FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-It’s only fitting that after six days without hockey, we would be treated to a game with a little bit of everything on Friday afternoon. The Senators and Avalanche went back and forth for the entire game with the Ottawa Senators finally getting the best of the Colorado Avalanche on an overtime winner by Mark Stone. After a fast start by the Avs, the Senators controlled the pace in the second and third period and deserved to come away with the two points. Ottawa finished with a 32-19 edge on the shot clock after 60:59.
-Mark Stone is on another level right now. He has a team-leading 11 goals through the first 15 games of the season and leads the team with an impressive 18 points. That point totoal also has him sitting in the Top 20 in the league in scoring and his 1.20 points per game is tied with Connor McDavid for 12th overall. When Stone is at his best, he’s one of the league’s most dominant right wingers and that was on full display in Sweden. Stone looks like he’s well on his way to a career-year and a big ol’ pay-day this summer.
-One of the dominant narratives during last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs was that the Ottawa Senators were “lucky”, presumably because they had a negative goal differential going into the playoffs and because they managed to avoid the best of the East until the Conference Final. Can’t help but chuckle at that notion. Because if the Senators were lucky enough to have a healthy Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone in their line up, there’s little doubt the Senators make it all the way to the Cup Final.
-Not a bad debut for Matt Duchene. While he was held off the scoresheet, Duchene was noticeable throughout the game and showed flashes of exactly what the Senators were hoping to get from him when they pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade on Sunday evening. He played 16:44 and had a couple shots on goal and despite finishing with a -1, made a couple strong defensive plays to keep the puck out of his own net. As if playing your first game with a new team isn’t weird enough, Duchene had to do it in another country and against the team he played his entire career with. I’m sure Duchene is happy to have the first one out of the way.
-This was clearly a big game for Ottawa’s Swedish players and each of them ended up playing a key role in the victory. Freddy Claesson opened the scoring for the Senators, Johnny Oduya played a key role in Ottawa’s second goal of the game and Erik Karlsson finished the game with two more assists, including an assist on the overtime winner.
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