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Erik Karlsson's the NHL's league leader in assists. Milan Michalek's tied for sixth in the NHL goal-scoring race. And, Jason Spezza is right near his career point-per-game average, scoring at a pace this year comparable to Patrick Kane, Joe Thornton, and Tyler Seguin.
In short - there's plenty of reasons why the Ottawa Senators in 2011-2012 aren't even close to the worst team in the league, a label bestowed on them by almost every media outlet before the puck dropped in October.
But, the one that's been the most unsuspecting - and arguably most important - of them all is coming from a twenty-three year old from Saskatchewan.
If you told me that Zack Smith - a third-round draft pick with limited upside in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft - was going to be an impact player for this team, I'd cringe with laughter.
How has Smith done it? Well, he's bringing the kind of intensity, focus, and drive that only a few in today's game possess. Analysts and writers always talk about the hardest-working players in the most hyperbolic way possible, but there's no question that Zack Smith is an exception to the usual exaggerations made by the media. The guy literally jumps over the boards like it's the last time he's ever going to touch the ice, and it's paying major dividends.
Smith's work on the penalty kill - alongside other surprises in Kaspars Daugavins, Erik Condra, and plenty of others - are turning that once-ugly unit into a formidable one, but no bottom-six player is scoring at the frenetic pace that Smith's currently clocking at.
In twenty-three games this season, Smith's scored twelve points(4G/8A), a welcomed scoring output from a guy who was expected to play a physical, checking role for this Ottawa Senators team. In fact, his 0.52 PPG average puts him in the same range as players like Henrik Zetterberg, Brian Gionta, Zach Parise, Drew Stafford, Jarome Iginla, and Bobby Ryan. Oh yeah, and he's doing it with less than fifteen minutes of ice time a night.
Not only is Smith scoring, but he's filling out the other statistical categories, too. His +5 in the +/- department leads the Ottawa Senators, fourth on the team in total takeaways and second in GvA/TkA ratio, and fourth amongst forwards in hits. Again, all in just 14:46 of ice time.
Is Smith's game perfect? Hardly. His offensive skill set is still pretty raw, and I don't see a ton of upside there. He's a shade under 50% in the faceoff circle, which always leaves room for improvement. And, although he's expected to have a decent number of PIMs, he does take some bizarre penalties about 200 feet from his own net.
Still, it's huge for this team to have another - if unfamiliar - face willing and able to carry some of the responsibility for a team that had lost all player accountability just one year ago.
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Back tomorrow, when Ottawa heads to Winnipeg for a Tuesday night affair at the MTS Centre.
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Thanks for reading!
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