FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-As the old saying goes, they don’t ask how, they ask how many. Actually, sometimes in this analytics crazy world we live in, it feel like they almost exclusively ask how. But still. Two points! It certainly wasn’t a dazzling offensive display by either team but a pretty tidy road effort by the Senators in a game they had to win. After letting a game slip away against the Sabres on Tuesday night, Ottawa needed a bounce-back effort and they got it against the Devils. New Jersey has had a heck of a time scoring goals this year and it’s easy to see why. They didn’t generate anything last night.
-While it’s nice to close the gap on Montreal a little bit (4 pts back with 3 games in hand) and create some separation from the Bruins (2 pts up with 3 games in hand), a quick glance at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture shows why this was such an important victory. The Islanders, who seemed destined for a high pick a couple months ago, are suddenly in the thick of the Wildcard race and putting some pressure on teams once thought to be in a secure spot. Had the Senators lost in regulation, they’d be just two points up on the Isles with a game in hand. Huge win.
-Mike Condon was a bit of a surprise starter in this one. With Craig Anderson back in the mix, it would have made sense for Boucher to give Andy this game and then again Saturday and start Condon on Sunday against the Jets. Instead Boucher went back to Condon and it looked like he made the right decision. While he wasn’t tested a whole lot in this one, he made a few big stops (especially in the first half of the game) that were the difference. Condon now has 5 shutouts on the year which has him in a tie for 4th in the NHL. He also set a franchise record becoming the fastest to reach 5 shutouts (32 games). You could make a pretty strong case for going back to Condon on Saturday too.
-It’s sort of strange that boring defensive hockey remains such a central part of the New Jersey Devils identity. It dates back to the Jacques Lemaire days and it was always the way things were under Lou Lamoriello. Yet despite changes in the front office and behind the bench, games against the Devils are consistently the most boring of the year. Ottawa deserves part of the blame for this one obviously but anytime there’s a game in New Jersey, you just know it’s gonna be a grind, like “Texas Hold’Em”, which sometimes can be a never-ending game. Full credit to their season ticket holders for sitting through this stuff on a nightly basis.
-Dion Phaneuf just keeps finding ways to put the puck in the net. With his ice-breaker last night, Phaneuf now has 9 goals on the season including three in his last four games. He has points in four straight too. Phaneuf has 24 points on the season which pulls him into the Top 40 in scoring for defenceman. It’s been sort of difficult to have a conversation about Phaneuf that doesn’t spiral into hand-wringing about his contract but the reality is he’s been solid for the Senators this year.
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