FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-It may not have been the prettiest win of the season but they all count at the end of the year. After letting the Ducks dominate the last time these two teams met, the Senators were much tighter on home ice. They controlled the neutral zone well and really didn’t give the Ducks much in the way of scoring chances. Now they didn’t generate many chances of their own obviously but Guy Boucher has to be happy with his team’s defensive play in this one. Grinding it out against a strong Anaheim team.
-Four straight. Points in five straight games. And against some tough teams. The media may have overreacted a little bit to Guy Boucher’s post-road trip meltdown but it has pretty clearly lit a fire under this team. With a 20-11-3, the Sens remain four points clear of the third place Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division and they’re just three points back of the Montreal Canadiens. They also have an impressive 11-5-3 record on home ice.
-Much has been made about the attendance issues this season but this was certainly one of the best crowds of the year. Not just in terms of numbers (attendance was north of 17,000) but also the atmosphere in the rink. It has taken a little longer than it should but you can tell that the fans and this city are finally starting to get behind this year’s version of the Ottawa Senators. It may not always be the most exciting hockey but winning will always put people in the seats.
-During that power play in overtime, everyone on the ice knew where the puck was going. As the Senators worked it around on the 4 on 3, it was clear to every single person in the rink that they were trying to set up Mike Hoffman for the one timer. On the pass leading up to the goal, Dion Phaneuf didn’t even fake like he was doing anything other than passing the puck to Hoffman. And it still didn’t make a difference. That play was as close to unstoppable as it gets.
-Not entirely sure what the Coaching Staff’s thought process is with Cody Ceci right now but they certainly seem set on giving him big minutes regardless of how he performs. Obviously part of the reason is a lack of other options but Ceci’s minutes continue to be a storyline during the last month or so. He was over the 10:00 minute mark in the first period and again ended up playing more than Erik Karlsson on the night. Ceci is surviving right now but just barely. If they want to get the best out of him, I’m not sure it’s going to happen playing 25+ minutes a night. A little more Chris Wideman might be a good idea.
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