Boucher makes easy call with Anderson
Guy Boucher has made easy call in net for the outdoor game.
It wasn’t any surprise, but the Ottawa Senators coach confirmed Friday he’ll start goaltender Craig Anderson against the Montreal Canadiens Saturday at TD Place in the NHL 100 Classic.
While the Senators have been playing a little bit of a game of musical goalies over the last month, Boucher has plenty of respect for the club’s top goalie. That’s why Anderson will make his second straight start after halting a sevengame losing skid against the New York Rangers Wednesday.
Back in 2014, when the Senators participated in the Heritage Classic against the Canucks at B.C. Place Stadium, coach John Tortorella, who was behind the Vancouver bench at the time, decided to start backup Eddie Lack over Roberto Luongo and the result was a 4-2 victory by the Senators.
Not only was there plenty of controversy around the decision, Luongo wasn’t happy at the time and that was the beginning of the end for his days in Vancouver. It may seem like an easy decision to make, but if Mike Condon had been given the call against the Habs, then Boucher would have set off fireworks in the media.
“I never thought otherwise,” Boucher said. “Last week, we went exactly as we wanted by following the plan we wanted to follow. To have done something differently, we would have needed something different from (Condon) to change something.”
Anderson made it an easy decision with a solid performance against the Rangers, giving his team a chance to win.
“That’s what we’re looking for and that’s what we got,” said Boucher.
“If he’s himself, we’re a different team, that’s for sure. He played great. We rely on him. He’s our No. 1 goalie. Like I said, it was just a matter of time before he gave us one of those games and he did.
“We’re looking forward to some more, for sure.” bgarrioch@postmedia.com Twitter: @sungarrioch