Darren Eliot's Line Analysis: Sens O

Devils O | Devils D | Senators O | Senators D | Mighty Ducks O | Mighty Ducks D | Wild O | Wild D

First Line -- Vaclav Varada-Radek Bonk-Marian Hossa
Marian Hossa has taken his game to the proverbial next level. The 24-year-old Hossa is the catalyst to the Sens’ very potent offense. Bonk is a constant in the middle at even strength with Hossa, while the left side is a variable that head coach Jacques Martin reserves for various players, depending both on who is playing well and the game situation.
Second Line -- Mike Fisher-Todd White-Daniel Alfredsson
Fisher is emerging as a dependable player, combining aggressiveness that belies his small stature with skill and speed. He benefits from the defensive attention paid to Alfredsson and is showing that he too needs to be marked, giving this line nice balance.
Third Line -- Magnus Arvedson-Bryan Smolinski-Chris Neil
This is the line used to match up against the opposition’s top offensive line. Smolinski is a strong faceoff man with a good shot, while Arvedson is the team’s best defensive forward. Neil is a bruising winger who skates well enough to be a factor on the forecheck, but is also dependable on the backcheck.
Checking Line -- Peter Schaefer-Shaun Van Allen-Martin Havlat
Schaefer and Van Allen get most of their ice time in defensive situations, such as penalty killing. Havlat is the wild card, providing speed and offensive flair with these guys and getting plenty of power-play time. Martin also moves Havlat around, playing him at various times on any of the other three lines, sometimes on the left side.