FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Tough loss. Real tough loss. The Senators were in control of this game heading into the third period against a rather beatable opponent in the Vancouver Canucks and just couldn’t find a way to close it out. Everything had gone the right way on the out of town scoreboard and with a clean third period, we’d be talking about how the Sens were two points out of a playoff spot this morning. Didn’t end up that way though. The reality is this loss really doesn’t impact Ottawa’s playoff chances much. It was a long shot before and it still is now.
-And while the players deserve plenty of blame for that third period, everything that could go against the Senators last night, did. Stone’s non-goal. The offside play. The phantom high-stick. The goalie interference on the go-ahead goal. Zibanejad hitting the cross bar on a wide open net. They honestly don’t make losses as infuriating as last night’s. Add in the fact that it was a 10:00 PM start and it’s safe to say some Sens fans will be a little on edge this morning. Myself included.
-Dave Cameron used his challenge in the third period last night and it was hard to blame him. The entry play leading up to that game-tying goal by the Canucks was borderline and may have actually been offside. Unfortunately for the Senators’ coaches, no camera had the same view they did on the bench. Unlike others, I don’t really have an issue with how long it takes to get a call right. What I do have issue with is not having the resources to make sure you get the call right. Coaches shouldn’t have to consider whether or not the “right” camera angles are available. They should only have to consider whether or not the play was off-side. Some camera rights along the bluelines may help.
-Erik Karlsson played a surprisingly low 21 minutes against the Edmonton Oilers and then last night, it was pretty clear that he wasn’t playing at 100%. The flu has been going around a little bit so maybe it’s that? Or maybe there’s an injury the Captain is playing through? I don’t blame him for last night’s loss but this team needs Karlsson to carry them to victory on most nights and he just didn’t seem capable of that last night. Will be interesting to see how he responds against the Flames on Saturday.
-The good news for fans still hoping for a miracle down the stretch- Mark Stone is heating up again. Much like he did in the second half of last season, Stone seems to be taking his game to another level. He was by far the best player on the ice for Ottawa last night and could have had three or four goals through two periods. I find Mark Stone to be one of the most fascinating players to watch, especially when he’s at the top of his game. He makes like a handful of plays every night that just leave you wondering- how?
