FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-When you sit in 29th place in the National Hockey League, there really shouldn’t be any easy games. And yet on Monday night, it really did feel like a leisurely walk in the park for the Ottawa Senators. Even when the Devils opened the scoring on a first period power play, it really didn’t seem like the game was ever in doubt. Granted, the New Jersey Devils have dropped seven games in a row, are missing some key players and are a generally terrible hockey team but yea, that was light work for the Senators. When you have a good system in place and have everyone pulling in the same direction, things can look fairly effortless at times. It will be a different challenge entirely against the Carolina Hurricanes but the Senators have to be feeling pretty good about where their game is at right now.
-The game can look a lot easier when you get steady goaltending. It’s not that the Senators played a perfect game last night by any stretch but in those rare instances where the Devils managed to create something resembling a scoring chance, Matt Murray was there. Matt Murray has been there a lot lately actually. Both Murray and the Senators deserve a ton of credit for sticking with it during a rough patch and ultimately finding success on the other side. When all is said and done, it would be interesting to hear Murray and the Senators talk openly about his time here in Ottawa and most importantly, about what changed following that brief stint in Belleville. He really looks like he’s in a much better place since the recall.
-The injuries to Drake Batherson and josh Norris grabbed the majority of the headlines around these parts but the truth is, this team really missed Connor Brown. Obviously his offensive contributions aren’t on the level of those other two but you would be hard-pressed to find a more versatile forward in the Ottawa lineup. It certainly didn’t take Connor Brown long to have an impact on the game either, as he made a hell of a play on a first period game-tying goal by Nick Paul. And then he put the game away in the third. He may not be a core piece necessarily but to ultimately build a contending hockey team, you need to find a few Connor Browns along the way. He really has been a perfect fit on this young hockey team.
-The schedule is going to be a major talking point in the next few weeks. We’ve seen teams go through some busy stretches before but not sure we’ve ever seen anything quite like this. With last night’s game against the Devils in the books, the team has finally hit the half-way mark in their season and a few weeks later than most teams. And now they’ll spend the rest of the year trying to make up for the debacle of a December. The Sens play five times this week which is of course ridiculous but also, will kind of become the norm over the next couple months. With only a few exceptions, they’ll be playing at least four games a week the rest of the way. Everyone is feeling the schedule crunch a little bit these days but it’s sort of insane what the Senators are being asked to do here. It’s a good thing they’re not in the thick of a playoff race (yet!) because as far as fairness and competitive balance goes, it’s a bit of a joke.
-A moment of appreciation for Mark Kastelic. Forced into the lineup due to injuries, Kastelic has made the most of his opportunity. A fifth round pick in the 2019 draft, Kastelic is basically a perfect bottom six player. Good size, smart defensively, plays with a bit of an edge and can make plays with the puck on his stick. He earned an assist on the Nick Holden goal, his first point in the NHL and he has seen his ice time gradually increase over the last four games. From 6:22 in his first game to 12:21 last night against the Devils. Kastelic is a good example of the organizational depth the Senators have been able to accumulate over the last few years. Nothing particularly flashy about his game but able to step in and do the job when injuries strike.
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