You can follow me on Twitter @ShackTS
After their 3-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes last night, the Ottawa Senators dropped back down to last place in the NHL. It was not great timing either, as they will have a break until next Friday due to the All Star break. With 43 points in 50 games, they are obviously not in a good position, but there are also six teams ahead of them within just four points.
In terms of the loss to the Coyotes, here are some quick thoughts:
---It was a tough night for Brady Tkachuk, as he was responsible for the first goal against and could have been responsible for a breakaway goal as well:
Those things will happen to everyone, but it definitely looks a lot worse when they happen in the same period shortly after each other. It’s not like he was the main reason the Senators lost, but those two gaffes made me wince.
---Ryan Dzingel scored his 20th goal of the season, the second season in a row he has hit that marker. He also picked up an assist, which gives him 38 points in 48 games on the season. He is now just three points away from his career high of 41, and he’s surely going to get well over 50 at this point. I really like him as a player and would love to have him re-signed, but you have to wonder if this is going to be his peak. If a desperate Oilers team comes calling and is willing to give up their first round pick, I think it would be wise to take that.
---Bobby Ryan got on the scoresheet once again, giving him 30 points in 47 games. Considering he had just 33 in 62 games last season, that is a massive improvement. If he keeps this up, the very slim chance that a team would take on his contract (along with an asset) goes up. He scored on an odd-looking one-timer tonight, and it was probably one that Darcy Kuemper should have had:
I always notice that Ryan’s one-timers look so odd, because it looks like his lower hand is much higher than it should be, and I expect the puck to flutter or not go as hard as it could. It wasn’t really a normal slapshot though, and if it works, it works.
---Christian Wolanin played just 8:08 tonight. I knew it was too good to be true for Guy Boucher to fully trust him moving forward, and I don’t understand the point. Mark Borowiecki and Christian Jaros did not play too much either, but they were both around 12 minutes, plus Wolanin is the one who should be getting more ice time anyway. It’s infuriating to see players who need the most development getting benched or scratched for no real reason, especially when less talented players are taking their spots.
---The heatmap from last night is indicative of how bad the Senators defense is in front of the net:
That is a massive blue spot…
---Cody Ceci led the team with seven individual shot attempts at 5v5, and was just behind Thomas Chabot (eight) in all situations. Just in time for scouts to see him before the trade deadline.
---Vinny Hinostroza, owner of a fantastic name, was the Senators kryptonite last night. He scored two of the Coyotes goals and added an assist for good measure. He’s one of those underrated players that not many people know about, but he’s up to 18 points in 39 games for Arizona so far.
---I haven’t really noticed Jean-Gabriel Pageau on the ice that much besides his first game back. He scored in that game, but that has been his only point in eight games so far. It seems like he usually scores in bunches though, so we could see him turn it on after the break.
Ottawa doesn’t play until next Friday, so there will be a bit of a lull between now and then. I’ll be setting up a mailbag between now and then, so keep an eye out for that!
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»