FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Never in doubt, right? It’s probably not a great thing to say about this team’s ability to play with a lead but when that game got to 3-0 last night there was little doubt in my mind the Capitals were going to make a game of it. Especially the “way” the Senators took a 3-0 lead with the help of a series of penalty calls. You knew the Senators weren’t going to get any love from the officials after that and that the refs would do whatever they had to to make a game of it. Mission accomplished.
-Not only were a couple of the Washington power plays a little on the soft side, that second goal they scored should not have counted. A few people mentioned to me on Twitter that Brouwer was pushed in by Gryba. Not a chance. Gryba was skating beside Brouwer and had nothing to do with the path the Caps forward took directly to the back of Andrew Hammond. Thankfully that goal didn’t end up costing the Senators because I would have had a hard time letting that one go. A missed call, plain and simple.
-And speaking of Gryba, this Borowiecki-Gryba pairing is going to be the death of me over the next week. I do feel like they are capable of playing decent minutes but right now they are just playing way too much and getting stuck out there for some long, stressful shifts. Especially on the road, Cameron is going to have to be careful how he uses that pairing. They were actually both around the 15 minute mark last night which is probably ideal for them.
-While we’re on the topic of ice time, Mike Hoffman finished last night’s game with a team low 9:56. Hoffman has found his way into Dave Cameron’s doghouse the last week or so and can’t seem to find his way out. Part of the frustration with Hoffman is his tendency to be a little too fancy at times and in close must-win games, that can drive a coach nuts. With that said, the Senators need their leading goal scorer to be playing so either Hoffman has to fix those issues in a hurry or Cameron has to grow a thicker skin.
-A win is a win, especially when it keeps your season alive. For the second straight game, a dramatic overtime winner kept the Senators’ hopes alive for another day. And as has been the case lately, they didn’t get any love from the out of town scoreboard. Tonight, they finally get to play that game in hand and they absolutely have to take advantage. We’ve played out all the scenarios over the last couple weeks but not suddenly the Pittsburgh Penguins might be within range. If the Flyers could beat them today and the Senators take care of business against the Leafs…next Tuesday could be Ottawa’s chance to actually pass the Penguins for the final spot. Crazy.
