FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Certainly not the type of game you would hope for after a lengthy break but probably the one we should have expected. The Senators are a team that puts a high emphasis on attention to detail and unfortunately that just wasn’t there against the Panthers. And as the Captain pointed out between periods, the effort level wasn’t great either. So that’s a dud going into a break and then another one on the other side of the layoff. Good thing they don’t have anymore long breaks the rest of the way.
-Another game that Mike Condon will want to forget. And there have been a few of those this month. He gave up five on 33 shots last night and the 5th goal was the worst of the bunch. Think we can safely say that puck handling is not one of Condon’s strengths. Ottawa seemed to settle down a little bit in the third period and were settling back into their game but that late mistake by Condon was a bit of a back-breaker. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Condon has been his ability to bounce back after a tough outing. With that said, now that we know Anderson is still 2-3 weeks away, it might not be a bad idea to try and get Andrew Hammond into a game at some point.
-Guy Boucher has talked a lot about wanting to “accelerate the process” for Cody Ceci this season. They know they’re playing him more than he’s used to and more than he’s ready for but the hope is that in the end, this speeds up his development a little bit and helps Ceci improve. But another thing that Boucher talked about a lot is the fact that the NHL is not a developmental league. As the games increase in importance in the second half, Chris Wideman should probably play a little bit more. He’s done a great job on the third pairing and seems ready for increased responsibility. At the same time, slightly more sheltered minutes might help Ceci too. It’s not necessarily about one player outplaying the other guy but more so an adjustment that might help them get more out of both.
-Earlier this season, Flames star Johnny Gaudreau was slashed by Eric Staal of the Minnesota Wild and ended up missing a month and a half. It seemed like a nothing play at the time but there was a lot of talk about it in the aftermath of the injury and since then, it seems like the league is calling the whole “slash in the hand area” a lot closer than they once did. Mike Hoffman was called on what looked like a nothing play in the first period and then Dion Phaneuf was called for slashing in the second in what really was a one-hand tap. This is going to be a tough one for officials to call consistently. It happens so often over the course of a game and is pretty fundamental to how teams defend. Certainly not something you can call every time though because a lot of times it’s more stick on stick. Interested to see if the league’s officials can keep it up.
-Interesting update from Darren Dreger just before puck drop in this one. Word is the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche are exploring the possibility of a two game series in Sweden next season. Regular season games at that as the games are tentatively scheduled for November. Still needs approval of the NHLPA but it’s an interesting concept and great opportunity for the Senators to get some international exposure. An interesting question posed by Ian Mendes though- would the league really have the same team play an international showcase and an outdoor game in back to back months?
Boucher’s Post-Game Comments
Boxscore
Advanced Stats
League Standings
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