FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-First period was great. Third period was strong. That middle frame was a complete disaster. Second periods have been a problem for the Senators all season but last night’s in Dallas was especially horrendous. Defensive breakdowns and a less than spectacular Robin Lehner led to four goals in 20 minutes and essentially killed any chance Ottawa had of winning this game. For whatever reason, Ottawa just doesn’t do second periods. Neither Cameron nor MacLean has been able to solve that mystery.
-Mike Hoffman scored his 15th goal of the season, again showing off his terrific speed and lethal shot. Ottawa has some tough decisions to make over the next couple months but this should be an easy one- get Hoffman signed to a new contract as soon as possible. The Senators have reached out to Hoffman’s camp about an extension but no real talks have taken place as of yet.
-Another rough outing for Robin Lehner although last night’s loss certainly can’t be placed on his shoulders alone. I’m no goaltending expert but when I watch Lehner, I see a guy that lacks confidence. He’s sitting deep in his net, often off his angle and guessing on plays far too often. Safe to assume that’s a product of having not played much lately but at some point, Lehner needs to have a game that’s good enough that the Coach can put him out for a second one. He hasn’t been able to do that lately.
-Last night was Jason Spezza’s first game against his old team but I honestly can barely recall him playing. An unusually quiet night for Spezza who finished the game with just 14:56 of ice time and no shots on goal.
-Ten points out. Playoffs are just about out of reach. But honestly, my approach to the deadline would have been the same if they were four points out. They need to trade out veterans that are generating interest, hang on to all picks/prospects unless there’s an option that fits in with the team long term, absolutely no rentals, hang on to Anderson unless a first rounder is offered but make sure Lehner gets more starts down the stretch, make room for a couple call ups (Prince, Puempel, Wideman) and just play the games and see what happens. Tanking isn’t a real thing in professional sports but smart asset management is. That’s the situation Murray and the Senators are in right now.
