SEVEN QUICK THOUGHTS
-Like an entirely different team out there. On the heels of a dreadful road trip, the Senators returned home and turned in their best effort in well over a month. And on a difficult back to back too. From the drop of the puck, you could tell that Ottawa had a different level of desperation and urgency in their game and that as a team, they felt like the game against the Rangers was one they had to win. The hole this team has dug themselves is obviously pretty deep but last night was the first step out of the darkness. Win big on Saturday night and maybe we can forget about that whole 13 game slump entirely. Okay, maybe not. Baby steps though.
-Bobby Ryan was probably the best player on the ice for the Senators last night and I’m not sure I have been able to say that since last year’s playoffs. It’s no secret that his finger is still bugging him but if that first period one-timer was any indication, it’s starting to feel a little bit better. Ryan picked up a goal and an assist on the night and was visible almost every shift. When Ryan starts to feel confident about his game, he can still dominate a game and he gives Ottawa a much-needed presence in the top six. Also, when he’s feeling good about his game he starts trying stuff like this, which I’m not sure I have ever seen in an NHL game before. Aside from Ryan, really liked what I saw from Duchene, Stone, Ceci and Chabot in a limited role last night. Anderson was excellent too.
-If nothing else, that win last night helps clear what had become a dark cloud over the organization leading up to the Outdoor Game on Saturday. Everything seemed to be going wrong for the team both on and off the ice and it was seriously limiting the buzz around what should be an exciting week for Sens fan and for the city. With that win over the Rangers, the players can finally relax a little bit and enjoy the lead up to the game, which I’m not sure they could have done had they lost again last night. The celebration on the bench and the smiles on the ice afterwards were indicative of a team that felt like they had the weight of the world lifted off their shoulders.
-And now to some non-game related stuff. It has been more than a month since the Senators traded Kyle Turris to the Nashville Predators but it’s pretty clear that the parties involved still have some thoughts about how it all went down. Early in the day, Turris spoke to media in Vancouver and suggested that from his perspective, the Owner was the reason a deal didn’t get done in Ottawa. Dorion awkwardly refuted that in his press conference later in the day and then Julie Turris offered her own perspective on how things went down. At some point, you hear enough stories about how Melnyk operates as the Owner of this team that it’s pretty clear who is telling the truth. As far as I’m concerned, Kyle and Julie really have no reason to lie in this situation.
-Speaking of the truth, Eugene Melnyk tried to clear the air on those pesky sale rumours in a somewhat perplexing email to Bruce Garrioch that was published late last night. Melnyk suggests that all the speculation we’ve been hearing over the last few weeks might be the result of some “routine refinancing” of the team’s heavy debt load. Not sure routine is the right word for something like that but it certainly matches the talk of an Owner trying to stay afloat. That Eugene tried to pass off the Karlsson ask as part of that process is somewhat laughable though and goes against what everyone outside of Melnyk has heard about that situation. There was nothing in that article that would lead me to believe the speculation that’s out there right now about the future of Ownership in Ottawa is inaccurate. Realistically, Melnyk will continue to say the team is not for sale…until it’s sold.
-Pierre Dorion is in an impossible situation right now so credit to him for standing up there in front of the media yesterday. There is nothing he could have said yesterday that would completely calm the waters in Ottawa but as the General Manager, he had to try. So full credit to him for that. Probably a few days later than it should have been but better late than never. I think he got the “this team won’t give up” message right, his comments on Karlsson were at least a bit more reassuring than complete silence would have been and his vote of confidence for the Coach is pretty much automatic. Every GM says that, until of course they have no other choice.
-And lastly, congratulations to Senators forward Chris Neil as he officially hangs ’em up this morning in Ottawa. The role he played is one of the toughest in professional sports and to do it as well as he did, for as long as he did, is truly remarkable. There was talk about Chris Neil potentially signing elsewhere this season (St. Louis and Montreal were the teams I heard) but it’s a relief that we never had to see Neiler in another uniform. A Senators for life, just the way it should be. Everyone playing in that Alumni Game on Friday better keep their head up though.
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