(Source: AP)So, guys, I'm running out of positive superlatives here! Help me out?
Now, mind you, obviously I am happy about said lack of superlatives! Another Senators win was exactly what I needed after a crappy weekend overall and finding out that due largely to my own stupidity I missed out on an OBC liveblog tonight. I wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch under my hockey blanket and watch a good solid effort, and thankfully the boys were happy to deliver.
I'm wondering more and more about this Cory Clouston dude - seriously, what is he putting in their Gatorade? The team that couldn't score is suddenly lighting it up in bunches; the team that couldn't skate is running rings around opponents. And they're having fun doing it! At several points tonight TSN showed the Sens' bench and they were smiling, grinning actually, laughing and joking with each other. It's awesome to see them so loose and happy.
Ottawa came out of the gate with passion and determination, and the Predators just couldn't come up with an answer for that. Nick Foligno seems like a man on a mission these days and he delivered again tonight, slipping the puck past Preds goalie Pekka Rinne for the game-winning goal. Then the big line ground into action and got rewarded, with Dany Heatley putting one in off a beautiful Jason Spezza feed. As excited as I was to see all this, I wasn't quite sure whether or not it could last. I expected we'd need at least another couple of goals to nail it down.
But once again the Sens surprised me. (I really should have learned by now not to have any expectations, particularly after the Minnesota game, but what can I say - old habits die hard.) In the second and third periods they simply clamped down, taking over the neutral zone completely and being masterful on the penalty kill. Nashville was barely able to get a sniff and when they did, either there was a defenseman down to block the shot or Alex Auld was there to stop it. And thus, another lovely two points earned.
Of course, there are still areas to work on and stuff that could be improved. Our power play was utterly abysmal this game, and in fact we allowed the Predators two or three shorthanded chances on which they could easily have scored were it not for Auld's brilliance. The plays that the Sens seem to be able to coordinate so well even strength and on the penalty kill somehow fall apart once we're a man up, and I'm willing to bet that we'd be no better on 5-on-3 were we given the opportunity. Still, it's a work in progress and I recognize that. And believe me, I am impressed enough with Clouston's impact on the boys already that I'm perfectly willing to handwave that sort of thing as long as we continue to improve.
Are the playoffs within our grasp at this point? Well, I don't know. That's one branch of optimism into which I'm not sure I can venture. The statistic I've heard quoted most often is that we'd need to win 21 of the next 28 games in order to amass enough points, and meanwhile other teams on the bubble would have to start losing. Certainly this has happened with Montreal, the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, but can it happen with all the other clubs we have to get by? Maybe. Maybe not.
Much as I hate to say it, I think one of the most telling things about these new Senators will be how they react when they do eventually lose in regulation time. It's bound to happen at some point, and I really hope it doesn't dash their confidence into pieces. I hope they remember what they've achieved and what can yet be achieved so that they can move on and we can work towards ending this Annus Horribilis.
That's my wish. It remains to be seen whether it will be granted.
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