FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Well it certainly wasn’t pretty but for a team that had been outscored by ten in their last two games, a win is a win is a win. It’s not like they were dominated by the Stars by any means but the Senators just looked sort of out of sync all night. They were making easy plays look difficult and just didn’t seem to have much rhythm to their game. The Senators were in there first real slump of the season coming into this one and it showed at times. But to be able to grind out a win against an underachieving yet theoretically desperate Dallas team has to feel pretty good.
-And while there were no shortage of things to fret about over the course of those sixty minutes, I did like the way Ottawa locked it down after the go-ahead goal by Mark Stone. They have had a tough time with leads at points in this season and it was crucial that they held on for those 14 minutes. Mike Condon was sharp when he had to be but the Senators really didn’t give the Stars many quality chances. The penalty kill following that dreadful holding call on Mark Borowiecki was excellent too.
-When you’re in the middle of a goal-scoring slump and it feels like you might never score again, you’ll take them any way you can get them. Chris Kelly’s first period goal was a strange as they come. It brought back memories of Damian Rhodes who to this day, remains the only goalie to score and get a shutout in the same game. Lyle Odelein was the one who put it into the empty net that night while this time the poor soul was Stars forward Jiri Hudler. I imagine there isn’t a more helpless feeling in sports than watching your pass slide into your own net. Hudler deserves some of the blame but you have to admire the work of Chris Kelly on that play. Just the kind of leadership he brings.
-Happy One Year Anniversary to Dion Phaneuf! Exactly one year ago, the Senators made a trade that some of us are still reeling from. And while there were clear financial undertones to the transaction, adding a top four defenceman was a clear need for the organization and they were able to do that with the Phaneuf deal. There’s going to be some pain down the road but it’s not easy to sign or trade for guys that can play 20+ minutes a night on defence. And they don’t come cheap. Phaneuf was at his best in that first period, scoring a goal and dropping the gloves with Stars Captain Jamie Benn.
-In case you missed it, prior to the game, TSN did a cool countdown of the Top 25 players in franchise history. As they worked they worked their way through the list, one of the most interesting things was how easy it was to predict, especially once they got into the Top 10. There may have been a couple spots where I would flip guys (Anderson over Lalime or Heatley over Yashin) but for the most part, it was tough to argue with any of the choices. One thing I would say is that if he spends his whole career here, Mark Stone is going to find his way into the Top 5.
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