-With last night’s goal (his 20th of the season) , Karlsson set a new franchise record for goals by a defenceman. Remember this is a season experts have called an off year for EK65. Karlsson isn’t getting much recognition in the Norris race this season and a lot of that has to do with playing on a struggling team. With 11 games left, there is an outside chance Karlsson actually ends up matching his point total from that Norris Trophy season.
-Had to feel good for Robin Lehner after he stopped Stamkos to seal the win for Ottawa. This has been a rough stretch for him but after a solid performance against Dallas, Lehner was good again in this one. That loss in Montreal a couple Saturday ago was devastating for the team and for Lehner especially. With Anderson out with an injury, this was a stretch of games where Lehner was really hoping to take the ball and run with it. You could tell this was a big win for him personally.
-With the season winding down and the playoffs pretty much out of reach, the Senators have to find something to play for down the stretch. Here’s one some fans might enjoy- catching the Toronto Maple Leafs. 9 points back with two games in hand and a head to head game in April. May seem far fetched but it’s important to factor in that the Leafs may never win again. I’ll give Ottawa the edge in the race for 11th place.
-I used to feel bad when I complained about officiating but it has got to the point when everyone is complaining. And that tells you the league may have a problem that needs to be addressed. That tripping call on Erik Karlsson was certainly in the Top 5 worst calls I’ve seen all season. It’s a fast game and things are going to get missed but this play happened in slow motion. Clearly a hip check and nothing more. Paul MacLean said the officials apologized to him after the game.
-The organization has always called Mark Stone the model prospect. A late pick, Stone has shown exactly what can happen with hard work and a commitment to improving certain areas of his game. The team and the staff in Binghamton have worked with Stone on his skating over the past couple seasons and it seems like there is a noticeable improvement each time he gets called up. There is no doubting his hockey sense (see his pass to Turris on the third Ottawa goal) and now with his skating steadily improving, he is going to be a good player in this league.
