FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-I’ll admit- when that game got to 2-0 early, I thought that was it. It looked like the loss to Boston had zapped any remaining life out of the Senators and that they would fade quietly in the Eastern Conference playoff race. How wrong I was. Playing against one of the top teams in the league (allegedly), in one of the toughest buildings in the league (apparently), the Senators found a way to battle back. Pretty impressive.
-And just as I had my doubts about the team in the first ten minutes, I had those same concerns about Erik Karlsson. After 20 minutes, he looked tired and flat. Did not look like it was going to be a good night for him. Again, wrong. I don’t know where he finds the energy but in the second and third period he took this game over. A Captain stepping up when his team needed him. Karlsson finished with three points, including a couple of goals.
-Lets keep the ol doubt train rolling because after those two early goals, I was a little bit worried about Andrew Hammond. Worried the magic had run out. Wrong again. Hammond bounced back nicely after those first two goals and shut the door the rest of the way. Hammond is now the first goalie since 1938 to give up two or less goals in his first nine starts. Incredible.
-You know what the best part about this whole Andrew Hammond run is? That it doesn’t make any sense. In an era where fans and analysts are obsessed with explaining tendencies through the use of analytics, Andrew Hammond has completely defied all logic and everything we know about what ‘should’ happen. Eventually he’ll come down to Earth but for now, let’s just sit back and enjoy the ride.
-This win was all that more important when you consider that the Boston Bruins won again. In fact, they seem to be pretty much done losing at this point. Maybe it’s time to start chasing Washington instead? Actually, it’s probably best to stop watching the out of town scoreboard altogether. Let’s just get to 95 points and see what happens.
