Hammond is back but Anderson gets the call
The last time the Ottawa Senators played here, Andrew Hammond delivered a shutout win and one of the quotes of the year.
“I don’t think too many people expected a goalie battle between Quick and the Hamburglar tonight,” Hammond said after blanking Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings 1-0.
That shutout in late February, in Hammond’s fourth start of the season, was high tide for the “Hamburglar” phenomenon. Alas, after being away from the Senators for most of this week while attending to a family matter, Hammond is not going to start Saturday afternoon against the Kings after participating in his first practice of the week Friday.
It will be Craig Anderson in goal, coming off a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks Wednesday.
On Friday, Hammond spoke for the first time since leaving the team. He stayed behind in Washington so he could fly home for personal reasons.
“It’s ... something to do with my family,” Hammond said. “There’s not really much point getting into it any more. All you can say is things are better, back to status quo more or less.”
Whatever the family issue was at home, Hammond insists it won’t be a distraction when he’s called on to play.
“I mean, when it’s time for hockey, it’s time for hockey,” Hammond said. “You’re able to dial it in, adjust your focus. It’s part of the thing. Goalies deal with that more than other roster players. It’s something I’m used to. It’s in the past now. There shouldn’t be anything else going forward.”
Leaving family, he returns to his hockey clan.
“Absolutely, we talk about the locker-room being a big family,” Hammond said. “Younger guys aren’t surrounded by parents and friends, so these are the guys you rely on.”
Hammond last played on Sunday in the 7-1 loss to Washington. For a variety of reasons, mostly injury, he hasn’t been able to get into a rhythm this season. He has appeared in nine games and has a 3-4-2 record with a 2.86 goals-against and .912 save percentage.
It seems he can’t even get through a practice without an issue. On Friday at the Toyota Sports Center, Hammond took a shot off his skate blade early in practice and had to leave the ice for repairs for about 10 minutes.
“It was a fluke thing,” Hammond said.
“A puck off my skate, broke the steel. The new players’ skate (blade), you can switch them pretty quick. The goalie skates, it takes a little bit longer. I had to miss a little bit there. Nothing serious.”
That Kings game in February was the first time he started to feel “comfortable and relaxed,” Hammond says.
He went on to post a 20-1-2 record and started the playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens before being relieved by Anderson.
Anderson, 17-13-4, has beaten the Kings already this season, 5-3 on Dec. 14 in Ottawa.
The Kings are a different team than the one Hammond shut out.
Following a rare summer of rest after missing the 2015 playoffs, the rejuvenated Kings are way out in front of the pack in the Pacific Division with 57 points.
The Senators are desperate for a win to stay within reach of the playoff teams in the East.
The last game with the Kings was physical, but head coach Dave Cameron insists he doesn’t want to try to outmuscle the Kings.
“We’re not going to match them physically,” Cameron said. “They’re a big, heavy team.
“We’re not big and heavy, but we’ve got to be smart with the puck, we’ve got to be competitive and we’ve got to manage the puck.”
CHIASSON RETURNS
After sitting out the past four games as a healthy scratch, winger Alex Chiasson replaced Max McCormick on the third line at practice.
It also appears Freddy Claesson will replace Chris Wideman on defence, although Cameron said he wouldn’t announce his lineup until game day.
If Chiasson does come back in, he promises to grind, as he did when he first arrived in the NHL with Dallas.
“I mean, you look at a guy like Hoff (Mike Hoffman), he’s known for his shot and he’s scored some pretty goals; for myself and some other guys on the team, we’ve got to find some other part of the game that mixes in well together.
“It’s not the easiest job, but that’s how I got my first chance in the NHL.
“I had to play that way when I first started, and I’ve got to find a way to make that more of a routine, every day.”
IN PRAISE OF EK
Kings defenceman Drew Doughty sang the praises of his main Norris Trophy competition — the Senators’ Erik Karlsson.
“He’s an unbelievable player, a lot of fun to watch,” Doughty said after the Kings’ practice.
“You know, I think I can learn a lot from him. His offensive skills are just out of this world. Some of the things he does, not many players can do.”
Asked if Karlsson has more of a “green light” to go on the attack, Doughty said, “I don’t play the two minutes of power play he does, but aside from that I basically have the same green light ... I just choose to use it differently.”