So the Senators reached the 70 game mark with their crazy win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night, so as I have done for each 10 game segment I will adjust the standings to show where each team was when they reached that milestone of their season, for a better look at where the Senators stand.
So the Senators are indeed 2 points back of the Bruins, and 3 points back of where the Caps were at 70 games played. The Senators have managed to play .800 hockey over their last 20 games to claw their way back from the scrap heap, dropping just 8 points in the 20 games.
I have used the target of 12 points per segment to make the post-season, and that still holds true as of 70 games. It might indeed take more than that this year, which makes the Senators current drive all that much more impressive.
The remarkable run for the Senators has been sparked by Andrew Hammond, in nets, but as you can see from the Senators own stats over the recent part of the season that is hasn't been ALL about the Hamburglar.
The Senators have their best possession numbers of the season in the last 20 games, and it has really improved over the entire season to the point where the Senators now have a positive CorsiFor% for the season for the first time, and in the month of March they are the 6th best team in the NHL in that category.
The team as a whole has played better, and whether Hammond is the factor or simply the beneficiary of the right place at the right time it doesn't matter much right now. The fact is the composition of the lineup that Dave Cameron has put together and run with has a) been pretty consistent; and b) been pretty effective. Especially at the offensive end, where the Senators are in the top handful of teams in terms of creating scoring chances, and also in the net scoring chances allowed. Here is a chart showing where the Senators fit in terms of scoring chances for and against per 60 minutes of 5 on 5 time:
and the same chart covering just the month of March, or for the Senators, the last 10 games:
While the number of scoring chances against are relatively the same, the scoring chances for are significantly higher as of late. So while Hammond is a great story and his play has solidified the crease and cut down the goals against, the team in front of him has also played much better.
While Hammond has gotten most of the spotlight, it has indeed been a team effort...Hamburgers for everyone.
BATTLE OF ONTARIO
With the finish line in sight and the Senators battling the Bruins for a playoff spot, Saturday night poses a great opportunity for the Sens to continue the run they are on. The Toronto Maple Leafs are bringing their circus of dysfunction to town, as they continue to plummet in the standings and now have a dressing room in chaos.
Peter Horachek, the interim coach who no doubt sees the end of the line for his short audition to be the Leafs coach has taken to calling out his star players, which hasn't gone over well, and most notably Phil Kessel has taken to speak publicly about it. Horacek has questioned the heart and effort of the team which Kessel has scoffed at. Hopefully for the Senators sake, this isn't the game that the Leafs players decide to send a message to the coach.
Even if they do try that tactic, the question is whether the skill and depth is there for them to win. With the suspension to Nazem Kadri, the Leafs are lining up with Trevor Smith as their second line centre. And people think the Senators are lacking depth up the middle?
The Leafs have lost their last 4, being outscored 18-6 in that time.
This is the first of 3 meetings between the teams in the last month of the season, with meetings in Toronto each of the next two weekends. The way the two teams are trending right now, it is 6 points the Senators should take, but they need to start with 2 tonight.
Meanwhile, the Bruins will be in Florida for the first half of a back to back. A positive note for the Senators is that the Panthers will be in desperation mode for this proverbial 4 point game. They trail the Bruins by 5 points (and Senators by 3), and a loss would pretty much end their hopes while a win would keep the faint flicker of postseason hope alive.
If Eric Brewer plays tonight it will be his 1000th NHL game, and the Senators hope he does. I haven't watched the Leafs play much but I have a good friend who is a Leafs fan and he is of the opinion that Brewer is certainly not an NHL defenseman any more, and is barely even an AHL one.
The Leafs are in disaray and have shown of late that pride is certainly not a factor, all good news for the Senators' playoff push. If they can only solve the Maple Leafs goaltending, because the Senators have never beat Jonathan Bernier in 2 appearances, and James Reimer is 10-3-1 against Ottawa in his career.
The number of times the Leafs have broken the hearts of Sens fans over the years is almost as many times as they have broken the hearts of Leafs fans, to nothing can be taken for granted.