FanHouse Anton Volchenkov

Who knows which hockey sage coined the phrase, "100% of shots that don't reach the net don't score", but, as Craig Ludwig's oversized shin pads would tell you, it's one of the sport's infallible truths.

While defenders are often known more for laying out big hits or getting under the skin of a certain offensive star, a goaltender's true friends are the ones that risk life and limb to block speeding rubber bullets, decreasing the chances that a goalie will be forced to make a save.

As the New York Times reports, blocking shots is a skill that also involves shedding your sense of self preservation.

"You have to break the fear," Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival said. "You try it once, it hits your shin pads and you say, O.K. We all played the game for so long. Nobody really thinks about it anymore. It's like natural. I don't think there's any guy in the locker room who would be thinking, Oh, should I block it or not?"

Blocking shots has become an increasingly important - if still hard to fathom - part of the game. Coaches preach that they are a way to cut down scoring chances, to keep life easier for the goaltenders, and to turn defense into something practiced by the whole team, not just the defensemen.

So, just who is the best at helping out their goalies?

Well, I guess all that talk of this now being some kind of series was just the tad bit premature wasn't it? Scoring the biggest goal of his most interesting career, Conn Smythe front-runner (in my opinion) Daniel Alfredsson finally put the Ottawa Senators into the fourth round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after 9 previous failures to do so.

First things first. Sincere congratulation to him, the team, Eugene Melnyk and the whole long-suffering Ottawa Senators fan-base. Second things first, make no mistake about it, the better team won and won handily, taking my prediction (what the hell do I know anyway?) and turning it completely upside down, constructing a series that was nearly an exact mirror image of the one played between these two teams last post-season.

The Senators tenacity and ability to execute a solid, if unspectacular game plan regardless of what the Sabres threw at them was truly the mark of a team that has their heads in the right place, something they are going to need to finish off this post-season and bring the Cup back to Canada for the first time in 14 years.

While the hate e-mail continues to pile in and AOL's profanity filter (yes, that would be you moosenutz) is working overtime over my polemic against the Sens in my Fan House preview, I have nothing to apologize for. In essence, my argument to the Senators and their fans was, "Show Me."

Well, they've 'Shown me." I told you I'd sack up if I was wrong, and I am.

For the second game in a row the Sens found a way to diffuse a hard-charging start by the Sabres and slowly, but inexorably took the game away from them (assisted last night by Don VanMassiveHoser) to take a lead into the 3rd period. That's the mark of a team playing great and who is focused on their task at hand in a way that their opposition is not and this series, because of that, should be all but over. So, while at the beginning of the series I asked myself the question, "Could Ray Emery outplay Ryan Miller 4 times in 7 games?" The question everyone should be asking is "Can this Sabres squad beat this Ottawa team 4 out of the next 5 games?" The answers to both questions, I think, are still no.

Emery was the reason this game was not a rout for the Sabres. His save on Jason Pominville mid-way through the first period was the catalyst for the Sens beginning to get their feet underneath them. As well, his stop of Thomas Vanek's wraparound kept a desperate Sabres team from re-establishing control in this game.

But, most importantly, the Sabres showed why it is they are going to lose this series with a flat, dispirited effort for the first 19 minutes of the 3rd period. Again, when the game mattered the Sens were the better team from the1st line to the 4th line, while the Sabres played tentative, tight and, ultimately without confidence. Believe it or not, even Briere's goal did nothing to lift my hope for a Sabre victory. It was actually met with, "Well, they didn't deserve that," and absolutely no celebration. Because, by that point the Sens had shown the kind of resolve that the Sabres had not and if the 1st period didn't rattle them, then a fluke goal with 6 seconds left shouldn't either.

And, the Sens were, by far, the better team in the OT's. It was just a matter of time before they cashed one of their opportunities.

Well, I'm sure Ottawa fans are going to enjoy this post a ton. Since yesterday it's been a war of words between myself and their internet faithful, both here and abroad. That aside, Game 1 of this series was a very solid performance by the Senators who took advantage of an aggressive penalty kill and an early power play to stake themselves to a 2-0 lead early, after the Sabres had all the jump coming out of the gates. Mike Fisher's shortie and Daniel Alfredsson's power play goal were the direct result of over pursuit and nervous energy early in the game by both teams. The Sabres whiffed on their early chances and the Sens potted theirs.

Over the next 35 minutes the Sabres crawled back into the game tying it up where they make their living, at even strength. Goals by Afinogenov and Lydman tied the score at 2 heading into the third in what was a reasonably even game with Ottawa drawing strength from their special teams and Buffalo steadily diffusing it with puck possession and good zone time at even strength.

But, it was Oleg Saprykin's goal, the only one at even strength for the Sens, that won them this game. A thoughtless reversal of the puck by Teppo Numminen put in on tape of Dean McAmmond who threw the puck to the slot which Saprykin deflected past Miller and that broke the tie.