FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-This was a game that certainly could have gone either way. I counted three and possibly four terrific chances for the Sharks in the first period that the Senators were probably lucky didn’t result in a goal. Craig Anderson was strong in the Ottawa net but he also seemed to be getting some pretty favourable bounces. Over the course of sixty minutes, the Senators held the edge in play but they could have just as easily went into the first intermission down a few goals.
-This was probably one of Ottawa’s best games oft he year defensively. Not only was their in-zone coverage better but I thought they did a much better job of breaking out of their own end of the rink. All three defence pairings seemed to be on the same page and the forwards were doing a good job of coming all the way back in their own end and helping to move the puck up the ice quickly. It should probably go without saying but these same six defenceman should dress again on Sunday evening.
-Erik Karlsson’s third period goal was just so pretty to watch. That kind of skill and awareness is pretty rare in today’s game and there are few players that can pull it off. If you watch the reply again, you can see that this was the play Hoffman had in mind the whole time. With Karlsson carrying the puck, Hoffman adjusted his speed just enough to open up the perfect passing lane and from there, Alex Stalock never really had a chance. It’s just another example of both Karlsson and Hoffman continue to make very difficult things look rather easy. Such a treat to watch those two at the top of their game.
-Just two games left for Ottawa before their four day holiday break and they are two pretty huge games. First off, they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning who currently sit just four points back of Ottawa in the Eastern Conference standings. Then on Tuesday they take on the Florida Panthers, who they lead by just a single point. We’ve been saying it a lot the last little while but things are getting incredibly tight in the East, making every game against a Divisional opponent that much more important. The Sens are only four points back of the division-leading Montreal Canadiens but only four points clear of the 6th place Lightning. Those next two games are huge.
-If you missed it yesterday, there were plenty of interesting comments from Sens Owner Eugene Melnyk regarding the LeBreton Flats redevelopment. I’m really not sure it’s a good approach for Melnyk to be discussing details openly at this point but you can’t really blame him for having some strong opinions on all this. I think we all knew this was going to be a difficult process but right now, it seems like it really has the potential to turn ugly. By saying that there’s no way he would move his team to a building he doesn’t own, you would think Melnyk is doing pretty serious damage to the credibility/strength of the other bid. And at the same time, you have to know the other group expected Melnyk to react that way.
