^{(AP Photo/Steve Nesius)}

You may bow before your majesty, whether it is the traditional Chinese custom of ketou, or just a normal everyday bow that the Westerners would observe in the presence of their King, I think it's not too much to ask to show your unworthiness to your ruler.

Okay, so now that that giddiness is out of the way. Our Captain, O Captain, Daniel Alfredsson didn't like what was happening with this team. Since he knew you couldn't count on John Paddock to tear some paint off the walls, he took this team on his back and notched himself a 7-point night as the Senators trampled over the lightning in a 8-4 victory. I kid you not; 3 goals and 4 assists for 7-points on the night. It was his 6th career hat trick and for now he is currently your points leader in the league. He showed everybody why he's an All-Star going into the All-Star break. A side note to the sweetness of the night was the fact that Vincent Lecavalier was held off the score-sheet.

The Senators jumped out with 2 goals in less than a minute in the first and took full advantage of a Lightning team that looked disorganized and kept on trying to force too many passes. To compound their problems, the goaltending situation in Tampa continue to be a mess, and it's always nice to know that as bad as the net-minding situation is in Ottawa, it's not half as bad as it is in Tampa.

Mike Fisher and Jason Spezza also had great games with Fisher showing off some great stick-handling skills while Spezza got two goals on the night. There was also that elusive secondary scoring the Senators were searching for as Dean McAmmond, Antoine Vermette and Randy Robitaille also chipped in with goals.

It was a great night for Alfie and a much needed win for the Senators. However, one does have to acknowledge the fact that Martin Gerber did let in 4 goals on 25 shots. Right now, Paddock's philosophy is putting in whoever's winning which will work fine but one of these guys must take the reins and run with it. Gerber came up with some big stops tonight and one can only hope that the Senators find some consistency after the All-Star break.

(I do apologize for the lateness of the post. My housemates threw me a mini surprise birthday party. Yes, my birthday was almost a month ago. It really was a surprise). Tonight, we drink to celebrate our captain!

Tomorrow: Thoughts on the Senators opening the season in Europe and some exclusive insight as to what Sidney Crosby is doing while sidelined with a high ankle sprain (you know, asides from hanging out with Mario Lemieux).

Labels: daniel alfredsson, jason spezza, martin gerber, mike fisher, ottawa senators, road win, squee, tampa bay lightning