FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-The further we slide into the depths of the nightmare that is this season, the more I learn about myself as a fan. I’ve always scoffed at the idea of tanking primarily because I found it obnoxious when people started talking about it so early in the season. But there comes a point when points are pointless. And we are most certainly at that point. So when that Bobby Ryan shot bounced off an Islander and in, I actually sighed in disappointment. And when Andrew Ladd deflected that shot past Mike Condon, I felt oddly relieved. It’s not supposed to be this way. Six more to go.
-And now the good news. Every team just above or just below the Ottawa Senators is heating up. Ottawa’s tank is demonstrating an elite finishing kick and everyone else is racking up those useless moral victories. Detroit and Vancouver both won last night and because of the tiebreaker, the Senators roll out of bed this morning ranked 30th in the National Hockey League. Only the Buffalo Sabres left to reel in over the next couple weeks and the two teams will play each other next week. Just one game of significance tonight as the Arizona Coyotes visit the Vegas Golden Knights.
-Despite the fact that just about everything has gone wrong for the Senators since the trade, I certainly am grateful that Pierre Dorion acquired Matt Duchene. Primarily because he is consistently the most entertaining thing about this team in an otherwise dreadful season. Three more points last night and now 37 points in his last 37 games. Amazing to think what he might be able to do with a decent team around him over a full season. All eyes will be on Erik Karlsson this summer but the Duchene negotiations will be equally interesting. Duchene wants to be here long-term and the Senators seem interested in making that happen.
-During his nightly Question Period segment, Bruce Garrioch had an interesting note about goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson. While he passed it off as his own internal musings, Garrioch suggested there’s a chance the Senators could use one of their final call-ups on Gustavsson and in the process, allow him to start an NHL game before the season is out. Why not, I say. Good idea to give the kid a taste of the NHL heading into an important summer. Gustavsson has appeared in one AHL game so far and should get another start during one of their games this weekend.
-Garrioch also had an update on Mark Stone and the news sounded a little bit more encouraging than earlier in the week. There is apparently a chance he could return as early as this weekend in Detroit. Considering the circumstances, Stone better be at 100% before they even consider bringing him back. And even then, there’s a good argument to be made for shutting him down the rest of the way. Not just because the Senators are trying to bottom out here but because his recovery seems like it’s been a little bit up and down the last couple weeks. Not much has been shared about Stone’s injury beyond the fact that it’s a leg injury of some sort. Stone’s team scoring lead has been trimmed to just four points.
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