FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Now that was an effort the Ottawa Senators can build on. Against one of the league’s top teams and on a difficult back to back, the Senators were right there with the Los Angeles Kings the whole way and maybe come away with the two points if the official does his job in overtime. The way things have gone for this team lately, loser points probably aren’t much consolation but this was a legitimately solid effort. And you could hear it in the interviews with the players and coach afterwards. Still some defensive lapses that need to be cleaned up but hopefully this game helps them loosen up a little bit. It certainly felt like a step in the right direction and a sign they might ready to get back on track.
-That was without a doubt, Matt Duchene’s best game as an Ottawa Senator. He had a ton of jump (as he usually does) and was using his speed and skill to make things happen in the offensive zone. While his goal was into a wide open net, it still took an impressive bit of skill to make an adjustment to the loose puck in his skates. There are only a couple of players on the team that I would feel confident in finishing off that play. That same skill was on display late in the game with a great saucer pass to Ryan Dzingel in tight with the clock ticking down. Watching Duchene, it’s pretty clear that he’s one of the guys feeling the pressure to produce a little bit more with the team struggling. Maybe this game can get the ball rolling in the right direction.
-Ben Harpur really is a fascinating hockey player. Not sure exactly what it is about the way he plays but I find my opinion of him shifts like five or six times a game. At one moment, he’s getting walked like he did on the first Kings goal and then the next minute, he’s making a slick breakout pass or jumping into the play to keep the puck in the zone. Harpur has spent the last couple games on the top pair with Erik Karlsson and has looked pretty comfortable there but it’s sort of difficult to determine how he projects as a player. He’s still just 22 years old and has room to grow but what really impresses me is his confidence and poise for a relatively inexperienced player.
-There’s nothing particularly flashy about the way Gabriel Dumont plays the game but it’s easy to see why Guy Boucher wanted him as a bottom six option and why the Tampa Bay Lightning weren’t thrilled to lose him on the waiver wire. His offensive abilities are obviously limited but he plays every shift at full speed and though he’s not a big guy, he never misses an opportunity to finish his check. I was critical of the idea of a Hoffman-Pageau-Dumont line but they’ve looked good the last couple games and were probably Ottawa’s best trio last night. Dumont had an assist, 4 shots, 5 hits, was the team’s top possession player at 5 on 5 and played 12:56 on the night.
-A few of the names have already been released (Alfredsson, Phillips, Redden, Lalime, Duchesne) but today, the Senators are expected to announce the full list of participants for the Alumni Game scheduled for December 15th at Parliament Hill. Team Alfredsson and Team Phillips will go head to head on that day and it sounds like a some pretty big names will be in town for the game. During Question Period in the first intermission, Bruce Garrioch mentioned that former-Captain Alexei Yashin is expected to suit up and make his return to the city where he started his NHL career. It’s been like 16 years since Yashin last pulled on a Senators sweater and I’m pretty sure he’s in the final year of his buy out with the New York Islanders.
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