FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-And just like that, we’re in the mix. Or like right near the mix anyway. With another two points in the bank, the Ottawa Senators continued their long crawl out of the Eastern Conference basement with a hard-earned victory over the Habs. They now sit two points back of the Montreal Canadiens, four back of the Florida Panthers (with a game in hand) and four back of Saturday’s opponent, the Detroit Red Wings. Despite missing their top two centres, a top pair defenceman and two forwards from their third line, the Senators are forcing their way back into the Wild Card conversation. Another “biggest game of the year” coming up on Saturday afternoon in Detroit.
-After a bit of a sluggish start, that second period may have been the best 20 minutes the Senators have played all year. A 16-3 edge on the shot clock and just pure domination of a lifeless Montreal team. Which is funny because it was actually Ottawa that looked a tad slow in the first. And for long stretches of the third. The word momentum gets thrown around a lot in hockey but it really is fascinating how the balance of play can shift so dramatically within a game. Whatever DJ Smith said before the game to get his team ready clearly didn’t work. But he pushed all the right buttons at the first intermission. And then nearly blew it when he told them to sit on the lead. Or uh something like that. For what it’s worth, DJ Smith specifically mentioned it was the team’s leadership group that spoke up after the first period, recognizing that their start just wasn’t good enough. That’s the way it should be.
-It’s been a long time since the Ottawa Senators have looked this good on the power play. And that’s with Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris on the sidelines. That first unit especially, now with Claude Giroux, was firing on all cylinders against the Canadiens. Clean entries, slick puck movement and just really good decision-making by all five guys on the ice. In previous years, the Senators were guilty of being a tad predictable with the man advantage but they are anything but that right now. All five guys are a threat to shoot and it’s got the opposition completely guessing.
-Don’t look now but Alex DeBrincat is starting to really take off. Actually, that’s a pretty good time to look. Three points last night, points in seven straight games, points in 10 of his last 11 and again, hovering near a point-a-game pace this season. If that’s what a down year looks like for DeBrincat, the Senators are going to be very, very happy over the course of his career in Ottawa. Speaking of which, not a lot of talk about that contract extension over the last month or so but wondering if we hear things start to pick up again soon. The two sides have definitely talked about a long-term deal.
-For those that stuck around after the final buzzer, there was a segment on Sportsnet’s post-game show focused on the off-ice impact of Brady Tkachuk. It’s something we’ve seen first hand since he arrived here in Ottawa but it was nice to see that personality get some well-deserved recognition in front of a national audience. Aside from the obvious impact he has on the ice, Brady really is a one-of-a-kind person away from the rink. The guy just gets it and that has been apparent since his rookie season. It’s amazing how quickly it became impossible to picture the Ottawa Senators without Brady Tkachuk. Can’t imagine being a team that actually passed up on Brady in the draft.
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