The Ottawa Senators played a phenomenal game against the Vancouver Canucks last night, and were full value for the 2-1 victory they earned in the process. Had it not been for some absurdly good saves by Braden Holtby, the margin of victory could have been even greater. Here are last night’s thumbs:

Thumbs Up: Marcus Hogberg’s Goaltending Performance
While the jury is very much still out on the question of whether Marcus Hogberg can be a regular contributor at the NHL level, seeing him get things back on track over the course of the last week has been a really nice surprise. He was spectacular for Ottawa last night, making every save but one on the road to victory; and, the one he missed was the result of a brutal screen in front of him. When he saw it, he stopped it.

Much like in golf, they don’t necessarily ask “how,” just how many. Hogberg was nearly beaten on a couple occasions – with one particularly memorable goal-line stop right at the end of the second period sticking out – but he got the job done. It’s great to see the Senators get quality goaltending like this, even if it sometimes looks a little bit unorthodox.

Thumbs Up: The Right Players Contributing
If you were to ask Senators fans who they like to see contributing on the scoreboard in any given game, I’d wager that Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, and Josh Norris would be popular choices. On top of generating a 75% expected goal share at five-on-five per Natural Stat Trick, that trio was responsible for both “real” goals on the evening. They were excellent.

Thumbs Up: Josh Norris, Specifically
As much as Holtby might like Josh Norris’ opening goal back, Norris displayed a lot of confidence in being so patient with the puck on that rush. It’s the kind of confidence you expect from a multi-year pro who has a long history of contributing at the NHL level, but not necessarily from a rookie on a team like Ottawa. It’s a testament to the fact that we’re seeing Norris develop into a bona fide top-six centre right before our eyes. He’s playing at a point-per-game pace in April and is showing no signs of slowing down.

When Mike’s Mailbag questions were asked about the need to acquire a centre last offseason, my answer was consistently that it made sense to wait and see what Norris could/would be before giving up assets to fill the hole. There’s still a long road in fully answering that question, but the early returns on Norris are incredibly promising.

Thumbs Up: Tkachuk’s Pass to Batherson
There aren’t too many players in the league who can make the pass Brady Tkachuk made to Drake Batherson on the latter’s goal, all while delivering the physicality and tenacity that Tkachuk brings on every shift. It’s a special, special skill set.

Thumbs Up: The Brannstrom-Zub Pairing
As mentioned before, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the best hockey we’ve ever seen out of Erik Brannstrom has come with him playing next to Artem Zub. Zub has become such an important piece of this Ottawa blue line, and that importance is evidenced by the vital role he appears to be playing in Brannstrom’s development. If you’re already looking forward to next season, this is a pairing I would have penciled into the lineup regardless of what additions are made in the offseason.

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The Senators will finish this lengthy series with the Vancouver Canucks tomorrow night.

As always, thanks for reading.

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