Senator's Articles: Unbeaten streak boosts B-Sens' postseason goals
March 24, 2004

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

Unbeaten streak boosts B-Sens' postseason goals

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON -- Just a few weeks ago, the Binghamton Senators had a modest goal: To qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs.

Today, their sights are set a little higher.

"If you're not thinking, 'Third place', you're not in the majority around here," defenseman Steve Bancroft said after practice Tuesday as the Senators prepared to host the Manitoba Moose at 7:05 tonight. "That's our goal right now; to get third place and go from there."

Sure, the Senators are still tied with Norfolk for the fifth and final East Division playoff spot, a mere point ahead of sixth-place Hershey and perilously close to an early offseason. But third place is within reach thanks to a 3-0-1 roll that has them one point behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a division that is growing tighter by the minute.

And third place is prime real estate. Not only would finishing third keep the Senators from having to play in the best-of-three preliminary series required of fourth- and fifth-place clubs, but it would mean a first-round date with the No. 2 seed, likely to be injury-ravaged Bridgeport.

"Getting in (to the playoffs) is an issue, but it's not the only issue," coach John Paddock said. "All four teams (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Binghamton, Norfolk and Hershey) have a chance to miss the playoffs and a chance to finish third. It goes without saying (finishing third) is the objective."

Meeting that objective starts tonight when the desperate Moose, seven points out of a playoff spot in the North Division with seven games to play, visit the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, where they defeated the Senators 3-0 on Dec. 10.

Including tonight, the Senators have nine games left, including three with Norfolk and one against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They have two games with first-place Philadelphia and one each with in-state rivals Syracuse and Rochester. Manitoba (28-33-10-2) is the only sub-.500 club left on their schedule.

"The guys are just thinking game-by-game right now," winger Denis Hamel said. "It's just a matter of winning every game we play. I don't think anyone is saying we need six wins or seven wins. We are starting to realize we're right there, near the playoffs, so we need to keep playing good."

The Moose advanced to the conference semifinals last season after winning a best-of-three series, and the Chicago Wolves survived a preliminary round to win the Calder Cup in 2001.

But the Senators prefer not to have to play a short series, in which a hot goalie or a fortuitous bounce can determine the winner.

"That series is so short that anything can happen," Bancroft said. "If we can avoid that, we'd be in better shape. We have been doing a lot of scoreboard watching lately, but the bottom line is if we keep winning, we won't have to worry about anybody else."

Added defenseman Julien Vauclair, "(The standings are) so close right now that we're definitely thinking about (third place). It's tough to play in the mini-series and go far. We know that, and we've been talking about it a lot."

MYSTERY GOALIE

Paddock was non-committal when pressed if two-time AHL all-star Ray Emery would start in goal tonight, even though he is expected to be back in time from his latest recall to Ottawa.

That's because backup Billy Thompson has been red-hot since March 5 when the AHL suspended Emery for five games. In his last six starts, Thompson is 4-1-1 with a 2.31 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. He has given up one goal in his last two starts (75 shots) at home.

SLAP SHOTS

Senators captain Chris Kelly continues to skate hard in practice but pronounced himself doubtful to play tonight. "It's still sore," said Kelly, out since Feb. 15 with a fractured left kneecap. "But who knows how it will feel overnight?" ... With a team-high 62 points, Hamel is tied with Antoine Vermette for the single-season franchise mark. ... Vermette was a healthy scratch Tuesday night for Ottawa. He hasn't played in three straight games, but an AHL assignment is not imminent.