Jason Spezza wasnt much of a factor in a victory over the Ot

[carrie201918]

Jason Spezza wasnt much of a factor in a victory over the Ottawa Senators earlier this month, though there should be some extra incentive for the Dallas Stars center to contribute more against his former team Thursday night. Returning to Ottawa for the first time since being traded over the summer, Spezza likely wont let a broken nose keep him from trying to help the Stars earn a seventh consecutive victory over the Senators. Catch all the action on TSN5 at 7pm et/8pm at. You can also listen to the game on TSN Radio 1200 in Ottawa. Spezza, who recorded 251 goals and 436 assists while spending his first 11 seasons with Ottawa, was held without a point for the only time in eight games and had no shots for just the fourth time all season in a 5-4 home victory Jan. 13 - the first meeting since the Senators dealt him to Dallas on July 1. The 31-year-old admitted it felt strange to face his former team that night, and it could be even tougher doing so in Ottawa. Its been a date thats been circled on my calendar, Spezza said. Its nice to have it here and get it over with (Thursday). Though Spezza trails only Daniel Alfredsson in goals, assists and points in Senators history and helped lead the franchise to its only Stanley Cup finals appearance in 2007, his request for a trade over the summer likely remains a sore point for some Ottawa fans. I think fans feel 50-50 about a players departure, Ottawa All-Star and former Spezza teammate Bobby Ryan said. Hell get his cheers and get his jeers as well. Its probably going to be an emotional night for him. Spezza, who has eight goals and 27 assists, is expected to be in the lineup after he broke his nose while being hit into the end boards by Montreals Alexei Emelin during the second period of Tuesdays 3-2 defeat. I broke my nose but I knew I was going to be back, Spezza, who has recorded an assist in five straight games, told the Stars official website. While Spezzas homecoming is a significant aspect to this matchup, he would rather focus on trying to help the Stars avoid a third straight loss. Weve got to find a way to win these games, said Spezza, who signed a four-year extension worth a reported $30 million in November. We need to get points this time of year. Sitting 11th in the Western Conference and six points behind Calgary for the final wild-card spot, Dallas might be facing the ideal opponent to begin a positive run. The Stars have totaled 22 goals during their six-game winning streak over the Senators and are in the midst of a 3-0-2 stretch at Ottawa. Ales Hemsky, who had four goals with 13 assists in 20 games after being traded to Ottawa last season, recorded one of each against the Senators (19-18-9) this month. However, he has one point in five games since. Teammate Tyler Seguin is among the NHL goal leaders with 28, but has one in his last 17 games versus Ottawa. Senators winger Alex Chiasson, who was part of the Spezza trade, had an assist in the first meeting with the Stars. Ryan had two of his 21 assists in that game and recorded the same amount in a 4-3 home victory last Wednesday in Ottawas most recent contest. Robin Lehner will start in net for the Senators as Craig Anderson is out with a hand injury which he suffered on Jan. 21 against Toronto. On the outside of playoff position in the East, the Senators are trying to win back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 29-Jan. 3. They havent done so at home since Nov. 4-6. Theres no game (that isnt) important for us from here on out, Ryan said. Stars (49PTS) at Senators (47PTS) DAL is 1-0-0 vs OTT this season, winning at home DAL has won 6 straight vs OTT, 2 of the wins in OTT OTT (19-8-9): 4-2-1 past 7 home games, 25GF, 1/21 on PP Stone (2G, 6A) 7 game PT streak DAL (21-19-7): lost 2 straight, 3GF, 1/11 on PP Spezza (1G, 5A) 5 game PT streak Projected Senators Lines Michalek-Turris-Stone MarArthur-Zibanejad-Ryan Hoffman-Pageau-Chiasson Condra-Lazar-Neil. Methot-Karlsson Cowen-Ceci Phillips-Gryba Lehner Hammond Patric Hornqvist Jersey .C. Lions. The clubs former starting quarterback, assistant and head coach returned Thursday as its receivers coach. Paul Coffey Jersey .com) - Delon Wright made all 12 of his free throws and finished with 21 points and six assists as No. http://www.penguinsauthenticofficial.co ... -jersey/.C. -- Al Jefferson knows few people will be giving the Charlotte Bobcats a chance to upset the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Jaromir Jagr Jersey . Al Harrington, another former Knicks forward, scored 22 of his 24 points after halftime for the Nuggets, allowing them to withstand Anthonys attempt to rally the Knicks after his poor shooting had them behind until the final minutes of regulation. Anthony finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, missing 20 of 30 shots in the Knicks sixth straight loss. Mark Recchi Penguins Jersey .Boston beat the Nashville Predators 5-3 on Tuesday night and celebrated consecutive wins for the first time in more than a month.ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Tucked in the warmth on the surrounding grounds of the Big House, Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis made one point urgently clear as he announced the signing of Torontos captain through 2021. "We signed Dion to this deal because he deserved it," said Nonis on the eve of Wednesdays Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium. But the success of the seven-year extension between the Leafs and Dion Phaneuf wont just be about the 28-year-old defender, but the ability of Nonis and the organization to surround him and the Toronto core with capable talent. Right now that core includes at least six players; Phaneuf along with Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk, Joffrey Lupul, David Clarkson and Tyler Bozak – all signed until at least 2017. And while that group must remain productive – and increasingly so from a generally disappointing first half – the overall team success is likely dependent on the quality of talent the club adds in the coming years. "Weve added these pieces because we think that they can help us win long-term," said Nonis of that core group. "Its now going to be up to us to add players around them. We feel we have some pieces coming, but were not where we need to be yet. We still need to add some pieces around players like Dion and Phil and [Lupul], JVR. Those are players that will help any team in this league win, but we need to continue to add to that group." No team has done a more efficient job of surrounding their impressive core than the Chicago Blackhawks (though the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins could make equal argument). "I think theyre a model for the league, not just our hockey club," Randy Carlyle said of the defending Stanley Cup champions earlier this season. Chicagos core is among the more dynamic in the league – much of it built through the draft – but the organization has done well in surrounding that group with wave upon wave of helpful young players and outside talent. In recent years, the likes of Andrew Shaw (fifth round pick), Marcus Kruger (fifth round), Bryan Bickell (second round), Corey Crawford (second round) and Brandon Saad (second round) all proved invaluable toward the Blackhawks capturing their second Cup in four years last season. For the Leafs that means improved drafting and development. It means finding more capable assets through the draft, ever an important tool in todays cap age. "Theres still only three ways to do [build around the core] – trade, free agency or the draft," said Nonis. "We have to do a better job in all three areas. But the draft is going to be more and more important as players start to earn six, seven, eight, nine, 10 million – who knows what the numbers are going to end up being. "If you have players that are entry-level players or just coming out of entry-level that are earning substantially less that can contribute youre going to have a better chance of winning. We need to try to find some of those players." Not only does that mean the continued development of young players like Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, Nazem Kadri, Peter Holland and Jonathan Bernier, but success here and there from a solid and yet unspectacular prospectt pool that features Matt Finn, Connor Brown, Petter Granberg, Dominic Toninato, and Josh Leivo.dddddddddddd It also means finding more useful players to contribute right now. Chicago found help for example in the form of veterans like Johhny Oduya and Michal Handzus. Uneven all season, Torontos patchwork defence – which featured no major additions last summer – is a source requiring definite upgrading in the summer of 2014 and beyond. As for Phaneuf, he may be an imperfect first defender, but is a capable first defender no less in a league where commodities of such kind are difficult to find and then keep. More and more teams are locking up their most talented players long-term leaving the free agency pool increasingly weak and short of high-impact options, especially on defence. Among the top unsigned defenders for the summer of 2014 are 37-year-old Dan Boyle, 35-year-old Andrei Markov, and 29-year-old Dan Girardi. Internally, the Leafs have promising long-term options for the top of their defence in the 19-year-old Rielly and 23-year-old Gardiner, but neither is near ready to assume the difficult duties Phaneuf holds at the moment. And while the likes of Finn, Granberg, Stuart Percy, and Tom Nilsson offer prospective hope further on down the line, they are suitably unknown commodities. "If youre signing players because you dont have anyone to replace them youre making mistakes," said Nonis. "Hes going to play at this level and beyond, I feel, for seven years and maybe beyond that. Its not that you dont have anyone to replace Dion, its that hes done enough to prove to us that he is a player that is near the top of the league in terms of how he stacks up against the top defencemen." The difficulty of his minutes is easy to overlook. His role on a generally unstable Toronto defence requires him to match up nightly against the most difficult competition in the league. In Wednesdays Winter Classic for example, that tall challenge will include large quantities of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. "I dont think you can look beyond the situations and positions that Randy puts him in," said Nonis. "Theyre not always the best situations. He plays some pretty tough minutes." In fact, no defender in the league has faced more challenging competition in the past two seasons than the Leafs captain, this according to ExtraSkater.com. And though hes struggled to produce offence this season – 15 points in 39 games – Phaneuf has ranked amongst the top-20 at his position in offensive production in each of the past two seasons. The Leafs were in a surprise in 2013, finishing fifth in the conference while nearly upending the eventual Cup finalist Bruins in the first round. But theyve fallen under considerable strain this season – just four regulation wins since Nov. 1 – and have proven a poor defensive contingent again after struggling in that regard a year ago. Phaneuf is more solution than problem. The Leafs simply need better players around him. "You see some of the best players around the league," said Nonis, "if you put them on a team by themselves theyre going to have a hard time winning. We think were adding pieces that will help us win." ' ' '