First off, for the latest Sens updates, please follow me on Twitter at Follow @KevinFr65525204 Give me a twitter follow, I will give you a follow too!
For one day everything went right for the Ottawa Senators! Yesterday was a great day for Sens fans who have had to endure so much the last three years off and on the ice. Getting Brady Tkachuk signed long term signalled a commitment to the future and getting a win last night over their Ontario rivals just made the day so complete. The win over Toronto wasn't pretty at times but in a long season you will win games you deserve to lose and lose games in which you deserved a better fate. Sure Ottawa hung on in the third period to win 3-2 but on this day I am going to try to stay away from the negativity.
When looking back at yesterday, it's truly amazing how fast one or two aspects can change a fan bases perception. After Thanksgiving weekend Sens fans were so divided on the Tkachuk contract negotiations, that some fans were going as far to wonder if Brady would get traded. Then in a matter of seconds yesterday, co-workers at my work place could only talk about Brady signing during our lunch hour. It truly goes to show you how this fan base is so fragile but are so ready to embrace this team, wanting to see success. Here's hoping fans can focus on the on ice product and not worry about anything off ice anymore here in the Nation's Capital.
A few notes on the Brady signing that I was told off the record. Tkachuk wanted a six year deal while Ottawa wanted him signed to an eight year deal. Both sides met in between and with the NMC in year's 5-7 I know Tkachuk now feels ownership is committed to winning. I don't think enough was said about the involvement of Pierre McGuire on getting this deal done. McGuire was the glue that kept both sides engaged yet it was Sens GM Pierre Dorion that was front and center yesterday. I am told McGuire is the calming influence in the front office and in many ways keeps owner Eugene Melnyk in check, much like former GM Bryan Murray did for Dorion after he passed along the GM duties to Dorion. As for who will be named captain, I am told the four players who were given the role of Alternate captain yesterday will become rotating players wearing the "A" on the road and at home, with Tkachuk eventually being named the captain. So you could see Chabot/Paul at home and Brown/Zaitsev on the road being the alternates, while Brady is the new full time captain. Thoughts Sens fans?!
Quick hits from last night's game -
Anton Forsberg absolutely stole the win for Ottawa in the third period. At one point the Leafs had outshot Ottawa 20-2 in the first 11 minutes of the third period. DJ Smith better give Forsberg the start in goal tomorrow night!
So many positives with great games from Formenton, Stutzle, Brown, Pinto at the forward position. Tyler Ennis was terrific, not bad for a guy who came to camp on a PTO!
On defense, Chabot was his usual dynamic self and it helped that he only played 26:24, he looked much more fresh in the third period, therefore eliminating some of those mental mistakes from last year when he was logging over a 30 minutes a game. I really liked the game of Nick Holden, he has played his way into the top 4 on the blueline. Zub was his usual steady self. Mete was a little underwhelming but again it was only one game. One concerning thing for me was the game of Zaitsev as he continued to struggle on the blueline much like he did in the pre-season. Outside of his physical presence, Josh Brown doesn't belong in the top 6 on a nightly basis. I wouldn't be surprised to Michael Del Zotto draw into the line-up tomorrow in Toronto.
Ottawa had 19 giveaways, many of them in the third period, that aspect needs to get better in game two of the season. The Sens got caught chasing the puck far too much in the 3rd period but a lot of it had to do with their struggles in the faceoff circle. On home ice you can't be under 50% but that was the case last night.
I will be back tomorrow with a game day blog. Thanks for reading.
Kevin