Senators energized by roster’s new faces

New players. New mood.

That’s the way the Ottawa Senators’ Mike Hoffman talked about the whirlwind that has greeted the arrival of Alex Burrows, Viktor Stalberg, Jyrki (Kevin) Jokipakka and Chris DiDomenico this week.

“It almost seems like a training camp, with all the new faces and meeting all the new players,” Hoffman said. “But it’s a positive, positive feeling. Everyone is excited to have these guys here and just to see how it translates on the ice.

“It might take a few games to become familiar with the system, which is completely normal, but they will help our club.”

Burrows, of course, made an instant mark, scoring both goals in the Senators’ 2-1 win over Colorado on Tuesday night.

Stalberg also had an impact on a fourth line that changed momentum several times in the game.

Senators coach Guy Boucher was wary of throwing too much at his newcomers too soon. Those concerns vanished in a hurry.

“Once I saw that Burrows and Stalberg were so quick to do what they were supposed to do on the ice, after that, I didn’t hesitate,” he said. “I was expecting them to be a bit nervous, maybe out of place, which would have been normal. But they were not. They picked it up pretty quickly, what they were supposed to do. They looked really good out there.”

While Burrows was naturally excited to be able to have such a strong debut with his family and friends from Montreal in the seats, Stalberg also welcomes the opportunity to return to a hockey market.

“It’s fun to be in a hockey town,” Stalberg said as he dealt with questions from reporters earlier in the week. “It is different in Carolina. Just looking around the lockerroom with the media here, I think there’s probably more here than we had total there all year.”