ANOTHER CHAPTER WRITTEN IN MACARTHUR’S GUTSY SAGA
Returns with a vengeance for Senators after 17-month absence with a head injury
As his ice time started to dwindle — hitting a low of 11:18 in Game 4 and rising only to 13:37 in the 90 minute, 19 second double overtime marathon that was Game 5 — it was suggested on TSN1200 Saturday morning that the Senators might be better off making Clarke MacArthur a healthy scratch.
“He’s hit a wall,” said one host, an argument that had some merit given the miraculous, emotional charge the veteran winger had made to get back in the lineup after a 17-month absence with a head injury.
Around dinnertime Sunday, MacArthur hit a wall all right — by throwing himself into the glass along the left wing boards at TD Garden in celebration of scoring the OT goal that put the Senators in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
“He’s going to give himself a concussion,” exclaimed my girlfriend Shannon, who often worries I will do the same.
MacArthur was more than the overtime hero in the 3-2 decision over the Bruins. He was the best player on either team all day.
Whether it was the extra energy he had from so much bench time in the previous two games, a sense of revenge to eliminate the Bruins after they had bounced him and his Leafs from the playoffs four springs ago, or the determination and urgency not to let the series get back to Ottawa for an-anything-can-happen Game 7, the 32-year old skated like he was 22 from the opening faceoff.
MacArthur delivered a 17-minute, 25-second inspirational performance, which included two blocked shots on the same shift, the second of which had him limping to the dressing room, and the rough ride he was given along the end boards by Kevan Miller, which was another sign he’s 100 per cent healthy.
Along with the goal, he also had the next best scoring chance in the extra period, taking a wrist shot from the slot that forced Tuukka Rask to make an outstanding glove save. MacArthur would have had the game-winning assist had Bobby Ryan’s swing at the floating rebound not missed.
Moments later, he finished the job himself, whipping a pass from Ryan (that was intended for Mike Hoffman but hit a Bruin) into the net. Before joining the group hug, Ryan fetched the souvenir puck for his good buddy to remember what should be the new biggest goal of his life.
MacArthur, who would have been the unanimous winner of the Masterton Trophy this season had his odds-defying comeback been completed just a couple of weeks earlier, can now keep focus on a bigger, more desirable piece of hardware. The “long shot” Senators are 12 wins from hoisting that one, and what an exclamation mark a Stanley Cup would be on MacArthur’s great and gutsy story.
FAR AWAY EYES: MacArthur’s power-play goal almost (but not quite) made you forget a Senators special teams unit that embarrassed itself by failing to get a single shot on goal while the Bruins kept stabbing themselves with an unheard of three delay-of-game penalties in the 15:11. “We can’t afford to be kinda lazy there,” Derick Brassard told Sportsnet’s Christine Simpson during the intermission. Lazy is never good, but especially not given the circumstances … Nod yes if you were among the extremely disappointed in the regular seasons of Brassard and Ryan, who have done a pretty good job redeeming themselves so far in the playoffs. Those fans who wanted to run them both out of town surely must realize “Big Game Brass” led all Senators players in Round 1 with eight points, while Ryan was next with seven, including a teamleading four goals.
POINT TO POINT: Another stellar performance by Erik Karlsson, who didn’t register a shot on goal but did draw an assist while playing seven seconds short of 30 minutes. Another KarlssonBrassard moment to go along with the memorable hate-love exchanges they had in Game 2: After MacArthur scored, Karlsson skated to Brassard and the two had a long hug … The Cheapseats Unsung Hero of Game 6 is Alex Burrows, who isn’t scoring but continues to do a lot of little things right … After a fine move to score on a breakaway in Game 5, Mark Stone tried to slide one through Rask’s legs when sent in alone by Kyle Turris in the first. He should have stayed with what worked. Five-hole looks like a weak attempt when it fails … For what it’s worth, Stone had the Senators’ best plus-minus mark in the series at plus-4.
DID YOU SEE THAT?: Not only was Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski “in the house”, but he also appeared to still be celebrating that Super Bowl win he had no part of 2½ months ago … That was a wicked shot by Turris that ended his scoring slump at nine games, a goal that put the Senators in front 2-1. It’s one thing to act like you’ve done it before, which Turris has, and often, but his celebration included no raising of the arms or even a smile, just a quick twirl of his blade … This was pointed out by Kevin Paul Dupont, the final Boston Globe columnist: The Bruins held the lead for 5:18 on Sunday, which was also the first time they were in front since Game 2, Period 3.
THINGS I THINK I THUNK: With Mark Borowiecki out, Marc Methot has picked up his physical play. He had 164 hits in 68 regular season games, and 25 in his five playoff games, including five on Sunday that started with the big boom on Noel Acciari in the first … If the Bruins aren’t in the playoff race at next season’s deadline and the Senators are, maybe Pierre Dorion can add Zdeno Chara as a rental. The big man still has plenty of game … The Senators were fortunate to escape with a victory on a day they were out-hit 42-32, were the second-best team in the circles (mostly because Patrice Bergeron was 20-8) and outshot 12-3 in the third period, when Methot admitted to Simpson “maybe we were playing a little passive.” Passiveness might yet be the death of this season for the lead-protecting Senators … Late correction on a typo: I said the Senators in six, not the Bruins.