The merry-go-round to find the correct combination of wingers to play with Brad Richards continues tonight against the Senators. The latest to get a chance is Mathieu Darche. The guy has just four NHL goals, three this season, but I can see where, perhaps, Darche is the kind of player Brad needs on his line.

Darche, 31, is a grinder. He's not afraid to hit, take a hit and forecheck. Bottom line he goes after the puck. Okay, so he's not a finisher. But apparently neither is Jan Hlavac nor Michel Ouellet. At least Darche is going to create some excitement and bring some energy. Wasn't it nice to see someone score on deflections from in front of the net as Darche did the previous two games?

Finding the right combination to play with Brad has been quite something. He just hasn't put up the numbers since he was paired with Marty St. Louis and Freddie Modin. Darche is in the Modin mold. I'm not saying he is as good as Modin but at least he has the ability to be a force on the forecheck. He can get in the areas in which he can score, if not in bunches at least, perhaps, now and then. More than anything, though, he can get the puck.

Is this a long-term fix? Who knows. But Darche at least has earned the chance. He has only one fewer goal than Hlavac and just two fewer than Ouellet, and he probably is more physical. I also like Darche in that he has a good sense of his own limitations and how to work within them.

As he said before Tuesday's game:

"I know my limits. I'm not the kind of guy who is going to beat five guys to score goals. I'll get the ugly ones. I don't care. They all count. I don't mind taking a hit to score a goal. I am a simple player. You do the simple things and you get rewarded.''