Sports Then and Now

Jean-Gabriel Pageau and the Ottawa Senators will look to rebound in game four vs. the New York Rangers.

The Ottawa Senators bolted out to a 2-0 lead in their semifinals series against the New York Rangers. But the latter cut into this lead with a dominant 4-1 victory in Game 3.

This doesn’t change the fact that Ottawa is still the favorite in this Eastern Conference series. However, the Rangers can no longer be overlooked after a decisive win in Madison Square Garden.

Who’s got the upper hand in Game 4? Which team should you bet on? Let’s answer these questions and more in this Game 4 betting preview

Senators vs Rangers Game 2 Odds

Point Spread: Ottawa +1.5 (-210); New York-1.5 (+175)
Money line: Ottawa +150; New York -170
Totals: 5 (over -105) (under -115)
Gametime: 7:30pm ET on Thursday, May 4

Ottawa Senators Game 4 Preview

Senators coach Gary Boucher was well aware that the Rangers would come out with energy.

“They were ready, they were hungry and they were desperate and we didn’t match that at all. That’s it,” said Boucher. “I wasn’t surprised by how they came out, we’ve been talking about it for two days now, and we talked about it with the players. Like I always say, you can talk about urgency as much as you want, but to create superficially is very difficult.” Read the rest of this entry →

Since the 2005-2006 season, the Senators have dominated the Sabres, winning 21 of 31.

Sabres beat again by Sens.

On Wednesday night, it remained that way.

After the first period the Senators were only up 1-0. I say ONLY because of Ryan Miller. The game could have easily been out of reach for Buffalo.

Alexandre Picard was the one to finally get the puck past Miller in the first. Buffalo had trouble getting things going and could not generate any scoring chances. Shots were 11-5 in favor of Ottawa after the opening period.

The second period involved much more physical play. Both teams started to throw around their bodies. Then, Jarkko Ruutu deliverd a head shot to Patrick Kaleta, earning a five minute boarding penalty. However, Ruutu was not ejected from the game, only a five minute penalty.

I thought the NHL was trying to crack down on head shots. In my view, Ruutu should have been ejected along with the penalty. I’m sure the NHL will look into a possible suspension because it was a clean and deliberate shot to the head. This is not the first time Ruutu has aggrevated the Sabres. Last season, he bit Andrew Peters while they were in a scrum.

Kaleta left the game and did not return. I was disappointed to see that nobody went after Ruutu. Buffalo needs to start protecting their players. The Sabres did keep up with the physical play as Adam Mair, Matt Ellis, Steve Montador, and Mike Grier finished their checks.

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Paul Gaustad knocks down Jason Spezza in the first period against Ottawa on Saturday night.

Buffalo has now lost three in a row, the first time all season. Ottawa’s win puts them only one point out of first place in the division.

The backup goaltenders played against each other. Patrick Lalime played against his former team, stopping 21 shots. Pascal Leclaire began the game but left due to a groin injury. Brian Elliot came in and finished the job as the Senators played well and earned the victory.

Patrick Lalime has yet to win a game for the Sabres this year. At 35 years of age and the way he has played since coming to Buffalo, he is not considered a reliable backup. His goals against average was above four coming into the game, then he allowed five more in Saturday’s game.

Buffalo needs to find a goalie to backup Ryan Miller. With Rick DiPietro returning for the Islanders, Martin Biron remains a solid option. He is cheap, and the Islanders do not need him as much. Plus, Biron would love playing for Buffalo again, and so would the entire city of Buffalo.

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