FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Nice to meet you, Mr. Condon. After a shutout in his Sens debut, Mike Condon was every bit as sharp in his second start as a Senator, turning aside 31 of 32 Buffalo shots plus two of three in the shootout. The Sabres scored a soft one early but Condon locked it down after that, making a number of big stops through sixty minutes. And then in the overtime session, he was the only the reason this game didn’t end in an overtime loss. The Sabres had an 8-0 edge in shots during the 3 on 3 and Condon stopped ’em all. Looking like a heck of a pick up by Pierre Dorion.
-That second period goal by Ryan Dzingel was absolutely incredible. It’s the kind of goal that if it had been scored by a Sidney Crosby or a Connor McDavid, we’d be hearing about it for weeks. It’s been fun to watch Dzingel catch so many NHL defenceman completely flat-footed this season. The way he’s started this season, he won’t be able to sneak up on guys for much longer. Jaw-dropping speed through the neutral zone and past the Buffalo defenders and a great finish. 5th of the year for Dzingel.
-Is there an easy answer to fixing the Ottawa power play right now? Because it’s tough to watch. Especially at 5 on 3. We’ve seen it a few times in past couple weeks but this team’s approach when up two guys is deeply flawed. Watching them, it honestly looks like nobody on the ice knows what the plan is or what the other four guys are supposed to be doing. They had 1:24 of two man advantage time in the second period and it was completely wasted. It seems like this should be an easy thing to fix but they actually seem to be getting worse with each 5 on 3.
-And while the power play continues to be an issue, there are some really encouraging signs with the team’s penalty kill. They have now killed off 18 straight penalties and seem to be making real progress in that part of the game. Goalies are a reason for that success but the Senators have done a nice job pressuring the puck and getting in shooting lanes when it’s necessary. Between the PP and the PK, I was sure the PK would take longer to figure out.
-Guy Boucher has juggled his forward combinations regularly through the first 13 games of the season, trying to get a sense for what works and what doesn’t. And obviously he continues to shuffle the deck because nothing has really clicked yet. At some point soon though, I think Boucher needs to pick a top six and stick with it. Let guys build a little chemistry. Right now that top six should be some combination of Turris, Brassard, Ryan, Stone, Hoffman and Dzingel.
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