FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Another two points in the bank and a little more ground gained on the teams in pursuit of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The win was Ottawa’s fourth straight and it has them eight points clear of the 9th place Toronto Maple Leafs. The Senators certainly didn’t dominate this game and actually gave up a little more than usual against the Stars but they made the most of their opportunities and held the fort the rest of the way. The System 101. It’s been the story the last little while but depth scoring was key for Ottawa again in this one including Freddy Claesson picking up his first goal in the National Hockey League.
-The SensChirp Game Day picture boost is real apparently because that was one of the best game’s Jean Gabriel Pageau has played in a while. With Kyle Turris out of the line up for the first game of this road trip, and possibly more, the Senators needed Pageau to step up and he responded last night in Dallas. 18:17 in ice time including 4:17 on the penalty kill. Five blocked shots, 87% on faceoffs and a game-winning goal. Not a bad night at the office for JGP. He seemed to have a little extra jump in his step the whole night.
-Watching a team like the Dallas Starts really makes you appreciate the attention to detail the Senators have under Guy Boucher. In the first ten minutes of the game, the Stars created a handful of a decent chances but gave up four clean odd man rushes in the process. The Stars have a ton of talent in their line up but you can see that a lot of the offence they create comes at the expense of their defensive responsibilities. We’ve had teams like that in Ottawa in the past and watching the Stars was a reminder that I never want to go back. The Senators need to get the heck out of Dallas before their goalies and defence catch whatever it is the Stars have.
-Pierre Dorion has got to be feeling pretty good about himself these days. And rightfully so. While you can still raise legitimate questions about the prices he paid, no General Manager did more to help his team at the Trade Deadline than Mr. Dorion. Adding any two NHL forwards would have been a huge boost to the line up but even he has to be a little bit surprised with how perfectly both Alex Burrows and Viktor Stalberg have fit in here in Ottawa. Five goals and seven points between them in just four games. Stalberg was all over the ice in this one including two points on the power play.
-With last night’s win, Craig Anderson pulled even with Patrick Lalime for the franchise record for wins at 146. And the team made him work for it a little bit too as he made several big stops early in the game and then again down the stretch as the Senators sat on the lead. Anderson has been nothing short of remarkable since returning to the team and his solid play has this group playing on another level right now. On the list of greatest trades in franchise history, the ol’ one for one Anderson for Elliott swap has to be right up there. You don’t usually find franchise goalies that easily but that’s exactly what Anderson has been for this team. In a city that had a reputation as a bit of a goalie graveyard, Anderson has provided much needed stability at the position.
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