FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-The line of Milan Michalek, Kyle Turris and Mark Stone is really clicking right now. With his three points last night. Turris now has 8 points in his last five games, Stone has 8 points in his last six games and Michalek has 7 points in his last four. It’s been an impressive stretch for this trio, which combined with the Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan line, has given the Senators a dangerous top six. I know I’m going to sound like a bit of a broken record but I was once again really impressed by Stone. The vision he showed on that first period goal by Turris was so impressive.
-10.7%. Back to back wins have increased the team’s playoff chances to double digits. It’s a long shot. But there’s a chance. Heading into Sunday’s games, the Senators trail the Boston Bruins by seven points for the final spot and with a game in hand. They also play two home games against the Bruins in March. But before you get too excited, a quick glance at the upcoming schedule should help bring you back to Earth a little bit. Ottawa will play their next five on the road against Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Minnesota and Winnipeg. They probably need 7 of 10 points just to stay in the discussion. Won’t be easy.
-So when can we start including Erik Karlsson in the Norris Trophy discussion? Watching Karlsson right now it’s pretty clear that had Marc Methot been around all season, Karlsson would probably be the favourite to win the award for best defenceman. As Senators fans, we are lucky to be able to watch a talent like Karlsson on a nightly basis. There isn’t another defenceman in the game that could make the play he did on his second period goal.
-Another strong effort from Andrew Hammond in his second career start. Have to give Hammond a ton of credit because after waiting so long to finally get a chance in the NHL, he’s certainly making the most of his opportunity. The games on the West Coast will be another challenge altogether but so far, Hammond certainly looks like a competent NHL goalie. The trip through California includes a back to back on Wednesday and Thursday night. Wonder if there’s any chance Cameron gives Chris Driedger a look?
-After the game, Head Coach Dave Cameron announced that Colin Greening would be recalled to join the team as the 13th forward on the road trip. I suspect budget may be a factor in this decision but the reality is Greening has actually been pretty good since joining the team in Binghamton. He has 5 goals and 7 points in 12 AHL games and to his credit, has gone down there and worked hard for the last few weeks. No guarantees he actually gets into a game on the upcoming road trip but I suspect the opportunity to potentially “showcase” Greening one last time before the deadline was also a motivating factor in this decision.
