FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-The Los Angeles Kings have been one of the league’s top teams for most of the season so for Ottawa to bounce back the way they did last night was pretty impressive. Down a goal after twenty minutes, it would have been pretty easy for the Senators to pack it in but they came out flying to start the second and made the most of their opportunities. For all the discussion about how Cameron arranged his line up against the Kings, the reality is when this team’s best players are at the top of their game, they’ll have a chance to win on most nights. The depth is obviously an issue but when Hoffman, Karlsson, Ryan, Zibanejad, Stone and Turris are going like they were against the Kings, this is a tough team to beat.
-This was exactly the kind of game Mika Zibanejad needed. He’s been having a tough time lately but reunited with Mike Hoffman and Bobby Ryan, Zibanejad turned in one of his best games of the season. The Coach took a lot of heat for his line up pregame but switching up Turris and Zibanejad definitely paid off in this one. It will be interesting to see if he sticks with for a stretch of games. You don’t want to take away too much from Turris but I think if you add Shane Prince to that line with Mark Stone you have a pretty balanced top six.
-After a couple of nearly disastrous mistakes in the third period, Jared Cowen once again found himself stapled to the bench in the third period. It’s happened a few times this season and is a pretty clear indication that Dave Cameron doesn’t have a whole lot of trust in Cowen in pressure situations. Or if he does, that trust can easily waiver. With Cowen benched, Mark Borowiecki returned to the blueline. Will be interesting to see if those third period struggles were enough to make this move permanent. If Shane Prince can’t draw in after those last two games, I would start to have legitimate skepticism about his future with the organization.
-You know, the thing that made the Borowiecki at forward experiment especially odd is that Dave Dziurzynski has actually done a pretty good job of doing what the Sens were hoping to get from Borowiecki as a forward. There’s nothing fancy about Dziurzynski’s game but he’s a safe, physical forward that can plan pretty effective fourth line minutes. This game was probably his best in the NHL. He was finishing his checks all night long (ended up with 9 hits) and was able to create a few turnovers in the Kings end of the rink.
-An interesting little note from Bruce Garrioch during his Question Period segment on Bryan Murray’s search for a defenceman. While Garrioch did say there is nothing specific on the front burner right now, he did mention that Calgary GM Brad Treliving was in the house and that Murray has always liked Flames defenceman Kris Russell. Russell might be a decent fit on that second pairing and would certainly be an upgrade over Jared Cowen on the blueline. The Senators have had an interest in Russell in the past so maybe this is something to keep an eye on. Russell is making $2.6 million this season and is a UFA at the end of the year.
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Day Two- Hyperline Presents- “Guess the Game”
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If you missed Day One of the contest, head here to read all the details. The second clue is now hidden somewhere on the Hyperline site. Click their ad in the right hand column (or at the bottom if you’re on a mobile device) and track down today’s clue (remember to look for the SensChirp logo). If you think you know the answer, send the date game was played on, the final score, the two teams involved and your name. One guess per person though so make it count. Two tickets in Club Bell for the January 7th game against the Florida Panthers to the winner.
Good luck!
- To help make sure you get the year right, you should know that Brian Lee played that night.
