FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Out of gas. After playing three games in four nights and on a tough back to back, it seemed like the Ottawa Senators just didn’t have a whole lot left in the tank last night. They actually played a pretty solid game all things considered. Kept it close, didn’t give up much and had a chance going into the third period. But it was pretty clear they were playing with heavy legs most of the night. Meanwhile this was a Montreal team that desperately needed a win and was on a couple days rest. Every team is dealing with tough stretches in the schedule this year and this was Ottawa’s turn. Full day off for the Senators today before returning to the ice tomorrow in Calgary.
-The best news of the night- Joey Daccord can play. This was a pretty tough spot for a season debut but he was more than up to the challenge. Daccord looked excellent in the first period and was steady the rest of the way. He gave his team a chance to win the game which is all you can really ask for from a goaltender. When the Senators signed Daccord to a three-year deal this off-season, including a one-way deal in the third season, they sent a clear message that they see Daccord as a key piece of this team’s future. Based on what we saw from him last night, he could be an important part of their present too. Ottawa is going to need two goalies the rest of the way and Daccord looks more than capable of giving Matt Murray some nights off the rest of the way.
-One of the nice things about having a handful of veterans on this team is it gives Sens fans a place to target their rage during a game. One particular non-kid had a dreadful thirty seconds in the middle frame last night and not surprisingly, it drew the ire of fans for the rest of the period and the rest of the night. Never mind the fact that the “kids” made their fair share of mistakes in this one but those rarely stick the same way with fans. If you’re a fringe guy over the age of 25, you better not mess up because we’ll remember it and talk about it for the rest of the night. Seriously though, that icing, followed by a failed clearing attempt, followed by a double-minor was a tough sequence and ultimately, where the game was decided.
-Tim Stützle now has 22 games of NHL experience under his belt and he’s still learning the game. And we’re learning about him too. He obviously has all the skill in the world but if there’s an easily correctable bad habit hidden in there somewhere, it’s probably the tendency to over-pass sometimes. When you can make plays like he can, it can be tempting to always look for that perfect play. But as he settles into the league, there are going to be times where he has to be a lot more selfish. He has an absolutely lethal release and should probably use it a little more often. Felt like he passed up some good looks last night.
-It will be interesting to see what DJ Smith does with his lineup heading into this upcoming five-game trip out West. During his pregame remarks, the Head Coach suggested that Ryan Dzingel could get into a game as early as Thursday night, which will be a pretty significant upgrade over the Micheal Haley/Matthew Peca rotation they’ve been running the last little while. At the same time, the Senators should probably get Christian Wolanin back into a game pretty soon here. On Logan Brown, Trent Mann mentioned yesterday that the play is to give him a five-game stint with the BSens in the next couple weeks and make a decision from there. Another make or break moment for Logan.
Smith’s Post-Game Comments
Player Interviews
Advanced Stats
Boxscore
Loading …