Overmatched Sens find way to come through in overtime
When defencemen Erik Karlsson, Dion Phaneuf and Marc Methot are asked to stay at home, there’s bound to be more bad and ugly than good.
Accordingly, nobody should get too carried away by the overall sloppiness the Senators displayed in Thursday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens.
The good was that Mike Hoffman showed off his goal-scoring touch, netting two, including the overtime game winner.
Matt Puempel and Bobby Ryan also scored for the Senators. Michael McCarron, Brendan Gallagher and Zach Redmond scored for the Canadiens
The score, though, is fool’s gold for Senators fans.
Senators coach Guy Boucher says the point of the game was about taking a long look at the “bubble guys” who are on the “cusp” of making the opening day roster.
“We’ve got to make decisions,” said Boucher. “Some guys did well. Some guys didn’t do so well.”
The Canadiens sported the better lineup and Boucher says that was a good thing, a trial by fire for prospects pushing.
The Senators were fortunate to be ahead 2-1 after the first period (outshot 15-3), lucky to be tied 3-3 after two (when the shot clock read 25-12) and still deadlocked 3-3 after regulation (40-19 shots edge for the Canadiens).
The bad and ugly was all about the Senators being hemmed in their own zone, taking too many penalties and forcing goaltenders Chris Driedger and Matt O’Connor to fend for themselves far too often.
Driedger (18 saves on 21 shots) and O’Connor (a perfect 19-for19) were the Senators best players, which is clearly a positive if either Craig Anderson or Andrew Hammond suffer an injury. O’Connor pitches a shutout: O’Connor came in cold, entering the game midway through the second, but was sharp in closing the door.
“It’s definitely a fun atmosphere in the Bell Centre, but the puck definitely moves faster after you’re sitting on the sidelines,” he said.
“Even though it wasn’t as pretty (as some games), I thought the guys rallied and a lot of guys were blocking shots late.”
Indeed. While there was plenty for Boucher and GM Pierre Dorion to be concerned about, the club’s play improved in the final 10 minutes of regulation. Opening statement: Puempel was in the right place at the right time, opening the scoring with a nifty backhand past the Canadiens’ Mike Condon 50 seconds in.
Puempel, who has two goals in three pre-season games, is being given a shot in every situation, playing on first, second, third and fourth lines, as well as on the power play and killing penalties. Thursday, he was with Ryan and Derick Brassard. Waiver wild card: In similar circumstances a year ago, Shane Prince had the inside track on a roster spot because he would have had to clear waivers if assigned to Binghamton.
This time around, Puempel owns that edge. But he doesn’t want to go there.
“That’s not part of it at all, really,” said Puempel.
Yes, it is. Speed rules: Back in 2014, pop princess Meghan Trainor hit number one on the Billboard charts by singing that it’s All About That Bass.
But for Ottawa Senators coach Guy Boucher, climbing the NHL charts is All About The Pace.
Asked Thursday about the ongoing battle between Puempel, Paul and Dzingel for a coveted opening day roster spot, Boucher says it ultimately boils down to maintaining speed and energy in today’s NHL.
“It’s all about pace,” he said, referring to the success of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and Canada’s World Cup of Hockey squad.
“Can the guys keep up to the pace at the NHL level? The more we move on (in the pre-season) the more NHL players are in the lineup. Can you maintain the pace?”
Maybe we shouldn’t discount Phil Varone in the race for a roster spot. Varone set up Hoffman’s first goal with a backhand pass that Hoffman said very few players could make. About those distractions: Paul played with Chris Kelly and Mike Blunden Thursday, but says he would lose his mind if was constantly worrying and wondering about the line combinations.
“It’s hard, but honestly you have to put it aside, because the more you think about it, the more it messes up your game, the more you’re thinking about it during the game,” he said. “As soon as you put politics and everything in your head, it just makes it so much harder to play.” Rough audition: Thursday’s first period won’t help Matt Bartkowski’s battle to win a contract with the Senators. Michael McCarron beat him wide on the Canadiens first goal.
He took a double minor penalty for cross-checking Alex Galchenyuk and he gave away the puck several times.
It was also a particularly rough night for Mark Borowiecki, who struggled with the Canadiens speed all night, repeatedly giving the puck away.
After an awful second period turnover to Artturi Lehkonen, the crossbar saved Borowiecki and O’Connor.
In the third, Borowiecki went down hard after losing an edge and being checked into the boards by the Canadiens’ Greg Pateryn. Borowiecki briefly left the game, favouring his shoulder.
“My goodness, this guy is tough,” said Boucher, who was shocked when Borowiecki came back from the dressing room. “I think the boards are hurting more than he is. He’s a real tough individual. That’s why he’s in this league. That’s why he is on our team and that’s why he has the respect that he has.” Awaiting the Karlsson return: Boucher isn’t committing to anything on the Karlsson front, but it’s possible the Senators captain could play against the Canadiens in Saturday’s matinee