Ottawa Senators: Notes From December Injury Stricken, Hoffman, Mika And Ryan

First off, Happy New Year everyone. The Sens are back in action on Saturday v Boston and then return home to play Tampa Bay on Sunday.

December was a month which had ups and downs, Ottawa fell from having a decent record to a relatively poor one. The playoffs have started to look unlikely as a streak or massive rebound is likely what it would take to become a playoff team.

Month Of Highlights: 

Bobby Ryan ended the month with a fanstastic performance vs Buffalo. His 1st career hat-trick of the season marked 5 goals on the month for Bobby and 10 on the season.

Ryan also found his name on the “goal of the year” candidate list, with this beauty vs Los Angeles.

Ryan wasn’t the only  Senator who had a highlight reel goal this month. Kyle Turris scored one as well. This time vs Anaheim.

Mika and Mike:  

I did a little piece on these two a while back. I took a look at their performance with and without each other and dove a little into analytics. Putting all that aside, both players had fantastic months.

Zibanejad had 6 goals through December and added 6 helpers for 12 points. Zibanejad’s best performance came Vancouver where he posted a 4-point night with 2 goals and 2 assists.

After a start to the season that had some (including myself) calling for Mika back to Binghamton, he has seemed to turn things around and heads into the new year looking for a successful 2015.

As for Mike Hoffman, i’d like to call his performance a surprise; but we know what he can do. Through december, Mike Hoffman leads this team in scoring. At 11 goals he had an 8 point month and continues to get 2nd line minutes with Zibanejad and Ryan.

The way Hoffman controls the ice and rushes the puck continues to be one of the most exciting moments to watch as a Senators fan. And as a guy who cleared waivers last year, Hoffman has become a good NHL player.

Oct 28, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Ottawa Senators center

(15) controls the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Ottawa beat Columbus 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

Injuries: 

Until December, the Senators were a healthy team. Marc Méthot was the only one out for an extended period of time, but this month we saw 4 players who are likely to be out for quite a while.

Smith and Neil: 

Zack Smith has not been having a great season. Fans have become disgruntled with his play as the “zip” that appeared to be there last season is no longer existent. Through 27 games, Smith has 2 goals and 1 assist. When he went down with a wrist injury on Dec. 13th, Ottawa’s lineup was not dramatically impacted.

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Smith, still only 26 had a great season last year with 13 goals and seemed to fit the 3rd/4th line role perfectly. Smith’s injury is described as one that will lead him to be “out for months” via Dave Cameron. The injury is a set-back for Smith in an already disappointing year.

Chris Neil was the other bottom-sixer who fell to injury in December. Neil fell out of the lineup on Dec 12th with a “lower body injury”. On the 15th, coach Cameron announced Neil was dealing with something considered as week-to-week.

Borowiecki:

This was a weird one. Described as a “freak accident” by coach Cameron, Mark Borowiecki was walking in the CTC prior to Ottawa’s game vs Buffalo where Borowiecki cut himself on an electrical outlet. 48 stitches, 3 layers deep will leave Boro in a walking cast for a week where the entire length of the injury is unknown.