Three teams played their 40th game of the season Monday. Including in that trio is Canada's own Ottawa Senators. Here's is some more on their season.
Ottawa Senators: 20-15-5, good for 45 points:
Heading into this season, I thought the Senators would be one of the worst teams in the league. So far, that has not been the case. Their 45 points put them in the middle of the pack, but a lot of teams can pass them by their 40th game. However, none of those teams play in the Northeast Division, although Toronto can tie them. That being said, they haven't really played well, as they have a minus-12 goal differential.
The Senators have gotten more on offense than I expected. Jason Spezza leads the way with 40 points. Milan Michalek has the most goals with 19, even though he's only played 35 games this season. Daniel Alfredsson has scored 28 points in 34 games.
On defense, Erik Karlsson has emerged as one of the better blueliners in the league. He has 37 points and is a plus-1 on a team that has few players with positive ratings. Sergei Gonchar has rebounded nicely with 21 points in 33 games. Ottawa's problems have been in net. Craig Anderson has played in 35 games and has a .899 save percentage. Alex Auld has been worse in limited playing time. Maybe it is time to turn to Robin Lehner?
Ottawa seems quite likely to exceed my expectations, though that isn't exactly a tremendous feat. However, I also don't think they will be all that bad. They won't be good, they won't make the playoffs, but they won't be one of the league's worst teams. If they hold onto their roster that is. Honestly, it would probably be wiser for them to trade guys like Alfredsson and Gonchar for their rebuild. Those guys won't be around when this team is ready to win again. It may hurt them this season, but it would help them in the future.
Comments