Senators Team Report

INSIDE SHOTS

Coach Cory Clouston will surely toy with the idea of going with a six-season pro goalie who has yet to play an NHL game when the Senators’ five-game road trip comes to a merciful end Sunday in Anaheim.

Clouston has made it clear he’s been unhappy with the play of Brian Elliott(notes), who assumed the No. 1 spot when Pascal Leclaire(notes) suffered a broken cheekbone two weeks ago. His feelings wouldn’t have changed much after Saturday’s 3-2 loss in Phoenix, where Elliott gave up a soft first goal and was unable to come up with a big save when needed while facing just 25 shots.

With back-to-back games, Clouston could turn to Mike Brodeur(notes) when the Senators take on the Ducks. Brodeur, who says he’s a distant cousin of New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur(notes), is a 26-year-old former Chicago Blackhawks prospect who signed with the Senators organization during the offseason.

Before Leclaire’s injury, Brodeur was in Binghamton, his eighth minor team league team since he turned pro in the 2004-05 season. In 15 games with the Baby Senators, he had 5-4-1 record with a 2.92 goals against average, a .898 save percentage and a reputation for running hot and cold.

Ottawa is frigid, having lost four in a row and five of its last six. The loss to the Coyotes was the seventh in a row on the road for the Senators, who last won in an enemy rink on Oct. 28.

By going with Brodeur, Clouston might give the rest of his team the shake it needs.

Coyotes 3, Senators 2:   The Senators appeared to be sleepwalking through the first 56 minutes of the game before the alarm went off and they scored twice in a 2:33 span, the second goal coming with 46 seconds left. They didn’t come close to tying the score, however. “We’ve got to play with that type of desperation from the drop of the puck, not just late in the game,” said coach Cory Clouston.

NOTES, QUOTES

• C Mike Fisher(notes) likely needed an extra ice bag after Saturday’s game. Not only was he victim of the game’s hardest hit, by Coyotes C Daniel Winnik(notes), Fisher was also on the receiving end of a body check thrown by teammate Anton Volchenkov(notes), who was aiming to level a Phoenix player. On most scales, Volchenkov is considered one of the hardest hitters in the league.

• D Erik Karlsson(notes), who played the best game of his rookie season Thursday in Los Angeles, had an off night in Phoenix. On the Coyotes’ second goal, Karlsson turned the puck over at the Phoenix blue line and provided a weak back check before Taylor Pyatt(notes) slipped a shot between Brian Elliott’s pads. And in the offensive zone, only one of Karlsson’s seven shots found the net. Five others were blocked, while one went wide.

• The Senators were 0-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-3 in penalty killing.

Quote To Note:   “We’re giving up early goals, and that’s really costing us. Right now we’re not playing with a lot of confidence. When you play behind by a goal or two, it’s tough to have confidence and get momentum going. We’ve got to find a way to be better from the start of the game.”—Coach Cory Clouston.

ROSTER REPORT

Goaltenders:   Brian Elliott, Mike Brodeur

Defensemen:   Chris Phillips(notes), Anton Volchenkov, Filip Kuba(notes), Erik Karlsson, Chris Campoli(notes), Matt Carkner(notes)

First Line:   Milan Michalek(notes), Jason Spezza(notes), Daniel Alfredsson(notes)

Second Line:   Nick Foligno(notes), Mike Fisher, Alex Kovalev(notes)

Third Line:   Jarkko Ruutu(notes), Chris Kelly(notes), Jonathan Cheechoo(notes)

Fourth Line:   Peter Regin(notes), Jesse Winchester(notes), Ryan Shannon(notes)

Player Notes:  

• C Jesse Winchester’s goal was his first in 59 games and the fourth of his 88-game career.

• C Chris Kelly, who went goalless in the season’s first 18 games, has scored three times in the last nine games.

• LW Jonathan Cheechoo had two assists to double his season output in the helpers department.

• C Mike Fisher was the Senators’ best player on the night, although he didn’t have much competition for the honor. In 21:38 of ice time, Fisher had four shots on goal, four hits and a 63 percent success rate in the faceoff circles.

Medical Watch:  

• D Alex Picard missed his first game after suffering an upper body injury in Los Angeles. The extent of the injury and the timetable for his return is unknown.

• RW Chris Neil(notes) missed his fifth game with a knee injury that the initial prognosis says will keep him out of the lineup until mid-December.

• G Pascal Leclaire missed his sixth game with a broken cheekbone suffered when he was hit by a puck as he sat on the bench. He is expected to be out until Christmas.

• LW Shean Donovan(notes) missed his eighth game and is expected to be out until at least mid-January after suffering MCL damage in his right knee. There is no word yet on whether he also suffered ACL damage, which could jeopardize his season.