Senators get a look at Oilers' Penner
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 | 3:14 PM ET
By Jesse Campigotto, CBC Sports
Dustin Penner, left, has given the Oilers a big lift with 21 points in 17 games. (Jimmy Jeong/Canadian Press)The Ottawa Senators can see first hand what they're missing when Dustin Penner and the Edmonton Oilers pay a visit on Tuesday night (7:30 p.m. ET).
It's the first meeting between the clubs since a proposed trade fell apart on the eve of Canada Day that would have sent then Senators forward Dany Heatley to Edmonton for Penner, Andrew Cogliano and Ladislav Smid.
Heatley, who'd asked to leave Ottawa, killed the deal by exercising his no-movement clause. The two-time 50-goal scorer was later sent to the San Jose Sharks for forwards Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek and a swap of draft picks.
Heatley is thriving in northern California, where he's tied for fifth in the NHL with 11 goals. But Penner has more points (21 to Heatley's 19, ranking Penner seventh in the league), and his 10 goals have him on pace to beat the career-high 29 goals he potted in 2006-07 with Anaheim.
The six-foot-four, 245-pound winger parlayed that total into an eyebrow-raising five-year, $21.25-million contract with the Oilers. Critics of Edmonton president Kevin Lowe howled when Penner's production dipped to 23 goals in his first year with the Oilers, then 17 last season.
But the Winkler, Man., native reported to camp in better shape this year, and has thrived with a fresh start under new Oilers coach Pat Quinn and assistant Tom Renney.
"They don't get too critical," Penner, who clashed with ex-Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish, told NHL.com. "They just let me play my game."
Penner scored his team-leading third power-play goal in Sunday's 4-3 win at Colorado. The victory in the opener of a five-game road swing snapped a streak of three losses — all in regulation — for Edmonton (8-8-1).
The Oilers, who rank sixth in the league in power-play efficiency, will look to take advantage of an Ottawa team that's being whistled for an NHL-high 20.2 penalty minutes per game (though many of those are coming via fighting majors, with the Senators ranking second with 15 of them, according to hockeyfights.com).
"We've just got to find a way to stay out of the box," Senators coach Cory Clouston said. "Whatever it may be, whether we feel we're getting the short end of the stick, we've got to find a way to stay out of the box."
Ottawa (7-5-2) allowed three power-play goals Saturday while losing for the third time in four games, 3-2 to New Jersey.
Michalek scored in that game to take the team lead with seven goals. The winger's 10 points rank fourth.
Cheechoo was held off the scoresheet for the ninth consecutive game. The former 50-goal man is still looking for his first goal as a Senator and has just two assists.
With files from The Associated Press
