Slam! sports blog

OTTAWA _ The Senators have returned to the post-season.
They are back where they belong.
A lot left to be decided in the final week of the season.
Where they are going to finish is a big thing.
My guess is they will play the Boston Bruins in the first round.
Ottawa is going to beat Carolina tomorrow night.
I don’t think the Washington Capitals are going to win out.
So, it will likely be the Bruins.
The Senators were 1-5 against the Bruins this year.
Not sure it is the best matchup for Ottawa.
For now, the Senators just enjoying being in the playoffs.
They can worry about the first round matchup when it’s settled.
A lot players have stepped up this year.
- Captain Daniel Alfredsson has led by example.
- Centre Jason Spezza is an MVP candidate.
- Defenceman Erik Karlsson has led the offensive attack on the blueline.
- Winger Milan Michalek is having a career year.
- Goalie Craig Anderson has made the big saves.
- Veterans Chris Phillips, Filip Kuba and Sergei Gonchar have been better.
- Coach Paul MacLean deserves credit.
Bring on the payoffs. Let the ride begin. Should be fun.

There is a reason for fighting.
It happened the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers game Monday night at Madison Square Garden. If you didn’t see it, here it is:

This was incredible. It had to happen because John Tortorella and Peter DeBoer wanted it to happen. The NBC Sports Network televised this effort. Old time Hockey.
There will be fines and suspensions.
There has to be. You wonder if Peter DeBoer will be behind the New Jersey bench tonite.
He might not be. He has some explaining to do and just to show everything is politically correct, Brendan Shanahan may have to suspend DeBoer. Not saying it is right but it could happen.
But, sometimes messages have to be sent.
Ban fighting from the game? Please.

Rick Nash? James Van Riemsdyk? Evgeni Nabokov? Jonathan Bernier? Steve Ott? Ryan Malone?

Who will the Maple Leafs end up with by the Feb. 27 trade deadline, if anyone?

However it ends up, you can add Dustin Brown’s name to the list of players the Leafs are said to be interested in.

With Jay Rosehill and Darryl Boyce being placed on waivers Friday morning, speculation ballooned throughout Toronto that the team was clearing roster space for the prospect of welcoming incoming players involved in a potential deal.

How that plays out remains to be seen.

What does seem apparent, however, is the Leafs’ interest in Brown, the Los Angeles Kings captain who fits Toronto’s thirst for a power forward.

Once again among the league leader in hits with 215, Brown, like the rest of his team, is having problems putting points on the board this season, registering just 14 goals and 17 assists in 61 games. At the same time, this is a guy who has registered 50-plus points in each of the past three seasons.

With a cap hit of $3.2 million US per year for the next two seasons, Brown’s contract would be easy to digest for the Leafs. Keep in mind, too, that Brown played for coach Ron Wilson and general manager Brian Burke during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics for Team USA.

According to various reports, the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers are among the other teams said to be interested in Brown.

mike.zeisberger@sunmedia.ca
twitter.com/zeisberger

RALEIGH, N.C. – Whenever the Maple Leafs travel to western Canada, a electric buzz immediately ripples through the host city.

Whether it be Edmonton, Calgary or Vancouver, a visit by the Leafs becomes an event throughout the community; partially because they play in those rinks just once per season; partially because of the number of Toronto fans who live in those places.

Keeping that in mind, the environment surrounding Toronto’s game in Winnipeg on Saturday night will be crazier than usual.

Forget, for a moment, that it will be New Years’ Eve. No, the bigger story is that the Leafs will be playing in Winnipeg for the first time in almost 16 years.

Indeed, the Leafs have not competed in a regular season game in Winnipeg since Feb. 28, 1996 when they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Jets at the old WInnipeg Arena.

Former Leaf Ed Olczyk led the way for the Jets in that victory, scoring twice and adding an assist. Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhamnov added singles for Winnipeg while Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 37 of 40 Toronto shots.

Mats Sundin, Dave Andreychuk and Todd Warriner replied for the Leafs while Felix Potvin was saddled with the loss.

Come Saturday, more than 1-1/2 decades later, the Leafs once again will step onto Winnipeg ice.

Whichever team wins, this much is certain: It will be some kind of party.

It’ll be a much different looking lineup against the Colorado Avalanche Sunday in Denver, with the Calgary Flames sitting defenceman Cory Sarich in favour of Derek Smith and Anton Babchuk, and inserting wingers Niklas Hagman and Pierre-Luc Leblond over centre Brendan Morrison and winger David Moss.
Moss took a shot in the ankle Friday night in Buffalo and Morrison didn’t see the ice in the third period because of his play — his second major knee surgery seems to have slowed the veteran down this season. He has yet to register a point.