2007–08_Ottawa_Senators_season

2007–08 Ottawa Senators season

2007–08 Ottawa Senators season

National Hockey League team 16th season


The 2007–08 Ottawa Senators season was the 16th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Senators started strongly in the regular season, but the team slumped after Christmas, and just barely qualified for the playoffs. The slump caused the Senators to fire John Paddock, who was in his first season as head coach. The Senators lost in the first round, losing in a sweep by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Quick Facts Ottawa Senators, Division ...

Offseason

The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was held in Columbus, Ohio, on June 22–23, and the Senators used their first-round draft pick, 29th overall, to select Jim O'Brien.

Prior to the season, the Senators changed their staff, promoting Bryan Murray to general manager and John Paddock to head coach. Previous General Manager John Muckler did not accept another position with the Senators and resigned. Two players, Mike Comrie and Tom Preissing, left as free agents, and Peter Schaefer was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Shean Donovan.

Pre-season

In the pre-season, a major incident occurred in the game against the Philadelphia Flyers on September 25. Early in the second period, forward Dean McAmmond was hit in the head by Steve Downie of the Flyers. Downie was given a match penalty with an automatic suspension. McAmmond was diagnosed with a concussion. Four Flyers players were eventually injured in the match, which was won by the Senators by two goals.[1] Steve Downie was eventually suspended for 20 games for the hit,[2] also adding a nine-game suspension from the NHL's affiliate, the American Hockey League (AHL). The Senators won all seven of their pre-season games, the only NHL team to do so that year.[3]

Regular season

The Senators opened the regular season with two straight wins over their rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the Battle of Ontario. The season opener at Toronto ended in overtime with right winger Dany Heatley notching two goals and an assist to start the season off 1–0–0. That afternoon, Heatley also agreed to a new contract, a six-year, $45 million deal.[4] The Senators earned another win the following day in their home opener, with captain Daniel Alfredsson scoring two goals. Before the game, the 2007 Eastern Conference Champions banner was raised to the rafters of Scotiabank Place.

The Sens went undefeated to start the season until the streak was snapped in their sixth game with a 5–3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on October 11. In a later win against the Montreal Canadiens, rookie Nick Foligno scored his first NHL goal off a wrap-around attempt on goaltender Carey Price. He celebrated the goal by imitating his father Mike's signature goal celebration, a high jump.

After an 8–1 record to start the season, and with a one-week break, Head Coach John Paddock organized a team retreat to the Muskoka, Ontario, area starting on October 21.[5] With their win over the Maple Leafs on November 6, the Senators set a team record by recording their eighth consecutive win. They also set an NHL record for the best start to a season after 14 games.[6]

Also on November 6, six Senators were named to the All-Star Game ballot: Daniel Alfredsson, Ray Emery, Dany Heatley, Chris Phillips, Wade Redden and Jason Spezza, the most players from any one team in the NHL.[7] As of December 5, Daniel Alfredsson trailed only Sidney Crosby in the Eastern Conference voting for forwards with 119,825 votes.[8]

After a 4–2 win against Montreal, the Senators entered into a seven–game losing skid (0–4–3), recording three points and matching a record for straight losses set in the 1995–96 season. The Senators then rebounded with a six–game winning streak.

On January 2, 2008, Head Coach Paddock was named to coach the Eastern Conference All-Star team[9] and Jason Spezza was named the NHL's First Star of the Month for December.[10] On January 8, Daniel Alfredsson was named to the starting lineup for the All-Star Game, based on fan voting.[11] He is the first Senator ever to be voted to the starting lineup. Alfredsson will be making his fifth appearance in the All-Star Game.[12]

On January 11, Alfredsson's "CASH line" linemates, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, were named to the All-Star Game roster.[13] They are the first complete line named since 1981, when the "Triple Crown" line of the Los Angeles Kings was named. However, due to Heatley's shoulder injury suffered against the Detroit Red Wings earlier in January, he did not dress in the game.

On January 24, 2008, in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Daniel Alfredsson set a new team record for points in a single game, notching seven points on three goals and four assists.[14] This topped the team record of six, done three times, the last time by Alfredsson himself against the Buffalo Sabres on November 2, 2005.[15] A six-point game had also been done by Dan Quinn and Radek Bonk. The seven-point night put Alfredsson into the overall lead in the scoring race for the All-Star break. Moreover, Alfredsson was named the First Star of the Week on January 28.[16] He was also named The Hockey News Player of the Week on that same day.[17]

On January 28, Ray Emery arrived late for a practice in New York City on the first day back after the All-Star Game. Emery was subsequently fined $15,000 and the money was donated to the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation. Despite his team's disappointment with his behaviour, it did not stop Emery starting against the Maple Leafs in a nationally televised game, following Coach Paddock's "lose and you're out" policy of rotating his goaltenders depending on the team winning or losing, and not the goaltender's performance.

Dany Heatley returned from his separated shoulder injury after a month on injured reserve on February 7, 2008, scoring two goals in a win against the Florida Panthers.

On February 8, 2008, The Sports Network (TSN) reported that Wade Redden refused to waive his no-trade clause for a possible deal with the San Jose Sharks. Redden's agent was quoted as saying that "Redden wants to stay in Ottawa and contribute to Ottawa winning the Stanley Cup."[18]

On February 11, the Senators made a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes sending defenceman Joe Corvo and forward Patrick Eaves in exchange for forward Cory Stillman and defenceman Mike Commodore in a trade for "Stanley Cup experience", according to General Manager Bryan Murray.[19] Also that day, the NHL announced that Jason Spezza was named First Star of the Week after recording 11 points in the previous week's three games.

On February 27, after a prolonged slump through January and February during which the Senators won only 7 of 21 games, Murray fired Head Coach Paddock and Assistant Coach Ron Low, taking over the coaching duties himself.[20] Both Low and Paddock were offered other jobs within the organization. Murray said he told them to call him in a few weeks.[21]

The Senators trailed the Buffalo Sabres 3–1 on March 25, 2008, with under eight minutes to play in the third period but scored five unanswered goals to win 6–3. It was only the third time in NHL history that a team scored six-or-more goals in a game despite scoring no more than one goal through the first 52:00.[22]

The team remained upbeat after the poor play and coaching change. Alfredsson appeared on the cover of the April 1 issue of The Hockey News, proclaiming "Don't Count Us Out." This was his seventh appearance on the cover of the magazine.[23] The article interviewed Alfredsson, Fisher and Murray, and discussed the up-and-down play of the team, and its defensive play which has allowed more goals than previous seasons.[24] Wayne Gretzky was quoted about the team: "This might mature them as a team going through this tough patch."[25]

Entering the final week of play, the Senators needed three points in three games to guarantee a playoff position ahead of the Washington Capitals, who held an edge in a tie-breaker between the teams. In the first game, Montreal would defeat the Senators 3–0. According to The Globe and Mail, before the next game on April 3 in Toronto, Ottawa employed the use of sports psychologist Dr. Max Offenberger.[26] The Senators defeated the Maple Leafs 8–2 and Antoine Vermette scored a hat-trick. Three of the Senators' goals were scored short-handed; it was the third time in franchise history that the Senators had scored three short-handed goals in a single game, with the two previous games being a 5–2 home win against the Florida Panthers on November 18, 2000, and a 7–2 road win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 2, 2006.[27] However, they lost Alfredsson and Fisher to injuries, adding to Chris Kelly, who was already sidelined. The Capitals continued to win, and it came down to the Senators final game, on April 4 at home against the Boston Bruins, needing one point to clinch a spot. Despite a 2–1 Senators' loss that night, the Carolina Hurricanes fell to the Florida Panthers and the Senators clinched a playoff berth for the 11th-straight season.

On April 6, the final day of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins played the Philadelphia Flyers to decide the final seedings and lost 2–0, drawing the Senators as first round opponents. According to Phil Sheridan of The Philadelphia Inquirer, it appeared deliberate:

"Two days after Double Clinch Friday came Letdown Sunday. Fans who filled the Wachovia Center expecting a fresh installment of There Will Be Blood got stuck watching Farce of the Penguins instead.


No Sidney Crosby, not much effort. The Pittsburgh Penguins paid the Flyers a huge compliment yesterday. They made it embarrassingly clear that they preferred to face the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the playoffs. After skating through the motions of a 2–0 loss to Philadelphia, the Pens will indeed face the Sens."[28]

Excluding three shootout-winning goals, the Senators scored 258 goals during the regular season, the most among all 30 teams. They also scored the most shorthanded goals, with 18.[29][30]

Divisional standings

More information GP, W ...

Conference standings

More information R, Div ...

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)

Schedule and results

More information Game, Date ...

Playoffs

The Ottawa Senators clinched a playoff spot for the eleventh consecutive time (minus the lockout), finishing second in the Northeast Division, and seventh in the Eastern Conference. The Senators faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Quarter-final and lost the series 4–0. The result led to speculation in the media that Ray Emery's contract would be bought out and free agents Mike Commodore, Martin Lapointe, Wade Redden, Luke Richardson and Cory Stillman would not return for the 2008–09 season.[31] GM Bryan Murray was given a public endorsement by Owner Eugene Melnyk and was expected to return for next season.[32] On April 18, Murray confirmed to the media in an end-of-season press conference that Emery would not return: "My plan is not to have him back."[33]

More information 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, Game ...

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
More information Player, Pos ...

Stillman and Commodore totals only include time with Senators.

Goaltending
More information Player, MIN ...

Playoffs

Scoring
More information Player, Pos ...
Goaltending
More information Player, MIN ...

[34]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

Records

  • On November 6, 2007, the Ottawa Senators set a new franchise record for most consecutive wins (8) with a 5–1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. They also set an NHL record for most points accumulated (26) after 14 games played, going 13–1–0 in that span.
  • On January 24, 2008, Senators' captain Daniel Alfredsson broke the franchise record for most points in a game by one player by scoring 3 goals + 4 assists for 7 points in an 8–4 romp over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The three goals were scored in three different ways: One was scored 5–on-5, another was scored on a powerplay and the final goal of the hat-trick was scored shorthanded.
  • On February 19, 2008, the Ottawa Senators set a new franchise record in shootout wins by winning their third by a score of 3–2 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
  • On April 11, 2008, Martin Gerber broke the franchise record for most saves made in a playoff game, by stopping 49 out of 53 shots against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Milestones

  • On December 5, 2007, the Ottawa Senators celebrated their 500th franchise win with a 5–4 victory over the Florida Panthers.
  • On February 6, 2008, the Ottawa Senators suffered their 500th franchise defeat without an earning a point in a 4–3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Regular season
PlayerMilestoneReached
Nick Foligno1st NHL gameOctober 4, 2007
Daniel Alfredsson50th NHL GWGOctober 4, 2007
Brian Elliott1st NHL game
1st NHL start
1st NHL win
October 10, 2007
Dany Heatley400th NHL pointOctober 18, 2007
Nick Foligno1st NHL goal
1st NHL point
October 20, 2007
Shean Donovan1st goal w/ OttawaOctober 20, 2007
Dany Heatley300th NHL PIMOctober 27, 2007
Randy Robitaille1st goal w/ OttawaNovember 1, 2007
Daniel Alfredsson300th NHL goalNovember 1, 2007
Mike Fisher200th NHL pointNovember 3, 2007
Mike Fisher400th NHL gameNovember 10, 2007
Chris Neil1000th NHL PIMNovember 10, 2007
Chris Neil400th NHL gameNovember 15, 2007
Daniel Alfredsson800th NHL gameNovember 15, 2007
Alexander Nikulin1st NHL gameNovember 22, 2007
Joe Corvo300th NHL gameNovember 22, 2007
Shean Donovan800th NHL gameDecember 4, 2007
Antoine Vermette100th NHL pointDecember 7, 2007
Mike Fisher100th NHL goalDecember 12, 2007
Dean McAmmond400th NHL pointDecember 12, 2007
Daniel Alfredsson800th NHL pointDecember 13, 2007
Cody Bass1st NHL gameDecember 15, 2007
Dany Heatley200th NHL goalDecember 15, 2007
Jason Spezza200th NHL assistDecember 15, 2007
Luke Richardson1st goal w/ OttawaDecember 18, 2007
Chris Kelly200th NHL gameDecember 20, 2007
Wade Redden100th NHL goalDecember 26, 2007
Cody Bass1st NHL assist
1st NHL point
December 27, 2007
Andrej Meszaros200th NHL gameDecember 27, 2007
Jason Spezza300th NHL pointDecember 27, 2007
Mike Fisher1st NHL hat-trickDecember 29, 2007
Cody Bass1st NHL goalJanuary 4, 2008
Wade Redden800th NHL gameJanuary 11, 2008
Daniel Alfredsson100th NHL PPGJanuary 13, 2008
Ilya Zubov1st NHL gameJanuary 15, 2008
Andrej Meszaros
Anton Volchenkov
200th NHL PIMJanuary 20, 2008
Wade Redden400th NHL pointJanuary 20, 2008
Randy Robitaille500th NHL gameJanuary 20, 2008
Jason Spezza100th NHL goalJanuary 24, 2008
Wade Redden300th NHL assistJanuary 24, 2008
Daniel Alfredsson500th NHL assistJanuary 24, 2008
Jason Spezza1st NHL hat-trick
1st NHL 6–point game
February 9, 2008
Joe Corvo100th NHL assistFebruary 9, 2008
Dany Heatley400th NHL gameFebruary 12, 2008
Cory Stillman1st assist w/ Ottawa
1st point w/ Ottawa
February 12, 2008
Luke Richardson200th NHL pointFebruary 13, 2008
Jason Spezza300th NHL gameFebruary 19, 2008
Cory Stillman1st goal w/ OttawaFebruary 21, 2008
Luke Richardson1400th NHL gameFebruary 25, 2008
Martin Lapointe1st goal w/ Ottawa
1st point w/ Ottawa
March 1, 2008
Martin Lapointe1st assist w/ OttawaMarch 13, 2008
Shean Donovan600th NHL PIMMarch 13, 2008
Mike Commodore1st assist w/ Ottawa
1st point w/ Ottawa
March 22, 2008
Brian Lee1st NHL gameMarch 25, 2008
Jesse Winchester1st NHL gameMarch 29, 2008
Antoine Vermette1st NHL hat-trickApril 3, 2008
Brian Lee1st NHL assist
1st NHL point
April 3, 2008
Martin Gerber109th NHL victoryApril 3, 2008
Martin Gerber200th NHL gameApril 4, 2008
Playoffs
PlayerMilestoneReached
Brian Lee
Nick Foligno
Cody Bass
1st NHL playoff gameApril 9, 2008
Cody Bass1st NHL playoff goal
1st NHL playoff point
April 11, 2008
Shean Donovan1st playoff goal w/ OttawaApril 11, 2008
Nick Foligno1st NHL playoff goal
1st NHL playoff point
April 14, 2008
Daniel Alfredsson100th NHL playoff gameApril 14, 2008

Transactions

The Senators have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007–08 season.

Trades

June 23, 2007
To Tampa Bay Lightning
Fifth-round pick in 2007 Draft (Matt Marshall)

Seventh-round pick in 2007 NHL Entry Draft (Torrie Jung)
Seventh-round pick in 2007 NHL Entry Draft (Justin Courtnall)

To Ottawa Senators
Fourth-round pick in 2008 Draft (Derek Grant)
July 17, 2007
To Boston Bruins
Peter Schaefer
To Ottawa Senators
Shean Donovan
February 11, 2008
To Carolina Hurricanes
Joe Corvo
Patrick Eaves
To Ottawa Senators
Cory Stillman
Mike Commodore
February 26, 2008
To Chicago Blackhawks
Sixth-round pick in 2008 Draft (Ben Smith)
To Ottawa Senators
Martin Lapointe

Free agents

Free agent acquisitions

PlayerFormer teamContract terms
Matt CarknerPittsburgh PenguinsOne year, $475,000
Niko DimitrakosPhiladelphia FlyersOne year, $575,000
Luke RichardsonTampa Bay LightningOne year, $500,000
Randy RobitailleNew York IslandersOne year, $625,000
Jesse WinchesterColgate UniversityOne year, terms not announced

Players lost to free agency

PlayerNew team
Mike ComrieNew York Islanders
Andrew EbbettAnaheim Ducks
Jeff HeeremaFrankfurt Lions
Neil KomadoskiSt. Louis Blues
Tom PreissingLos Angeles Kings
Oleg SaprykinCSKA Moscow

Draft picks

Ottawa's picks at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus, Ohio.[35]

More information Round, # ...

Farm teams

See also


References

  • Brophy, Mike (April 1, 2008). "Turning Around the Sens". The Hockey News. pp. 18–22.
Notes
  1. "McAmmond injured in Senators win". Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
  2. TSN report Archived October 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Pierre LeBrun. "Heatley, Sens get deal done". Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  4. Allen Panzeri (October 15, 2007). "Senators about to go on vacation". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  5. Brian Compton (November 6, 2007). "Gerber handles Toronto again". NHL.com. Retrieved February 13, 2008.[dead link]
  6. "NHL 2008 All-Star Voting". IHT.com. December 5, 2007. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  7. "Babcock, Paddock named NHL all-star coaches". CBC. January 2, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  8. "Spezza earns First Star for December". January 2, 2008. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  9. TSN staff (January 8, 2008). "Luongo, Iginla among All-Star starters". TSN.ca. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  10. "Crosby top vote-getter, Red Wings with three in starting lineup". ESPN. Associated Press. January 8, 2008. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  11. "2008 Eastern Conference All-Stars". NHL.com. January 11, 2008. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
  12. "Alfredsson leads Senators over Lightning". TSN.ca. Canadian Press. January 25, 2008. Archived from the original on January 28, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  13. Ottawa Senators Media Guide 2007–08. Ottawa Senators. p. 168.
  14. "Alfredsson named NHL's first star". Canada.com. January 28, 2008. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
  15. "Player of the Week – Jan. 28". The Hockey News. January 28, 2008. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  16. Dreger, Darren (February 8, 2008). "Redden refuses to waive no-trade clause". Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
  17. "Sens add pair of Stanley Cup champs". February 11, 2008. Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
  18. "Murray replaces Paddock as Sens' coach". TSN.ca. February 27, 2008. Archived from the original on February 29, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  19. "Coach going long time coming: GM". The Ottawa Citizen. February 28, 2008. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
  20. 2007-08 Season in review. Ottawa Senators. 2008.
  21. THN staff (November 2, 2007). "THN Cover Count" (PDF). The Hockey News. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 13, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
  22. Brophy, pp. 18–22.
  23. Brophy, p. 22.
  24. David Shoalts (April 3, 2008). "Senators trying to hang on". globesports.com. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
  25. Phil Sheridan (April 7, 2008). "Phil Sheridan: Penguins gave in to gain Senators as foe". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  26. Stevenson, Chris (April 17, 2008). "Questions Sens will soon have to answer". Slam Sports. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  27. Garrioch, Bruce (April 17, 2008). "Murray the GM staying put". Slam Sports. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  28. TSN.ca staff (April 18, 2008). "Murray's plans for Sens don't include Emery". tsn.ca. Archived from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  29. "2007-08 Ottawa Senators Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 17, 2009.

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