After 10 games the Ottawa Senators are tied for first overall in the league with the San Jose Sharks. Both teams have identical 8-2-0-1 records good for 17 points.
The Senators attack has been led by there Captain Joe Sakic. Joe is doing exactly what we expected of him when we traded Palffy for him this summer. He currently leads the team and the CPHL in Goals with 11 and is tied for the league lead in points with Kovalchuk of the Bruins. Both have 19 points after 10 games.
Riding Shotgun to Joe is Martin Havlat. Havlat currently sits 2nd on the team in scoring with 17 points. He currently leads the CPHL in assists with 13. He is also currently on a 10 games point scoring streak. Havlat has also chip in 4 goals.
Daniel Alfredsson currently sits 3rd on the scoring chart with 7 goals and 5 assists for 12 points in 9 games. Daniel has spit time on the top line and the 2nd line.
Rounding out the top 4 forwards is Sean Bates. Bates has played his entire season so far as the 2nd line center. So far he has not disappointed. So far Bates has 10 assists and 2 goals on the season.
On Defence Ed Jovanovski currently leads all Senators Defensemen in scoring he has scored 5 goals and 3 assists. Ed is providing the type of Defensive leadership we expected of him when he was acquired.
Following Jovo is Nik Boynton. Boynton has 7 assists so far this year but has yet to score any goals. He has been steady however and we are very pleased with what he brings to our team.
Ossi Vaananen sits right behind Boynton with 6 points 2 goals and 4 assists. Ossi is also a steady +8 on the season. With Ossi only being 22 years of age we see big things for him.
Jason Smith rounds out the top 4 Defensemen in Ottawa. Jason has provided solid Leadership and a bit of an offensive punch as well. Smith has scored 1 goal and 5 assists so far this year. Jason was brought in to solidify our top 4 and to help guide the younger guys. So far it seems to be working.
Marty Turco is doing what we thought he would this year with a 7-1 record. He has been solid in net and allows the team a chance to win each and every game he plays. Turco is expected to carry the bulk of the load in the net this year.
Some disappointments so far this year include young Rick Nash who has not yet found his groove. He has only scored 1 goal and 4 assists for far this year. We expect to see him catch fire soon however. Also veteran Peter Bondra has not played as well as we know he can. Bondra has only scored 2 goals so far this year. We expect this to change as we know Bondra is capable of much more. Still he has brought veteran Leadership to the club along with Joe and Daniel. Our backup goalie Passi Nurminen has also disappointed so far this year. We need him to step it up when called upon if not a replacement will be sought out.
Looking forward to the next 10 games we play the Sabers, Coyotes, Canadians, Sharks, Thrashers, Blues, Jackets, Penguins, Hawks and Sharks again. All look to be tough games vs some very good opponents. Can our strong start continue through the next 10?
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