FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Don’t look now but the Ottawa Senators are red-hot. Actually, you better look now. While it includes an overtime and shootout loss, the Senators have now racked up at least a point in five straight games, posting a 3-0-2 record. In the process, it feels like they have basically ended Calgary’s season. They play two more times in late-April but right now, the Senators completely own the Flames. While this was a mostly even game through 40 minutes, the Senators just took over in that third period. At a moment where Calgary’s season hung in the balance, it was the Senators that took control. It’s been a long year in Ottawa but there is no doubt that this team continues to trend in the right direction.
-And just like that, there is a strange and entirely unexpected goaltending controversy developing in Ottawa. Okay, maybe not. These are mostly garbage time starts that may or may not have an impact on the organizational depth chart long-term. With that said, Filip Gustavsson is certainly making the most of his surprise opportunity with the Senators. With Murray, Hogberg and Daccord seemingly ahead of him on the depth chart heading into the year, Gustavsson was sort of the forgotten guy in goal. But he has looked excellent in his three appearances. While Joey Daccord looks fast in goal, Gustavsson seems a little more economical in his movements. He reads the play extremely well though and always seems to be in the right position. While his numbers never really jumped off the page at the AHL level, it’s possible that he’s finding things a little more predictable and structured at the NHL level, which is in turn leading to better reads and ultimately, improved numbers. Also, goalies are unpredictable so maybe it will all fall apart next time out. Whatever the reason, he looks solid right now.
-The shift that led to Chris Tierney’s game-winning goal, his second in a row by the way, was one of the best sequences of the season. The Ottawa Senators often end up on the wrong end of those seeming endless runs of pressure but this time, it was the Senators with their foot on the gas. The forward line of Stützle-Tierney-Batherson was relentless and with Mike Reilly and Artem Zub on the back end, it felt like the puck was in Calgary’s end for an eternity. On a night, or a late afternoon/early evening I guess, where the Flames were supposed to be the desperate team, they just had no answer for the intensity the Senators brought on that shift.
-Tim Peel’s mock-firing is the talk of the hockey world. After getting caught saying something we all knew, Peel became the fall-guy for the NHL. Don’t get me wrong- Tim Peel was at times, bad at his job. A search through my Twitter history would confirm that have held this belief for a long time. But still, it just didn’t sit right that the league made an example of the guy for doing something that all officials do. The incident has sparked a conversation on “game management”, with many suggesting it’s time to end the practice and let officials call the game by the book. At all times. Call it the same way in the preseason as you do in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Tread lightly, hockey fans. While the idea of consistent officiating appeals to all, the process of getting there is going to be painful. The number of current rule book infractions that go uncalled on a nightly basis is staggering. And if they start trying to call everything, there is going to a period of time where the game is almost unwatchable. It’s true that players will eventually adjust but it’s going to be a struggle.
-For those of you that didn’t make it past the intro music, Bruce Garrioch had some interesting comments on the trade deadline in his most recent appearance on The SensChirp Podcast. While he’s expecting a quiet deadline for the Senators, he did specifically mention that in the lead-up to April 12th, defenceman Mike Reilly is likely to be offered an extension. Reilly has been steady on the Ottawa blueline this season and recently, has actually been quite good. He’s the perfect fit alongside Artem Zub and with limited interest on the trade market, it sounds like the Senators are going to try to convince Reilly to stick around. You can check out those comments and whole lot more in Episode 16.
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