NOW OR NEVER FOR SENS
Condon says more effort is needed
Dark clouds have followed the Senators for the first 34 games of the season, and they are not going away by themselves.
Any trade GM Pierre Dorion might complete will come with no guarantee, as witnessed by the deal to obtain Matt Duchene. Any changes or alterations to the approach by coach Guy Boucher won’t automatically translate into positive results either.
If the Senators are going to make any type of noise in the final three months, each individual will need to give more to the cause. Both at and away from the rink.
“The game rewards you when you do the right stuff off the ice,” goalie Mike Condon said after his superb 37-save performance wasn’t enough to prevent a 1-0 loss to the mediocre Florida Panthers on Saturday, Ottawa’s last game before the break. “That’s in the weight room. My take at least.
“You get your bounces when the game lights aren’t on, when no one’s watching, when you’re in practice. When no one’s around. That’s when you earn your breaks. That’s when you earn a (Aleksander) Barkov shot off the paddle of your stick. Stuff like that.
“So if we’re looking for more bounces, it’s got to be more effort. It’s got to be more stuff off the ice to help us get there.”
It’s not a switch that can be flicked on during a game. It’s more of a persistent thing. It’s complete dedication.
“Coach always preaches ‘a little more five per cent’ ... he said that going into the third,” Condon said. “I don’t think it’s effort during the game. I think we all have a little bit more we can do off the ice to get these bounces.”
Condon’s work paid off in his play against the Panthers. After giving up three, four and five goals in his most previous outings, he kept bearing down in practice to get his game back on track. He fought to find the form that made him such a valuable piece to the puzzle last season, just as he was aggressive in his determination to stop shots Saturday.
Technique took a back seat to pure desire. His most spectacular bit of thievery was off a screened shot by Radim Vrbata that needed a review before it was ruled no goal.
“I got a piece of it,” Condon said of the attempt before it. “It was trickling right through my six-hole and when that happens you just try to squeeze and roll, try to kick it back out to someone to try and clear it. Unfortunately, it went to Vrbata’s stick ... I just tried to stick my hand out as far as I could, use my core a little bit, try to get up. Kind of one of those hockey god saves that helped me there. I threw the glove up, was able to get a piece, was able to get a whistle. Wasn’t sure if it crossed the line or not.”
Only one crossed the line against Condon Saturday, but it was one too many as James Reimer stopped 38 shots to pick up his fourth career shutout against the Senators — more than he has against any other team. It’s like the ex-Maple Leaf has always been in their heads, compiling a 12-5-2 record against the Senators, and such was the case again on this night.
Erik Karlsson referred to it as a game in which they could have scored six.
“It’s going to be nice to get a little bit of a mental break,” the captain said before the Senators chartered back to Ottawa, then headed off in separate directions for three days off. “We’re going to come back on the 27th and be ready to go again.
“I think that Christmas time always seems to come at a good time. And whether things have been going the way we want or not, we’re going to try and get away from it for a bit and enjoy something else.”
When the Senators return, it will be as a team 12 points back of a wild-card spot and 13 behind the Bruins — who they face in Boston on Wednesday — in the race for a top-three final position in the Atlantic Division. At 11-158, they are second-last in the Eastern Conference and thirdlast in the overall standings, but it would behoove the Senators not to pay any attention to those details at the moment.
“Yeah, I think that we all know where we are, sort of,” Karlsson said. “It’s not something that’s on our mind right now. We’ve got to take it day by day and game by game, and see what we can create for ourselves here. That’s all we can do, and not look too far ahead.”
After last season’s playoff run to the Eastern Conference final, Karlsson said nobody imagined they’d be in this position at Christmas.
“Unfortunately, we’ve dug ourselves a very big hole,” he said. “We all know that. We’re aware of that.”
Can the Senators start afresh when they return, like the first part of the season never happened?
“I think we’re going to have to take that approach,” defenceman Cody Ceci said. “Hopefully, we can put it behind us, and start playing a little better, getting wins, and get back into the race.”