Spezza is a fine defenseman....

...NOT!!!!!!! Ooohh, I love cheap shots first thing in the morning! The first ten minutes of the game put me into slight cardiac arrest because the Sens were dominating the Ducks which led to the Mike Comrie/Fisher goal. But, then the Ducks got into gear and WHAM! Victory! Its not that the Sens didnt play well, I thought they did. In general, they stayed away from taking stupid penalities, played awesome defense against the Getzlaf line, but in the end, the Ducks were too much.

The top line was absolutely shut down by Pronger and Scotty N! Spezza/Alfie/Heatly had some great chances due to their quickness and Spezza's amazing passing ability but the defense was too quick, too strong and played too well. I really liked how the Ducks coach approched the SPH line. More of a man on man kinda thing, making sure the puck didnt even touch one of the big three's sticks as opposed to playing a zone defense so Ottawa could move the puck around. Letting Ottawa play around with that puck is dangerous for any team. Just ask the final goal they scored against Buffalo! Three Sabres guarding and a goal still scored (Sorry, Me = Bitter). The top line not only looked like they had 8 days off but also looked like they had 8 days to believe all the hype. DAMNNN BOYS! What were you thinking on some of those plays?! When Moen scored that goal, it was shocking to see such a lapse in Ottawa's defensive judgment. I do not think Spezza is any good defensively, depsite all of NHL.com's articles to make me believe so, but Heatley and Alfie are top notch all around players. To let the forechecking line score in such a crucial game at such a crucial time, with Spezza right there (!!), shows that Spezza is not a complete player. And that the Ducks were too much for Ottawa. I do really respect the play making ability of Spezza. And I have nothing but the utmost of adoration for Wade Redden who I firmly believe is the most underated defenseman in the entire league. But both really need to evaluate the defensvie approach they have been taking because its really not successful.

I love how the Ducks have gone through the playoffs without one star. Everyone will obviously look to Giggy because goalies always deserve the credit, but the Niedermayers, Proger, Getzlaf, Moen etc have all contributed to the Ducks success. Scotty N looks like a guy half his age out there. And kinda like the hockey version of Viggo Mortenson. Less attractive though. He is really ageless. I remember watching him play on the Devils where he was obviously overshadowed by Scott Stevens but he was secretly always one of my favorites growing up. He is a lead by example kind of guy who all those young defensemen should look up to and emulate. He may not be the presence that Pronger is, or execute the Volchenkov/Vermette style hits but like Redden and Lydman, he is just a good player who focuses on teamwork and the basics. More hockey players should be like him.