Senators Artcles: Emery returns to top form for playoffs
April 21, 2005

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Scott Lauber of Press Connects.com

Emery returns to top form for playoffs

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON -- As the prospect of an NHL season grew dimmer, Binghamton Senators coach Dave Cameron began noticing a change in his top goalie prospect.

Instead of just killing time in the minors, waiting for the owners to fling open their doors and offer him the career-advancement opportunity he felt he deserved, Ray Emery reinforced his merit of such a break by focusing more on puck stoppage than an increasingly distracting work stoppage.

But now, as the Calder Cup playoffs dawn, it may behoove him to think of the NHL again.

Over the past three seasons, Emery has become the face of the Senators, not only because his face is plastered across the side of a van the team uses for promotions, and the goalie who wears No. 1 is the No. 1 ingredient for an extended playoff run.

And an extended playoff run for Binghamton may mean a job in Ottawa for Emery whenever the NHL mess is resolved.

"I hold myself accountable to these guys in the room more so than the organization," Emery said after practice Tuesday when it was suggested that he's playing this spring to reaffirm the "goalie of the future" tag that's been applied to him by the Ottawa Senators. "This has given me a chance to focus on my game and become a better goalie."

At last, Emery's game has come into focus. After a disappointing first half of the season in which he lost his vice-like hold on the starting job and started splitting time with emerging backup Billy Thompson, Emery enters Game 1 of the East Division semifinal series Friday night against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton having stopped 153 of the last 165 shots and with nine wins in his last 10 starts.

Like so many of his teammates, the turning point was the cancellation of the NHL season Feb. 16. Discounting a 4-0 loss to Bridgeport the following night, Emery is 12-2-2 with a 2.69 goals-against average in his last 16 regular-season starts.

"I wasn't surprised at the effect (of the lockout) on our guys, but I was surprised at the length of the effect," Cameron said. "As a former player, I can understand the disappointment about being in the American Hockey League, but in this case, it wasn't like you're in the American Hockey League because you're being punished.

"With Ray, I did see a change, and the change was an acceptance of the fact that, 'Look, I have to be more consistent or I have to do everything in my power to be more consistent.' Ray Emery is in Ottawa's plans, big-time. But one thing Ray had to figure out is there's a difference between being in Ottawa's plans and earning it."

Ottawa goalie coach Ron Low said Emery shouldn't earn his future status in the organization based on one postseason. But there's little doubt he will inspire confidence from general manager John Muckler and coach Bryan Murray if he can backstop Binghamton deep into the playoffs, especially with Ottawa starting goalie Dominik Hasek approaching his 40th birthday.

Emery, obsessed with winning, has rarely needed extra motivation, but can there be any more incentive than that?

Low, in town this week to help the Senators' goalies prepare for the playoffs, said Emery is "on top of his game right now" and said he's never seen Emery look better in his one season as the organization's goaltending guru.

"He looks like the guy that we as an organization expected him to be," Low said.

And at just the right time of the season, too.

"My experience has been that the teams that have the best goaltending go the farthest in the playoffs," Cameron said. "Ray mirrored the team in that he had an inconsistent start but was red-hot at the end. I like the part about him being red-hot at the end."