FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-This season has been a bit of a disaster. Things to be happy about have been few and far between. But on three consecutive Saturdays, there has been an overwhelming sense of, “at least we’re not them.” Two wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs and last night against the Montreal Canadiens including a 9-0 edge on the last couple Saturdays. Beating those teams doesn’t make up for a disappointing season by any means but we can all appreciate a good ol’ fashion rival blowout, especially on home ice.
-Jean Gabriel Pageau’s ridiculous run against the Montreal Canadiens continued last night with a shorthanded goal in the first period. It’s reached a point where it’s almost assumed that Pageau is going to get at least one against the Habs. The goal was Pageau’s 6th shorthanded goal of the season, just one shy of the franchise record held by Daniel Alfredsson. At this point in the season, Pageau himself has more shorthanded goals than 17 NHL teams.
-The Senators dominance while shorthanded has been one of the most consistently strange story lines this season and it reached another level last night. With three shorthanded goals last night (a first in franchise history for Montreal, by the way), Ottawa now has 15 on the season, five clear of the next closest team. And it’s not like they’ve been especially good on the penalty kill overall. Just opportunistic, I suppose. 29th overall on the penalty kill. First in shorthanded goals. So weird.
-It’s kind of hard not to think about what could have been this season. This team hasn’t been inconsistent all year but a playoff spot could have been a real possibility with a bounce or two. Not saying it’s been bad luck necessarily. They deserve to be where they are. But even in the last week they’ve given away points (One against Carolina, At least one against Dallas, Two against Buffalo) that really would be the difference between out of it with ten games to go and right in the thick of a playoff race.
-I’ve used up four of my thoughts and still have a few things to talk about. The sign of a good game! It’s taken some time but I feel like in the back half of this season you can see that Curtis Lazar is finally starting to get a little more comfortable with the puck on his stick. He’s a much better player as a centre. He wasn’t tested a whole lot last night but that a real solid performance from Andrew Hammond. Would like to see a little bit more of him down the stretch. I don’t know if it’s enough to earn a contract next year but it’s nice to see Alex Chiasson having a strong finish to his season. Confidence is everything with him. Annnnd finally, I think I’m in love with Dion Phaneuf.
