Nilsson staying focused after Monday’s netminder carnage
Goalie not worrying about Chicago game or trade deadline, writes Ken Warren.
NEWARK, N.J. If it’s any consolation to Anders Nilsson, there were three other goaltenders who also watched pucks fly over their shoulders left and right Monday night.
“It definitely wasn’t a goalie game, that’s for sure,” Nilsson said of the Ottawa Senators’ 8-7 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. “I don’t know what to say. It was one of those games where the puck ended up in the net at both ends. It’s my first game at a professional level where I see four goalies play in one game and 15 goals scored. That was a new experience.”
Nilsson allowed four goals on 12 shots before giving way to Craig Anderson, who yielded the final four Blackhawks goals.
Nilsson will get the first crack to bounce back, scheduled to start Thursday here against the New Jersey Devils. Anderson is expected to start Friday at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The ability to shake off shaky nights is what separates NHL goaltenders from other netminders.
“I think you have to, whether you have a shutout or a good game or a bad game,” Nilsson said. “You can’t control anything that has been in the past. That’s kind of the mindset you have to have, especially as a goalie.”
In advance of Monday’s trade deadline, Nilsson could draw some interest as a depth goaltender for a team in the playoff chase.
“I’m not in that position where I have a no-trade clause or anything like that,” he said. “There are a lot of rumours, a lot of talks, but for me, personally, I can’t control anything. We’ll see what happens when Monday is over.”
BAD MEMORIES
Anderson’s season soured here exactly two months ago.
He hasn’t won since suffering a concussion in a 5-2 loss to the Devils on Dec. 21, and what happened at the Prudential Center began a tailspin the Senators haven’t fully recovered from.
We’ll take you back to the leadup to that game, when the Senators still had hope of challenging for a playoff spot. The key to that was Anderson, who started 30 of the club’s first 36 games, leading the NHL in facing the most shots, making the most saves, ranking second in minutes played and tied for fourth in the league with 14 wins.
Then a combination of factors — an errant shot off his face in the morning skate, coupled with a hard hit from the Devils’ Miles Wood in the opening minutes of the game — resulted in a concussion.
With Anderson out, Mike McKenna and Marcus Hogberg attempted to keep the Senators afloat, but the season was lost over that span. The slump didn’t stop until Nilsson ended the eight-game losing streak against Anaheim on Jan. 9.
By then the Senators were too far gone to have any realistic shot at re-entering the playoff race.
Anderson didn’t return to action until Jan. 19, losing in his first four appearances.
Then came the freak tennis ball injury, which sidelined him yet again.
Anderson wasn’t fully recovered before replacing Nilsson on Monday.
DUCHENE’S DIGITS
If Matt Duchene has played his final game with the Senators, this is his legacy. He has been one of the most prolific point producers in Senators history, registering 50 goals and 57 assists in 118 games. The Senators record in those 118 games? 39-69-10. Credit to colleague Don Brennan for his math homework.
BELLEVILLE CALLING
Once the dust settles after Monday’s trade deadline, the Senators will have some decisions to make about their prospects in Belleville.
The B-Sens have gone 13 games without a loss in regulation (9-04) and are on the cusp of a playoff spot in the American Hockey League.
In terms of development, what is more valuable: gaining NHL experience at the tail end of a lost season or being involved in a playoff chase (and potential playoff run) one level below?
The primary players involved in that question include Logan Brown, Drake Batherson, Nick Paul and Christian Wolanin. Incidentally, Brown, Batherson and Paul — sent to Belleville from Ottawa in early February — have combined for 38 points in eight games.
HALL OF A YEAR
The loss of defending league Most Valuable Player Taylor Hall has been a colossal blow for the Devils. Hall hasn’t played since Dec. 23 — two nights after putting up two goals and two assists against the Senators — due to a lower-body injury. Since then, the Devils have won only 10 of 23 games. Hall has resumed skating and the hope is he’ll be able to return before the end of the season. … The Senators could get a look at Cory Schneider in the Devils’ net Thursday. When you talk about resiliency, look no further than Schneider. He’s on a two-game winning streak following victories over Buffalo and Minnesota. Before that? He was on a 23-game regular-season losing streak — along with a stint in the AHL earlier this year — dating all the way back to Dec. 29, 2017.