Coach holds off on goalie decision
Anderson or Hammond will face Detroit, and both have been hurt
DETROIT The last time Andrew Hammond played at the legendary Joe Louis Arena, he made 54 saves. The last time Craig Anderson played in the old barn, full of cherry red seats and cherished Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup memories, he stopped 39 shots.
Now, in order for the Senators to keep their own dreams of the Stanley Cup playoffs alive, either Hammond or Anderson needs to lead the club out of its three-game tailspin.
The Senators are once again in chase mode, three points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wild-card playoff position in the Eastern Conference. The Senators have seven games remaining in the regular season, the Bruins have six left to play. Senators coach Dave Cameron wasn’t ready to make the pivotal goaltending decision on Monday, partly because neither goaltender is in tip-top health.
“They both practised Monday,” Cameron said before his team’s afternoon flight to Detroit. “They’re both coming off injuries. I want to see if they’re healthy, that’s the main thing.”
Hammond hasn’t played since being pulled after allowing all five goals in Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers, a defeat that ended his incredible run of picking up at least a point in his first 15 NHL starts. He acknowledged trying to play through back problems — the injury became worse when San Jose’s Logan Couture crashed into him on March 23 — but insists he’s ready to go Tuesday if he gets the call.
“I got some rest and a lot of treatment,” Hammond said. “It’s to the point where I can play. And play well.” Hammond, now 14-1-1 with a 1.92 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage, has never played the Red Wings.
Back in his college days, though, he came oh, so close to leading underdog Bowling Green past the Michigan Wolverines at The Joe in the CCHA semifinals, ultimately losing 3-2 in double overtime.
“It’s an older rink and there’s an old feel to it, and you don’t get that much these days,” he said. “It’s a lot like Binghamton. It feels like it’s a smaller ice surface, with hard end boards. There’s a lot of history. It’s a place where I’m comfortable playing, and just having that under my belt could give me a little more confidence to play there, if I do. It’s a fun city to play in.”
Anderson, meanwhile, deflected away questions about the condition of his right (blocker-side) hand, which kept him out of the net for most of February and March.
He was in net for weekend losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers and is 0-2-1 in his past three starts. In those three games, the Senators have only scored six goals.
His last game in Detroit was on Nov. 24, when Paul MacLean was still Senators coach and Anderson was taking turns in the net with Robin Lehner. Anderson kept the Senators in that game early — at one point the game was tied 1-1 and the Red Wings led 24-7 in shots — but the Senators ultimately lost 4-3.
“We’ve just got to find a way to win,” Anderson said. “It doesn’t matter how pretty or how ugly, we just need to win the game and get two points. That’s what it comes down to. Win at all costs.”
If you’re looking at recent history, you might bet on Hammond getting the start. When the Senators faced a pivotal game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on March 12, Hammond got the call and ended up with the victory in a 5-2 win.
If it’s any consolation to Senators fans, Red Wings coach Mike Babcock is facing a goaltending dilemma of his own. It’s not because of bad health, it’s because of bad goals.
Former 67’s goaltender Petr Mrazek, who was showing signs of taking over the top job from Jimmy Howard, yielded four goals on 11 shots in Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the New York Islanders. Howard, who replaced Mrazek Sunday, has given up eight goals on 32 shots in his past two starts.
We’ve just got to find a way to win. It doesn’t matter how pretty or how ugly, we just need to win the game and get two points.