FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Not sure you could draw up a better start to the season for the Ottawa Senators. Without their Captain and best player, the Senators have hit the ground running this year, picking up points in their first five games and cruising through Western Canada with three straight wins, sweeping the Western Canada road trip for the first time in franchise history too. Much like the other night in Calgary, the Senators were in control of this game from the moment the puck dropped, combining a surprisingly high-powered offence with a stifling defensive system. They outscored the two Alberta teams by a ridiculous 12-1. Not bad at all.
-In Ottawa, we’ve known about Mike Hoffman’s shot for a few years now. Early in this season, he’s finally starting to get league-wide recognition for having one of the best shots in the game. Seriously, he’s right up there with the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Vladimir Tarasenko and Steven Stamkos. That release has been on full display the last couple games. Hoffman couldn’t catch a break through the first three games of the season, hitting the post on multiple occasions, but they finally started to drop for him in Alberta.
-Much has been made about a “distracted” Kyle Turris early in this season. With the speculation surrounding his status at an all-time high, Turris has done his best to tune out all the noise and focus on being a reliable and productive player for this hockey team. He was certainly able to do that the last couple games. Turris racked up 6 points in the back to back and now leads the team with 7 on the season. And in just 5 games. Turns out a distracted Kyle Turris is a productive one.
-That was exactly the kind of effort the Senators are going to need from Mike Condon this season. With a total of 19 back to backs on their schedule, Guy Boucher will have to turn to Condon at least that many times and likely more. Something in the range of 25-30 starts seems likely. Condon was sharp from the get go last night and made some big stops when the talented Oilers team started to push. Condon finished the game with 35 saves including 19 in the second period.
-After a perfect swing through Western Canada, the Senators now return home for a little while. They’ll play their next five games on home ice and eight of their next nine at the Canadian Tire Centre. With an impressive eights points already in the bank, Ottawa has a chance to continue their strong start on home ice. Getting off to a good start was so important for this team, especially with a schedule that gets busier as the season rolls along. These points banked in October will certainly come in handy in March and April.
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