FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Heading into last night’s games, I mentioned how important a night it would be in the race for the last few playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Well it could not have gone worse for the Ottawa Senators. Not only were they embarrassed by the Minnesota Wild, but every team around them in the standings (except the Islanders) won their game. The Canadiens, Leafs, Bruins, Lightning and even Hurricanes all picked up an important two points. Not time for the Senators to panic just yet but certainly time for them to realize they need to win a few more games here down the stretch. That playoff spot is far from a sure thing. The team held an extended closed door meeting following the loss.
-I promise never to take Erik Karlsson for granted again. After watching Karlsson play 324 consecutive games, I had got used to the fact that one of the best players in the league was playing half of every game for the Ottawa Senators. Sure did miss him when he was gone. It was a complete no-show by everyone last night but it was painfully obvious how badly this team missed their Captain. Not only is he their best defender but he drives the offence from the back end. With him out of the line up, there was just nobody there to create chances from the blueline. It was amazing how often pucks got out at the line that we’ve sort of become accustomed to staying in the zone.
-There’s no denying it- since that mysterious lower body injury, Craig Anderson just hasn’t been as sharp. So much of goaltending is about timing and right now his just seems to be a little bit off. This is one of the areas where I wonder if a lack of practice time could be a bit of an issue. There’s no time to make adjustments, to work on little things, and it’s sort of snowballing a bit for him. We’ve been spoiled by spectacular goaltending from Anderson this season and throughout his time in Ottawa and it’s easy to see when he’s a bit off. He’s not to blame by any means but this team isn’t good enough to have average goaltending. With two back to backs left on their schedule, the Senators are going to need at least two starts from Mike Condon. It might be worth considering giving him one on Saturday too.
-This team was pretty fortunate to avoid serious injuries in the first half of the season but they’ve really been piling up in the second half. With Karlsson, Methot and Burrows already out, Zack Smith is now the latest to join the list of walking wounded. Was hard to tell exactly what the issue was but an awkward collision of sorts in the first period led to what the team is calling an upper body injury. Day to day is his official timeline. And there are a few guys already playing through injuries. Chris DiDomenico is the team’s only extra forward on this road trip. It sounds like there’s a chance both Karlsson and Burrows could be available for the weekend.
-And to the off ice story from yesterday- Peter O’Leary, former Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of ticketing is suing the organization and Eugene Melynk for $1.55 mil because alleging his termination was in breach of his contract. The article in the Citizen is actually pretty remarkable although not at all surprising, as stories like this have been circulating behind the scenes for some time. It provides a rare glimpse into what it’s like to work for Mr. Melnyk and it’s really just the tip of the iceberg. With that said, it’s not at all surprising that Melnyk would be frustrated with the guy responsible for tickets sales and marketing. They have been a disaster on both fronts this year.
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