PAUL IN THE RIGHT HEADSPACE WITH JOB HANGING IN BALANCE
Sens forward working on mental approach as he tries to prove he can stay in the NHL
It’s mind over matter.
In the end, Nick Paul wants to be a player who matters for the Ottawa Senators.
The 24-year-old, acquired in the trade that sent Jason Spezza to the Dallas Stars in 2015, makes no bones about the fact this is his last chance to become a full-time NHL player after being called up from the Senators’ AHL affiliate in Belleville last week. He’s determined to make the most of this opportunity.
Not only is the six-foot-three Paul trying to turn his game around physically, he’s trying to take a better approach mentally and that’s why he turned to meditation to get himself prepared to compete every day. It paid dividends with his efforts in a
5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, and he’s going to keep that approach.
“There’s a lot of ups and downs,” Paul said Thursday. “It’s been four years here going up and down. My dream is to make the NHL and every year it’s so hard. It’s such a mental battle and you’ve got to learn not to be your worst critic. A lot of guys that go up and down get so hard on themselves, harder than anyone else does, and it gets in their own head.
“That’s what I was doing for a little bit. I went into this new program and we did some meditation and I loved it. I started getting out of my own head. I was coming to the rink and telling myself, ‘Don’t make a mistake,’ or that I was going to screw up and that’s what happens. So now I’m just staying positive, confident and telling myself I can do stuff.
“It’s been paying off. My attitude has been good, my confidence has been good and I’m not overthinking things. Now I’ve got a clear head, I’ve got to work hard and I’ve got to use my feet. That’s what I’ve got to go with.”
Paul has been able to free his mind and as a result the rest of his game has followed. He has played 60 games in his NHL career and wants to stick around for more.
“It’s tough going up and down,” he said. “You’re trying to improve one thing and then you get on yourself to try to improve. It’s very mentally draining. Being an older guy in the NHL and seeing people come up and down, you have to tell them to keep a level head. You can’t have your lows be too low or your highs be too high.”
Coach D.J. Smith was certainly pleased with what he saw from Paul on Wednesday.
He had 14:32 of ice time playing mostly with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Connor Brown, plus Paul picked up an assist with a perfect dish on Mark Borowiecki’s second-period goal.
“That’s kind of what I remember from Nick Paul in junior,” Smith said Thursday. “He was skating all the time and because he played good defence, he got offensive opportunities and I thought that’s what he did (against Detroit).
“Now he has to prove he can do that kind of thing on a nightly basis in order for him to be effective at the NHL level.”
His teammates saw a difference as well.
“He played with a lot of confidence,” Pageau said. “He’s always been strong on the puck, perfect size, fast and protecting the puck really well. I’m happy for him. He works so hard, he comes in every camp and he finishes tops in the fitness testing and on-theice testing. I’m happy he’s played really well and he deserves his spot here.”
THE LAST WORDS
The Senators have zero complaints about their penalty-killing units. The club has killed 82.5 per cent of opposition power plays and is ranked second in the league with three short-handed goals after Pageau scored the winner with Detroit on the power play. Ottawa had only four short-handed goals all of last season. So why has the area been so strong? “Goalies,” Pageau said with a smile. “I’ve always said your best killer is your goalie and since the start they’ve given us a chance to kill most of the penalties and they’re making the saves when we need it.” He added the players have done a pretty good job in front of them as well. “All of the sacrifices, you don’t see all the blocked shots that we’re getting, the stick on the puck that the forwards and the defence are making and winning battles is a big thing,” Pageau said. “It’s something we want to keep working on. We’d like to be in the box less.” ... It meant a lot to Borowiecki to score on Canadian Forces Appreciation Night. He does a lot of work with Soldier On and he was meeting with his friend Joe, who told him he was going to score and drop the gloves. No, he didn’t fight, but the goal was nice. “It was extra special for sure,” Borowiecki said. “Luckily I potted one. My wife (Tara) and my mom were here, so it was good.” ... It didn’t appear there will be any changes to the lineup judging by Thursday’s skate. That means winger Mikkel Boedker and defenceman Cody Goloubef will be scratched.