FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Second periods have been an ongoing issue for the Senators this season but last night, it was a strong second period that won them the hockey game. Ottawa started slow and finished cautious but that middle period was one of their best of the season. Nashville is one of the top teams in the league for a reason and when your feet stop moving through the neutral zone, they’ll make you pay. Should be plenty of good things for the Coaching staff to take away from that middle frame though.
-Huge bounce back game from Robin Lehner. After rough outings against the Bruins and Leafs, Lehner was rock solid in goal. He kept Ottawa in the game in the first as the Senators shook off the rust of a four day lay off and then made three or four huge stops in the third period to preserve the win. The schedule is pretty brutal for the next few weeks and the Senators are going to need both goalies at the top of their game. Coach MacLean talked about how Lehner had “put in the work” during the break between games and it showed last night.
-The resurgence of Jared Cowen has been pretty fun to watch. About a month ago some fans were ready to throw him away for nothing and now he looks like the legitimate second pairing defenceman the Senators so desperately need. He’s making better decisions with the puck and doing a much better job of staying in position. The five games in the pressbox was certainly a big part of it but credit to Jason Smith and the rest of the Coaching staff for their patience with this guy. Maybe a little premature to say he’s completely turned the corner but he’s now put together five or six solid games in a row. He’s adding a bit of offence too with the game winner last night and now four points in his last five games.
-Two goals in two games for Bobby Ryan. If he can get going away from the combination of Turris and MacArthur, the Senators offence becomes pretty dangerous. I still think the best spot for him is on that top line but Chiasson has played well when given that opportunity so I expect MacLean to stick with it for now. That wrist injury Ryan suffered against the Wild was lingering a little bit but you could tell last night he was a little more comfortable putting weight on his stick and shooting the puck .
-The win over the Nashville Predators was nice but after last night’s game everyone was talking about the incredible Jonathan Pitre. The brave 14 year old suffers from a terrible disease called DB and last night, was given a chance to be an honourary scout for the night. He held a press conference prior to the game to sign his contract, met with Bryan Murray and the rest of the Senators’ brass, chatted with Erik Karlsson and then watched on from box seats as the Senators beat the Nashville Predators. He also gave one of the best in-game interviews I’ve ever seen with Brent Wallace during the first intermission. Amazing gesture by the Ottawa Senators reaching out to this kid. You can learn more about Jonathan’s incredible story here and donate to the cause here.
