FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-“He pushed me in. No kicking motion. I thought it was a goal the whole way”. Let ’em know, Timmy. Just barely within the rules of the sport but full credit to Tim Stützle for just kind of willing that puck into the net. It wasn’t an oil painting and they held on for dear life at moments in the third period but just a massive road win for the Senators in a building where they’ve really struggled over the last decade or so. It should go without saying at this stage of this season but there are no style points down the stretch. It really doesn’t matter how – just how many. With the Ottawa win and the Rangers losing in overtime, the Senators spent the last few hours nestled in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Their next one comes Saturday afternoon when they host one of the teams nipping at their heels in the New York Rangers. Two more nights of scoreboard watching first though. Detroit, Columbus, Boston and Montreal all play on Thursday. Detroit plays on Friday too.
-This was sort of the opposite experience as the other night in Washington. The Ottawa Senators came out swingin’ and the Blackhawks really had no answers in the early part of the hockey game. But after the first ten minutes or so, this one was basically dead even. Perhaps a good lesson that there is no such thing as an easy win in the National Hockey League. Especially down the stretch when you get into these situations where one team is playing loose and the other is feeling the heat a little bit. On-paper desperation doesn’t always equal domination in a sport as random as hockey, as it turns out.
-Safe to say that was David Perron’s best game as an Ottawa Senator. He was winning puck battles all over the ice and finally seemed to have some chemistry on that second line with Drake Batherson and Josh Norris. It helped that Drake Batherson also turned in one of his bets efforts in the last month or so. You can tell that Batherson is struggling a bit with his confidence right now but he deserves a ton of credit but just putting his head down and working through it. Loved his effort level. If that second line can find some consistent offence, the forward group starts to look extremely dangerous. They spent the entire night in Chicago’s end.
-We got a good look at life without Thomas Chabot there in the third period and it was a terrifying experience. Chabot takes more than his fair share of criticism around these parts and in the fan base generally but you could tell the entire blueline was just kind of out of sync with Chabot in the locker room with some sort of illness during that third period. Give the Hawks credit for putting all kinds of pressure on Ottawa in the final period but yeesh, the Senators were having a hell of a time moving the puck out of their own end. They found a way to hold on but it was a grind. No immediate update on Chabot’s status post-game but here’s hoping he’s good to go on Saturday afternoon.
-With the Trade Deadline now just a day and a bit away, the Ottawa Senators find themselves in an unfamiliar spot heading into the league-wide trade freeze. Buyers may be a stretch considering the current make-up of the roster and the delicate cap situation but there’s no doubt that Steve Staios will be looking for creative ways to add to his lineup today and tomorrow. Easier said than done obviously and considering the prices we have seen paid so far, maybe standing pat wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. He certainly got a good look at just how effective Ryan Donato can be last night though. Seems like he’d be a great fit.
Post-game Interviews
Advanced Stats
Boxscore
Loading …
