Ottawa Senators: Chicago Come To Town
Thursday marks the second game of the Ottawa Senators run of six consecutively tough games. Tampa grabbed the W last time out. Can the Sens stop the Blackhawks?
On the injury front for the Ottawa Senators it seems Craig Anderson and Mark Stone will remain out for tonights clash with one of the best teams in the NHL.
The Blackhawks have an injury concern of their own. Second-line centre Artem Anisimov is expected to miss three to four weeks with a leg injury. The Russian has been prolific for the Illinois outfit this term with 45 points in 64 games, a huge year. His league average is 0.5 PPG whereas this year he has totalled 0.7 PPG. A big miss for the Hawks, and a player who is often overlooked, given their star-studded lineup.
Goal Scoring Threat
It’s no secret that the Chicago Blackhawks possesses heaps of offensive talent. Patrick Kane is leading the league in scoring with 76 points in 69 games. Second in line for the Hawks is Artemi Panarin who is tied 14th with a certain Ottawa Senators captain on 62 points. Karlsson has played a game less than the Russian and can could over take him with an impressive night.
Jonathan Toews is also ticking along nicely as he begins his transformation into a playoff monster. Toews has 49 points in 60 contests.
Conversely for the Ottawa Senators Erik Karlsson leads the team on 62 points, a remarkable effort considering his stay-at-home attitude during the first half of the season. It would seem Boucher has let his most offensive weapon loose in recent outings
To put some perspective on the goalscoring, Chicago have scored 25 more goals than the Ottawa Senators this season and surprisingly conceded two goals less.
Chicago Blackhawks Goaltending
Number one goaltender Corey Crawford is having an above average year with a .920 save percentage, his career average is .918. The stats may suggest that but having watched multiple Hawks games I don’t feel that Crawford has been overly exceptional. Shots have surely rained upon him given Chicago’s offensive attitude.
Reading a piece from the (Chicago Tribune) and it appears there is anger towards the concussion spotters regarding Crawford. The goaltender received a trademark Shea Weber slapshot to the cage against Montreal. Crawford was not taken in for an assessment even after showing signs that the shot affected him. For me, it’s beginning to show an end to players giving it their all in some respects, especially when it comes to concussion. Given the severity of potential damage down the line, action must be taken.
Scott Darling has been nothing short of groundbreaking when slotting in for the injured Crawford. A .931 save percentage in 26 contests with two shutouts the same as Crawford who has played 20 more games.
Ottawa Senators Goaltending
As mentioned above, Craig Anderson will most likely sit another game due to a lower body injury. No need to panic though, as Mike Condon continues to be prolific between the pipes. His efforts against the Tampa Bay Lightning secured a point for the Ottawa Senators.
Mike Condon’s save percentage is at .913 with five shutouts. While the save percentage alone may not blow you away, it bears reminding that he has played behind a depleted squad most nights. Also without a credible backup to bail him out when Anderson was on leave.
Game Plan For The Ottawa Senators
You all know what is coming here. This section could almost be a fill-in-the-blanks area. The Blackhawks are an extremely powerful team when they get it going. Back in form with 8-2-0 in their last 10. Another great pre-playoff test for this Ottawa Senators team, can they brush shoulders with the best?
Next: Possible First Round Matchups
I sure think they can, the system is working but now is the time to see if it works against the best. The unbeaten streak was nice but it wasn’t against any real credible opposition. The next five games will tell you everything you need to know about the Sens credibility going into the off-season.
Prediction
2-1 Ottawa Senators.