Anderson wants to give Senators chance to win every night
Veteran goaltender looking to give young team a chance to win every night
Craig Anderson may have been written off as the Ottawa Senators’ No. 1 goaltender during the off-season, but somebody forgot to tell him.
And, as of now, it looks like he’s ready to write another chapter in his storied career here.
The Senators’ 38-year-old goaltender has been tabbed as the starter for Saturday night’s visit to Canadian Tire Centre by the New York Rangers, and this will be his eighth time starting a home-opener in the nine years he’s been in Ottawa. The exception, of course, was the strange decision to go with rookie Matt O’Connor against the Montreal Canadiens in 2015.
But it should come as no surprise to anybody that bench boss D.J. Smith and goalie coach Pierre Groulx have opted to go to Anderson because he gave the Senators a chance to win in their season opener on Wednesday night in Toronto, facing 42 shots in Ottawa’s 5-3 loss to the Maple Leafs and he’s coming off a strong training camp.
In 401 career games with the Senators going into their loss to the Leafs, Anderson had posted a 191-151-44 record with a 2.80 goals-against average in a whopping 22,995 minutes. He’s getting the chance to build on those numbers in a season when some thought backup Anders Nilsson might emerge as the starter.
“People have their own opinions of things, but all that matters is what I feel in (the room) about myself, my abilities and what I show to the coaching staff,” Anderson said following the Senators’ skate on Friday. "If I come out here and I do the job, then there’s no reason why I’m not going to earn more ice time.
“If I come in here and I don’t do the job and I don’t earn that extra ice time, then that’s on me for not doing the job I need to do. At the end of the day, nothing’s given to you in this game, so people can have whatever opinion they want. At the end of the day, I don’t look at (what’s being said), I just go out there every day to compete and battle for the guys.”
Anderson said he’s never going to be perfect, but when he says he wants to give the Senators a chance to win every night, that’s what he’s trying to do.
“There are going to be bad goals and there are going to be good goals,” he said. "There are going to be good, great and bad games. It’s just the way things go, and there are a lot of times where you have a bad game and you win and it kind of gets swept under the rug.
“We don’t have that luxury here in the last couple of years, where you can have a night off and still expect to win. You have to be on every night, and if you make a mistake, the red light goes on and you get blamed. I signed up for that when I was five or six years old and nothing has changed.”
The Senators have been impressed with what they’ve witnessed.
“His demeanour in the room, he could be self-entitled, I guess, at 38, because you’ve seen everything and you’ve been around, but he’s not like that at all,” Smith said. "He’s worked every day in practice, he stays in for all the drills, he’s been good in the room, and he’s been good talking with the guys. He’s a guy that guys can lean on because he’s a calming presence.
“That’s great for the young guys. We know we’re in a bit of a transition here with some young players and a lot of new players, and you can’t have enough guys like Anderson, (Ron) Hainsey and those guys.”
Anderson’s wife, Nicholle, along with the couple’s two children, Jake and Levi, are in town from Florida, and being in the net for the home opener means a lot.
“Any time you get a chance there, you’ve got to take the moment and enjoy it,” said Anderson. “It’s no different (Saturday). My family is in for the game, so the kids get to see the game, and that’s exciting for myself and them, as well. So I’m just going to enjoy the moment and I’m going to go out there and battle like I know I can.
“I’m going to battle for pride and show that I’m committed to do what it takes to win.”
The Senators know they can rely on Anderson.
“I shoot on the guy every day in practice and I watch him, and when he has eyes on the puck, he’s a really hard goalie to beat,” said alternate captain Mark Borowiecki. “You can ask anyone in this room. His reaction time is awesome, he’s quick with his blocker and glove. He’s a really good goalie when he’s dialed in and probably one of the underrated goalies in the NHL.”