FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-There was a surprising amount of comment section criticism directed towards Craig Anderson following a preseason loss to Buffalo the other night. It sort of seems like a small portion of the fan base is going to quietly root against Anderson and for Robin Lehner this season which is going to get tiring pretty quickly. Craig Anderson is a veteran goalie so you really don’t want to put too much stock in early preseason performances. But now with the regular season rapidly approaching, it’s good to see Anderson rounding into form. He looked sharp in his 30 minutes of action. Robin Lehner had a shutout last night though so I’m sure we’ll hear all about that in the comment section today.
-One thing I’ll be watching closely this season is the progress in the game of Curtis Lazar. In interviews during the preseason, Lazar has always been quick to mention how he wants to be more of a factor offensively. There’s no doubt Lazar plays a solid two way game but his offensive touch at the NHL level is something that remains a bit of a mystery. He had a couple breakaway chances against the Jets but just couldn’t find the back of the net. He definitely seems to be a stride faster during the preseason though and is taking a few more chances offensively.
-Preseason is that magical time of year where we all become overly infatuated with prospects and for the most part ignore certain veteran players. It’s normal and it happens every year. I’m pretty sure there was a time when we just had to find a way to get Josh Hennessey in the line up. But with the regular season now a little more than a week away, it’s nice to see some of the veteran players taking their game to another level. Up front, I thought Zack Smith and Milan Michalek both looked great against the Jets.
-Even though it’s only the preseason, blowing a three goal lead in the third period will never sit well with an NHL hockey team. Dave Cameron wants to use these last few games as a tune up for the regular season and last night, the Senators showed they still have a little ways to go. As good as Ottawa looked for the first 40 minutes, those are games you have to close out. A deflection here, a bad penalty there and this seemingly comfortable lead got away from the Senators in a hurry. Should be plenty of teaching moments for Cameron and his staff from that final 20 minutes.
-3 on 3 hockey has a certain novelty to it and in the preseason, has been wildly entertaining. I’m just not sure I’m going to be able to handle it when the games start meaning something. There is just so much open ice out there and all it takes is one mistake to end the game. I don’t know if there’s really much strategy you can use with all that open ice but I do hope Cameron finds time to work on this a little bit in practice. Those single points are going to add up.
