Ottawa's officially back from the Olympic break tomorrow when they host the Detroit Red Wings at the Canadian Tire Centre. Detroit's going to be on the second-half of a back-to-back, slated to play Montreal tonight. Considering the standings situation, it's a game Ottawa sort of needs to have.
Predictably, Paul MacLean's made a couple of changes in preparation for the stretch run. I say predictably because their last game before the break against Boston was, by miles, the biggest trainwreck of the season.
Up top, the big change comes in the form of Mika Zibanejad and Bobby Ryan, who will skate with recent recall Mike Hoffman on the team's third-line. Honestly, I'm intrigued by the combinations, though I sense it's sort of a move to get Ryan going again more than anything else. You could sense that MacLean was getting a tiny bit frustrated with Ottawa's one productive line (i.e., MacArthur-Turris-Ryan) over the last few games.
I know some are going to perceive Ryan's spot in the lineup as a bit of a demotion, but I really think it's a position where he could enjoy some success. Teams have been loading up the toughs against the Turris line all season long, unafraid -- and rightfully so -- of just about every other line on the team. So, I actually am a bit intrigued as to whether Bobby Ryan's move in the lineup can create a formidable second line. We know what Mike Hoffman brings: raw, unadulterated speed. We know what Mika Zibanejad brings: just about everything. He's a player that makes everyone better because he excels at so many different things, particularly in the neutral zone. So, maybe this works.
There are two beneficiaries from this move. Erik Condra moves to the team's top-line with Clarke MacArthur and Kyle Turris. Condra's obviously not a top-six forward but he's more than capable to handle the toughs, so it's not the worst trio ever. Colin Greening's the other guy who reaps some sort of reward here, as he gets to skate with Jason Spezza. This duo -- I should say trio, including Milan Michalek -- has been a trainwreck whenever assembled. So, if there's a line I'm nervous about, it's this one.
The other change is even more welcomed. Paul MacLean has finally put the kibosh on first-pairing defenseman Jared Cowen.
This move has been a long, long time coming. I still believe that Paul MacLean designed the Erik Karlsson - Jared Cowen combination months back to jump-start Cowen; after all, he had toyed with the idea of scratching Cowen in the past, and generally you don't put a guy toeing healthy scratch territory on the hip of one of the world's best defensemen unless you have an ulterior motive. Cowen's been nightmarishly bad this year and, truthfully, just doesn't have any business playing on the team's first-pairing against good NHL players right now. So, Methot's back up top with Karlsson. The other three pairings? Wiercioch with Cowen, Phillips with Ceci, Gryba with Corvo. You can sort of guesstimate there that the Gryba-Corvo pairing is the one that will be watching games from above. So, more good news if you think Patrick Wiercioch belongs on the ice.
Back with more tomorrow.
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