FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-What a difference a week makes. Last Saturday, the Ottawa Senators lost 5-1 on home ice against the Winnipeg Jets and things were pretty tense around here. Nobody was safe. On multiple occasions, I read the words “rock-bottom” in reference to the current state of the franchise which in hindsight, is sort of hilarious. Seven days later the Sens have reeled off three straight wins, are back to .500 and they just outscored their two biggest rivals to the tune of 11-2 in a 24-hour span. A little vitamin W is all we needed as it turns out. The Ottawa Senators still have a lot of work to do obviously but with a win on Tuesday night in Montreal, they have a chance to head into the All Star break on a high note and set themselves up for a strong second half of the season. The vibes are back again.
-In your wildest dreams, could you ever have imagined Claude Giroux would be this good? Be honest. When the Ottawa Senators made the biggest splash of the NHL off-season and brought in Giroux, there was an unmatched level of excitement in the fan base. But even in all that excitement, I don’t think anyone realized just how big an impact Giroux would have in his first season with the Senators. Leadership, offensive depth and much-needed veteran presence for sure but there are times this season where he looks like a star. And over this last three-game stretch, he’s basically dragging this team back on track. With three points last night, Giroux has eight points in his last four games and an incredible 47 points in 49 games this season. He’s scoring goals at a rate that he hasn’t since 2019-2020 and his point-production is as good as it was in 2018-2019. He’s now up to 970 points in his career, recently passing Maurice Richard on the all-time point list and he’s now just seven points back of the Top 100 all-time in the points category. There are days when I still can’t believe that Claude Giroux is an Ottawa Senator.
-And while Claude Giroux stole the show last night, it’s that entire line that continues to be a big reason for Ottawa’s recent resurgence. Ridly Greig has given that trio an instant spark and he has both Giroux and Alex DeBrincat looking as dangerous as they have all year. DJ Smith and Pierre Dorion both gave the impression that they called up Greig a little bit earlier than they would have liked but at this point, it’s hard to imagine him ever playing another game in Belleville. Very quickly entering “get a house” territory. Greig has looked completely comfortable at the NHL level and while there isn’t necessarily a ton of offensive flash to his game, he has a way of standing out on every shift. His attention to detail, especially in his own end of the rink, is what really jumps out when you watch him closely. Always seems to be in the right spot and never taking short cuts in his own end. Very encouraging from a player his age.
-It really looks like Anton Forsberg has a chance to take the ball and run with it a little bit in the second half of the season. He was spectacular in those last two victories and seems to be thriving with a heavier workload. Which is probably a good thing considering Cam Talbot’s injury and the possibility that Talbot is moved leading up to the Trade Deadline in March. Forsberg will certainly get the start on Tuesday in Montreal but it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see DJ Smith lean on him a little bit more in the second half of the season.
-Look, I’m not suggesting that SensChirp Beer has completed saved Ottawa’s season but I’m not NOT suggesting that. With last night’s 5-0 demolishing of the Montreal Canadiens, the Sens moved to 2-0-0 in the ASCB (After SensChirp Beer) era and capped off what was without a doubt, the best weekend of the season to this point. You can see the long-form version of my thanks over here but I did want to say it one more time- thanks for coming out! And especially to Hyperline Systems Canada that offered up those amazing Club Bell seats. And because I know a few people have asked, it does sounds like we went through the 240 beers pretty quickly on Friday night. But Beyond the Pale is talking about re-releasing the SensChirp can sometime in the near future. Hopefully not the too near future because I think I may still be hungover. Thanks again everyone.
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