FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Back to back games can be pretty tough at this time of year. This is where the grind of a long season can really start to wear on the players a little bit and make it tough to execute at their usual level. Well for everyone but Erik Karlsson I suppose. The Ottawa Senators certainly didn’t have their A-game last night but considering they were playing on consecutive nights and against a team that had a full three days off, that’s not a huge surprise. Mike Condon made some key stops and the Sens did a good job of pushing back in the third period. And as has so often been the case this season, they were led by their Captain. With the win, Ottawa now sits just 2 points back of Montreal for top spot in the Atlantic…With two games in hand.
-Seriously, Erik Karlsson is putting this team on his back right now. And it sure is fun to watch. There is a significant portion of the mainstream media that decided Brent Burns was going to win the Norris Trophy in like December. The problem with that is they are missing a remarkable display by one of the best players in the game. And if the league is hellbent on giving Burns the Norris Trophy this year (he’s been great too, by the way), then maybe it’s time we start talking about Karlsson for the Hart Trophy. 2 goals, 1 assist, 6 shots on goal, 29:28. In a back to back.
-For the second straight game, Jean Gabriel Pageau was one of the best forwards on the ice. The Ultimate Warrior as Boucher called him in his post-game remarks. As is so often the case, Pageau did a little bit of everything out there and that included putting the puck in the back of the net for a third straight game and making the play that set up the game-tying goal. While his offensive contributions come and go over the course of the year, Pageau is one of those guys you can count on to never take a shift off. And actually, he gives 110% in his between periods interviews too. Between the second and third period, he spoke with TSN moments after taking a blood-drawing butt end to the face. Not only that, he took the time to break down the play for Chris Cuthbert.
-Freddy Claesson isn’t exactly known for his offensive upside but his last ten games suggest their may be a little bit more too his game than we originally anticipated. With his second period assist, Claesson now has 8 points in his last 10 games. Nothing flashy over that stretch really but he’s done an excellent job getting pucks through to the net and shooting for rebounds. Claesson had 29 points in his second season in the American Hockey League so he has shown a bit of offensive ability in the past. One thing is for certain- he’s making it damn near impossible for the Coach to take him out of the line up.
-Mark Stone took a slash in the hand early in the game and then seemed to crash into the boards awkwardly in the third. He’d end up leaving the game in the third period. Guy Boucher talked about it briefly in his post-game comments and seemed to suggest that he’s questionable for the game against Colorado. Stone was already dealing with a bit of a lower body injury before this one. With Turris already considered questionable for the weekend, the Senators depth is being seriously tested right now. They may need to call someone up for Saturday.
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