Well, although I didn't really plan it, this break in the schedule has served so far as a place to have a "state of the team" focus, albeit quite early in the season. Monday we looked at the blue line and Tuesday I delved into the early struggles of some of the forwards.
So, why not use the last day off in this break to take a look at the net.
So far, Craig Anderson has played 5 of the 6 games, and for the most part has been pretty good. He has kept his club in a lot of games where they have been outshot, sometimes by vast margins. The one thing that continues to haunt him is when the play is behind the net. Whether it is a wraparound or a jam play, these too often end up in the back of the Senators' net. Sure, you could point the blame at the players in front of him for not sealing off those angles, but in the end sometimes it just isn't possible (ie on the penalty kill.)
Andrew Hammond has yet to play in a regular season game, coming off a wonky groin that he suffered in training camp. He has been available for the past 3 games, but no action as of yet.
Is it just me or is it curious that Dave Cameron gave the home opener against the Habs to Matt O'Connor, presumably because it was the second half of a back to back, while not going to Hammond for either half of the back to back in Columbus/Pittsburgh?
Both times Anderson had faced 41 shots in the first half, and in both instances the Senators lost the back half. Assuming Hammond is healthy enough to back up, he should be healthy enough to start and given what he did last season for the team does he not deserve at least a shot at showing what he can do?
You can't really blame Anderson for the loss that he sustained, because the Senators were shut out. The Nashville game Ottawa probably deserved a better fate, if not for the two James Neal power play goals that were identical plays, coming in from below the goal line to stuff it home.
That shot will finally come for Hammond as it was announced this morning that he will start on Thursday against the Devils (while I was writing this piece....bad timing so a couple of quick edits were in order)
Obviously Anderson has been anointed the #1, I was pretty critical of the way Paul MacLean handled the goaltending in the opening weeks of the season last year (especially in back to backs), and although I understand the reasoning behind the decisions I am not sure I would do the same thing in their situation. His track record suggests you can't wear Anderson out, and Hammond should be afforded the opportunity to sink or swim.
You are paying 2 goalies for a reason, and the first set seemed to indicate the club showed confidence in a player making his first NHL start, but apparently not the backup who went 20-1-2 when he was defaulted into the position last season. I am looking forward to seeing what he can do, even with tempered expectations knowing a repeat performance is unlikely if not impossible.
I am glad tomorrow is a game day. Four days off this early in the season is no fun at all.
Speaking of which, Marc Methot skated today as the 7th defenseman a day after GM Bryan Murray admitted that the flu that made him a late scratch on Saturday was a concussion. There is still no sign of Clarke MacArthur on the ice, after he suffered a concussion (his third in the last 9 months) against Columbus last week.