FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-When it comes to my favourite hockey team, I always try to keep my expectations in check. Because as a sports fan, it’s very important that you stay critical at all times for some reason. Rather than get all wrapped up in the excitement and fun of being a Sens fan, what I do is focus on providing an even-keeled, analytical outlook. You know, asset management and opportunity cost and all that cool stuff. Oh no wait. That’s not me at all. Here’s the thing- the Ottawa Senators are going to be really fucking good. Actually, they already are. And it’s clear that this team is only just scratching the surface of their potential. This incredible collection of young players is already proving they can win at the NHL level. Next season and for years to come, they are going to be a serious problem for the rest of the league.
-Some of you have a lot of Matt Murray comments and tweets to go back and delete. It’s okay…I’ll wait. While there is no doubt Murray struggled in the early part of the season, there were times where it seemed like some fans and media were almost hoping he would fail. Seemingly enjoying his struggles. This market has a strange relationship with starting goalies and many were ready to throw in the towel on the guy after a bad month. Thankfully the organization stuck by Murray through those difficult times and focused on building him back up. The early results are extremely encouraging. Since returning from a month off and a change in goalie coach, Murray looks like a completely different goalie. Calm, cool and collected. The Senators are doing a great job clearing shooting lanes in front of him and Murray is making the saves he should. And then some that he has no business making. Since his return, Murray has a 3-1-0 record with a .957 sv%, a 1.25 GAA and two shutouts.
-There are a lot of reasons for Ottawa’s recent success. Goaltending is at the top of that list. Lineup decisions are a factor too. But it does seem like a big part of what’s going on lately is related to coaching. This is a team that is buying what the Head Coach is selling right now. DJ Smith deserves a lot of credit for what he has done with this young group under difficult circumstances. Because watching them these last few games, it’s obvious that the message got through. This is a team playing with structure all over the ice. Five-man units in all three zones. “Tracking” well, as the coach would put it. See, when we were fretting over micro-level lineup decisions early in the season, the Head Coach was busy teaching. Developing. Preparing these young players for a time the organization knew was fast approaching. The time has come for the young players to take the ball and run with it and it’s clear that the coach has them well-prepared for this opportunity.
-For the third straight game, it’s sort of difficult to pick standout players in part because everyone is playing well right now. This is not a case of one or two players getting hot and dragging along the rest of the group. Everyone has a job to do and everyone is contributing. When you look at Ottawa’s lineup recently, the word that comes to mind is “balance”. No one line is relied on to do all the scoring and no one defence pair is expected to do all the heavy lifting. There’s really no point in the game where you’re thinking, I can’t wait until the next shift for this line. Or, ahhhhh get this particular guy off the ice. Four good lines, three solid defence pairs, special teams clicking and elite goaltending. It’s an easy game when you have those pieces in place.
-It has become a little bit infuriating to hear other markets talk about these games against Ottawa as though they should be automatic wins. Anybody paying attention knows that it really hasn’t been that way since the first month of the season but you would think by this point everyone, including our own regional broadcast, would realize that this team is as good as any in the North Division. And actually, don’t make me say it- but uhh playing better than most/all of them. Coming into this four-game series against Ottawa, suddenly Vancouver was talking playoffs. “If we can just win these four games against Ottawa, we’ll be right back in it!”. Hahaha they’ll be lucky to win one of them. In fact, by the end of this series, the Canucks may find themselves at the bottom of the pile. Ottawa is one point back of the Canucks, three back of the Flames and 11 back of the Canadiens. Hmmm.
Smith’s Post-Game Comments
Player Interviews
Advanced Stats
Boxscore
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