The return of Jared Cowen stole all the headlines heading into last night’s game and when the final buzzer sounded, everyone was still talking about the return of the 6’5 defenceman.
Cowen was a force in his regular season debut, playing consistent defence all night long and making his presence felt physically with a couple of fights and a huge hit on Canes forward Jeff Skinner. After sitting out the first 41 games of the regular season, it was clear Cowen was eager to get back into the lineup.
Zibanejad, Michalek and Neil provided the offence and Craig Anderson was rock solid, earning first star honours and turning aside 32 of 34 Carolina shots.
It's going to be tough because he missed so many games but it doesn't look like Anderson is letting the Vezina Trophy slip away without a fight. His second period save on Joe Corvo was one of his best of the season.
There have been some entertaining games at Scotiabank Place this season but I think last night’s game may have been the best yet. Wide open hockey, big hits, good fights and great chances at both ends of the rink. And despite it being a Tuesday night, this was actually one of the better crowds of the year as fans seemed to be in to it from the puck drop and even pulled off a couple of well-orchestrated Alfie Chants as the clock struck 11:00.
And most importantly, the Sens came away with another two points on night where the 9th place Winnipeg Jets won in a shootout. Winnipeg still trails Ottawa by just four points. The Sens have six games left while the Jets are down to just five.
Ottawa’s next game comes tomorrow night when they host the red hot Washington Capitals. Led by a revived Alex Ovechkin, the Caps are one of the hottest teams in the league, having reeled off eight straight wins and a 9-0-1 record in their past ten.
They also happen to be Ottawa’s most likely first round opponent.
- Lyndon Slewidge is obviously one of the best anthem singers in the business but he brought a little something extra last night during The Star Spangled Banner, following a moment of silence to honour those involved in Monday’s Boston Marathon Bombing. The fans in attendance certainly took notice, giving Slewidge a huge round of applause afterwards.
- Some interesting news from the league last night related to the potential series of outdoor games planned for next season. The league is planning six outdoor games including the Senators and Canucks in The Heritage Classic at Vancouver’s BC Place. That game is scheduled for March 2.
