There is no doubting Ales Hemsky has been a nice addition to the Senators lineup. Tahir Whitehead Jersey . Over the past two games, Hemsky has assisted on six goals and found instant chemistry with Jason Spezza. For most of the season, Sens fans bemoaned the fact that Spezza was not playing with quality wingers. These last two games with Hemsky have only served to tease everyone, wondering what could have been if Hemsky was riding shotgun with Spezza all season long. But would the Senators be sitting in a playoff spot if they had acquired Hemsky a few months ago? Since Im officially banned from using the phrase "probably not" in this town, I will instead answer by saying I think its highly doubtful the Senators would be sitting in a playoff spot if Hemsky had been here since October. Ottawas big issue this season has been in their own end. And to be brutally honest, that has been their biggest problem since Paul MacLean took over as head coach a couple of years ago. To MacLeans credit, he has drastically improved the offense on this team. When they missed the playoffs in Cory Cloustons last season at the helm, Ottawa scored just 193 goals and was one of only three NHL teams who failed to crack the 200-goal barrier in 2010-11. So heading into MacLeans first season, the big question was: Who is going to score goals for the Senators? But MacLean worked his offensive magic and had terrific seasons from the likes of Spezza, Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson and the team ended up scoring 249 goals and ranking in the top five in the NHL in that category. Thats a remarkable transformation; bottom five in the league in goals one year to top five the next. But Ottawas defensive game showed no real improvement in that first season under MacLean. They ranked 24th in goals against under Clouston (giving up 250 goals) and they also ranked 24th in goals against under MacLean (giving up 240 goals). In fact, no team that made the playoffs in 2012 allowed more regular season goals than the Senators. And when you give up as many goals as the Senators do, you either make the playoffs by the skin of your teeth - or miss them altogether. This trend appears to be rearing its ugly head again this season, as the Senators have no real problems scoring goals. They currently rank in the top half of the Eastern Conference in goals scored with 185 - more than playoff-bound teams like Montreal, Philadelphia and the New York Rangers. But the Senators have surrendered an astounding 213 goals this season - the second-worst total in the entire NHL. And no matter how many goals Hemsky would have added to the offensive side of the ledger, its hard to imagine how he would have helped with the defensive breakdowns that have been problematic with this team for months. A lot of people will point to the lockout-shortened season a year ago, where the Senators were the stingiest team in the Eastern Conference, sporting a 2.08 GAA. But last year needs to be taken with a grain of salt because it was only a 48-game schedule and the Senators were still giving up a ton of quality chances. Take a look at Ottawas NHL ranking in shots allowed/game since MacLean took over and you will see they didnt actually have a great defensive improvement in that department last season: Shots Allowed/Game (NHL Rank) 2011-12: 32.0/game (29th in NHL)2012-13: 31.3/game (23rd in NHL)2013-14: 34.4/game (28th in NHL) Even though the Senators were near the top of the league in GAA in 2012-13, they were still giving up too many shots and chances each night. They werent necessarily playing a tough, defensive style. Instead, they were bailed out by unbelievable goaltending that was producing numbers that were never going to be sustainable for the long-term. Craig Anderson, for example, had a .933 save percentage while short-handed last season - a number that has tumbled by more than 100 points this year. In short, the Senators brilliant goaltending masked the issues for this team last season. Now that the goaltending has been average this season, it highlights the defensive issues that have been around for the better part of three seasons. The best teams in the NHL over the past three years - like Chicago, St. Louis and Los Angeles - have all ranked in the top 10 in fewest shots allowed. Even a team like the Blackhawks, who have the reputation of being offensive-oriented, have allowed the fourth-fewest shots against this season. Again, MacLean deserves a ton of credit for turning this team into an offensive juggernaut. And if Hemsky re-signs next season, there is every reason to believe he can flourish in this system. But now is the time that MacLean and his staff need to fix the defensive flaws with this team. He is trying to implement a similar system he used in Detroit when they won the Stanley Cup in 2007-08. That season, the Red Wings had no trouble scoring goals, ranking third in the NHL in that department. But they also allowed the fewest shots per game at 23.5 - the best number in the entire league. The offensive comparisons to Detroit are accurate, but its the defensive game for Ottawa that still has miles to go. Bryan Murray didnt make any trades involving defensemen at the deadline because the organization believes they have the right personnel on the back end. If thats the case, its the system that needs to be adjusted moving forward. So when it comes to the re-build that started a couple of years ago, its fair to say the Senators are only halfway there. T.J. Jones Jersey . Nix is a career .218 hitter in 425 games over six seasons. The 31-year-old right-handed hitter batted .270 with a homer this spring for Tampa Bay. Dwayne Washington Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.lionsfanspro.com/Black-Tavon-Wilson-Lions-Jersey.html?cat=890 . Betancourt was 2-5 with a 4.08 ERA and 16 saves for the Rockies last season before tearing a ligament in his pitching elbow. He considered undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy to fix his arm, but announced in August his decision to have Tommy John surgery.ORLANDO, Fla. -- Masters champion Adam Scott was feeling ill when he arrived at Bay Hill. One majestic round with the putter Thursday made him feel a lot better. Scott made five putts from about 20 feet or longer, two of them for eagle and one of them from off the green for birdie, and matched the course record with a 10-under 62 to build a three-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The conditions were close to perfect. So was his work on the greens. "I made a lot of putts today, and a lot of putts from considerable length," Scott said. "I hit a lot of nice shots, too, but it wasnt like I was hitting it 4 feet. I had a round like this in Australia at the end of last year -- in the first six holes, I didnt hit it outside 5 feet. Theres a lot of different ways to get the ball in the hole. But its good for the confidence. Its what I wanted. I sat in here yesterday and said Id like to make some birdies and build the confidence. And today is a good start to that." Ryo Ishikawa, who uses Bay Hill as his home course on the East Coast, birdied the 18th for a 65. John Merrick celebrated his 32nd birthday by reaching 8 under until a late bogey. He also shot 65. Both were 10 shots behind before they hit their first shot of the tournament. "That took the pressure off," Merrick said. "Youre already 10 shots behind, so its not like youre protecting anything. But this isnt the Bay Hill I remember. I dont usually play golf in Florida without 20 mph wind." Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano had his best round of the year with a 66. Brandt Snedeker and Paul Casey were among those at 67. They were all but forgotten with Scotts 62 on the board. Scott walked from the ninth green across the practice range to the scoring trailer as one player after another turned his head and asked how low Scott went on the day. One caddie quipped, "Is there a 10-shot rule when you havent teed off?" It was the lowest round in 30 years at Bay Hill, and it was good enough to make a large gallery following Scott forget for a moment that defending champion Tiger Woods is not here this week because of a back injury. Andy Bean in 1981 and Greg Norman in 1984 are the only other players with a 62 at Bay Hill. After watching Scott make another putt -- this one from 20 feet for eagle on No. 4 -- U.S. Open champion Justin Rose asked if SScott could get to No. Kenny Golladay Jersey. 1 if he were to win at Bay Hill. The answer: no and yes. He couldnt overtake Woods this week, but likely would go to No. 1 over the next few weeks if neither played. Scott had reason to be mildly surprised by this round. For one thing, he had not been to Bay Hill in five years. Scott typically plays Innisbrook, but decided to mix it up. And he does have some experience on the bag. His caddie is Steve Williams, who worked for Woods in six of the eight Bay Hill wins. Even more surprising, though, is that Scott said he was coping with flu-like symptoms, and still doesnt feel completely healthy. "Its hard to say that Im sick," Scott said with a smile. "I feel actually better now than when I woke up. Just a bit under the weather. I cant complain." Scott is a believer in the adage, "Beware the injured golfer." He lowered his expectations, concerned himself only with the next shot and was more concerned with his energy than feeling any nerves. It didnt take long for him to realize it was going to be a special day, starting with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 10th to start his round. He got up and down from a bunker on the par-5 12th for birdie, made a 25-foot birdie putt on the 14th, and then rolled one in from 30 feet on the 15th from a collection area right of the green. Scott drilled a 7-iron into 35 feet on the par-5 16th and made that birdie. On the front nine, he hit a pure 3-wood into 20 feet on the par-5 fourth for birdie, and then hit a tough bunker from some 35 yards away to 8 feet for birdie on the par-5 sixth. It was the sixth time Scott has had a 62 on the PGA Tour, the most recent in 2011 at Firestone the year he won. But he didnt want to look at it as anything more than just a great start, especially with half of the field still to play in the afternoon. "Hopefully, with a solid round tomorrow I keep myself right in this golf tournament," he said. "Like at any event, you want to start and put yourself right in it from the get-go and Ive done that here." DIVOTS: Bubba Watson hit three tee shot into the water on the par-5 sixth and made an 11. He shot 83 and withdrew. ... Snedeker had not broken 70 in the first round all year until Thursday. ... Pat Perez opened with a 70, ending his streak of nine straight tournaments in which he shot in the 60s the first round. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '