Ottawa Senators Mid-Term Grades – Goalies & Defensemen
Dec 18, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Ottawa Senators goalie Robin Lehner (40) makes a save during the second period of their game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Expectation: In his first full NHL season, Lehner was expected to push Anderson for the #1 job and provide solid goaltending when called upon to get in the net.
In the First Half: Lehner played more than he was expected to due to Anderson’s injury and at times less than stellar play. Lehner played in 19 games, starting 15 of them. He had a personal 3 game winning streak when Anderson was injured, the longest streak of the season by either goalie. His 5-9-3 record is probably doing his play a disservice, and he was probably better than his record would indicate. However, he was presented with an opportunity to seize the starting job and run with it, but fumbled that opportunity.
GRADE: C
Potential To Improve: The team in front of the goaltenders has has much to do with their poor numbers as the goalies themselves. As the overall team play improves, so will Lehner’s stats. How much he gets to play will be largely dependent on how Anderson plays in the second half.