FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Knock, knock, knock. Don’t look now (you better look now) but the rebuilding, bottom-feeding, no chance in hell Ottawa Senators are smack-dab in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Okay maybe not in the middle of it but RIGHT beside it. Five points back. Three points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs with a couple games in hand. Just a single point back of the Tampa Bay Lightning. What’s happening over the last couple weeks may not be what we expected (or what many were hoping for) but it sure is entertaining. If you want to hope for losses, this may be a good time to turn your attention to the San Jose Sharks. All aboard the SharkTank!
-Last night serves as another good reminder that this Ottawa team definitely isn’t the worst in the league. While the Senators were guilty of sitting back in the third period a little bit, they controlled this game for long stretches through the opening forty minutes. Through the first 21 games of the season, we’ve learned that not only are the Sens capable of dominating the lower tier teams but when they’re at their best, they can mostly hang with anyone in the league. It may be time to start considering the possibility that we have severely underestimated these Ottawa Senators. Am I detecting a soul to this team?
-He has been a little bit overshadowed by the ridiculous goal scoring stretch of his teammate Jean Gabriel Pageau but Anthony Duclair is on a run of his own lately. Two more goals last night (both which looked awfully familiar– good call Bob) and now nine on the year. The Senators basically stole Anthony Duclair from the Columbus Blue Jackets and they’re getting one hell of a bargain on his current contract but assuming the Sens want to keep Duclair in the fold long-term, they’ll have to pay the price to sign him this summer. The knock on Duclair has always been his commitment away from the puck but that really hasn’t been an issue in Ottawa. He’s making a lot of former Coaches look pretty silly right now.
-Not going to lie but looking at Dominik Hasek last night, it seems like he could probably still play. Assuming that adductor muscle is finally healed. Maybe Friday, eh Dom? The former-Senator was in attendance last night after also taking in the game on Saturday in Buffalo. It kind of seems like he’s following the Senators around right now, maybe hoping for an opportunity. His time in Ottawa ended in embarrassing fashion but when he was healthy, he was probably the most dominant goalie in Sens history. Well until Anders Nilsson this year, anyway.
-Figures that Logan Brown would also find a way to score his first career goal against the Ottawa Senators. In all seriousness, that first period was about as rough as it gets for Brown. Not because he played poorly but the guy just couldn’t catch a break. Minutes after accidentally knocking the puck into his own net, Brown thought he had his actual first goal. And then the referees confirmed as much. Only to have the goal wiped out for goaltender interference. Tough sequence but that’s not the way you want to score your first anyway. He’ll get that out of the way tonight in Montreal.
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Loading …Next up- @Canadiens (Tonight), vs. Rangers (Friday), @Blue Jackets (Monday)
