The Ottawa Senators weren’t nearly as bad as the 7-3 loss on the scoreboard might suggest, but they dropped another matchup with the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. Thanks largely to poor goaltending early on, Ottawa was never really ‘in’ this game. Here are tonight’s thumbs:

Thumbs Down: Matt Murray’s Goaltending
Some people will blame outrageously bad neutral zone coverage on the first goal against. Some people will blame Nikita Zaitsev for losing a puck battle and floating on the second goal. Some people will blame a giveaway on the third goal. Others will blame Erik Gudbranson for overcommitting to the low man on the fourth goal, leaving the slot completely uncovered.

At the end of it all, though, you’re left with a goaltender who allowed four goals on 11 shots against before being pulled at the end of the first period. Even the most generous of Murray defenders can’t deny that he should want at least two of those goals back. The unfortunate reality for Ottawa at this juncture is that they are paying Murray to be something that he very clearly isn’t. He’s a below-average goaltender that can deliver the odd above-average/very good game.

Thumbs Up: Grinding Away to Find a Way
One of the neat things about Ottawa’s young players is that they can beat opponents in any number of ways. Everyone knows that Brady Tkachuk has raw skill and an almost unparalleled level of tenacity to match, but tonight Josh Norris showed some of those same qualities. His goal, Ottawa’s only one in the first period, came after a won puck battle in the corner and a scramble right in the crease. The underlying numbers didn’t love Norris’ game tonight, but I thought he demonstrated a lot of the qualities that make him such an intriguing part of the future for this franchise.

Thumbs Up: Ryan Dzingel’s Return
It didn’t take long for Ryan Dzingel to make a difference in his return to Ottawa. We’ll call the trade a win.

Thumbs Down: Nikita Zaitsev Away from Thomas Chabot
Thomas Chabot hasn’t had the best of starts to his season, but if tonight is any indication, he has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on Nikita Zaitsev’s play to date. With DJ Smith shaking things up by pairing Artem Zub with Chabot, Nikita Zaitsev was left to play alongside Braydon Coburn for most of the night. The results were… less than ideal.

Smith’s conundrum is that Zaitsev quite clearly needs to be supported, but there aren’t enough players capable of being that “supporter” on the roster. Coburn isn’t the answer.

Thumbs Down: Coburn’s Run with the Senators
I’m a massive Braydon Coburn fan, thanks largely to the immense impact he had on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the last handful of years. He’s been such a positive contributor for so long, but it looks like the game has passed him by now. Just as Pierre Dorion had to do with Cedric Paquette, it might be time to explore ways to take the Coburn out of DJ Smith’s toolbox. There’s no reason to continue going back to that well – even occasionally – when there isn’t any water left in it.

Thumbs Up: Coach Killers
It’s becoming a trend. The Flames announced after tonight’s game that they have fired Geoff Ward and hired Darryl Sutter. There’s been a nearly endless stream of quality content since the news broke:

Coaches are getting fired now for only beating the Sens by 4 goals.

— Bonk's Müllet (@BonksMullet) March 5, 2021

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It's going to be tough for the Senators to have another coached fired after their next outing, as they’ll see Darryl Sutter and these same Flames on Sunday.

As always, thanks for reading.

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