-I’ll admit that -20 beside his name is pretty ugly. But Jason Spezza’s game is getting better and you can see that by watching the games. He’s skating better, he’s carrying the puck well and he’s shooting the puck when the opportunity is there. And while that 5 on 5 dry spell is noteworthy, he’s producing on the power play and that matters just as much. Leave him with Michalek and Zibanejad for a few games and the 5 on 5 results will come. Last night’s late power play goal was exactly what you’d hope to see from you Captain.
-The six man defence looked pretty damn good last night. Anderson bailed them out on a few occasions but I thought overall, they did a nice job limiting the mistakes. It’s going to be really interesting to see what the Senators do with Chris Phillips next game. He was out to rest a minor injury but it was clearly one of those situations where if the Senators really needed him to play, he could have. I think I’d give Big Rig another game off to rest whatever injury is bugging him.
-As Paul MacLean as emphasized all season- Craig Anderson is this team’s number one goaltender. And lately, he’s playing like it. The Senators don’t win that game last night if not for some big saves by Anderson. Ottawa has six games left before the Olympic break. I expect Anderson to start five of those games.
-Nice to see Stephane Da Costa get rewarded with a couple of goals. During each of his call ups, Da Costa has played primarily on the team’s third and fourth line. It’s obviously not the ideal situation for a skilled guy like Da Costa. Last night he made the most of his 8 minutes though, scoring his first two goals of the season. Still think he’s the odd man out when Mark Stone is ready to return but it’s nice to see him score a couple goals in such a big game. His between periods interviews still need a little work though.
-Cory Conacher played a season low 5:57 last night and only saw 9 shifts in total. Playing on a line with Stephane Da Costa and Erik Condra, the trio wasn’t used a whole lot at even strength. Both Condra and Da Costa were up around 8 minutes but that’s because each of them saw a regular shift on special teams. It will be interesting to see if MacLean keeps that trio together against Tampa Bay.
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