This year is different  than most for a couple of reasons – 1) There won’t be as many players as usual to pick from; 2) It will be a hastily assembled team; and 3)  Players better answer when called upon.

The Lightning could have a lot of representation on Team Canada, especially with Tampa GM Steve Yzerman a key decision maker with Hockey Canada Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

To explain a little further:

1)  Usually, the Canadian team can be selected from the teams that do not make the playoffs as well as some who get beat in the first round.  That will not be the case this year.  Due to the lockout, the playoffs will not begin until April 30th, with the World Championships set to begin on May 3.  The first round will not be over until the team is well into the Worlds.

2)  With the regular season ending on April 27th, there will not be much time to get the team together and off to Stockholm, where Canada will play their round robin games.  This means that there will not be much time for practice and some of the European teams will have an advantage because many of their players, with a few NHL exceptions, will already have the better part of a month of practice together heading into the tournament.

3) The leadership group for this team will be the same decision makers that will be picking the Canadian team for the Sochi Olympics next year.  If a player is on the bubble and turns down the invite this year, that decision will be remembered when it is time for team selection for Sochi. The decision makers include Steve Yzerman (Tampa), Kevin Lowe (Edmonton), Doug Armstrong (St. Louis) and Ken Holland (Detroit) as well as Bob Nicholson and Brad Pascall from Hockey Canada.

So, with a number of teams already essentially eliminated and a bunch more on life support, here are some early candidates to get the call to represent Canada:

FORWARDS

Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle

Eric Staal – Jordan Staal -Jeff Skinner

Martin St. Louis – Vincent Lecavalier – Steven Stamkos

Teddy Purcell – Cody Hodgson – Michael Cammalleri

Alex Tanguay – Matt Duchene – Jonathan Huberdeau

Mike Fisher – Claude Giroux – Scott Hartnell

P.A. Parenteau – Sam Gagner – Curtis Glencross

DEFENSE

Shea Weber  – Ryan Ellis

Brian Campbell – Erik Gudbranson

Justin Schultz – Mark Giordano

Dennis Wideman – Eric Brewer

GOALTENDERS

Devan Dubnyk

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

This list doesn’t include players from teams like the Stars, Coyotes, Blue Jackets, Devils, Jets or any team currently occupying playoff spots.

Players that could be available include Jamie Benn, Mike Smith, David Clarkson, Evander Kane, Andrew Ladd, Shane Doan, Stephan Robidas and Trevor Daley among many others.

While the forwards are very deep, just like the Olympic team, the defense isn’t really stacked.  And unless Smith is available and agrees to play, goaltending could be questionable as well.

It would be good for team Canada chemistry if they could get all of the units that might be familiar with each other, if not always playing together on a line, like the Edmonton, Carolina and Tampa units.

Any way, as long as players answer the call, Canada should have a pretty solid team.  And for most there is no reason to not say yes, since they are coming off a shortened season and wouldn’t have the usual 2-3 week-long break in between the end of their season and the beginning of Canadian camp this year.

The Senators will have to put the distraction of the officials and the losing streak behind and start anew on Thursday.

Apr 9, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) skates with the puck as Ottawa Senators right wing Daniel Alfredsson (11) defends during the second period at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

GAME RECAP

It wasn’t a very good start as the first shift saw a Steven Stamkos step into a slap shot from the faceoff dot, but Craig Anderson was cutting down the angle and swallowed it up.  On the second shift Ottawa couldn’t get out of their own end and ended up taking a hooking penalty.  However, crisis averted and after killing off Zack Smith‘s penalty they drew one of their own.  It was a colossal failure and the game stayed scoreless.  It was a cautious period but finally Daniel Alfredsson knocked a puck out of the air in the crease, that after review (for a potential high-stick) the goal stood and the Senators had the lead.  The next time the line was out, Alfie sent Kyle Turris in on a partial break and he rang one off the post, and then had another that Bishop got a piece of.

Tampa got the equalizer just over 2 minutes into the second after a lost defensive zone faceoff, Pierre-Cedric Labrie picked up a loose puck and put it past a screened Anderson for his first career goal. Then the wheels fell off, thanks to officiating.  With Turris off for a minor, Peter Regin won the ensuing faceoff, but the referee in the corner somehow determined that Peter Regin had won the draw with his hand (which he did not), giving the Lightning almost a full two minutes with a 2 man advantage.  Vincent Lecavalier scored early on in the 5 on 3 to put the Lighting up by a goal, chipping a rebound over a sprawling Anderson.  It continued to be constant parade to the penalty box, with a total of 8 minors called in the period, 5 against Ottawa.  There was no more damage and Ottawa went to the intermission just down by one.

Ottawa got on even terms early in the third, after a keystone cops type play ended up with the puck on Guillaume Latendresse‘s stick after bouncing off Bishop’s back.  Latendresse had an open net from three feet away and made no mistake.  The Lightning took the lead with just over 5 minutes left as Stamkos took Vincent Lecavalier‘s cross-crease pass on the power play and buried it for the 3-2 goal.  Ottawa could not muster much offense in the final 5 minutes and didn’t come close to tying the game.

OBSERVATIONS

• This one will not be shown as an example of what to do at officiating school.  Phantom calls, missed calls and simply blown calls abound on both sides.  The biggest one being Regin’s penalty for a faceoff violation that didn’t happen.
• It was weird that the NHL’s tallest goalie would give up two goals that resulted from high pucks, and another that got past him but was waived off ofter a Turris high stick.

SENSHOT’S PLAYER OF THE GAME

Kyle Turris had his best game of the losing streak, recording two assists and deserved to have a goal or two.  He had numerous scoring chances, but came up empty.

UP NEXT

Ottawa continues the roadie with a visit to Philly on Thursday night to take on the Flyers.