PUT ON THE DEFENSIVE
Cowen, Wiercioch feel pressure
Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray stole a page from his opponents’ game plan Wednesday.
He dumped the puck firmly in the corner for struggling defencemen Patrick Wiercioch and Jared Cowen, challenging them to play themselves out of trouble.
“We expect more from Wiercioch and Cowen, without a doubt,” Murray said, in his usual ever-so-candid fashion, after watching Wednesday’s practice.
“If we’re trying to fill one spot, either Patrick or Jared have to take a step and demand to get that role and take advantage of it.”
While the general tone of Murray’s state of the union session was one of frustration about the team’s inability to string together consistent periods and games — the Senators 8-5-5 record is indicative of that mediocrity — he didn’t stickhandle around the specific struggles of the two defencemen.
In the post Jason Spezza-era, Cowen and Wiercioch have become leading targets for fan vitriol.
After having sports hernia surgery last season, Cowen was expected to re-establish himself as a steady and physical presence, using his 6-5, 238-pound frame to consistently win battles in front of the net and in the corners.
We’ve heard Senators coach Dave Cameron and Senators players talk about the need to play grittier.
Now let’s hear assistant coach Jason Smith’s explanation for how the Senators can be harder to play against in their own end.
“We could be a little more competitive and be on the inside (of the ice) and work from the inside out,” said Smith, who took over news conference duties from Dave Cameron on Wednesday.
“When we get a chance to close a player out, we’ve got to close him out. I think we have gotten to spots where we’ve needed to be, but then it’s about the next step, finishing the check or containing the guy before they jump by you,” Smith said.
While the defencemen have received their share of justified criticism, the forwards deserve some blame for not returning deep enough inside the blue line to help out. Or, by failing to clear the puck out when they are in position. Generally, the team which wins the battles on either side of the blue line wins the game. HERE AND THERE: Senators GM Bryan Murray asked senior adviser of hockey operations Daniel Alfredsson to go on the ice Wednesday, offering tips to forwards on how to clear the zone more effectively.
Alfredsson was also working closely with Erik Karlsson on getting shots to the net more quickly.
Come the weekend, Alfredsson will be in Binghamton, attending the team’s pro scouting meetings alongside assistant GMs Pierre Dorion and Randy Lee, and for a first-hand look at some of the club’s prospects. RYAN, STONE SWITCH POSITIONS: In a new look Wednesday, Bobby Ryan skated with Kyle Turris and Mike Hoffman, while Mark Stone was practising alongside Mika Zibanejad and Matt Puempel. While Cameron could elect to not stick with those trios against Columbus, it’s a notable change, given that Turris and Stone have been almost inseparable since last December. NOT SO BLUE BLUE JACKETS: Don’t be fooled by Columbus’s spot at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
After the dreadful 0-8 start, Columbus is gradually climbing back to the pack in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets have won three straight and are 7-5 under new coach John Tortorella.
Former Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky has had an impressive bounce-back. He’s 5-1, with a 2.07 goals-against average and .934 save percentage in his past six games.
Former Senators winger Nick Foligno, who began the year on a line with Ryan Johansen and Brandon Saad, is now playing centre on a second line, subbing for the injured Brandon Dubinsky.