Although some are inevitably disappointed with Ottawa's inability to close the door on the desperate Buffalo Sabres last night, the damage itself was minimal, as the club did manage to pick up the hated loser point. Right now, the Ottawa Senators need to simply maintain a point-per-game pace over the next twelve games. Thanks to the mediocre middle, that should be enough to lock up a playoff berth.
In last night's post-game, I mentioned that Ottawa really shouldn't change much from their game last night preparing for the week ahead. The team - generally speaking - played exceptional hockey, and we've definitely seen far worse efforts generate wins this year.
Below, some quick Sunday takes as the team prepares for the stretch run:
-- Grabbing the loser point against Buffalo was big, but the week ahead is a lot more important. Ottawa plays the Montreal Canadiens(2x) and Toronto Maple Leafs over the next seven days, and all three are more than winnable. Montreal's playing out the string right now, and you'd have to believe that Toronto is close to following suit. In rivalry games, points are never a given, but anything less than a four-point week would probably be a bit disappointing for Paul MacLean's club.
-- The Boston Briuns are a walking M*A*S*H unit, and were just beaten senselessly by a Pittsburgh Penguins that chased Tim Thomas early. While I'm giving the edge to Boston in any seven-game series right now, the thought of drawing them in the first-round doesn't seem as precarious as it once did a month ago, does it? I'm not sure I'd use the word vulnerable for the Bruins, especially with respect to a Senators team that has a ton of unproven playoff commodities active on the roster. So, what am I saying? I wouldn't call Boston advancing a guarantee at this point. Still, Ottawa should seriously try and fight for points here late in an effort to jump into that sixth-overall seed. You have to love the draw against the Southeast divisional winner, right?
-- Wave goodbye to a 7th round selection in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Upset? You shouldn't be. Rob Klinkhammer's set to play his fifth-game against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night, enacting the condition set forth in the deal that brought him to Ottawa from Chicago. Klinkhammer's been impressive in a small sample size, playing with some serious jam and generating quite a bit of offense. From Kaspars Daugavins through Jim O'Brien, the Binghamton call-ups have been productive this year in a bottom-six role. Still, with respect to overall ability, I'm giving the edge right now to Klinkhammer over the field. He legitimately looks like a National Hockey League player. Let's see if he can keep it up.
-- Here are the top-ten scorers in the National Hockey League: Steven Stamkos, Evgeni Malkin, Claude Giroux, Jason Spezza, Phil Kessel, Erik Karlsson, Ilya Kovalchuk, Joffrey Lupul, Marian Hossa, and Henrik Sedin. A few takeaways from this. First, the Ottawa Senators are the only team with two active players inside of the T10 after Joffrey Lupul's brutal injury. Second, there's nine forwards and one defenseman in Erik Karlsson. The next nearest defenseman in the scoring race is tied for eighty-third. Third, Jason Spezza's push for a top-three finish - fourth currently - could kill an off-season of potential (and completely unsubstantiated) trade rumors. I know, I know - we're killing the buzz here.
-- Craig Anderson's inching closer and closer to return, which should thrill just about every Ottawa Senators fan. Look: Robin Lehner is a legitimate prospect. So too is Ben Bishop. But, after watching their performance last night in Binghamton and Ottawa respectively, it all but confirmed my initial take that they're - at best - stopgaps in 2011-2012. Anderson's far and away the best option of three, so long as he comes back with a fully healed hand. Can someone please hire this guy a chef?
-- The Matt Gilroy and Brian Lee trade came out of absolutely nowhere, but as it stands today, I still like the move as much as I did when it happened. Gilroy's pretty unpredictable and can get burned for some of his decision making, but the positives he brings to the table - clean puck movement and sounder offensive play - do make this team better as a whole. That's not a slight to Brian Lee, either. Lee was a more steady player who employed a careful game to stay in the linuep. Gilroy's more balls-to-the-wall and will take chances on every shift. Some might prefer the conservative approach, but in this uptempo Paul MacLean system, I think Gilroy's the more logical fit.
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