FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Sooo playoffs? A tad premature perhaps but it’s just that I forget how to handle winning streaks. The Ottawa Senators now sit three points back of the Vancouver Canucks (with two games in hand), five points back of the Calgary Flames (with a million head to head games coming up) and seven points back of the Montreal Canadiens (with an actual functioning hockey team in hand). With another top-to-bottom penalty-free dismantling of a division rival, it’s fair to say the Senators are officially rolling. That’s three straight wins following last night’s 6-1 EXTINGUISHING of the Calgary Flames. With the game out of hand in the third period, it was strangely refreshing to see the Senators as the team that accidentally kept scoring. And while it wasn’t necessarily their best game of the season, it was a rare “easy” one for Ottawa. They needed a night like this.
-It’s sort of amazing how quick it can turn. In the depths of that losing streak, it felt like the Senators might never win again. The puck would drop and almost immediately, there would be a sense of dread in the air. Every opposition goalie looked like a brick wall, every shot against seemed destined for the back of the net and winning a game felt damn near impossible. And now? It’s the exact opposite. Crazy to say about a team still stuck at the bottom of the standings but when the game starts, I feel like they’re gonna win. In fact, I expect it. When this team is at their best, playing with pace, with structure and with solid goaltending, they are a handful.
-Chabot spoke to the media immediately after the game and the first question was something about whether or not he felt it was Ottawa’s most complete game of the season. Interestingly enough, Chabot dismissed the notion pretty quickly, suggesting that the team got a bit sloppy with the lead and started getting away from their game-plan. Not only was it an impressive answer, considering some of the lows this team has been through this year, but it also happened to be nearly the exact same answer DJ Smith gave to a similar question about five minutes earlier. It’s a little thing but a good indication that the Head Coach and the team’s leadership group are on the exact same page right now.
-Kudos to Matt Murray for another rock solid performance. In his post-game remarks, DJ Smith called it his best game of the season. Hard to argue. Murray wasn’t tested a whole lot, until the third period really, but the shots he did face were handled with ease. Rebounds were controlled and he seemed calm in the crease. After a dreadful January, Murray really seems to have found his game this month. Moving to a new team and without any preseason action, Murray was kind of thrown into the fire here in Ottawa and in hindsight, we probably should have expected a bit of a slow start. He’s back on track now though. Murray has a .914 sv% in February and he’s been north of .920 sv% in six of his nine starts this month. There are many reasons for Ottawa’s improved play of late but goaltending is at the top of that list.
-One last thought and this one is about a local hero. Late last night we learned the devastating news that Brian Fraser passed away at the age of 26. Brian’s fight with leukemia has been well-documented and his bravery in the face of the disease was well-known. I’ve met Brian a couple times over the years and we’ve interacted on Twitter but in the last few months, I became captivated by his story. We all did. The courage and perseverance he demonstrated was an inspiration and his willingness to share his story with others, to help and to inspire, was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He made this city and this world a better place. There is so much we can all learn from him and I am going to make sure my kids know about Brian Fraser.
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