FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-For the second straight game, Chris Wideman did what he had to to get the Coach’s attention. We’ll see if it’s enough to stay in the line up this time around. Wideman’s goal ended up being the game winner in this one and while it was an otherwise quiet night for Wideman, scoring goals is always a good way to make sure you get noticed. Mark Borowiecki pulled a puck off his own goal line in the last couple minutes and played a pretty solid game defensively. I would expect Wiercioch to stay in the press box on Saturday.
-With that said, this game certainly shouldn’t be mistaken for a defensive masterpiece. Dave Cameron praised his blueline in his post-game interview but there was still a few too many chances given up over the course of the sixty minutes. I suspect the praise is just relative to recent performances. The top pair was solid but the other four guys were guilty of running around at times. Bend but don’t break, I suppose?
-Speaking of that top pair, Erik Karlsson certainly took his game to another level last night. Suggesting that Karlsson is responsible for Ottawa’s early season inconsistency certainly isn’t fair and is entirely inaccurate. With that said, even the most dedicated Karlsson supporters have to agree that he had noticeably more jump last night. That end to end rush was something we haven’t really seen from him all year. When Karlsson decides to shift into top gear, nobody in the NHL can keep up. He’s that good. Hopefully last night was a sign of things to come for the Captain. By the way, he’s tied for the lead in defenceman scoring and sits Top 10 in the league.
-Soooo maybe Andrew Hammond is just really good? It seems like a significant portion of the fan base has been waiting for Hammond’s bubble to burst but it just isn’t happening. He’s now 22-1-4 in the NHL including four starts without a regulation loss this year. Oh and he has a career save percentage of. 940. Pretty, prrrrretty good. Hammond stole that win for the Senators last night. There’s no goaltending controversy in Ottawa but it’s pretty clear that Hammond plans on putting a little bit of pressure on Craig Anderson.
-Lastly a comment on the Matt Duchene rumours. There is absolutely some traction here. I asked around a little bit last night and had one contact confirm this was an ongoing conversation. Important to note that 28 other teams are probably also going to kick tires. It was sort of strange to see the rumour specifically link the Senators and even more odd that the initial call apparently came ten days ago. Either way, Sens definitely have interest. But do they have the assets and the internal budget space to get it done? We shall see.
