2006–07 Ottawa Senators season

The 2006–07 Ottawa Senators season was the 15th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season saw the team rebound from a disappointing early exit from the 2006 playoffs. The team made its first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Anaheim Ducks. After numerous personnel changes at the start of the season, the team had a poor record until December. The poor record sparked numerous trade rumours in the media. The team turned their play around to place second in the division and won three playoff series to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, the first in Ottawa in 80 years.

2006–07 Ottawa Senators
Eastern Conference champions
Division2nd Northeast
Conference4th Eastern
2006–07 record48–25–9
Home record25–13–3
Road record23–12–6
Goals for288
Goals against222
Team information
General managerJohn Muckler
CoachBryan Murray
CaptainDaniel Alfredsson
Alternate captainsChris Phillips
Wade Redden
ArenaScotiabank Place
Average attendance19,372 (104.7%)[1]
Team leaders
GoalsDany Heatley (50)
AssistsDaniel Alfredsson (58)
PointsDany Heatley (105)
Penalty minutesChris Neil (177)
Plus/minusDaniel Alfredsson (+42)
WinsRay Emery (33)
Goals against averageRay Emery (2.47)

This was also the year that the relatively new salary cap system changed the course of two franchises. Having to decide between one of their two star defensemen. Wade Redden was ultimately the choice over Zdeno Chara based on his impressive past couple of seasons. In the 2005–06 season, Redden was selected for the Canadian Olympic team, along with teammate Dany Heatley, and finished the season with a career-high 50 points and an NHL-leading +35 plus-minus rating in 65 games. The Senators chose Redden and the Senators and Redden agreed on a two-year contract worth $13 million with a no-trade clause; Chara signed with the Boston Bruins. Redden's salary made him the highest paid player on the team and the media and fans expected another top-notch season. Chara would eventually become a Norris Trophy- and Stanley Cup-winner in Boston, whereas Redden would nix a couple of trade attempts from Ottawa and eventually leave via free agency to a massive contract and further decline. Many speculate that if Ottawa signed Chara, the team might have remained a top-tier team.

Off-season

Player Changes

In July 2006, the Senators lost four players to free agency; the aforementioned defencemen Zdeno Chara (who signed a five–year deal with the Boston Bruins), Brian Pothier (who signed with the Washington Capitals), goalie Dominik Hasek (who signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings) and forward Vaclav Varada (who signed with HC Davos of the Swiss Elite League).

Former Carolina Hurricanes starter Martin Gerber was signed to fill the void left by Hasek, and Ottawa also signed defenceman Joe Corvo, formerly of the Los Angeles Kings. A short time later, they traded star forward Martin Havlat and centre Bryan Smolinski to the Chicago Blackhawks for Tom Preissing, Josh Hennessy, Michal Barinka and a second-round draft pick in 2008.

The club signed Russian centre Alexei Kaigorodov to a two-year, entry-level contract. They also signed blueliner Jamie Allison and re-signed Antoine Vermette, Chris Neil and Peter Schaefer to avoid arbitration proceedings. In addition, Ottawa re-signed Chris Kelly and Jason Spezza to two-year contracts each, as well as Christoph Schubert. Midway through the season, the Senators acquired centre Mike Comrie and left wing Oleg Saprykin from the Phoenix Coyotes. They would also acquire defenceman Lawrence Nycholat from the Washington Capitals.

Regular season

The goaltending duty was platooned between Ray Emery and Martin Gerber at first. Gerber struggled and Emery eventually won the starting job.

Highlights

After starting with a 17–18–1 record by December 21, Ottawa played better from that point on (31–7–8).

On January 3, 2007, Ottawa acquired centre Mike Comrie from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for prospect Alexei Kaigorodov. Ottawa was in need of another centre due to injuries and was eager to shed Kaigorodov, who was suspended for refusing an assignment to the Senators' American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, instead opting to play in Russia.

Dany Heatley was the representative for Ottawa at the 2007 All-Star Game for the East, managing a 94.0 MPH slapshot in the skills competition and a goal and two assists in the East's 12–9 loss to the West. For the YoungStars Game, sophomore defenceman Andrej Meszaros and forward Patrick Eaves participated.

On February 22, 2007, the Senators were involved in a huge brawl with the Buffalo Sabres over an alleged late hit by the Senators' Chris Neil on Sabres' co-captain Chris Drury. Although the referees ruled it was a legal hit (and replays and analysts concurred after the game), a fight ensued after play restarted. Eight players were assessed a total of 100 penalty minutes, and five players, including Senators Ray Emery and Chris Phillips, were ejected. The Senators lost the match, 6–5, in a shootout, one of a record eight overtime games and four shootouts that night.


The team finished second in the Northeast Division, behind the Presidents' Trophy-winning Buffalo Sabres, and third in the Conference in points (the team was seeded fourth due to the precedence of divisional winners). Because the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs both narrowly missed the playoffs, the Senators were the only Canadian-based team in the Eastern Conference to qualify for the playoffs. They also tied the Canadiens for most shorthanded goals scored during the regular season, with 17.[2]

Season standings
Northeast Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
11Buffalo Sabres8253227308242113
24Ottawa Senators8248259288222105
39Toronto Maple Leafs8240311125826991
410Montreal Canadiens824234624525690
513Boston Bruins823541621928976

[3]

Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Eastern Conference[4]
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 P - Buffalo SabresNE8253227308242113
2 Y - New Jersey DevilsAT8249249216201107
3 Y - Atlanta ThrashersSE8243281124624597
4 X - Ottawa SenatorsNE8248259288222105
5 X - Pittsburgh PenguinsAT82472411277246105
6 X - New York RangersAT8242301024221694
7 X - Tampa Bay LightningSE824433525326193
8 X - New York IslandersAT8240301224824092
8.5
9 Toronto Maple LeafsNE8240311125826991
10 Montreal CanadiensNE824234624525690
11 Carolina HurricanesSE824034824125388
12 Florida PanthersSE8235311624725786
13 Boston BruinsNE823541621928976
14 Washington CapitalsSE8228401423528670
15 Philadelphia FlyersAT8222481221430356
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

Schedule and results

October
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
1October 4Ottawa4 – 1TorontoGerber19,5201–0–02
2October 5Toronto6 – 0OttawaGerber19,2371–1–02
3October 7Buffalo4 – 3OttawaGerber19,2021–2–02
4October 12Calgary1 – 0OttawaEmery18,4041–3–02
5October 14Ottawa3 – 2MontrealSOEmery21,2732–3–04
6October 19Colorado2 – 1OttawaGerber17,7282–4–04
7October 21New Jersey1 – 8OttawaEmery19,1663–4–06
8October 24Ottawa6 – 2TorontoGerber19,4854–4–08
9October 26Toronto2 – 7OttawaEmery19,1785–4–010
10October 28Ottawa1 – 2BostonGerber13,2815–5–010
11October 31Ottawa2 – 4MontrealEmery21,2735–6–010

November
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
12November 4Carolina4 – 2OttawaGerber19,5485–7–010
13November 6Ottawa3 – 4WashingtonOTGerber10,4855–7–111
14November 8Ottawa4 – 5AtlantaGerber16,2535–8–111
15November 10Ottawa6 – 3PittsburghGerber17,0526–8–113
16November 11Ottawa3 – 4BostonGerber15,7726–9–113
17November 13Montreal6 – 3OttawaGerber20,0516–10–113
18November 15Ottawa4 – 2BuffaloEmery18,6907–10–115
19November 17Ottawa2 – 3New JerseyEmery15,1337–11–115
20November 18Buffalo1 – 4OttawaEmery19,7708–11–117
21November 20Minnesota3 – 5OttawaEmery18,0949–11–119
22November 22Ottawa3 – 2PhiladelphiaOTEmery18,99010–11–121
23November 24Ottawa6 – 4FloridaEmery16,54411–11–123
24November 26Ottawa1 – 3Tampa BayEmery19,81911–12–123
25November 28Ottawa4 – 1CarolinaGerber14,39312–12–125
26November 30Florida0 – 6OttawaEmery17,81413–12–127

December
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
27December 2Tampa Bay2 – 5OttawaEmery18,61814–12–129
28December 5Ottawa4 – 2NY IslandersGerber8,74115–12–131
29December 6Ottawa2 – 6WashingtonEmery10,92615–13–131
30December 9NY Rangers3 – 1OttawaEmery19,19215–14–131
31December 10Ottawa2 – 6ColumbusGerber15,79715–15–131
32December 12Ottawa3 – 2DetroitEmery20,06616–15–133
33December 14Ottawa0 – 6NashvilleEmery12,71816–16–133
34December 16Ottawa3 – 1BuffaloEmery18,69017–16–135
35December 19Boston7 – 2OttawaEmery19,15317–17–135
36December 21Tampa Bay4 – 2OttawaEmery18,60317–18–135
37December 23Ottawa6 – 3PhiladelphiaGerber19,26818–18–137
38December 27NY Islanders0 – 2OttawaEmery20,19219–18–139
39December 29NY Rangers0 – 1OttawaEmery20,21420–18–141
40December 30Ottawa3 – 2TorontoOTEmery19,48321–18–143

January
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
41January 1Atlanta3 – 2OttawaOTEmery19,70721–18–244
42January 3Buffalo3 – 6OttawaEmery19,77722–18–246
43January 6New Jersey3 – 2OttawaEmery19,54822–19–246
44January 7Philadelphia1 – 6OttawaGerber18,50923–19–248
45January 9Boston2 – 5OttawaEmery18,29224–19–250
46January 11Ottawa6 – 4NY RangersEmery18,20025–19–252
47January 13Montreal3 – 8OttawaEmery20,03826–19–254
48January 16Washington2 – 5OttawaEmery18,81027–19–256
49January 18Vancouver2 – 1OttawaEmery19,16127–20–256
50January 20Ottawa3 – 0BostonEmery17,56528–20–258
51January 27Boston1 – 3OttawaEmery19,84629–20–260
52January 29Ottawa1 – 3MontrealEmery21,27329–21–260
53January 30Washington2 – 3OttawaGerber19,17830–21–262

February
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
54February 3Toronto3 – 2OttawaSOEmery20,11230–21–363
55February 7Ottawa2 – 3BuffaloEmery18,69030–22–363
56February 8Montreal1 – 4OttawaEmery19,91531–22–365
57February 10Ottawa5 – 3MontrealEmery21,27332–22–367
58February 14Florida0 – 4OttawaGerber18,56133–22–369
59February 17Atlanta3 – 5OttawaGerber19,88134–22–371
60February 20Edmonton3 – 4OttawaSOGerber19,71635–22–373
61February 22Ottawa5 – 6BuffaloSOGerber18,69035–22–474
62February 24Buffalo5 – 6OttawaEmery20,04036–22–476
63February 27Ottawa4 – 2CarolinaGerber17,81237–22–478
64February 28Carolina0 – 2OttawaEmery19,26138–22–480

March
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
65March 2Ottawa2 – 4AtlantaEmery16,19038–23–480
66March 4Ottawa3 – 4ChicagoSOGerber13,91738–23–581
67March 6Pittsburgh5 – 4OttawaSOEmery20,07438–23–682
68March 8Toronto1 – 5OttawaEmery20,01839–23–684
69March 10Ottawa3 – 4TorontoOTEmery19,52739–23–785
70March 13Ottawa3 – 2NY RangersEmery18,20040–23–787
71March 15NY Islanders2 – 5OttawaEmery19,98941–23–789
72March 17Philadelphia2 – 3OttawaEmery19,63942–23–791
73March 18Ottawa3 – 4PittsburghSOEmery17,13242–23–892
74March 20Ottawa4 – 2St. LouisGerber13,18843–23–894
75March 22Ottawa4 – 2FloridaEmery14,20244–23–896
76March 24Ottawa7 – 2Tampa BayEmery20,34245–23–898
77March 27Boston3 – 2OttawaEmery19,78645–24–898
78March 30Montreal2 – 5OttawaEmery20,18546–24–8100
79March 31Ottawa5 – 2NY IslandersGerber15,59847–24–8102

April
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
80April 3Ottawa1 – 2New JerseySOEmery11,64247–24–9103
81April 5Pittsburgh3 – 2OttawaEmery20,06447–25–9103
82April 7Ottawa6 – 3BostonEmery17,56548–25–9105
  • Green background indicates win.
  • Red background indicates regulation loss.
  • White background indicates overtime/shootout loss.

Playoffs
Further information: 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs

The Ottawa Senators ended the 2006–07 regular season as the Eastern Conference's fourth seed.

The Senators started the playoffs against the fifth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins, whom they defeated four games to one. The second-seeded New Jersey Devils were their next opponent, with the same four-games-to-one result, again in favor of the Senators. In the Eastern Conference Final, the Senators faced the top-seeded Buffalo Sabres. Once again, Ottawa won in five games, which gave the Senators their first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. This was also the Sens' first series win against the Sabres.

Finals
Further information: 2007 Stanley Cup Finals

The Anaheim Ducks were the Senators' opponents in the Finals and the four-games-to-one result stayed the same for the Senators, the only difference being this time it was in the opposing team's favor. The Ducks were successful in shutting down the Senators's top line to the point where it was broken up in game five. All games were close except for game five which the Senators lost 6–2, when two goals went in off Senators defencemen and Chris Phillips caused an own-goal, which turned out to be the game-winning and Cup-winning goal attributed to Travis Moen, and possibly the only such goal in Finals history. Daniel Alfredsson was the Senators' top forward in the series as he had been all playoffs, scoring four goals. Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza were held to one goal and two assists in total.

Key contributors

After a poor start to the season, several players picked up their play and the Senators played well from December to the Stanley Cup Finals. The defence pairing of Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov won praise from the media for their "shutdown effectiveness" against opposing top lines.[5] The 'CASH line' of Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson was outstanding offensively, scoring nearly half of the Senators' goals in the post-season, appearing on The Hockey News cover for their play.[6] The line tied for the NHL and team scoring lead with 22 points in 20 playoff games. Goaltender Ray Emery played all 20 games and posted 13 wins.

Eastern Conference Quarter-final: vs. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeries
1April 11Pittsburgh3 – 6OttawaEmery19,6111 – 0
2April 14Pittsburgh4 – 3OttawaEmery20,1331 – 1
3April 15Ottawa4 – 2PittsburghEmery17,1322 – 1
4April 17Ottawa2 – 1PittsburghEmery17,1323 – 1
5April 19Pittsburgh0 – 3OttawaEmery20,1794 – 1

Ottawa wins series 4–1

Eastern Conference Semi-final: vs. (2) New Jersey Devils
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeries
1April 26Ottawa5 – 4New JerseyEmery15,5121 – 0
2April 28Ottawa2 – 3New Jersey2OTEmery19,0401 – 1
3April 30New Jersey0 – 2OttawaEmery19,6362 – 1
4May 2New Jersey2 – 3OttawaEmery20,2483 – 1
5May 5Ottawa3 – 2New JerseyEmery19,0404 – 1

Ottawa wins series 4–1

Eastern Conference Final: vs. (1) Buffalo Sabres
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeries
1May 10Ottawa5 – 2BuffaloEmery18,6901 – 0
2May 12Ottawa4 – 3Buffalo2OTEmery18,6902 – 0
3May 14Buffalo0 – 1OttawaEmery20,1713 – 0
4May 16Buffalo3 – 2OttawaEmery20,2943 – 1
5May 19Ottawa3 – 2BuffaloOTEmery18,6904 – 1

Ottawa wins series 4–1

Stanley Cup Final: vs. (W2) Anaheim Ducks
Main article: 2007 Stanley Cup Final
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeries
1May 28Ottawa2 – 3AnaheimEmery17,2740 – 1
2May 30Ottawa0 – 1AnaheimEmery17,2580 – 2
3June 2Anaheim3 – 5OttawaEmery20,5001 – 2
4June 4Anaheim3 – 2OttawaEmery20,5001 – 3
5June 6Ottawa2 – 6AnaheimEmery17,3721 – 4

Anaheim wins series 4–1

  • Green background indicates win.
  • Red background indicates loss.

Player statistics

Regular season
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Dany HeatleyLW825055105743117310
Jason SpezzaC6734538745191315
Daniel AlfredssonRW772958874242727
Mike FisherC682226484115723
Peter SchaeferLW77123446327502
Antoine VermetteC7719203952-2232
Chris KellyC/LW821523384028120
Tom PreissingD80731381840300
Joe CorvoD7682937428302
Wade ReddenD6472936501403
Andrej MeszarosD8272835102-15001
Patrick EavesRW73141832361311
Dean McAmmondC811415292811021
Chris NeilRW821216281776303
Chris PhillipsD82818268036013
Mike ComrieC4113122524-1302
Christoph SchubertD80817255630101
Anton VolchenkovD78118196737000
Denis HamelLW43437104000
Oleg SaprykinLW121124-3000
Brian McGrattanRW45022100-1000
Josh HennessyC1010140000
Ray EmeryG58011300000
Alexei KaigorodovC601101000
Danny BoisRW100070000
Martin GerberG2900000000
Tomas MalecD100000000
Lawrence NycholatD100000000
Serge PayerC50000-1000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T/OT GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Ray Emery335158331661382.47516911553.918
Martin Gerber1599291593742.781784710.906
Team:495082482592122.57624752263.914

Playoffs
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Daniel AlfredssonRW2014822104614
Dany HeatleyLW2071522144202
Jason SpezzaC2071522105300
Mike FisherC20551024-2211
Wade ReddenD203710106301
Joe CorvoD2027964101
Dean McAmmondC18538115011
Chris KellyC/LW2034740000
Tom PreissingD20257103101
Andrej MeszarosD20167125000
Mike ComrieC2024617-1000
Anton VolchenkovD2024624-2001
Peter SchaeferLW20156101000
Antoine VermetteC2023562000
Chris NeilRW20224200000
Oleg SaprykinLW1511240001
Patrick EavesRW702220000
Ray EmeryG2002200000
Christoph SchubertD2001122-5000
Chris PhillipsD2000024-2000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Ray Emery124920137472.263505458.907
Team:124920137472.263505458.907

[7]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

Transactions

Trades
July 10, 2006 To Chicago Blackhawks
Martin Havlat
Bryan Smolinski		 To Ottawa Senators
Tom Preissing
Josh Hennessy
Michal Barinka
Chicago's second-round pick in 2008 Draft (Patrick Wiercioch)
January 3, 2007 To Phoenix Coyotes
Alexei Kaigorodov		 To Ottawa Senators
Mike Comrie
January 5, 2007 To New York Islanders
Tomas Malec		 To Ottawa Senators
Matt Koalska
February 26, 2007 To Washington Capitals
Andy Hedlund
Ottawa's sixth-round pick in 2007 Draft (Justin Taylor)		 To Ottawa Senators
Lawrence Nycholat
February 27, 2007 To Phoenix Coyotes
Ottawa's second-round pick in 2008 Draft (Jared Staal)		 To Ottawa Senators
Oleg Saprykin
Phoenix's seventh-round pick in 2007 Draft (pick traded to Tampa)

Free agents acquired
PlayerFormer Team
D Joe CorvoLos Angeles Kings
G Martin GerberCarolina Hurricanes
F Serge PayerFlorida Panthers
F Dean McAmmondSt. Louis Blues

Free agents lost
PlayerNew Team
D Zdeno CharaBoston Bruins
D Brian PothierWashington Capitals
F Tyler ArnasonColorado Avalanche
G Mike MorrisonPhoenix Coyotes
G Dominik HasekDetroit Red Wings
D Filip NovakColumbus Blue Jackets

Lost on waivers
PlayerNew Team
F Denis HamelAtlanta Thrashers

Roster
2006-07 Ottawa Senators
Goaltenders

Defencemen

Wingers

Centres

Sources:

  • "NHL.com – Player Search". NHL. Retrieved February 8, 2010.

Draft picks

Ottawa's picks at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver, British Columbia.[8]

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 28 Nick Foligno (LW)  United States Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
3 68 Eric Gryba (D)  Canada Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
3 91 Kaspars Daugavins (LW)  Latvia HK Riga 2000 (LHL)
4 121 Pierre-Luc Lessard (D)  Canada Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
5 151 Ryan Daniels (G)  Canada Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
6 181 Kevin Koopman (D)  Canada Beaver Valley Nitehawks (KIJHL)
7 211 Erik Condra (RW)  United States University of Notre Dame (NCAA)

Notes:

Farm teams

See also

References
  1. "NHL Attendance - 2006". ESPN. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  2. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html
  3. Standings: NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al. (eds.). THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009. National Hockey League. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0.
  4. "2006–2007 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  5. Garrioch, Bruce (May 22, 2007). "NHL Team Reports". The Hockey News. p. 22.
  6. Warren, Ken (May 22, 2007). "Top Line Makes Sens". The Hockey News. pp. 18–19.
  7. "2006-07 Ottawa Senators Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  8. 2006 NHL Entry Draft Results nhl.com – accessed December 9, 2006
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