FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-There have been a number of games this year where you could say that the Senators deserved better. Those nights where they skated circles around the opponents, generated chances but just couldn’t finish. This was…not one of those nights. The Flames outshot Ottawa by a 36-23 margin including 13-4 in the second period. The games mostly even in the first and third period but Calgary was probably the better team over the course of the sixty minutes. They just had no answer for Filly Franchise.
-Starting the first game of his NHL career, Filip Gustavsson looked calm, cool and collected in the Ottawa net. He made a number of good saves during a frantic first period and kept the Senators in it during a second period where the Flames carried the play. Gustavsson has quickly become the forgotten guy in Ottawa’s goaltending situation but full credit to him for making the most of his opportunity. And just as importantly, good on the Senators for giving him that chance to show what he can do. Matt Murray and Joey Daccord probably have those two spots locked up heading into next season but these next couple weeks are a good chance for Gustavsson to force his way into the conversation.
-When this strange season is all said and done, there are going to be a couple teams that look back on their games against the “lowly” Ottawa Senators as the reason they ultimately missed the playoffs. Being relegated to the role of spoiler isn’t what anyone was hoping for out of this year but it is nice to drag a couple teams down with us. This was a game that the 6th place Calgary Flames absolutely had to have but as they’ve shown all year, there are no easy games against the Ottawa Senators. The Senators now hold a 4-2-0 advantage in the season-series against the Flames.
-This has mostly been a season to forget for Chris Tierney. Signed to a two-year deal this summer, including $2.8 mil this and $4.2 mil next, the Senators were certainly hoping for a little more offence from the top six centre by default. And while he has had plenty of opportunities to play with good wingers, the production just hasn’t been there. He scored on his first three shots of the season and not again until last night’s game-winner. Tierney has another year on his deal beyond this season so it’s unlikely he moves before the April 12th trade deadline but you wonder if the Senators might consider moving him at some point next season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of his current contract.
-When the Ottawa Senators acquired Ryan Dzingel from the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this season, it was a smart move by Pierre Dorion. Not only did he clean up a bit of his mess by shipping out Cedric Paquette and Alex Galchenyuk but he also brought in what appeared to a marketable asset in Ryan Dzingel. Although to this point, he has to be at least a little bit tempted by the idea of Dzingel sticking around beyond this season. Bruce Garrioch talked about Dzingel’s status during the first intermission and suggested there hasn’t been a ton of interest so far. Kind of surprising considering how good Dzingel has looked since arriving here in Ottawa. He now has five goals in nine games and has carved out a nice role for himself in Ottawa’s bottom six. At some point, you have to assume one of the playoff-bound Canadian teams comes calling. And if not, bringing back Ryan Dzingel on a short-term deal wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Oh and speaking of tradable assets, Mike Reilly looked excellent last night.
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