FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-When you’ve played your entire NHL career with one team, it’s probably pretty tough to have to suddenly wake up one day and pull on another uniform. Different city, different teammates, different system. It’s a lot to take in. Especially when you’ve spent 12 years with the same franchise. That’s one theory anyway. Alex Burrows looked more than comfortable in his Ottawa debut, scoring twice and earning the game’s first star. The two goals were obviously impressive but he was physical, he blocked shots and his feet never stopped moving. Pretty easy to see why Canuck fans loved this guy.
-The on-ice performance was one thing but that really had to be a special moment for Burrows. To score two goals, with his family there, that has to be pretty special. And to whoever it was in the Senators organization that thought to bring his old man a brand new Burrows jersey during the game, kudos. That’s an amazing gesture. Pierre Dorion took some heat for that extension he handed Burrows but it’s obviously an important part of making the guy comfortable with the move. To feel like he’s a part of this organization and a part of the team going forward. To truly get the most out of him down the stretch, it’s important that he wants to be here and that he feels like Ottawa is home. So far so good.
-When Dorion added two NHL forwards to his roster it was about a whole lot more than Alex Burrows and Viktor Stalberg. Having two extra bodies to plug into the four forward lines has a ripple effect on the entire line up and you saw it on full display last night. Suddenly the third line features the dangerous Ryan Dzingel. There’s a fourth line that Boucher can use on a regular basis. It’s going to make a huge difference, especially with such a busy schedule down the stretch. No forward was under ten minutes tonight.
-Maybe Dorion should have made a trade for a power play. Not a power play guy but rather an entirely new power play. Because this one really isn’t working. Ottawa went 0/4 with the man advantage in this one and it was a big reason this game ended up being a lot closer than it should be. What has been most frustrating about this team’s power play struggles is they don’t really seem to be doing anything all that different in an effort to get it going. They’ll need it to wake up down the stretch. It’s a little late in the season but I think it needs a full reset. Everyone looks way too tight.
-Erik Karlsson was doing things in that third period that no other player on the planet can do. Seriously, not entirely sure what got into him there but the display of puck control and stick handling was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The move he put on JT Compher, a kid playing his first game in the National Hockey League, was downright mean. He made four or five jaw-dropping plays after that too and was part of the five man unit that locked it down in the final minute. And as impressive as his performance on the ice was, his role in the pregame ceremony was just as memorable. For those that missed it, it’s worth a watch. The strength of the Paravan Family is truly remarkable.
Watch as Matthew Paravan, a patient at Roger Neilson House, and his family drop the puck at tonight’s game. #OSFTelethon pic.twitter.com/SZqdtkvbIo
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 3, 2017
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