pairing of Tuesdays

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MONTREAL - The Ottawa Senators can go into the NHL regular season feeling pretty good about themselves.The Senators completed a two-game sweep of the rival Canadiens with a 4-2 NHL pre-season victory on Saturday night, a day after beating Montreal 3-2 in overtime on home ice.Mika Zibanejad and David Legwand scored power-play goals in the third period to erase a 2-1 Montreal lead.Sometimes pre-season doesnt matter at all, there are no points involved, but its a good chance to get a feeling for the locker room, said Zibanejad. To win these two games against the Habs, our rivals, and the way we did it shows the mentality we have, how we react as a group. Thats a good sign.Mike Hoffman scored in the first period and Curtis Lazar had an empty-net goal with nine seconds left to play for Ottawa, which went 4-3 in the pre-season.Max Pacioretty and Andrei Markov put pucks past Craig Anderson for the Canadiens, who were 4-2-1.After the game, Montreal assigned defenceman Darren Dietz and forward Christian Thomas to AHL Hamilton.They were two players who opened our eyes in camp, said coach Michel Therrien. They both had injuries last season, so we didnt know them that well, but they came in and played well and worked hard.The Canadiens still must cut a goalie, one defenceman and a forward before the roster deadline on Tuesday, but Therrien said they would take their time to make their decisions.A player on the bubble is six-foot-six defenceman Jarred Tinordi, who struggled in camp but closed it with what Therrien called his best game. The Canadiens must decide whether to keep Tinordi or aging veteran Francis Bouillon, who is in camp on a tryout. They also must decide between Dustin Tokarski and Peter Budaj as backup to goalie Carey Price and whether to keep newcomers Jiri Sekac or Jacob de la Rose, who have both been solid. Sekac appears to have the edge, but Therrien had high praise for de la Rose.Its surprising how well he understands his position, said Therrien. He was very well developed in Sweden.Ottawa, whose Binghamton AHL club is currently training in France, did not announce any cuts.The Senators controlled the early minutes and got the first goal at 11:56 when Tinordi lost the puck in his zone and Hoffman put it past Price with a shot that went off a stick.Pacioretty scored from the front of the net on a power play at 13:19 and P.K. Subban ragged the puck through the Ottawa zone and set up Markov for a shot into an open side at 19:58.Zibanejad tied in on a power play 8:19 into the third when he jumped on a loose puck and scored with a blast from the high slot.I didnt really expect it, said Zibanejad. I saw the puck was trickling out and Milan (Michalek) did a great job of dragging two guys to him, so I was wide open. I just closed my eyes and shot.Legwands pass attempt came back to him off Alexei Emelins skate and he shot into an open side with Price moving the other way.The 19-year-old Lazar may have moved closer to making the team was he was sent on to protect a lead in the final minute and ended up scoring a goal.There were a couple of passes, a couple of reads I need to makes differently, but Im comfortable with how my games come along, said Lazar. Notes a€” Canadiens right winger P.A. Parenteau left in the first period with a lower body injury and did not return, centre Lars Eller sat out with a lower body injury. Therrien said both players should be ready for the season opener Wednesday in Toronto.. . . Montreal sat out defenceman Nathan Beaulieu to take another look at Tinordi. . . Chris Neil, Chris Phillips, Marc Methot, Alex Chiasson and Erik Condra werent in Ottawas lineup. Jake Bean Jersey . Today, he looks at the offensive line. 1. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (OT, McGill) You Should Know: Over the course of his university career, Duvernay-Tardifs commitments to medical school and the family business frequently limited him to one practice per week, yet he was still the Metras Trophy winner as the Top Lineman in CIS football in 2013. Michael Ferland Jersey .com) - Scott Parel carded a 5-under 65 on Thursday and he grabbed a 1-stroke lead after one round of the season-opening Panama Claro Championship. http://www.officialhurricanesfanstore.com/authentic-haydn-fleury-hurricanes-jersey/ . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Greg McKegg Jersey . Sources tell TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger that the team is quietly gauging interest on the Senators captain, though Spezza has a limited no-trade clause and carries a large contract. Brock McGinn Jersey . Louis and Ryan Kesler have demanded to be traded.TORONTO – In each of the past two offseasons Cody Franson and the Maple Leafs disagreed on the worth of the now 26-year-old defender. Contract disputes lingered for days, weeks and months in the winter of 2012 and once more in summer of 2013 before the two sides finally compromised on an unhappy middle with a pair of one-year contracts. Franson, not surprisingly, feels he has something to prove in his third season in Toronto. "Definitely," he said in conversation with the Leaf Report on Tuesday afternoon. "Thats the way my dad raised me was live by proving people wrong, have that motivation and drive to make people that say youre not eat their words." Franson believed that hed established himself as a viable top-4 defender last season, when he broke out with 29 points in 45 games, but Dave Nonis and the Leafs management group wanted to see more. They werent sure what the Sicamous, B.C. native was (the half-season sample size undoubtedly a factor) and balked at committing the sizeable term and dollars he desired in free agency (hence the one-year deal worth $2 million). Soon to be a restricted agent once more in the summer of 2014, Franson is out to prove that hes worthy of such an investment. Entrenched with the significant role and responsibility he always wanted upon landing with the Leafs via trade from Nashville, Franson is only half-satisfied with the season hes had to date. "Its going okay, but I can do more," said Franson, who will assume top pairing duty in the absence of suspended captain Dion Phaneuf. "I feel like I can do more. I feel I can help produce more. I can be a bigger part in our group turning things around." The Leafs have stumbled into December, struggling to generate offence and adequately defend amid a stretch which has seen them win just twice in regulation in 17 games. Now without their captain and leading minute-eater for the next two games – against top teams from Los Angeles and St. Louis no less – theyll need others, Franson most prominently, to step up their game. "The challenges are bountiful as we go forward into the season," said Randy Carlyle of a year thats seen an increasing number of injuries and suspensions, "but somebody else now gets an opportunity to fill those minutes." Be it offensively or defensively, Franson feels his game could stand to rise on a number of different fronts. The scoring leader of the Toronto defence once again this season – he has 14 points – Franson is nonetheless concerned by his inability to find the back of the net. He had four goals on 70 shots in 2013, but has yet score on any of the 40 attempts hes fired so far this year. Directing more pucks on net, thus creating not only goals but rebound opportunities for teammates, will aid in the teams struggling offensive attack – the Leafs have just 23 even-strength goals during this lasting 17-game run. "Obviously not having scored a goal is in my head," he said, noting a desire to increase hiss overall offensive production.dddddddddddd "Its been a tough year to try and get shots through to the net and really help our forwards in that sense. Thats bothering me a bit." Amongst the best at his position in producing offence at even-strength last season – he had 16 points, tied for 12th most among NHL defenders – Franson has just three such points this season, the majority of his production coming on one of the leagues top power-plays. Because the Leafs have struggled to move the puck effectively for the better part of the opening two-plus months theyve been ineffective with a forecheck from which theyd like to initiate offence. One of their better puck-movers, Franson can help in that regard with some measure of improvement. "I havent got enough of those this year," said Franson of even-strength points, 11 of his 14 assists coming with the man advantage. "Thats something Ive been trying to focus on in getting better at and try to help our team win." Already second in ice-time among Leaf defenders – 21 minutes per game –Franson is poised to peg, if not more minutes, than more difficult minutes with Phaneuf suspended for tough tests against the Kings and Blues. He was paired with Carl Gunnarsson on the top pairing of Tuesdays practice. Though hes made strides in the right direction in Toronto, Franson remains a work in progress in the defensive zone. Part of that growth lies in his assertiveness and physicality. The 6-foot-5 defender has always been prodded to employ the requisite physical game his size is said to demand. Under the direction of Carlyle he has improved considerably. Franson actually leads all NHL defenders with 98 hits (entering Tuesdays action), quite a shift for a player who had 55 in his first 61 NHL games with Nashville. "Ive gotten better," said Franson, "but theres always room for improvement. Ive watched the video clips of myself after a lot of games and I see spots where I know I couldve at least bumped a guy there or a guy takes a shot and I was more worried about the rebound than finishing [him] into the wall. Just some things that I need to get back into the habit of doing and itll help me." Habit has also been forced to change with a steady mix of defensive partners. Unlike last season, when he played with Mark Fraser almost exclusively, Franson has shifted from partner to partner amid the teams struggles on the back-end. Gunnarsson will be the fifth partner hes been paired with already this season. The adjustment is as subtle as thinking versus reacting instinctually. "t makes you think a little more and sometimes Im thinking too much and its making me read things a little slower than I should be and in turn making me not quite as aggressive as Id like to be," said Franson. "Ive got to get that down a little quicker and itll help." Such improvements will go a long ways toward proving the "naysayers" wrong while helping the Leafs turn a much-needed corner. 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