FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-No matter how much I try to convince myself that losses might be good for this team in the long run, as soon as the game starts, it’s impossible not to cheer for them. I’ve tried betting on the other team and I’ve tried paying less attention to the game but it just doesn’t work. And it’s even more difficult when you are actually in the rink. I didn’t think about the draft lottery once during the three hours I was at last night’s game and honestly, it was kind of nice. While it would be ideal for Ottawa to maximize their odds when the winner is picked at the end of the season, it’s just impossible to “cheer” for that outcome for 30 games. Their odds held steady at just over 10.5%, by the way. Playoff odds back up to 0.1%.
-Watching Thomas Chabot feed a perfect pass to Colin White for his first goal in the National Hockey League, it was easy to imagine those two connecting for goals just like that for years to come. Chabot and White, both selected by the same team and born on the same day, have become good friends over the last couple years and it was clear that Chabot was legitimately excited to see his buddy score his first. The development of those two players in particular will play a huge part in how quickly this team can turn things around the next couple seasons. They have both shown flashes of being real good NHL players.
-One of the things Colin White is getting that other call-ups haven’t is a legitimate chance to play in the team’s top six. And he’s making the most of it. While White’s situation is more about good timing rather than a shift in organizational mindset, we are seeing what can happen when a prospect is given a real opportunity to play with talented players. That trio of Hoffman, Duchene and White was by far Ottawa’s best line vs. the Devils and they seemed to be finding some real chemistry out there. Losing Bobby Ryan and Mark Stone obviously hurts but the opportunity it has created down the stretch could be great news for White’s development.
-Matt Duchene is one of those players that is worth the price of admission all on his own. His ability to make skilled plays at top speed and his willingness to take the puck to the net even in high-traffic areas is something this team needs more of on a regular basis. Honestly, he may be one of the most skilled players (speed, hands and hockey sense) to ever wear a Senators’ uniform. He was absolutely flying last night and really seems to have some real chemistry with Mike Hoffman. Hopefully Pierre Dorion holds off on a potential Hoffman trade because it would be fun to watch those two for a full season.
-In the second period of last night’s game, Alex Burrows got caught up in an incident that had a lot of the hockey world talking. After ending up on the wrong end of a clean hit by Devils forward Taylor Hall, a frustrated Burrows went after Hall, ended up on top of him in the scrum and then appeared to land a knee to the back of Hall’s head. There were a lot of calls for a “long suspension” following the incident but it seems like those were mostly coming from people that already didn’t like Burrows. He has a reputation for being a dirty player although it really hasn’t been a big part of his game the last couple years. Anything more than three games would be excessive. It was bizarre not vicious. Dumb more than it was dangerous.
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