FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-As sloppy as the Senators were in this one, it was interesting to see from ice level just how in to the game they were. Execution obviously wasn’t great but watching expressions on the bench and on the ice, you could tell that this was a team looking to ramp things up a little bit with the regular season rapidly approaching. There were plenty a expletives from Ottawa players over the course of the evening and in the last few minutes when they were trying to tie the game, you could tell they really wanted to get one.
-I get the feeling the Senators are going to have a hard time keeping Nick Paul in Binghamton all season. This is a guy that has the size and skill to play at the NHL level and you can tell he’s eager to impress in the training camp and preseason. He was finishing all of his checks last night and was fired up to score that goal in the third period. Zack Smith is this team’s fourth line centre heading into the regular season but Nick Paul, Eric O’Dell and even Ryan Dzingel are going to push him for a spot all season.
-Tyler Ennis has always had Ottawa’s number. He was all over the ice for Sabres and the Senators just didn’t have an answer for him. I was actually surprised there wasn’t a little more retribution sought after that knee on Mark Stone though. It’s not really Ennis’ style necessarily but that was definitely a dirty hit. Hits like that are what make preseason so terrifying. Thankfully Stone seemed to be okay.
-Last night was a pretty good example of why the Buffalo Sabres are going to be such a handful this season. Defence and goaltending could be an issue but when their forwards are going, they are gonna be tough to stop. Jack Eichel looks poised for a huge rookie season, especially if he sticks on that line with Tyler Ennis and Evander Kane. Kane in particular was a thorn in Ottawa’s side. A few different Senators were giving him extra hacks here and there over the course of the night.
-Ottawa is right back at it today with a game in St. John’s, Newfoundland against the Carolina Hurricanes. Puck drop in that one is scheduled for just after 3:30 PM. The 25 man roster for tomorrow’s game includes the likes of Shane Prince, Matt Puempel, Nick Paul, Ryan Dzingel and Max McCormick. At this stage of the preseason, it’s getting to the point where the bubble players really need to make an impression if they’re going to force the team into making a tough decision. Right now it looks like Shane Prince and Chris Wideman will grab those final two spots though. Going to take something pretty special to change Management’s mind at this point.
