–Ian Mendes Tweets that Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman are taking part in practice today (which only means something if Jesse Winchester is unable to play). Daniel Alfredsson is not expected to play in game five.
–Jakob Silfverberg won the SEL championship yesterday, scoring the game winning goal and being named playoff MVP. He’s now available to the Sens for the playoffs, although he won’t arrive until after Saturday’s game (link). It’s hard to imagine Silfverberg would cross the Atlantic simply to practice with the black aces, so it will be interesting to see if he plays or not. Jared Crozier wants to temper fan expectations, although I’m not sure how out of control they really are (I’ve read more hype from the organisation than from fans).
-For those who want a sentimental look at the Sens in the playoffs thus far, check out Jeremy Milks‘ paean to the group. This, in a way, echoes Don Brennan patting himself on the back for his Carkner and Konopka love throughout the season and urging management to re-sign them. While it remains a possibility the pair will be back, I highly doubt it. Neither could play in the regular season and the fact that each has had one good game in the playoffs is not a reason to bring them back.
–Joy Lindsay Tweeted comments from Tim Murray and Randy Lee about Binghamton next year, with Murray saying signing a #1 veteran defensemen was the priority for next season.
-Here’s my profile of Sens prospect Stefan Noesen.
–Stu Hackel writes about officials beginning to crack down on the chaos of the playoffs by calling more penalties. It’s a long article worth reading in full, but his best point is echoing one Bob McKenzie made–when Brian Boyle went after Erik Karlsson (just like Brad Marchand went after Daniel Sedin) and it went unpunished that opened to door for depth players to go after skilled players. It’s typically a successful strategy, as Phoenix is 2-0 with Marian Hossa out of the lineup and the Rangers probably should be 2-0 against Ottawa without Daniel Alfredsson.
This article is written by Peter Levi, be sure to follow @eyeonthesens
