FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Leading up to last night’s game there was a lot of talk about Ottawa sending a significantly weaker line up than the one they rolled out in the preseason opener. “Nate Thompson- first line centre” should tell you everything you need to know about the depth chart last night. But give the Senators credit- they put in a solid team effort and came away with the win against a veteran-heavy Leaf team. Mike Condon and Marcus Hogberg were a big part of that team effort but so too were guys like Logan Brown, Freddy Claesson, Filip Chlapik, Alex Formenton and Erik Burgdoerfer. The Senators are expected to break the Camp into two groups as early as today and many of the players from last night’s game will find their way into the B group. Ottawa’s next preseason game isn’t until Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens.
-It can be difficult for a skilled guy to stand out in a preseason game where talent is pretty thin but the way Logan Brown started this game was so impressive. On his first period power play goal he did a little bit of everything. First, he stole the puck off a Leaf defender and quickly made a move to find open ice. Then, his vision kicked in as he found a wide open Chris Wideman on the far side of the ice. He did this a few times last night. Ultimately, it was Brown that finished off the play with a terrific wrist shot. Really impressive sequence from the 1st round pick. He was the best player on the ice for Ottawa in that first period. Filip Chlapik was the other bubble guy looking to make an impression last night and he was solid too. Smart player, good skater, solid on his feet and capable of making a play with the puck on his stick.
-If there’s one area where the Senators were relatively set heading into Training Camp, it was between the pipes. Craig Anderson is the starting goalie and Mike Condon is the back up. That part is set in stone. Anderson looked sharp in his preseason debut and last night, Condon looked just as good. If there’s one thing the last few years have made abundantly clear, it’s that you need more than one good goalie. The Senators are fortunate to have two reliable options capable of giving them quality goaltending. Marcus Hogberg played the second half last night and looked damn good in there too. Add in the solid performance from Danny Taylor on Monday night and the organization’s goaltending depth looks like it’s in good shape.
-One of the residual benefits of losing Marc Methot through the expansion process is it seemingly opens a door for Freddy Claesson. The 24 year old is considered a lock to make the team out of Camp and he was probably Ottawa’s best defenceman last night. Claesson has put up points at a pretty steady clip in the NHL (11 points in 33 regular season games) and appears to have more offensive upside than originally projected. I mean, the guy already has his own trademark goal celebration. Signing him to a one year extension mid-season proved to be a pretty smart move by Pierre Dorion. Not only did they get him at a bargain rate of $650K for this season but they also gave themselves some much-needed expansion protection.
-It was almost inevitable that the Senators would find their way back into the discussion surrounding Matt Duchene. It already made sense for Ottawa to be in the mix but with MacArthur’s status in doubt, Brassard and White hurt, and a number of defenceman standing out early in Camp, it only makes sense that the Sens circle back on Duchene. They have been involved in those discussions from the beginning and were probably one of the first teams to show legitimate interest. Based on the talk last night, it’s clear they are still very much in the mix. Thomas Chabot isn’t going anywhere but the emergence of a few defenceman in Camp has to at least tempt Dorion into considering a deal that uses the organization’s depth on defence to improve up front.
#Sens Head Coach Guy Boucher speaks to media following tonight’s 5-2 win over the Leafs. pic.twitter.com/6DcNszVvj5
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) September 20, 2017
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