First of all, I'd like to thank Josh and Kyle for filling in for me where possible while I was soaking up the sun and tropical heat in Australia. I had a wonderful time, can't wait to go back again, although the ol' budget is breathing a sigh of relief now I'm back in Canada for sure Anyways, on to the week that was!

What you've missed:

The Sens had another up and down week, going 2 and 2. An uninspired 3rd period led to a meltdown against Toronto, but that form was quickly snapped with a shut-out over division leaders Buffalo 2-0 on Wednesday. To end out the week, Ottawa travelled to New Jersey and dropped the decision on Friday, but made amends the next day making light work of a downtrodden Minnesota team riddled with equipment issues and illness.

You could consider last week an altogether good week for the Sens but there are problems lurking beneath the surface. The powerplay is at rock bottom, with just one goal on 19 (!!!) power play chances this week. The new top line of Michalek-Winchester-Alfredsson has looked very good on the ice, but ultimately is not producing enough offense for a 1st line. They averaged just 1 point combined per game last week, and scored only 1 goal. And the Senators still have problems with playing a full 60 minute game.

In other games around the league:

- Washington made the most of their tour of the North-West division last week, taking 2 from 3 wins on offer against Colorado, Vancouver and Edmonton. They have a stranglehold on their own division title too - the next best Atlanta is 11 points behind.

- Despite needing the shootout to emerge victorious in Buffalo last night, Pittsburgh have 17 out of a possible 20 points in their last 10 games. However, that's only good enough for 2nd place in the Atlantic, with New Jersey also winning 8 from their last 10 and the last 4 in a row.

- After such high hopes for last season, Columbus' chance of catching the pack is fading. They have managed just 1 win and 5 points in the last 10 games, tied for the worst record in the NHL in that stretch with the shocking plummet of Philadelphia (2 wins, 5 points). Both teams sit second-last in their respective conferences.

- Minnesota caught some very heavy bad luck this weekend, losing a great deal of equipment in a fire, but in general should be happy with recent fortunes. They now sit just 4 points back of 8th place in the West after a very sluggish start.

What's coming up:

The Sens play 3 very tough teams this week. Beginning Monday at home, Ottawa hosts Boston (7:30pm, Sportsnet). Then they hit the road, travelling to red hot Pittsburgh (Wed, 7pm, Sportsnet) and then onto division leaders Buffalo (Sat, 7pm, MSG Network).

Injuries aplenty to keep you updated on, so let's bring out the list.

- Jason Spezza left Monday's game with a torn MCL, and expects to miss 6-8 weeks. He will not require knee surgery.

- Nick Foligno also had knee troubles from Monday's game, and will require arthroscopic repair of his meniscus. This should see him out around 2 weeks.

- Chris Neil, who has been out of the lineup since late November with his knee problems (noticing a pattern here?), may return this week or early next.

- Shean Donovan's knee concerns (seriously, is there a curse or something??) will be re-assessed in the New Year, but his initial MRI showed MCL and possibly ACL damage. There is no return date set.

This is a crucial week for Ottawa's playoff aspirations. A win over Boston will widen the slender lead the Sens enjoy over the Bruins in the division standings and a further win in Buffalo could see the Sens challenge for the overall division lead. The team needs Daniel Alfredsson to step it up and could really use a consistent contribution from Alex Kovalev one of these days, especially on the anemic powerplay.

In other games this week:

- St Louis make the obligatory pilgrimage to the North-West on a 4 game road swing, stopping in Vancouver tonight, and then Edmonton, Calgary and Minnesota before returning home to face Buffalo next Sunday. Overall, they have been disappointing so far, but they actually play better on the road. The Blues have a 8-3-3 record away from Scottrade Centre.

- Florida stand to make good ground on the standings with good results this week. A win against the Rangers will put distance between their 2 point margin in the standings, and a further win against Boston could see them leapfrog Atlanta, other results permitting.

- Anaheim are on the road this week and look to continue their recent good form. However, it won't be easy with 3 big games against the North-West best Colorado, divisional rivals Phoenix and joint West conference leading San Jose.

Who's hot?

- Patric Hornqvist (Nashville) has 7 points in the last 4 games, as does Ryan Callahan (Rangers)

- Todd Bertuzzi (Detroit) has 6 goals (2 of them game-winners) and 8 points in his last 8 games.

- Marc Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh) has won 10 of his last 12 starts, winning all 3 games and going 0.957 save percentage @ 1.26 GAA for the week.

Who's not?

- Ondrej Pavelec (Atlanta) has a GAA of 4.33 and an 0.877 save percentage over his last 6 starts.

- Jay Bouwmeester (Calgary) has not scored in 7 games and was a -6 in the 4 games he played last week.

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Excellent read yet again Matt!

Though as i recall, i think that Vancouver beat Washington? ;o

lol

They did indeed. I'll go edit it.

Thanks for the props

I'm so glad you're back Matt! I missed these!

Thanks Skip, and also a shoutout for the Twitter props as well!

Great read as usual

Nice to have you back Matt

Good job, Matt. Bryan Murray was asked by the fans in a call in show when Leclaire and Neil will be back and he said they both may return for the December 23rd game vs the Penguins.

missed these weekly colums. Welcome back.