Game 4: @ CBJ

[Jasmine]

1st thing first: Have you seen Mark Stone's pass on Turris's goal? OMG!!!! Score is now 5-3 early in 3rd, Pageau just scored.

Other goals were scored by Methot (1st period) - Michalek - Zibanejad (2nd)

[Jasmine]

MacArthur is out for the rest of the game...I would think its precautionary but I'm not convinced he's completely over the concussion symptoms...

[Jasmine]

Hoffman scores :) 6-3 halfway through 3rd

[Jasmine]

Bobby Ryan finally has one..even if its an empty netter..we'll take it.

[Jasmine]

Game over - 7-3 is the final score. Karlsson has 4 passes, Zibanejad has 2 assists & 1 goal, Stone has 2 pts...

Great game from everyone. :)

[Josh]

What a great game from the Sens! Wow, Blue Jacket fans are NOT happy with the team's start to the season.

Any word on MacArthur?

[matchesmalone]

Sure was fun to watch for a Sens fan. Can imagine not so much for a Blue Jackets fan... The play on the Sens' sixth goal, where Foligno got tripped and Hoffman scored. Foligno was mad and yelling at the refs, then to add insult to injury, the very next shift he gets absolutely wallpapered inro the boards... by Karlsson of all people!

Three points each for Ryan and Zibanejad. My boi Z-Bad with five points in four games to start the season... Better than his no points in the first eight games last year. That slap pass in the third (I think it was to Michalek) would have been beautiful. Couldn't tell if it was blocked or stopped by the goalie or what.

But yeah, that Stone pass... Gesus.

[Josh]

The Stone pass to Turris isn't just an amazing pass either; his play to keep it in the zone was also a thing of beauty.

His assist on Hoffman's goal was similar. Stone's actually the one who got away with tripping Foligno, a play Stone read very well. He then completed the tic-tac-toe to set Hoffman up.

When Stone is on his game like that, he takes over games. I think he's going to be a franchise player.

[Matt the Aussie]

What a great game from the Sens! Wow, Blue Jacket fans are NOT happy with the team's start to the season.

Any word on MacArthur?

Also not happy...Fantasy owners of Bobrovsky. :(

I'm convinced that Stone is the second coming of Alfie. He's not the quickest or strongest, but he reads play like nobody else. Stick checking especially. He'll show a player one way then take that away with his stick. It's beautiful to watch.

When you add Hoffman, an out and out sniper, and Turris who also has a laser shot, you get magic. As Josh said, as good as that pass to Turris was, the way he closed down the defender in the corner like it was nothing was brilliant.

Hoffman's shot on his goal gave me chills. Top shelf, no biggie.

[Alfie11]

I feel like every thread ends up turning into how good Mark Stone is. He had 64 points last year, and everyone is projecting around the same or maybe up to 70 this year. But, he spent the first two months of the season on the fourth line, playing 7 minutes a night on that rookie line we had. Cameron came in mid-December and gave us the right top six, and from January 1st onwards he was the 4th highest scorer in the NHL. I may be getting ahead of myself here, but couldn't he finish with a point per game average? I'm hesitant to say 80 points because of potential injuries, but he's that good. He's come into his own, he has the supporting cast. I think he has all the tools to get to a point per game average.

It's good to see the whole top six is clicking. They need to get Bobby Ryan shooting, for sure. I didn't watch the game but I see he only has 5 shots on the year. If the Sens can get him going (not saying he isn't, though) and back to a 30 goal scorer, I think the top six is lethal. You'd have a great first line, and then a second line who would have a 30 goal superstar on the wing and a breakout star up the middle.

And what about Karlsson? He's already at 7 points in 4 games. With a (hopefully) full season of a healthy Methot, plus a good team in front of him, he has to be the favourite to win his third Norris.

[Josh]

I feel like every thread ends up turning into how good Mark Stone is. He had 64 points last year, and everyone is projecting around the same or maybe up to 70 this year. But, he spent the first two months of the season on the fourth line, playing 7 minutes a night on that rookie line we had. Cameron came in mid-December and gave us the right top six, and from January 1st onwards he was the 4th highest scorer in the NHL. I may be getting ahead of myself here, but couldn't he finish with a point per game average? I'm hesitant to say 80 points because of potential injuries, but he's that good. He's come into his own, he has the supporting cast. I think he has all the tools to get to a point per game average.

It's good to see the whole top six is clicking. They need to get Bobby Ryan shooting, for sure. I didn't watch the game but I see he only has 5 shots on the year. If the Sens can get him going (not saying he isn't, though) and back to a 30 goal scorer, I think the top six is lethal. You'd have a great first line, and then a second line who would have a 30 goal superstar on the wing and a breakout star up the middle.

And what about Karlsson? He's already at 7 points in 4 games. With a (hopefully) full season of a healthy Methot, plus a good team in front of him, he has to be the favourite to win his third Norris.

If Karlsson does indeed win the Norris again, he'll be the first back-to-back winner since Lidstrom three-peated from 2005-2008. He'd also hold three of the past five. That's pretty amazing. It would also mean that there are still only 25 players to have ever won it, despite it having been awarded 62 times. I made a thread about that a while ago: http://forum.highonhockey.com/forum/...-norris-trophy

As for Stone, you raise a great point about him being under-utilized while MacLean still had the reins. This is going to be a big year for Stone. I hope he stays healthy.

I'm starting to sour on Bobby Ryan. Every time I see him it seems like he isn't moving enough, like he's standing still and/or a step behind everyone else on the ice. I hate to say it, but - it's almost like he can't spell intense. I have a feeling we'd be an even better team with Silfverberg, Noesen, and Ritchie.

Hoffman and Zibanejad have been great. Any word on MacArthur?

[Matt the Aussie]

With Ryan, it looks at times like he's stuck in quicksand skating...it's the same thing I see from time to time with Michalek but we know his knees are pretty well shot. Last year Ryan had a sports hernia...not sure if something else medically is going on, or if there really is a lack of compete level.

At this stage, he's reminding me of Dany Heatley's final good days. I just hope that's not what happens again here.

[Alfie11]

If Karlsson does indeed win the Norris again, he'll be the first back-to-back winner since Lidstrom three-peated from 2005-2008. He'd also hold three of the past five. That's pretty amazing. It would also mean that there are still only 25 players to have ever won it, despite it having been awarded 62 times. I made a thread about that a while ago: http://forum.highonhockey.com/forum/...-norris-trophy

As for Stone, you raise a great point about him being under-utilized while MacLean still had the reins. This is going to be a big year for Stone. I hope he stays healthy.

I'm starting to sour on Bobby Ryan. Every time I see him it seems like he isn't moving enough, like he's standing still and/or a step behind everyone else on the ice. I hate to say it, but - it's almost like he can't spell intense. I have a feeling we'd be an even better team with Silfverberg, Noesen, and Ritchie.

Hoffman and Zibanejad have been great. Any word on MacArthur?

MacArthur has an upper body injury and won't play tonight ... Shane Prince is drawing in for him.

As for Bobby Ryan, I agree to an extent. He's definitely a player that leaves you wanting more sometimes. But also, he was fantastic for stretches last year, especially considering his medical issues. You wish he would be dominant for 82 games, but every team ends up having players who are hot and cold, and they win with those players who are hot and cold. I agree that he could definitely be more intense, but I remember last year when he got hot with Hoffman and Zibanejad, and he was amazing. Honestly, I wasn't (and still am not) sold on Silfverberg. We gave up 3 good prospects, but we got a game-breaking talent with Ryan. At the time we were getting overwhelmed with prospects, but we didn't have enough top-end talent. For that reason, I'd still make the trade.

Karlsson, yeah. It would be special for him to win his 3rd in 5 years, especially considering he missed a full season from injury and openly said he was recovering during the second season. As long as he's healthy and not playing with scrubs, he's going to be the favourite to win the Norris. It sucks for Weber, that his prime fell right in-between a perennial Norris winner in Lidstrom, and a possible perennial winner in Karlsson.

[Josh]

I also just realized that Karlsson and Keith are the only active players with two Norris wins. Karlsson would be the only active player with three if he wins it again this season.