FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-There have been some low points over the last few weeks but this was rock bottom. I hope. By far the worst game this team has played during this recent stretch, defintiely their worst game of the season and likely the worst game they have played in Guy Boucher’s tenure as Coach. The Senators were awful from the moment the puck was dropped and just had no answer for anything the Jets threw their way. Dumb penalties, bad penalty kill, defensive lapses, no structure, shoddy goaltending, zero effort and a complete no-show from their top players (outside of maybe Mark Stone). Top to bottom, this was a nightmare. Add in the fact that it came against one of the league’s top teams and the Senators are lucky this game didn’t finish 10-0.
-There are a lot of different ways a team can act when things start to spiral in the wrong direction. Coaches and players all have their own way of dealing with adversity and low points and we’re seeing that on full display in the comments made in the media over the last few weeks. Mark Stone, for example, spoke honestly about his team’s dreadful performance last night and was universally praised for not sugar-coating the loss. Meanwhile, Erik Karlsson, you know the team’s Captain, preferred to take a you know more cautious approach, and fans seem frustrated with his you know lack of emotion. Obviously fans prefer one approach over the other but I’m not sure there’s a right way to handle the media during a stretch of losses. Also, it doesn’t matter at all. What matters is how they react on the ice.
-When the wheels start to fall off the way they have for the Senators over the last three months, a General Manager usually has three options at his disposal. Stay patient, make a big trade to shake things up or fire the Coach. In Ottawa’s situation, the second option might be off the table because they just made a big trade. Dorion could tinker with the line up but there are probably more issues than can be filled through trades anyway. In my opinion, the third option would be wildly premature. There are a lot of people complaining about “The System” right now but this looks like a team playing with almost no structure at all. When something goes wrong, you almost instantly see individuals trying to get it back rather than doing it as a team. Structure is obviously the responsibility of the Coach but we know this group is capable of executing better than they have during this stretch. Anyway. There are three options. Choose carefully, Pierre.
-Will be interesting to see how the Senators handle the goaltending situation over the next few games. After a stellar effort in relief against the Islanders, Mike Condon was yanked against the Jets. Not that it was necessarily his fault but he did give up five quick ones. This time it was Craig Anderson that looked solid in relief, although obviously not in as important a situation as Condon on Friday night. There’s an argument to be made for both guys getting the start next game. Well not both at the same time obviously. Unless…
-Hidden within that mess of a hockey game was another strong effort from Thomas Chabot. While he was held off the score-sheet, he finished second in time on ice with 22:21 and looked mostly comfortable with the increased work-load. I was especially impressed with his one on one defending in a couple of situations against a pretty big Winnipeg forward group. It’s probably not a great sign for the rest of the blueline but Chabot’s ability to make a basic breakout pass is noticeable out there and his ability to read the play rather than panic when the puck is on his stick is a breath of fresh air. He should be in Ottawa for the rest of the year.
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