FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-After more than two months away from the rink, it would have been entirely understandable if there was a little bit of rust for Craig Anderson. Not only is so much of goaltending about timing but it’s also a position that requires you to be mentally sharp. And when you consider what the Anderson Family has gone through over the last couple months, it’s pretty easy to see how Craig might need some time to ease back into the crease. Some time to find his game again. Or ya know…a 33 save shutout. That moment with Andy standing in the tunnel while the crowd chanted his name was one of the best this season. Maybe second only to that night in Edmonton.
-While the Senators ended up on the wrong end of the shot clock (33-24), they actually defended pretty well in this one. The Islanders didn’t muster up much on offence and you could count the number of high-quality chances on one hand. When Pageau scored the third goal, you knew it was going to be next to impossible for the Islanders to come back. Anderson was making the saves he had to and the team in front of him did a great job of limiting second and third chances. System + Dialed in Andy is tough to beat. With that tidy little victory the Senators now sit six points back of Montreal with three games in hand.
-It’s been so fun to watch Erik Karlsson destroy the misconception that he can’t play defence. Most Sens fans knew that narrative was bullshit before this season but he’s clearly focusing on defence a little more this year and the result is a player that can dominate in his own end of the rink. He’s right near the top of the league in blocked shots and he’s averaging well over 2 minutes a night on the penalty kill. Not sure if there’s a defenceman in the league that defends better with his stick . There was a second period penalty kill shift where he made a stick check that saved a sure goal. Different game if the Islanders score there.
-With his first period bank shot, Mark Stone hit the 20 goal mark for the third straight season. The way he’s been going the last little while, a 30 goal season seems like a possibility too. After a slow start to his season, he’s now into the Top 40 in league scoring. It’s clear that Stone is entering one of those fun little runs he goes on from time to time. Not to get ahead of myself here, but I sure hope we get to watch this guy at 100% come playoff time. He’s played just eight playoff games in his career and most of those were played with one hand. That first playoff goal celebration is going to be something.
-Eleven forwards always leads to plenty of line juggling but one thing that was noticeable throughout this game was the demotion of Bobby Ryan. He was still getting shifts on the power play but the majority of his 5 on 5 shifts seemed to be with Tom Pyatt and Jean Gabriel Pageau on the third line. That line drew the Tavares line most of the afternoon and actually did a pretty good job shutting them down. In the meantime, Ryan Dzingel moved up to play with Brassard and Stone while Smith was taking most shifts with Hoffman and Turris. Interested to see if that sticks next week.
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