FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-On the ever-growing list of “most impressive wins of the season”, last night’s triumph in Washington may settle in right at the very top. First of all, it came against one of the league’s hottest teams as the Capitals had reeled off five straight wins and gone 9-1-0 in their last ten. Second of all, the Caps had a two-goal lead in a building that can be extremely difficult when things start tilting against the visitor. Third of all, the Senators are still missing a buttload of key players. And lastly, the Ottawa Senators took it to the Washington Capitals from the moment the puck dropped in DC. If the Senators put in efforts like that the rest of the way and if they get a few more guys back, this team is going to start making serious moves in the Eastern Conference.
-It would appear that the collective hand-wringing over Alex DeBrincat’s “struggles” may have been just a tad premature and as it turns out, wildly incorrect. The Cat put the Sens on his back again last night, scoring both the game-tying goal in the third period and the game-winner in overtime. With two more big goals, DeBrincat is now back on a point-per-game pace, including 21 points in his last 17 games and is playing some of his best hockey as a Senator right meow. A lot was made about DeBrincat’s goal scoring ability, and we’re seeing exactly why over this recent heater, but his play in all three zones is what makes him a really special hockey player. Even when pucks weren’t going in for him, he never took shortcuts. He works hard for his opportunities and when you play the right way like he does, it’s only a matter of time before the points starts piling up.
-Speaking of playing the right way, I fear I may be falling deeply in love with Claude Giroux. And I can’t be the only one. When the Ottawa Senators signed Giroux this off-season, it was to provide some much-needed leadership on a team loaded with young talent. And don’t get me wrong- he does a lot of that. He’s basically an on-ice Coach. But there are also a lot of nights where he’s the best player on the ice. He is just an absurdly smart hockey player that thinks the game at a level that few can match and he combines that with a “give a shit” meter that is always maxed out. Like DeBrincat, there are no shortcuts in his game and he just…I don’t know, he just gets it. And we should spend a lot more time talking about just how lucky we are that he picked Ottawa. Don’t get me wrong- there’s only one Daniel Alfredsson. But I get serious Alfie vibes when I watch Claude Giroux. What a player.
-This was one of those games where I could probably write a thought on at least ten different guys because there were standout performances up and down the lineup but let’s talk a little bit about Jake Sanderson, shall we? Jake Sanderson is a 20-year old defenceman in his rookie season in the National Hockey League. Jake Sanderson has played 35 games. Jake Sanderson is routinely the best defenceman on the ice for the Senators and regularly matched up against the other team’s top players. It’s supposed to take young defenceman years to adjust to the pro game and yet, Sanderson is acting like he’s been doing it for years. The kid is special.
-A glance at the upcoming schedule suggests the Senators have a real opportunity to make up some ground over the next couple weeks. Obviously there are no easy games in the National Hockey League but with a schedule that includes Detroit, Buffalo, Columbus, Seattle, Nashville and Arizona, it does seem like they have a a chance to seriously close the gap on the teams in front of them. Assuming they put in more efforts like they did last night and assuming they can get a few key guys back including Artem Zub, who could play tomorrow night in Detroit, and Josh Norris. The Senators are 8-3-2 in the month of December with one more game coming up in Detroit tomorrow night and sit nine points back of the second Wild Card spot, with a couple games in hand. In the mix? In the mix.
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