Sens continue to perform despite troubles:
Lalime earns shutout as Senators beat Oilers for first time in nine years
Canadian Press
Sunday, January 12, 2003
CREDIT: (CP/John Ulan)
Petr Schastlivy of the Ottawa Senators battles for control of the puck with Anson Carter of the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. (CP/John Ulan)
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EDMONTON (CP) - The Ottawa Senators again managed to put aside their financial troubles Saturday night, ending their woes against the Edmonton Oilers at the same time.
Patrick stopped 20 shots for his second consecutive shutout as the Senators beat Edmonton 2-0 for their first win against the Oilers in nine years. "It's nice to get the monkey off our back," said Lalime. "We knew we weren't successful against those guys. Some tight games, but I think tonight, we came ready to win from the first minute and never looked back."
Two nights after he shut out the Calgary Flames 1-0, Lalime looked solid in goal again while Marian Hossa and Daniel Alfredsson scored for the Senators.
"Patrick, I thought, played very well," said Senators coach Jacques Martin. "He looked very comfortable, very confident."
Said Oilers defenceman Eric Brewer: "He (Lalime) played well early in the game when we felt we had a lot of pressure and we were playing the type of game that we thought we needed to win."
It was Ottawa's first victory against the Oilers since a 4-3 overtime win on Jan. 18, 1994. Ottawa was 0-10-3-0 in its previous 13 games against Edmonton since that game.
"They made us look pretty ineffective," said Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish, adding that his team was sluggish after returning from a three-game road trip
in California.
The Oilers had also been battling a flu bug and were without top centre Mike Comrie, out with a broken thumb.
"They checked us very well and we had a hard time penetrating, especially early in the hockey game," MacTavish said. "We didn't skate like we normally do. I think it's a product of playing a bunch of hockey and going through what a lot of teams have battled through in terms of sickness and injury."
The Senators (27-10-5-1) became the first team in the Eastern Conference to reach 60 points this season with the win. The loss ended a four-game unbeaten streak for Edmonton (20-14-5-5).
Despite the financial troubles surrounding the Senators, the team has remained focus on the ice and has won both its games since filing for bankruptcy protection Thursday.
"It seems like we've concentrated even better than before," said Hossa. "It looks like nothing's bothering us. We just try to focus on our game and the
hockey and that's it."
Added Martin: "We have no control over what's happening and I think the players have shown great focus and great determination in concentrating on the task. They've done an outstanding job."
Hossa gave the Senators a 1-0 lead at 9:58 of the first period with his team-leading 28th goal. Radek Bonk hit Hossa with a pass and the Ottawa
forward unleashed a wrist shot from the face-off circle through defenceman Jason Smith's legs and behind Edmonton goaltender Tommy Salo.
The Senators, ranked second in the NHL on the power play entering Saturday's game with a 22.1 per cent success rate, finished 1-for-6 with the man advantage.
Alfredsson put the Senators up by two goals at 16:46 of the second when he scooped up a loose puck near the boards, skated in on Salo and let go a quick
wrist shot that went between the goalie's legs. The Ottawa captain has 14 goals this season.
Edmonton had a four-minute power play midway through the third period when Ottawa defenceman Anton Volchenckov high-sticked Shawn Horcoff and drew blood, but the Oilers took a bench minor for too many men on the ice to negate the advantage.
"We didn't give them much - that's been the key to our success," said Martin. "We've played well defensively and we've got some people, that given some
opportunities, can cash in and tonight was a good example."
In the spring of 1998, the Oilers also faced ownership questions, with rumours arising that the team would be moved to the United States. Eventually, the Edmonton Investors Group raised $70-million US to keep the franchise in Alberta.
"As players, you want to put it aside," said Edmonton forward Ryan Smyth, a member of the team at the time. "That's out of our hands, out of our control.
"Our control is on the ice."
Ottawa returns home for a three-game homestand beginning Jan. 14 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Notes: The shutout was Lalime's fourth of the season. . . . Edmonton was 0-for-5 on the power play. . . . After the game, Alfredsson and Oilers captain Jason Smith autographed their jerseys and donated them to the 2003 Hockey Fights Cancer on-line auction. . . . Oilers defenceman Steve Staios returned
to the lineup after missing six games with post-concussion symptoms. . . . Rookie Ales Pisa was scratched to make room for Staios.
AI
