FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-The New York Rangers are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and for 60+ minutes, the Senators gave them everything they could handle. It was a pretty text book road game in a building where they have enjoyed a ton of success over the last few seasons. A couple breakdowns in the third period and overtime ended up being the difference but this was a game Ottawa definitely could have won. Like the game against Carolina on Saturday night, the Senators probably deserved a better fate.
-It’s hard to see it sometimes but it’s pretty clear that this team has turned the corner a little bit. According to Sports Betting Dime, the switch to Dave Cameron should have a “positive impact” and so far anyway, that has been the case. While the results haven’t always been there, the effort has been strong under Cameron and with a few more bounces, the record could be quite a bit better. For the advanced stats folk, there are signs that the team is trending in the right direction under the new Coach. And perhaps most importantly for a team with dwindling playoff hopes, the games are fun to watch again.
-With another power play goal, Milan Michalek now has five points in his last five games. It has been a pretty ugly start to the season for Michalek but during this recent stretch, he’s finally getting rewarded with some favourable bounces. Michalek has been able to stay relatively healthy for most of the season but right now, he seems to have a little extra jump in his step. That line of Michalek-Pageau-Chiasson looks like it could be a strong third line.
-David Legwand and Chris Neil were on the ice for the tying goal and neither saw the ice again for the rest of the third period. Both guys finished under the ten minute mark as Cameron rolled three lines for most of the third period. In a back to back situation, you would have to think one of those guys comes out in favour of Curtis Lazar but those certainly won’t be easy decisions to make. With that said, if Chris Phillips can spend multiple games in the press box, these two guys can as well.
-I thought this was probably Erik Condra’s best game of the season. According to NHL.com, he finished the game with six shots on goal in over 14 minutes of ice time. I would have said he might be a candidate to come out of the line up against the Leafs but there’s no way they can take him out after that performance. He was making strong plays all over the ice and as usual, was solid on the penalty kill. A reminder that Condra is a UFA at the end of the season.
