FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-After the way Monday’s went- the Leafs blew a 5-1 lead by the way- everyone assumed we would see the best Toronto had to offer on Wednesday night. And honestly, they were incredibly “meh”. Really thought the Senators were the better team for most of the game and probably deserved a better result. One mistake and a cringe-worthy power play was probably the difference. It was always going to be hard to match one of the most incredible games in Sens history but honestly, Ottawa played well and continues to trend in the right direction. Some really encouraging signs in their play over the last two weeks.
-One thing that really jumped out about Ottawa’s performance on Wednesday night was the dramatic improvement in their breakouts. Adding Erik Brannstrom helps a lot obviously but in the first period especially, I found that Ottawa was doing an incredible job supporting the puck carrier and finding open guys in the middle of the ice. When you can make a play there rather than just chipping it off the glass and out, it almost always leads to something productive at the other end of the rink. The funny thing is, the game-winning goal by the Leafs can probably be tracked back to a turnover by Drake Batherson in that exact situation. There’s a balance here but I hope both the player and Coaches can avoid dwelling on that mistake. Because outside of that, Ottawa’s breakouts were excellent.
-The power play was another story entirely. While many seemed to be focused in on the usual issues- Derek Stepan, Artem Anisimov and the neutral zone drop pass- this was a team-wide struggle. They just could not get anything going on the man-advantage and really seemed to lack a sense or urgency in their three opportunities. The Senators came into the game with the league’s 26th ranked power play and that dropped to 27th with last night’s 0 for 3 performance. There are no easy solutions but the entry seems to be drawing the most criticism. Fact is, the drop pass has been by far their most effective entry play this season. They just need better alternatives when the opposition penalty killer is waiting for it, like the Leafs were on most occasions last night.
-Can’t help but wonder where the Ottawa Senators might be had they got this type of goaltending early in the season. While there is no doubt that this team is playing better in all facets of the game over the last couple weeks, steady goaltending is a huge reason for their turnaround. When you have confidence in your goalie, everything else is a little bit easier. Matt Murray was solid again last night and gave his team a chance to win. In his last six starts, Murray has posted an excellent .920 sv%. Would expect DJ Smith to go back to Hogberg tonight but we shall see.
-There was a moment during his between periods interview where Brady Tkachuk specifically mentioned the team wanting play well for their fans. Those interviews are usually filled with canned responses so for Brady to go off script a little bit there was actually kind of impressive. It’s a little thing but that’s how a leader talks. He’s been saying all the right things about the team but it was really refreshing to see him take a moment, seemingly off the cuff, to acknowledge a fan base that has been through a lot in the last few years. The Senators have two great candidates to be the next Captain of the Ottawa Senators but right now I lean towards Brady. Once that contract extension is in place, of course.
Smith’s Post-Game Comments
Player Interviews
Advanced Stats
Boxscore
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From earlier, Episode 15 of The SensChirp Podcast. Featuring the first ever SensChirp Comment Section Roundtable.
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