Anderson taking nothing for granted
Sens ready for busy finish with Anderson leading way and Condon in solid form
Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson is trying not to look too far ahead. Personally and professionally. There are countless battles remaining as his wife Nicholle prepares for another round of chemotherapy in her fight against a rare throat cancer. When Anderson returned to practice two weeks ago, he talked about gaining a new perspective on where hockey fits into the big picture.
Even after returning to the net in spectacular form, fashioning a 33-save shutout in Saturday’s 3-0 win over the New York Islanders, he’s taking nothing for granted.
“It’s just one game, just a blip on the radar,” he said. “If we can continue that consistency, then we’ll know for sure.
“Every goalie goes through good games and bad games and (Saturday), fortunately enough, the first one back was a good one.”
Considering everything his family has been through, Anderson should be a front-runner to win the Bill Masterton Trophy, awarded to the NHL player who best illustrates perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game.
If he can somehow maintain anything close to his current .927 save percentage — tied for third in the NHL behind Detroit’s Jimmy Howard and Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk — the Senators should maintain their solid playoff position during the stretch run to the playoffs.
They could even challenge Montreal for the top of the standings in the Atlantic Division, where no team has established any kind of dominance.
The emergence of Mike Condon as the super sub who might well have saved the season should also make life less busy and take some heat off Anderson.
At the very least, Condon has proven himself as an excellent backup, showing that he can also carry a club through an extended stretch if necessary.
Anderson and Condon have combined for eight shutouts. The Washington Capitals lead with 10.
That’s a luxury for Senators coach Guy Boucher.
Tuesday’s Valentine’s Day game against Buffalo will kick off a stretch of 29 games in 55 days to close out the season.
That race to the post-season also includes six pairs of games on consecutive nights. There will be no reluctance to give Condon his share of work along the way, spelling Anderson when he needs a break.
Burnout is a constant concern for No. 1 goalies forced to play the bulk of games night after night during a long season. Look no further than Montreal’s Carey Price and Sergei Bobrovsky of Columbus, who have stumbled through January and February.
After facing Buffalo Tuesday, the Senators will play a stretch of three games in four days and four games in six days. Both Anderson and Condon will play, but Anderson is the unquestioned No. 1.
“Condon was terrific in the role that he was given,” Boucher said following Saturday’s victory. “But what I have in mind now is (Anderson) just continues what he had started before he had to leave. He makes it look easy. When you look at how he controlled his rebounds, either because nothing was popping out or the opposite — how far he was popping out those rebounds — those are really good players with experience. He played terrific.”
His teammates could feel his composure.
“After missing all that time, he made it look easy for him,” said centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau. “It was like he had never left. We blocked some shots. We did some boxouts in front. We helped him out, but he’s the one that shut (the Islanders) out and made the big saves when we needed him to.”
Anderson recognizes it won’t be smooth sailing all the way to the end.
“One of us goalies will have a bad night and that’s just the nature of the game,” he said. “We won’t read too much into it, just stay consistent and keep working. Consistency in work habits is what allows us to play well.”
After missing all that time, he (Craig Anderson) made it look easy for him. It was like he had never left.