Outdoor victory gives Senators momentum boost
Boucher heaps praises on fans, says team did not talk about Melnyk’s comments
Come Monday morning, the Ottawa Senators had thawed out, but they were still talking about how cool the outdoor game was.
“It was a big, emotional game, because there was a lot of build up around it, a divisional rival (in Montreal),” said winger Zack Smith. “It was pretty big to win that one for where we’re at right now, because it gives us momentum. We have to wins under our belt now, we’re excited to get going again.”
THE NEED TO RE-CHARGE: Smith says Sunday’s off day was welcome given the attention of the outdoor game and the drain of steady stream of losses on the road in late November and early December. “There was a lot of hype, and especially coming off that 16-day road trip. It feels like about 40 days because you’re losing games.”
MORE FANDEMONIUM: Guy Boucher says he spent the day off Christmas shopping, an experience that he says gave him an appreciation for how much the city loves its professional hockey team.
“I saw fans all day and they thought (the outdoor game) was unreal on TV. And some of them were at the game, too,” he said. “The people in the stands made it an incredible atmosphere. We won, which made it nicer, but I
didn’t think it was going to be like this, to be honest.”
The way Boucher sees it, there are moments of joy that come from the success of championships, and there are spectacular stand-alone events that are unforgettable.
“It wasn’t just a game,” he said. “It was an experience. We wanted that game to be something we wanted, something we were looking forward to. We were looking forward to the cold, looking forward to ice where puck might bobble like it did when we were young.” MAKING THE GAME MORE SPECIAL: Boucher was ecstatic at the energy he saw during Monday’s 65-minute workout — singling out Mark Stone for his passion — where the club addressed its many areas of concerns, including the power play and penalty killing.
The Senators special teams have been atrocious. With a 14.9 per cent success rate on the power play, they rank 27th in the NHL. Tuesday, they will be facing a Wild penalty killing team that ranks third in the NHL, at 84.5 per cent. (For comparison’s sake, Ottawa’s 77.3 per cent efficiency in penalty killing ranks them 28th overall).
The biggest change is that Bobby Ryan has moved to a second power play unit, with Dion Phaneuf, Thomas Chabot, Ryan Dzingel and Zack Smith. Derick Brassard has moved from second unit to first, joining Erik Karlsson, Mike Hoffman, Stone and Matt Duchene.
“It’s no secret that we’re more of a shooting power play,” said Smith. “So we need to get more pucks to the net. For me, in my position, I feel like I need to create better screens, take away the goalie’s eyes. That’s what I’m there for, not to be the quarterback on the power play.”
Speaking of special teams, Boucher went there in addressing the potential distraction of Melnyk’s mouthful. “We didn’t even talk about it,” the coach said. “That’s just something that stays on the outside. It’s not going to help our power play or the PK or our five on five game. I don’t go there. That’s above me and outside me. I just
coach the game and the players.” MUST HAVE BEEN THE BIG WIN
ON PARLIAMENT HILL: According to the NHL Network, Daniel Alfredsson is the 25th best captain in league history. The top of the list features Mark Messier, Jean Béliveau and Steve Yzerman … Craig Anderson was given the day off from practice Monday for maintenance issues, but he will start Tuesday against the Wild. After Saturday’s shutout over Montreal, Anderson has finally climbed back over the .900 hump in save percentage. He’s now at .901.
BIG BEN IS BACK: Earlier Monday, Boucher said that Gabriel Dumont wouldn’t play Tuesday due to an ankle injury suffered Saturday — Nick Paul will step in against the Wild — but that there probably wouldn’t be a call-up from Belleville of the AHL. Late in the day, though, defenceman Ben Harpur returned, raising the possibility that perhaps one of the existing six blueliners has an injury concern. Harpur has registered one assist in 12 games with Ottawa. He has two goals and one assist in seven games with Belleville … Fellow defenceman Mark Borowiecki, out of the lineup since suffering a concussion Nov. 19 against the Rangers, is back skating again. “I’m feeling much better, I’ve made some good steps,” he said. “I’m going to be out a little while longer, but I’m not 19 anymore. I’m not going to rush back and put myself in a tough situation. I’ve got to make sure I’m 100 per cent.”