Rips Ottawa Media For Sucking At the Teet of the Senators Organization

With a hat tip to James Gordon for the find, here's a small blurb from Dany's father that demonstrates that being a whiny bitch is in fact a hereditary trait.

"You never get an unbiased opinion in a small community like Ottawa. The writers there know who feeds them, and if you don't, they don't let you in the building. It's sad in a way, because the fans don't understand what's really going on." — Murray Heatley, San Francisco Chronicle