Alfredsson, Senators lead the ‘new’ NHL’s offensive charge

When the Ottawa Senators re-signed captain Daniel Alfredsson to a six-year, $32.5 million contract in March 2004 – well before the lockout – general managers across the NHL were left to ponder what-ifs.

Alfredsson might have been the most-sought-after free agent coming out of the lockout. He’s a rare player of deceiving strength, grace and scoring ability, all wrapped up in one.

“For all the accolades other people get, Alfredsson is still the linchpin; he’s their lead horse,” Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said. “He’s skilled, but really competitive. … That is the same way people look at Peter Forsberg.”

Alfredsson tied a franchise record on Nov. 2 with six points (including four goals) in a 10-4 rout of Buffalo. He and Forsberg were tied for the NHL scoring lead with 28 points going into play this weekend.

The right winger’s line, on which he is joined by Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, combined for 10 goals and 24 points last week in just three games.

“We all move the puck pretty well,” Alfredsson said during a conference call. “We all make things happen on the ice, and I think the biggest thing is for us to use our speed and get our forecheck going.

“I think we don’t have any set plays where the right wing has to be right wing. We are moving wherever the openings are. And right now, when you have a lot of confidence, we’re finding each other.”

The physical Heatley seems to fit well on coach Bryan Murray’s new-look Senators.

“You never knew how good he was going to be,” Alfredsson said of Heatley. “You see how good he was in Atlanta, and losing (Marian) Hossa was hard, because he’s one of the great players in the league as well.”

Hossa went to Atlanta in the trade for Heatley.

“The play of Heatley has been outstanding for us,” Alfredsson said. “He’s been everything you thought he was and more.”

More than a dozen players are on target for 50 goals, including Alfredsson, Heatley, and the Senators’ Martin Havlat, as well as Simon Gagne, Jaromir Jagr, Vincent Lecavalier, Eric Staal, Alexander Ovechkin, Rod Brind’Amour, Daniel Briere, Brian Gionta, Ryan Smyth and Markus Naslund.

The last time a megagroup of players scored 50 goals was in 1992-93, when 14 players – a league record – hit the mark.

“I think it would be great to have some 50-goal scorers, but the biggest thing is, games are exciting to watch again,” Alfredsson said.

“Not just one game every week. Almost every game something is happening, and it’s been really appreciated by the fans.”

On the ice

Devils 3, Capitals 2: At East Rutherford, N.J., Grant Marshall scored the game-winner late in the second period and Martin Brodeur made 18 saves to lead New Jersey past Washington.

Flyers 5, Panthers 4: At Philadelphia, Mike Knuble scored a short-handed goal with 3.2 seconds left to give Philadelphia a victory over slumping Florida.

Islanders 5, Bruins 2: At Uniondale, N.Y., Trent Hunter snapped a long scoring drought with 6:15 left, after the official scorer took an earlier goal away, and Arron Asham added an insurance goal 1:06 later to give New York a victory over Boston.

Senators 6, Sabres 1: At Ottawa, Dany Heatley scored twice to extend his club-record scoring streak to 15 games in Ottawa’s victory over Buffalo.

Maple Leafs 5, Canadiens 4 (OT): At Montreal, Jeff O’Neill scored a power-play goal 4:13 into overtime to give Toronto a win over Montreal.

Rangers 6, Penguins 1: At Pittsburgh, Jaromir Jagr scored three goals, including a pair 15 seconds apart with the teams skating 4-on-4 in the second period, and New York won its third in a row on the road by beating lethargic Pittsburgh.

Thrashers 9, Hurricanes 0: At Raleigh, N.C., Ilya Kovalchuk scored two more goals to help Atlanta set a franchise one-game scoring record in a victory over Southeast Division-leading Carolina.

Predators 3, Blues 1: At Nashville, Tenn., Scott Hartnell scored twice in the second period to help Nashville beat slumping St. Louis for its third straight victory.

Coyotes 2, Mighty Ducks 1 (OT): At Glendale, Ariz., Zbynek Michalek scored with 1:51 left in overtime, giving Phoenix a victory over Anaheim.

Flames 5, Avalanche 3: At Calgary, Alberta, Jarome Iginla, Tony Amonte and Craig MacDonald scored in a 2:05 span in Calgary’s four-goal first period to help the Flames beat Colorado.

Stars 3, Sharks 2 (SO): At San Jose, Calif., Jussi Jokinen and Sergei Zubov beat Evgeni Nabokov in a shootout to give Dallas a 3-2 victory over San Jose.