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October 09, 2005

Buffalo, Game 2.

I haven't even looked at the press from last night's game yet, but the denizens of the message boards are certainly singing Marty's praises today. And why not? He was possibly the best player on the ice, certainly the best skater on the ice. He had 7 shots on goal--5 of them shorthanded--and the official NHL.com stats even credited him with a couple of hits. He spent twice as much time shorthanded than he did on the power play.

It's not so much that his defensive play has improved significantly, but rather that the penalty kill isn't real defense. It's all about solid positioning and putting pressure on the other team. With Marty's speed and skill in reading plays, he can not only create turnovers, but also get past the defenders and in on goal.

In any event, it's working for now. Marty otherwise played a solid game, with only one turnover that made me cringe. Let's see what the press had to say.

Chris Stevenson: Winger Martin Havlat was a revelation killing penalties, scoring Ottawa's third goal while short-handed and finally capitalizing on the many chances he created with his speed. He burst down the middle and, after faking Miller to the ice with a fake shot, swept around him and tucked it in the open side five minutes into the third to make it 3-0.

Bruce Garrioch's goal description: Shorthanded, Havlat breaks in alone, fakes a move on Miller and beats him with a backhander on the glove side. He also selected Marty as his second star of the night.

Don Brennan offers a decent-sized piece titled Havlat a Man Advantage: So Martin Havlat, how many penalties did you kill when Jacques Martin was the coach of the Senators?

"My first season, the first three or four games ..."

Yes, yes, and then?

"No, that's it." Oh.

And so it is that 278 or 279 games later and with Bryan Murray behind the bench of this new and exciting Ottawa team, Havlat made plenty good on his next chance with shorthanded ice time.

He and Peter Schaefer formed a fast and effective unit in last night's 5-0 home-opening win at the Corel Centre. Havlat's short-handed breakaway goal 4:41 into the third -- his team's third score of the night -- erased any hope the Buffalo Sabres had of making a comeback.

"It was kind of fun," said Havlat. "We had a lot of scoring chances from (the penalty kill). It was fun."

Like Havlat, Murray's other penalty killers are loaded with offensive skills. He also used Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson together, with Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly forming a third tandem.

"That's why I've gone to them a lot," Murray said of the ability those players have to create positives from a negative. "I've told them, not only should you try and kill the penalty, but when you get the other team to gamble, it can create some chances. Speed is a big factor in that."

Not only does Havlat have the potential to be among the league leaders in short-handed goals, he is one player who will benefit tremendously from the new rules that, at least for now, finger the clutching and grabbing as penalties.

"That took away the strength of my game," said Havlat. "Now that I don't have to fight through the holding and hooking and grabbing, I just have to skate more."

Something that Havlat -- and the new Senators -- can do very well.

Allen Panzeri in the Citizen, which also awarded Havlat second star honors: All night, Havlat was dazzling, especially when he was killing penalties.

"He was flying out there," Murray said. "For Marty, I think killing penalties is a real forte for him.

"He could have had two or three goals if he had shot the puck a little more, but he created chances because he's a talented, quick guy."

Wayne Scanlan: Winger Martin Havlat was dancing and dangling throughout.

"You can see there isn't the hooking, holding and grabbing there used to be," Havlat said. "It took away a lot of strength from me, fighting through that stuff.