FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-The Senators probably deserved a better fate in this one. If not for Capitals goalie Bradon Holtby, the Sens could have been up a couple goals early on and this would have been an entirely different game. Ottawa had a few chances to tie it in the third but again, couldn’t find a way to beat Holtby. Ottawa has won a bunch of games they probably didn’t deserve so it’s only fair they lose a couple where they outplay the opposition. Cameron has to like his team’s effort though.
-Goals in back to back games for sudden sniper Erik Condra. Ok, maybe that’s jumping the gun a little bit but Condra has certainly looked like an everyday player the last little while and has been rewarded with extra responsibility under Coach Cameron. Condra is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and is going to get a contract with someone. It seems unlikely it’s here in Ottawa but you never know.
-It’s still early in Dave Cameron’s time as Coach but right now anyway, it appears like he’s not a huge fan of David Legwand. Or at least not as big a fan as Paul MacLean was. Legwand was below 10 minutes in ice time for the second straight game and unless there is an injury of some kind, that is a pretty strong message to the veteran centre. He still saw time on the power play and penalty kill but barely anything at 5 on 5. Something to keep an eye on.
-Less time for Legwand has meant a little extra ice time for Jean Gabriel Pageau. Pageau has been held off the scoresheet to this point but has still had a solid few games to start his NHL season. The difference isn’t huge but he looks slightly better than Curtis Lazar. It’s interesting because the Sens have all but assured Lazar his spot is waiting for him when he gets back. Won’t be easy to send Pageau down again.
-Cody Ceci turned 21 years old on Sunday but to watch him on some nights, you would think you were looking at a ten year veteran. There are plays he makes during a game that look like a seasoned pro rather than a defenceman with less than 100 games of experience. The next hurdle for Ceci will be developing just a little more confidence with the puck on his stick. Sometimes it feels like Ceci doesn’t realize how good he is. He has the ability to skate the puck out of the zone but rarely does. It’s probably not an easy thing to coach but that’s what I would be focusing on with Ceci- taking an extra second or two to make a play with the puck on his stick.
