^{Stick tap to @MoreBennett for the original image (via Backhand Shelf).}

Just in case you needed any more affirmation as to why Daniel Alfredsson is simply the best,  a shirtless image (above) of Alfie playing ping pong has surfaced on the Interwebs. The photo was allegedly taken on Friday night after the Senators had been eliminated by the Penguins. 

God bless you Internet.

You, and Alfie, are the best. 

Update: 

@6thsens That's SpinBin (spinbin.ca) in the Market. $10 tables and cheap beers.

— Michael Slavitch (@kerfluffer) May 27, 2013 

Update 2: 

This from The Great Canadian Cabin on York: 

A big and sucessful launch of Bush Party Saturdays last night! Thanks to everyone who came including @dalfredsson11 twitter.com/thecabinottawa…

— The Cabin(@thecabinottawa) May 26, 2013

A 7-3 loss at home, and most of the attention over the next 24 to 48 hours will focus on the post-game reactions from captain Daniel Alfredsson and head coach Paul MacLean.

For those who don’t feel inclined to watch the video, Alfredsson was asked by a reporter whether the Senators could come back from a three games to one series deficit.

“Probably not. With their depth and power-play right now, it doesn’t look too good.”

There’s no question that Alfie is going to catch flak from the sect of the fan base or media-types that will see this as weakness or the sign of a poor leader. They will admonish the captain for not throwing out some clichéd answer that describes the process of going balls to the wall, guns blazing, having to play the full 60 minutes and take it one game at a time while skating the whole 200’ and blah blah blah.

Alfie spoke the truth and I don’t see anything nothing wrong with that. Sure, maybe there is something to be said about the concerns for how this kind of quote could rub off on some of the team’s younger and more impressionable players, but the time for talk is over.

Mark Stone may draw into the lineup for Cory Conacher tonight. The switch won't be finalized until game time.

— Ottawa Senators (@NHL_Sens) May 22, 2013

As this move was rumoured earlier this morning Graeme was quick to remind that - MacLean isn't afraid to tinker with a winning lineup (see Silf's insertion after Game 5 last spring). Now Conacher's become something of a whipping boy of late, and while I think it's been over the top at times (people forget he was the team's 2nd leading scorer down the stretch post-trade deadline), he clearly hasn't been at his best vs. the Penguins. A boxcar statline of 0G 0A -3+/- 8PIM 1SH for the series makes him an easy scratch. With Spezza and Michalek both in various stages of recovery, it's crucial that the other winger is more than a passenger. Lest we forget Stone and Spez did have some chemistry in their very brief time together.

In Stone, Ottawa would be inserting a player who really came on in the latter half of the year offensively for Bingo (from January on he had 10G 17A for 27PTS in 31GP). They no doubt lose some speed with this swap, but playing with Spezza should have him protected with plenty of cushy offensive zone draws. Mike Hoffman wouldn't be a bad option either, who to my eye looked excellent in his time with the big club, but maybe he ain't 100% yet.

After scoring the climatic game-tying goal in the last minute of regulation on Sunday, Daniel Alfredsson made an appearance on the Jim Rome Show this afternoon. Having formed a bond from his time with the Los Angeles Kings organization, former Senators Team President Roy Mlakar made the occasional appearance when he was with the organization, but I honestly cannot remember the last time a player appeared in the Jungle. 

I have transcribed the appearance below, but if you want to stream the interview, you can do so here. If anything, you have to do it for the introduction where Alfie's poor telephone connection create some problems. 

"And Ottawa was like, 'Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!'" 

Will Alfie have a take and not suck, find out after the jump. 

Needing to win 4 of their next 5 games against the Penguins, the Sens need all the help they can get, cue the return of their star centerman. Spezza should provide a big boost to the league's worst offense and 20th ranked power-play who, despite having the 4th highest 5-on-4 shot rate in the league, has often looked stale and underwhelming. 

After getting off to a hot start, Kyle Turris was forced into the first line center role after Spezza was injured in game 5, a tough spot he didn't sign up for. While he'll probably be bumped down to the second line to play with worse linemates and won't get as much PP time, Turris should benefit from not having to face team's top players as often. This year Turris' most faced opponents were Dion Phaneuf, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, and Milan Lucic. Last year with Spezza in the lineup he faced Dennis Seidenberg, Joe Corvo, Mark Streit and Matthew Carle the most, with Spezza tasked to take on top-pairings. 

While injuries and poor shooting luck could be to blame, Milan Michalek has struggled on Turris' wing this year, and including playoffs, has just 5 goals in 30 games.

With the emergence of Jean-Gabriel Pageau, MacLean now has to move one of his centerman to the wing to make room for Spezza. My guess would be Mika Zibanejad, as he could take Latendresse/Kassian's spot on Smith's left wing, or Conacher's spot on the second line, since he played on the left side for Binghamton during the lockout. It's unfortunate because Zibanejad has played so well at center this year, but I think his north/south playing style might actually be better suited for the wing.

As we've seen with Karlsson, we shouldn't expect too much from a player who hasn't played since January. Even if he does get off to a slow start, Spezza's return does give the Penguins something else to think about , and hopefully a little hope for a team who has their work cut out for them.