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November 11, 2005
Boston-Ottawa
Hi again. Lazy me.
Allen Panzeri (2nd star): Dany Heatley had two goals, while Bryan Smolinski, Peter Schaefer (shorthanded), and Martin Havlat had one each. Havlat now has seven goals in four games since returning from his five-game suspension for kicking the Bruins' Hal Gill.
"After the first period we had, we were lucky to get the win," Havlat said. "It was a bad, bad period, one of the worst we've played this year. We were lucky we scored the first goal because they were the better team after it."
On a breakaway, Havlat had Raycroft beat, but his backhander hit the post. Schaefer, right in Havlat's jet stream, got the puck as it bounced off the post, and knocked it in.
Three minutes later, Havlat stepped around an impotent poke check by Andrew Alberts, moved into the slot, and beat Raycroft with a wrist shot.
Bruce Garrioch: Senators winger Martin Havlat, playing against the Bruins for the first time since being suspended for kicking defenceman Hal Gill on Oct. 15 in Ottawa, had a goal and an assist.
"That was the worst first period we played all year," said Havlat. "(Hasek) kept us in the game and then we were able to get it going. We started scoring and we started creating chances."
Breaking in on odd-man rush with Schaefer, Havlat was allowed to dipsy-doodle through the zone and fire it by Raycroft to give the Senators a three-goal lead at 9:46 of the third period.
It was Havlat who helped set up Schaefer's second of the season. After Havlat hit the post on a clear breakaway, Schaefer was following in behind to deposit the puck into a wide-open net.
Bruce Garrioch, on Gill: Hal Gill wasn't planning on attacking Martin Havlat last night.
"(The media guy) wants you to say you're going to stick him in the face," Bruins defenceman Kevin Dallman said to Gill as he sat down beside the towering defenceman in the Boston dressing room yesterday.
"I'm going to stick him in the face," said Gill with a smile.
The 6-foot-7, 240-lb. Gill was playing Havlat last night for the first time since being kicked in the groin by the Senator on Oct. 15 at the Corel Centre -- an incident which the Bruin claims he has put behind him.
"It's not like I was hurt from the kick and I was out for two months," said Gill. "I wasn't injured so I don't see any need for an apology for what happened. I might have been upset if everything wasn't intact in (the groin) area ... everything is intact."
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However, Gill said he was pleased to see the league hand Havlat a five-game suspension -- resulting in a loss of $66,000 US in salary -- for the kick, which wasn't penalized by officials.
"He lost his money and I was glad to see that," said Gill. "Quite frankly, he got what he deserved and the fact that he's back, I don't really care about it. I'm not really thinking about that stuff."
Allen Panzeri in the Citizen, on Gill: "I really didn't even think about it then," Gill said yesterday morning. "It would have been nice if a penalty had been called on the play, but it's tough for the referees to see everything.
"I'm not here to hand out discipline, though. That's up to the league."
Gill said he was satisfied with the five-game suspension Havlat got and considered the matter over.
Besides, as Gill noted, it's not the first time he has been kicked.
"It happens a lot," he said. "You hit a guy, he falls back and his feet go up. For it to be intentional, that's different, but it does happen a lot (unintentionally)."
Havlat said that, though he apologized to his teammates, he wouldn't apologize to Gill.
Here's a news flash: Gill wasn't waiting for one.
"I don't really care," he said.
"That was a long time ago. He was the one who lost the money, and that's the game."
Posted by jz at 02:58 PM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2005
Catch-up 11/10
Ken Warren: Martin Havlat isn't expecting any extra attention or nasty crowd reaction when the Senators travel to Boston to play the Bruins tomorrow. It's his first game against Boston since he received a five-game suspension for kicking the Bruins' Hal Gill in the groin on Oct. 15.
"I don't think so, I didn't hurt anyboday and I've done my time," Havlat said. "We'll see what is going to happen (tomorrow), but I think it will be like every other game. Every game is the same. You've got to be aware of other players and players trying to hit you."
Havlat has no intentions of talking or apologizing to Gill about the incident.
"I apologized to my teammates. I did a stupid thing. It was not the smartest thing. I'm not not going to talk to (Gill) unless he wants to talk to me."
Sports Network: Schaefer made it a two-goal game. Havlat came in on the breakaway and beat Raycroft, but his backhander hit the post and wound up in front of the net. Schaefer tapped it in and the shorthanded tally gave the Sens a 3-1 edge.
Havlat made it 4-1 on a two-on-one with Schaefer. Havlat took Schaefer's pass at the right circle and skated to the slot. His wrist shot went over Raycroft's left shoulder with 10:14 left in the second.
Telus: Less than two minutes later, Ottawa scored a shorthanded goal
when Havlat got behind the defense in the neutral zone and put a
backhander off the goalpost that was corraled by Schaefer, who
knocked it home for a 3-1 lead.
"We started to skate a lot more," Havlat said. "We put much
more pressure on their (defense) and we scored some quick goals,
and I think that was the most important (factor)."
Midway through the period, Havlat scored his eighth goal after a
giveaway by blue-liner Nick Boynton. He deked rookie
defenseman Andrew Alberts, drifted left into the slot and beat
Raycroft to the glove side with a wrister.
Posted by jz at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2005
Catch-Up 11/9
Matt Kalman: Ottawa’s Martin Havlat recently returned from his five-game suspension and apologized to his teammates for his kick of Hal Gill in a game on Oct. 15, which led to the punishment. In Wednesday’s Ottawa Sun, the forward said he would only apologize to Gill if the B’s defenseman asked for it. Havlat doesn’t have to worry about that.
"I don’t really care. That was a long time ago," Gill said Wednesday. "He was the one that lost the money, and that’s the game."
Chris Stevenson: For Martin Havlat, sorry seems to be the hardest word.
At least when it comes to Bruins defenceman Hal Gill.
Havlat, the Senators winger who was suspended five games for kicking Gill in the groin Oct. 15, doesn't have any plans to apologize.
"I'm not going to talk to him unless he wants to talk to me," Havlat said yesterday. "I apologized to my teammates. It wasn't the smartest thing I've done."
The Senators will travel to Boston this afternoon to face the Bruins tomorrow night.
"They gave me five games and I've done my time," said Havlat, who said he didn't expect any extra attention from the B's in the first meeting since the incident. "Every game is the same. You have to be aware of the other players. It's the same game for me like the last one and another 70 games."
Posted by jz at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
November 07, 2005
Catch Up 11/7
Chris Stevenson: The Peter Schaefer-Antoine Vermette-Martin Havlat trio got its fifth goal in the last two games (all by Havlat).
"We're trying to shoot ourselves," said Schaefer, "but I like (Havlat's) chances when he's shooting better than mine and (Vermette's)."
Senators coach Bryan Murray likes what he's seen from the combo.
"That line is really starting to come into its own," he said. "They're showing great speed. They're flying."
Posted by jz at 03:37 PM | Comments (0)
November 04, 2005
Catch-Up 1
Ken Warren: Havlat opened the scoring in the first period, converting a perfect feed from Peter Schaefer into his fifth goal in two games since returning from a five-game suspension for kicking Boston Bruins defenceman Hal Gill.
Bruce Garrioch: Martin Havlat and Daniel Alfredsson made history with their four-goal performances against the Sabres on Wednesday.
The Senators wingers became only the fourth duo in NHL history to have four goals each in one game when they accomplished the feat in the club's 10-4 victory at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo.
"I don't know if that would happen," said Havlat. "We played well as a team and we had a lot of chances. I think what happens is you get some confidence and there's no question when you get that many goals, you've got to be able to get a little luck."
Posted by jz at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)
November 02, 2005
11/2
CBC: It took Martin Havlat less than 14 minutes to regain his scoring touch, hurt Martin Biron's trade value and give the Ottawa Senators an insurmountable lead.
"I wanted to play a hard game tonight," Havlat said. "They just kept going in and I was pretty happy with that."
Bruce Garrioch: After leading the Czech Republic to a title in 1998 at the Nagano Winter Games, Senators goalie Dominik Hasek is on the preliminary roster of 66 players released yesterday, along with Ottawa wingers Martin Havlat and Vaclav Varada.
Havlat, who was left off the world championship roster last spring by ex-coach Vladimir Ruzicka, said he wants the chance to play.
"I really enjoyed the Olympics in Salt Lake City. I would love to get back there," said Havlat.
Bruce Garrioch: While winger Martin Havlat -- returning from a five-game suspension -- was skating in Bochenski's spot with Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, that's not where he's going to start tonight against the Sabres.
Instead, Murray wanted to experiment to see what the fit would look like. Captain Daniel Alfredsson will play with the dynamic duo, while Havlat is going to start the night with Peter Schaefer and Antoine Vermette.
Murray said he wasn't teasing Havlat by having him practise with Spezza and Heatley all morning. He wanted to get a look at the trio, but isn't sure if he played them in a game who would play defence.
"(Playing them together) may happen," said Murray. "This was just a practice. (Sabres coach) Lindy Ruff doesn't need to know everything about what we're doing with our lineup, but I guess he's going to find out now.
"You try a lot of different people in different situations. Havlat may go there at some point. But I told Daniel Alfredsson before practice he was going to go there. I didn't think he needed to practise with those guys. He knows what they can do. If you put Havlat with Heatley and Spezza, you just wonder who is going to do the bulk of the work defensively."
Bruce Garrioch: Martin Havlat says he'll try not to be so "stupid" in the future.
The Senators winger, who will return to the lineup tonight against the Buffalo Sabres at HSBC Arena, says he's learned his lesson after serving a five-game suspension for kicking Boston defenceman Hal Gill.
"It was a stupid thing to do," Havlat told the Sun. "I don't disagree with anybody who says that. There is no place for kicking in hockey.
"I hope I will never do that again. I have to make sure I make better decisions right away (on the ice). I can't react so stupidly right away."
Coach Bryan Murray said Havlat's absence hurt the Senators.
"I guess he's found out kicking doesn't pay," said Murray. "It costs the team and people get hurt because of it.
"If you get suspended, it can hurt everybody. We lost two games while he was out.
"I know he may have made a difference in one of them (the 3-2 loss to Carolina last Monday).
"It hurts your reputation as a player. Some people have been saying some things that weren't complimentary towards him and rightfully so.
"What he has to realize is if situations like this arise, he can't take matters into his own hands, or in this case his feet, and he has to let somebody else settle it. That being said, he is a highly skilled player who adds speed to our lineup. We need him out on the ice."
Havlat said watching was tough.
"It was painful. That's for sure," he said. "You want to be on the ice playing and helping the team to win. You don't want to be watching from the stands."
Murray said he will likely start Havlat on a line with winger Peter Schaefer and centre Antoine Vermette. Decisions on line combinations will be made this morning after the skate.
Havlat needs to start capitalizing on scoring chances, with just one goal and two assists in five games.
"I missed five games. I just want to get back to playing," said Havlat. "I'm just happy to be back on the ice. This was a long two weeks sitting and watching."
Posted by jz at 03:48 PM | Comments (0)