Hamburglar Impresses And Last Nights Third Period Does Not

It was quite the week for the Ottawa Senators, as they ended up going 3-0-1 against the Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, and Calgary Flames. Despite that, they still sit five points back of Boston with a game in hand. Here to give their thoughts for honourable and dishonourable mentions of the week is the SenShot staff:

Jeff Ulmer:

Honourable Mention – Goalies

With Andrew Hammond making waves up in Ottawa, something is afoot here in Binghamton as with the Senators now riding the backbone of Scotty Greenham and veteran Peter Mannino in-between the pipes during this current three game win streak.

In back to back road victories down in Norfolk last week, followed by Sunday’s afternoon win over Syracuse on home ice, the two have made a combined 138 saves with only 5 goals scored against. Mind you, this all takes place with a very porous defense intact. Nice to see in backing up the effort’s for one final push by the club.

Dishonourable Mention – Defense

On the flip side of things, one cannot ignore how many shots have been given up against Binghamton all season long which is truly amazing in supporting the goal-tending dual of Mannino and Greenham and what they bring. It remains a problem, as this defense has been built gambling heavily on the offense with little regard to actual defense with the exception of a few players. This club misses a Mark Borowiecki type of player in the worst way.

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Travis Valois:

Honourable Mention- Andrew Hammond

This obviously goes to Andrew Hammond. Hammond has been on an absolute tear. Hammond is 7-0-1 with a .954 save percentage. With Anderson almost letting a 4-0 lead result in a loss it seems likely the team goes back to Hammond for their next match up.

Dishonourable Mention- The Senators brass

I like the fact that they kept Erik Condra. If Condra does become a UFA and leaves town was it worth not trading him? The Senators did not acquire anything at the trade deadline. They will most likely move a defenceman in the off-season. All in all the Senators are rolling right now and I hope it continues.

Zachary Prenner:

Honourable Mention – McDonald’s

Pretty nice of them to run with the “Hamburglar” theme that’s swept the nation’s capital in recent weeks, going so far as to give away free hamburgers to all those in attendance for Friday’s win against the Buffalo Sabres.

Dishonourable Mention – Last night’s third period

Getting outshot 24-9 is never pretty, but it was especially ugly as it allowed the Flames to come back from 4 goals down to tie up what should have been an easy win for the Senators. We need to learn to play with the lead – we’re not quite good enough to justify taking our foot off the gas against any team, let alone a resilient Flames squad that has been known for its comebacks this season.

Jack Leiper:

Honourable Mention – Alex Chiasson

It’s been a down year for the big winger, and it was nice to see him score vs Calgary. The effort wasn’t one to be proud of, however Chiasson scoring is nice and lifts a monkey of his back. It’ll be interesting to see where he slots next season, or if the Senators feel as though he’s a big enough piece to bring back, or if he’s a fit for the future.

Jan 13, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Ottawa Senators right wing Alex Chiasson (90) warms up before facing his former team the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dishonourable Mention – Defensive Usage

Like seriously, what the heck? Senshot writer, Josh Chenoweth pointed it out to me here and it is just ridiculous. What frustrates me further is the fact that the ownership group has failed to recognize this as a top 6 winger seems to be Bryan Murray’s #1 off-season target, and until that changes.. there’s my dishonourable mention.

Josh Chenoweth:

Honourable Mention- Mark Stone

With 6 points in his last 5 games, along with takeaway after takeaway, he’s been opening eyes around the NHL. He’s also played a big role in helping Kyle Turris and Milan Michalek put up points more consistently. What a steal at the 178th overall pick in 2010.

Dishonourable Mention- +/-

In the age of Corsi and Fenwick (or SAT if you prefer), that anyone puts stock in this stat as an indicator of an individual player’s quality of play is baffling. Case in point: last night’s game. Gryba and Borowiecki led the Sens with a +3 and +2 respectively despite their 3rd period consisting of the Flames getting chance after chance in the Sens’ zone, and the two defencemen being incapable of retrieving the puck despite the perception that their hard-hitting style is perfect for shutting down opponents. Oy vey.

Ottawa isn’t getting any help from teams beating up on the Bruins, Flyers, and Panthers, and ironically it was the Flyers who we had to cheer for on Saturday

Trevor Shackles:

Honourable Mention- Kyle Turris

How about Turris in the shootout? All of a sudden he can actually score in the shootout, as he scored against the Wild and Flames in the past week. In both of those cases, he kept the team alive. Of course they eventually lost to the Wild anyway, but if he can be a better scorer that would be huge for a team that is always poor in extra time. Also his line with Milan Michalek and Mark Stone has actually produced more than the amazing Mike Hoffman, Mika Zibanejad, Bobby Ryan line.

Dishonourable Mention- Philadelphia Flyers

Really, Philly? You couldn’t hold the lead for 15 more seconds? On Saturday the Flyers were beating the Bruins 2-1 in the last minute of play, and they allowed Brad Marchand to score with 15 seconds left, and then one more time in overtime. It was the absolute worst case scenario from that game. Ottawa isn’t getting any help from teams beating up on the Bruins, Flyers, and Panthers, and ironically it was the Flyers who we had to cheer for on Saturday.

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