Senators Article: Tapper-Giroux-Laich line gives B-Sens offensive threat
January 22, 2004

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Press Connects.com

Tapper-Giroux-Laich line gives B-Sens offensive threat

Group has excelled since trade of Corso earlier this month

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON -- The scouting reports out of Atlanta and Chicago indicated Brad Tapper has good offensive instincts, blazing speed and an above-average shot.

What they didn't mention was the shot in the arm he'd give the Binghamton Senators.

Seven games into his second life in a season that has been, in his words, "a living hell," Tapper already has three goals, or two more than he scored in 20 games with the Chicago Wolves, American Hockey League affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers.

More important, though, is the chemistry Tapper has developed with rookie center Brooks Laich and revived winger Alexandre Giroux to form an honest-to-goodness scoring line on a team that lacks a natural scorer.

"When I put them together, I was hoping Tapps would go with Alex and Brooksie and that maybe they would all get going a little bit," coach John Paddock said Saturday night after they produced two goals in a 6-3 victory over the Norfolk Admirals.

Paddock was gone, to Manitoba for his father's funeral, Monday when Tapper, Giroux and Laich were all minus-3 in a 3-1 loss at the Providence Bruins. But that setback hardly diminishes the chance this line has given the Senators to score more in the final 38 games than the 2.6 goals-per-game they averaged in the first 42.

"Both of them are on top of their game," Laich said of Tapper and Giroux, "and I'm just trying to distribute pucks to them. I think we have a good sense for one another out there."

When this line is out there, you have a sense the Senators are making better offensive sense, and not just because the club has mustered 14 goals in its last four games.

Much was expected of Giroux, coming off a 19-goal season and a strong NHL training camp in Ottawa. Tapper also registered 19 goals last season (10 with Atlanta, nine with Chicago), but overcome by sadness from the death of friend and roommate Dan Snyder in a September car crash, he had been an even greater first-half disappointment than Giroux, who scored six goals in his first 29 games.

The Jan. 6 trade for underachieving center Daniel Corso that sent Tapper to the Senators gave him the change of scenery he desperately needed and Giroux the dynamic, offensively skilled winger he needed to play with.

But the most pivotal piece of the line fell into place when its pivot came back from a month-long bout with mononucleosis. Laich, a rookie whose next game will be his 33rd as a pro, is the smart, two-way center who can get the puck to Tapper and Giroux.

Factor in the recent offensive outputs of captain Chris Kelly and left wing Denis Hamel, who each have five goals and three assists in the last seven games, and the Senators have the makings of a second productive line, which will look even better when All-Star winger Josh Langfeld comes back from his latest recall to Ottawa.

"Tapps has had a tough season for many reasons, and we probably expected more offense from Alex," Paddock said. "They've worked good since they've been together, and Brooksie's been a different player since he came back. I think he had mono long before it was diagnosed, so it had an effect on how he was playing."

Said Giroux:"Tapper has been a great addition. He's got a lot of speed, and Brooksie plays both ways really well. I can shoot the puck or pass it to Tapper. I think we're a good match."

Slap shots:Chris Pittman, who agreed to a tryout contract with the Senators before Monday's game and registered an assist on Kelly's second-period goal, had 10 goals and 14 assists in 35 games between Columbus and Trenton of the East Coast Hockey League. He played 19 games in the AHL with Hartford last season. ... Funeral services for Paddock's father, John, will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday in Manitoba. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to the Parkinson Society of Canada, 302-171 Donald Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3C 1M4, or the Children's Wish Foundation, 350 St. Mary Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3C 3J2