The Ottawa Senators had one job, and one job only on Saturday night: Avoid a three-point game against the San Jose Sharks. They failed miserably, winning a 2-1 overtime contest. Their only saving grace is that both the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks continue to win hockey games, which leaves the Sharks and Senators in 28th and 29th place respectively.
Here are last night’s thumbs:
Thumbs Up: Chris Tierney’s Post-Trade Deadline Run Throughout the early part of the season, common sense dictated that the Senators would look to trade either J-G Pageau or Chris Tierney, but not both. On deadline day, Pageau was sent to the New York Islanders, and Tierney remained in Ottawa. The big benefit for Ottawa coming out of that is that Tierney has emerged as a go-to offensive option with the enhanced role. Since the trade deadline, he has notched seven points in seven games.
He was once again excellent for the Senators last night. His underlying numbers were incredibly solid, and he tallied the overtime winner on a great rush with Anthony Duclair. Beyond the numbers, he *looked* dangerous whenever he was on the ice. At only 25 years old, there’s certainly an opportunity for him to play a part in the franchise’s direction moving forward.
Thumbs Up: Anthony Duclair’s Confidence is Back After scoring a beautiful goal the other night, it was wonderful to see Anthony Duclair continue his confident run of offensive play last night. His assist on Nick Paul’s opening goal was the result of tenacity on the forecheck, and his assist on Tierney’s overtime winner stemmed from great speed and awareness. There was a little bit of everything in his game last night. Thumbs Up: Craig Anderson’s Goaltending Anderson stopped 31 of 32 shots fired his way last night to earn a second straight victory. He came up particularly big for the team in the first period, when San Jose was able to get a number of shots on goal in the first ten minutes of the game. Without that solid run to start the contest, things could have spiralled out of control.
As much as it’s nice to see the Senators lose for draft lottery purposes, it’s impossible not to root for Anderson whenever he steps into the crease. He deserves every bit of success he can find down the stretch here, in what will likely be his last season as an Ottawa Senator.
Thumbs Up: The Waiver Wire Jayce Hawryluk has six points in nine games since being picked up by the Senators, and he’s looked good doing it. For a player who was a virtual unknown prior to his entry into the lineup, Hawryluk has been everything that the Sens were looking for and more. His game seems to fit D.J. Smith’s system really well, and he’s been rewarded with a more prominent role as time has moved along. In a season filled with more defeats than victories, Hawryluk is a feel-good story for the Senators. Thumbs Up: D.J. Smith’s Coaching Adjustments The ice time split on the blue line looks a lot healthier than it did when Thomas Chabot was playing 30-plus minutes per game. No defender played more than 24 minutes, and no defender played fewer than 14 minutes. That’s a step in the right direction for long-term sustainability. Thumbs Up: Colin White’s Performance This is one where the underlying numbers and the eye test don’t line up for me. White’s underlying numbers last night were… underwhelming. However, by my eye, he looked really good for various stretches of the game. He made confident drives to the net, he created opportunities, and he looked like he was working tremendously hard. Like Tierney, the post-Pageau state of the Senators seems to have been good for his game.
Thumbs Down: Three Points No explanation necessary.
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The Senators are off until Tuesday, when they’ll take on the Anaheim Ducks in a game that could have major draft lottery implications. Go Ducks!
As always, thanks for reading.