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Tkachuk, Duclair, Pageau Lead Senators Past Stars

February 17, 2020, 12:25 PM ET [39 Comments]
Michael Stuart
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
On the second half of a back-to-back set, the Ottawa Senators turned in a great performance against the Dallas Stars to earn themselves a 4-3 overtime victory. They controlled flow of play generally from start to finish, generated quality scoring chances, and received solid goaltending from Craig Anderson. The best part of it all was that the two points didn’t cost them any room in the standings, as all the teams above and directly below them are on their own winning “streaks” right now.

Here are last night’s thumbs:

Thumbs Up: Anthony Duclair
Anthony Duclair played one heck of a hockey game, and accomplished just about everything that could be accomplished without actually putting the puck in the net to end his goalless streak. He led the Senators in five-on-five shot attempt share and had a five-on-five expected goal share that nearly hit 70%, as per Natural Stat Trick. Combine those underlying numbers with a heads-up assist on Brady Tkachuk’s 18th of the season and a how-did-that-not-go-in breakaway chance late in the game, and it becomes quite clear that Duclair was one of the better skaters on the ice yesterday.

Thumbs Up: Brady Tkachuk’s Three-Point Night

One goal, two assists, three shots on goal, seven hits, and a takeaway all show up on Brady Tkachuk’s stat line. He was a beast yesterday. During one of the intermissions, he spoke to the broadcast team about the level of animosity on the ice and how it forced the Senators to raise their game. He certainly raised his.

Now on pace for 50 points this year, Tkachuk has taken a huge step forward in his role as a leader on this team. There’s been social media disappointment about his performance relative to last year, with some feeling like he’s underperformed expectations, but when you consider that he’s doing all this without the offensive support he had around in 2018-19, it’s hard to be anything but thrilled with where Tkachuk is at these days.

Thumbs Up: Craig Anderson

Between his solid relief appearance against the Maple Leafs and a start against the Stars in which he stopped 36 of 39 shots fired his way, Anderson has shown scouts watching that he still has something left in the tank. As I’ve said before in this space, if he wants to stay through the deadline, he should stay. If he wants to go, the team should let him write his own ticket.

Thumbs Up: J-G Pageau’s Trade Value
Pageau continues to impress, this time with a goal and an assist. On a day that saw the criminally underrated Blake Coleman get traded to Tampa in exchange for what essentially amounted to two first-round picks, Pageau’s performance emphasized that he must be moved at the deadline.

Thumbs Down: Scott Sabourin’s Roster Spot
Sabourin wrote a feel-good story coming out of camp, but it’s time to end the experiment. The Senators controlled the flow of play against the Stars, but Sabourin earned himself a 38% shot attempt share and 18% expected goal share at five-on-five per Natural Stat Trick. It’s not just that he’s invisible; it’s that he actively hurts the team’s performance when he’s on the ice. There are too many good, young players in the system to have a roster spot taken by someone that doesn’t help the cause.

Thumbs Up: Artem Anisimov, Overtime Hero
I thought Anisimov had a really, really effective game for the Senators. He seemed to do a really good job of limiting the amount of time that the Stars spent in Ottawa’s zone, and even helped his line create the odd chance for the Senators. It was nice to see him get rewarded with the overtime winner, his 11th goal of the season. Over a full 82-game schedule, Anisimov would be on pace for more than 20 goals. I’m not sure anyone saw that coming given how his season started.

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The Senators are off today, but will take on the struggling Buffalo Sabres tomorrow.

As always, thanks for reading.
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