Pierre McGuire's In the Crease

Pierre McGuire

March 03, 2008

It's been a rough season for Senators goalie Ray Emery (right). He has been late for practice, had verbal and physical jousts with teammates and had a save percentage of .894 entering last Saturday's game in Pittsburgh. Using goalie equipment that he'd never worn in a game—he thought that Martin Gerber was getting the start and only had new practice gear with him—Emery was shaky as Ottawa fell behind 3--0. But his outstanding late-game play enabled the Senators to rally for a 4--3 win in overtime. Was it a turning point for Emery? ... The Stars' Steve Ott is emerging as a premier agitator. The forward is a superior trash talker who can skate and hit, and Dallas coach Dave Tippett is playing him more than 14 minutes a game—about 4 1/2 minutes more than Ott had averaged in his previous four NHL seasons.