Ex-Senators are making an impact in post-season
St. Louis goalie Elliott leads cast of familiar faces
Fans of the Ottawa Senators don’t have to look far to find familiar names in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Former Senators are involved in nearly every series, which will drive some Ottawa fans crazy with angst. It’s far easier on the blood pressure to be pleased that players we came to know here got a chance to do well elsewhere.
There is no better example — or greater surprise to this point — than Brian Elliott of the St. Louis Blues.
Hands up, everyone who wanted to pool playoff hopes with Elliott as the starting goaltender for the hometown team? Just family and friends? I thought so.
During his two-plus seasons in Ottawa, Elliott rarely inspired confidence that he was the guy to build a team around.
Even when he won a careerhigh 29 games in 2009-10, he posted a modest save percentage of .909 and goals-against of 2.57.
In the playoffs that season, he was 1-2 with a goals-against of 4.14 as the Senators were bounced in six games by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In 2010-11, as the Senators shifted into a rebuild, Elliott, by now known for yielding the bench-sagging, weak goal, had a record of 13-19-8 at the time he was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche for Craig Anderson.
Anderson instantly stabilized Ottawa’s goaltending situation and has remained the club’s No. 1 guy.
While Anderson has had his ups and downs, his acquisition remains one of the Senators’ better trades.
That doesn’t mean we can’t find it in our hearts to applaud the 31-year-old Elliott for his performance on behalf of the St. Louis Blues against the Cup-champion Chicago Blackhawks so far.
Elliott has been brilliant. His 44-save, 3-2 victory over Chicago in Game 3 on Sunday was a work of art. In their first home game of the series, the Blackhawks came hard, and the Mad House on Madison was rocking, 22,000-strong. And still Elliott stood tall. His Blues lead the series 2-1, thanks in large part to Elliott’s 35-save shutout in the Game 1, a 1-0 overtime victory. Elliott’s numbers are insane: .963 save percentage and 1.28 goalsagainst.
It’s early, but Elliott has the makings of a classic playoff story, written by the guy who wasn’t supposed to be here. Jake Allen got more starts for St. Louis this season, but was injured in early April and Elliott got the call with Allen now backing up.
The Blues haven’t won a playoff series since 2011-12 when they beat the San Jose Sharks in five games, providing Elliott with his one and only playoff series win. Knocking off the rival Blackhawks would be beyond special. It could happen, if Elliott doesn’t wake up one morning and feel like his old self.
QUINE, PRINCE UNITE
Other former Senators in the post-season include centre and former captain Jason Spezza, who is having a terrific run with the Dallas Stars. That most-temporary of Senators, Ales Hemsky is with Dallas, too, as is former Senators first-round pick, Patrick Eaves.
One of the reasons the Detroit Red Wings will be hard pressed to pull off a first-round upset is the presence of another former Senators goaltender, Ben Bishop in Tampa Bay.
Bishop, who truly was the big one that got away at a time when Ottawa had three strong goalies, is a legitimate No. 1 stopper. He led the Lightning to the Cup final last spring and is in his usual form (. 939 save percentage and 2.01 goals-against).
Still, my favourite Ottawa-flavoured story in the Eastern Conference involves the New York Islanders, where the so-called ‘Kid Line’ has had an impact on the Isles-Florida Panthers series.
Shane Prince, 23, traded to New York from the Senators at the deadline along with a seventhround pick for a third-round pick, has had his struggles getting established with the Islanders.
Yet, at the outset of the series, Prince was put on the wing alongside Ottawa native Alan Quine and winger Ryan Strome; a third line that has played a big role in the two Islanders wins, in Games 1 and 3.
On Sunday, Prince scored a huge goal, closing a two-goal Florida gap to 3-2 before New York tied it and won in overtime. Prince had three shots on goal and played more than 13 minutes.
The Isles also took the opener 5-4, with Strome getting the game winner as Quine set it up, his first career NHL playoff point in his first career NHL playoff game.
What makes this story compelling: all three of these players emerged from the same 2011 entry draft. Strome was taken fifth overall by the Islanders. Prince went 61st to the Senators. Quine was selected 85th by the Detroit Red Wings, but didn’t sign with Detroit and re-entered the draft in 2013, where the Islanders took him in round six.
Growing up, Quine was a familiar rink rat around the Civic Centre. With good reason. His grandfather, Gary “Stump” Craig, was part of Brian Kilrea’s loyal, colourful staff when Killer was GM and head coach of the OHL Ottawa 67’s. Let’s just say there were a lot of proud households in this area watching Quine shine on the game’s brightest stage.