FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Sometimes you have to just sit back and let The System do its thing. Nobody was expecting a barn-burner in New Jersey on Tuesday night and a quick glance at the forward combinations suggested it could be a long night. But give the injury-riddled Senators credit. They started the game well, connected on the power play and let Craig Anderson and the defence do the rest of the work. It lasted for all of five minutes but the win moved Ottawa into top spot in the Atlantic Division. They dropped back to second after the Canadiens edged the Rangers in New York. The Senators now get a full day off today before returning to practice on Thursday. Their next game comes Friday night in Carolina.
-With three of their top six forwards out and missing more than 30% of their offence, the Senators needed someone to step up. That someone was Erik Karlsson. The Captain was the best player on the ice in this one, dominating at both ends of the ice from start to finish. The third period power play goal extended his point streak to six games (2 goals 6 assists). It was also the 21st game-winning goal of his career, tying him with Wade Redden in that category. And while Karlsson certainly led the way, Ottawa’s other top players all stepped up too, especially Turris, Anderson, and Brassard.
-If you haven’t already, take an extra moment this morning to fully appreciate that third period power play goal. While the shot was obviously what everyone was talking about, it was the lead up that caught my eye. It starts with a scrambled draw and a heads up play by Brassard to find the puck in traffic and poke it back to the point. Then Karlsson and Phaneuf go to work. The way those two effortlessly walk the line and exchange quick passes under pressure from Devils penalty killers really is impressive. Karlsson then identifies the opportunity to jump into the hole created and Phaneuf makes a perfect pass to hit him in stride. And then you have Zack Smith, standing in Cory Schneider’s pocket, making it impossible for him to see the puck. And yea, the shot was ridiculous too.
-One of the most noticeable elements of Boucher’s system has been the role of the LD in the neutral zone. When the opportunity is there, the defence is expected to jump up and engage physically, forcing the puck carrier to make a quick decision with the puck and then a forward is then expected to cover in behind the pinching defenceman. It’s something that suits Ottawa’s defence well too because they have some physical guys on that side. Mark Borowiecki is especially aggressive in that situation but at the same time, he’s the guy who gets burned in that spot the most often too. Would be interested to know if Boucher sees that as an issue or if Boro has full green light there. He did it five or six times against the Devils.
-General Manager Pierre Dorion spoke during the first intermission and mentioned that the team is hoping that Hoffman could be back in the line up by the weekend and indicated “next week” for Mark Stone. The good news is the Senators have a couple days off before their next game on Friday. On the trade front, Dorion confirmed that adding a forward remains their priority and based on the talk leading up to the deadline, I’m confident they’ll get something done. He added that while they are open to trading Curtis Lazar, they certainly aren’t going to give him away and that based on their meeting with Lazar’s agent this weekend, they think Lazar wants to stay in Ottawa.
Boucher’s Post-Game Comments
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