|
Senators Through 10 Games - Where Do They Stand? |
|
|
|
|
|
The Ottawa Senators have reached the 10 game mark of the season, and already they have taken their fans on a roller coaster ride. With uncertain expectations heading into the season, the fan base was waiting for something positive to happen so they could get on the bandwagon with both feet.
You can break down a season into segments, and 10 games seems like an opportunity to look back and see where the team is even though the season is still in its infancy. As the saying goes, you can't make the playoffs in October or November, but you can certainly put yourself out of the running.
If you look at the standings today, after 10 games, the Senators sit just outside the wild card spots, in the runner-up position. However, the number of games played range from 9 (Florida) to 13 (Boston and Buffalo). So, what would the standings look like if every team was ranked at their 10 game mark? Well here it is:
ATLANTIC DIVISION
1. Montreal 8-2-0; 16 pts
2. Detroit 6-2-2; 14 pts
3. Tampa Bay 6-3-1; 13 pts
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
1. Pittsburgh 7-2-1; 15 pts
2. New York I 6-4-0; 12 pts
3. New Jersey 5-3-2; 12 pts
WILD CARD
1. Ottawa 5-3-2; 12 pts
2. Florida* 4-2-3; 11 pts (through 9 games)
----
3. Toronto 5-4-1; 11 pts
4. New York R 5-4-1; 11 pts
5. Boston 5-5-0; 10 pts
6. Philadelphia 4-4-2; 10 pts
7. Washington 4-4-2; 10 pts
8. Columbus 4-6-0; 8 pts
9. Carolina 2-6-2; 6 pts
10. Buffalo 2-8-0; 4 pts
I said a few games ago that if a team can get 12 points (actually 11.3) in each 10 game segment of the season that they will be comfortably in a playoff spot. Well, through the ups and downs the Senators are on that pace, and it shows with the above adjusted standings.
The key will be to maintain that pace over the remaining 72 games of the season, and I think all of those who have seen the first 10 games would agree that the team must play better on the whole for them to keep that pace going.
The stars of the first segment are by far the goaltenders. Robin Lehner and Craig Anderson split the first 10 games, with each goalie getting 5 starts. For the first 4 for each one, there really couldn't be any complaints about their play. Sure, there was the odd misplay here and there (wraparounds for instance), but on the whole they gave more than could be expected. The last start for each was sub-par and games that each of them would rather forget, Anderson's against Chicago and Lehner's in Boston. The Senators have been outshot in 9 of their first 10 games, and the fact that they have 5 wins is largely due to the play of the men between the pipes.
Another positive coming out of the first 10 games has been the play of the newly formed "Kid Line" with Curtis Lazar centering Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman. As young players they will, and have, made mistakes, but with Paul MacLean picking his spots to play his young line they have been very effective and as they go they should get more important minutes as a trust is established.
As for Lazar, the time is nearing where a decision is going to have to be made as to where he plays the rest of the season. Lazar has suited up for 8 of the 10 games, and as Paul MacLean shuffled his deck to find the right combination, has shown the versatility to play the wing or centre with almost equal effecitveness. He can also kill penalties which he has been tasked with. He has done enough to stick with the team, it just comes down to whether or not the team wants to pay Colin Greening and/or Erik Condra to sit in the press box every night, and what roster moves the team wants to make when Marc Methot is finally healthy enough to play.
Clarke MacArthur leads the team with 5 goals. After going 11 games from the start of the season last year, MacArthur is on pace to shatter his career high of 24 set last season.
There have also been some things that need to be worked on, to put it nicely. The defensive end has often been messy, sloppy and in disrepair. There have been many instances where the Senators could simply not get out of their own zone, resulting in tired players, multiple shots on goal, penalties and goals. It is a lot easier to play in the offensive zone than the defensive one, and the Senators have often been their own worst enemy in that area. From Jared Cowen to Erik Karlsson, every member of the Senators blue line has had times where they have been guilty, some more than others.
The absence of Marc Methot, who has yet to really do any intense skating this season, has a big part in those problems, because it forces MacLean to use players in spots they aren't familiar with or might not be quite ready for. Finding someone to play with Karlsson has posed a problem, and he has seen action with most of the other defensemen except Cody Ceci. Methot in the lineup might not solve all the problems (after all he was in the lineup last season when they had the same problem), but couldn't hurt either.
LOOKING AHEAD
As we look forward to the next 10 games, the Senators have 6 at home, and 4 on the road. They are about to start a 4 game home stand (DET, MIN, WPG, TOR) followed by a Western Canadian road trip through Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary before returning home to two more Western Conference foes, the Predators and Blues before wrapping up the segment in Detroit.
Obvioulsy the games against the Wings and Leafs are of utmost importance, because they are essentially 4 point games, getting points while taking them away from rivals. The other 7 games are all out of conference, and some of them are very winnable games despite the fact that the teams are playing well. Those are games that the Senators need to get points from, even if it is just a loser point for forcing extra time.
The Senators have put themselves in a solid position as they go on, but they are teetering on the precipice of falling off the pace. Through 8 games they were in great shape, but the last two losses raise a lot of questions. Nipping that losing streak in the bud and not allowing it to extend to 4 or 5 games is the key to not having to scramble back and have to make up points later on to get back onto pace.
It all begins Tuesday against Detroit.
What are your overall impressions of the first 10 games as a whole?
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»