Chris Neil News

Even an ugly win can be a thing of beauty. On a night winger Jonathan Cheechoo finally scored his first goal in an Ottawa uniform, Jason Spezza was the hero, scoring the winner in a 4-3 shootout decision over the Edmonton Oilers.

Heading into tonight's game against the Edmonton Oilers, that was the message from Senators coach Cory Clouston after his club woke up yesterday as the most penalized team in the NHL.

Daniel Alfredsson could have passed as a Maple Leaf. Following Saturday's big gag, the Senators captain looked like he had been raked.

That 7-1 home ice beating the Ottawa Senators put on the Tampa Bay Lightning a couple of weeks ago was obviously an aberration.

Hedman feels OK after Neil hit Chris Neil #25 of the Ottawa Senators throws a crushing bodycheck on Victor Hedman #77 of the Tampa Bay Lightning as he skates around the back of the net during a game at Scotiabank Place on November 5, 2009 in Ottawa, Canada.

Depending on who you talked to Thursday night, Senators winger Chris Neil is either: a) A good, hard-nosed player who hits with the best of them.

Jason Spezza scored the game-winning goal in overtime and assisted on both of Ottawa's regulation tallies, as the Senators edged the Lightning, 3-2, after having two goals disallowed late in the third period.

THE STORY: If the Ottawa Senators are playing the Tampa Bay Lightning, someone's probably going to get a beating.

Welcome to CBCSports.ca's Fantasy Hockey 1-on-1, where every Friday our resident nerds a ' er, experts a ' Jesse Campigotto and Jordan Shifman, debate three hot topics of interest for poolies.

Ottawa Senators right winger Ryan Shannon showers Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Mike Smith with ice as he makes a first-period save during an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct.

Chris Neil of the Ottawa Senators celebrates his easy fight against Steve Begin of the Boston Bruins during second period action at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, October 24, 2009.

Not everybody is crazy about the emotional gestures made to the crowd by Chris Neil and Matt "Big Country" Carkner as they skate to the penalty box after their fights at Scotiabank Place.

The Ottawa Senators are making life easier for themselves by scoring first, but they're not fooling themselves.

OTTAWA? - A couple of the smartest passes lately have come off the stick of Ottawa Senators' centre Mike Fisher.

Given the breathless reportage over the Ottawa Senators' crummy disposition lately, it is with great pleasure that we update you on the latest mood swing.

Since training camp started, Ottawa Senators defenceman Matt Carkner has been living in a hotel.

Filip Kuba was the only regular player not on the ice for practice on Tuesday morning, meaning the veteran defenseman will likely miss a sixth consecutive game when the Ottawa Senators host the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby gets dumped by Tampa Bay Lightning's Matt Walker during NHL action in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

The schedule alone promised an eventful weekend. But to meet and beat the Detroit Red Wings, affix Steve Yzerman his rightful place in the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, plus lose the services of double 50-goal scorer Dany Heatley, all in a 24-hour span, was a little over the top.

Alex Kovalev had a goal and an assist in his first game against Montreal, leading the Ottawa Senators to a 3-1 win over the struggling Canadiens on Saturday night.