FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-After the way they played following the last long layoff, it was hard to know what to expect from the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. Teams can talk all they want about “no excuses” but the reality is, this is a brutal situation the team has been going through recently and it would have been entirely acceptable if they came out a little flat. Yea, about that. The Senators were the better team from the moment the puck dropped last night and they really didn’t let up at any point. Even when the Flames scored early in the third and threatened to crawl back into the game, the Senators refused to let up. And then kept their foot on the pedal the rest of the way. Just a damn good team effort and in a tough spot. Let’s do this again tomorrow, shall we?
-Nick Paul was great and Connor Brown was buzzing all night but Matt Murray was the best player on the ice for the Senators in this one. It’s not that the Sens gave up a ton of chance because they really didn’t but there were few key stops in this one, including three big ones in the first period, that ultimately ended up being the difference in the hockey game. These building block moments have been few and far between for Murray but this was exactly the kind of start he can use to gain a little confidence and hopefully get his season back on track. It’s hard to remember a better game from Matt Murray in a Sens uniform.
-On a team that is loaded with young talent, there was a time not long ago when Drake Batherson got lost in the shuffle a little bit. Not because of anything he did necessarily but mostly because his path to becoming an everyday NHL hockey player hasn’t exactly been straightforward. But now, it’s pretty clear that he is quickly making the transition from everyday player to star in the making. He has been Ottawa’s best player over the course of this season and on Thursday, he was recognized for it with first All Star Game invite. And then against the Flames, he showed exactly why he’s more than worthy of that honour. And thanks to the some well-timed content from the team’s Twitter account, it feels like he’s quickly becoming a fan favourite too.
-Like many Ottawa Senators, Nick Paul’ has had a fairly turbulent season. In and out of the lineup because of injuries/COVID, off completely for weeks at a time and even when he is playing, his role has been somewhat unpredictable. Sometimes second line centre and then sometimes bottom six winger. It’s a lot for a young player. In general, it’s probably not the way Paul would have drawn up a contract year. The good news is there’s still plenty of time for him to finish strong and earn that next contract. The Senators will definitely have interest in keeping him around but Paul is the kind of guy that could draw interest at the deadline if he’s playing well. He looked damn good last night.
-Friend of the podcast I forgot existed until this very moment, Bruce Garrioch, was on Question Period last night and provided a little more context around the team’s interest in KHL star Andrei Kuzmenko. According to Garrioch, the Senators are believed to be on a short-list for the Russian forward and apparently, have been trying to convince him to come over for a couple years now. It also sounds like he could be ready to come to North America as early as this season. Just speculation on my part but the fact that Pierre Dorion was so open about the team’s interest leads me to believe they have a damn good shot at landing the player. Zub and Kuz. It just makes sense.
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