Kevin Francis: Ottawa drops third straight at home in loss to the Caps!

A shootout like that needs a "GBU" review structure...

The Good - some real tenacity and legitimate production from the team's top-unit. Batherson with a 3G-1A performance, 2Pts for Norris/Chabot, 1Pts for Tkachuk/Zub... all of whom were also +2 or better. Norris/Paul/Tierney paced them to a 62% win rate in the faceoff-circle, and they only gave the Capitals 1 PP opportunity. Tierney/Ennis chipped in on the 2nd PP unit, and Gustavsson stepped into a $hitstorm, and played well enough to give them a chance to come back. And fighting back from 4-1 and 6-4 definitely showed resilience.

The Bad - as noted in the review, Brown/Paul are being overplayed, and Stutzle just has nobody to help him offensively. The potential is undeniable, but this is exactly how you do harm to a young player's confidence. I'd almost prefer if they just let him play on the 3rd line with Tierney/Ennis just to get him away from the shut-down nature of the minutes they have Brown/Paul playing. Hard not to be down on Forsberg as well... after a hot start, he's really getting exposed. Gustavsson is already proving to be the more reliable option, but given the injury to Murray it's good they at least have good depth in goal.

The Ugly - holy $hit, those bottom-2 D-pairings are vulnerable. Holden at least understands defensive positioning and has some meaningful physical upside, but Brown is just lost. He and Mete somehow managed to be a combined -5 despite just 10-11min each, and looking like passengers for most of the game. But Zaitsev... I realize he's being unjustifiably burdened with the most minutes of that group, but he was not only a team-worst -3, but can be held DIRECTLY responsible for the plays that resulted in the 5th & 6th Capitals goals, and broke the momentum of their comeback.

Holden is clearly the #3 guy... or at least the most effective of the non-Chabot/Zub options available. But he needs a legitimate RD partner, and the rest of the blue line is nothing but a group of reclamation projects from the discard pile of the league. Del Zotto "might" be able to handle that role, but it's becoming very clear that Zaitsev is just out of his depth when not being paired with Chabot. At some point, you have to wonder when Bernard-Docker or Thomson might get a look... because they're definitely the future, and that future may have to come sooner than expected.

P.S. Speaking of the future, Jake Sanderson now leads UND in scoring with 7pts in 6GP, including 3G/4A, along with a team best +6 rating. What a difference this guy is going to make, when they'll have him or Chabot on the ice for at least 45min/GP every single night.

My question on Twitter - Which blueline would you rather have, last year or this year?

Defense last year - Chabot/Zub/Brown/Zaitsev/Reilly/Gudbranson - 7th Coburn

This year - Chabot/Zub/Brown/Zaitsev/Holden/Mete - 7th Michael Del Zotto
Sens fans thought it was bad last year, but what has really changed?? Scary, this is on Dorion!

Well last night was my first attended game in......well...a long time.

Agree with what most have said.
I'll say in-person I was thoroughly entertained for my 42$ (two tickets+parking) by the over all experience. The refill option on the popcorn and the keeper Tkachuk tumbler is a cool idea too since we need to constantly munch on popcorn to keep our masks off.

On ice....seeing just how much Chabbot is on the ice LIVE ….has you shaking your head. It's almost easier to count when he's "off the ice" which is rarely. He played well but then you see moments of exhaustion and stupid give aways. Tkachuk's foot speed, such as it, isn't quite up to NHL speed yet. He looked slow.

Finally Ovechkin is annoying to watch. He does NOTHING all game, floats around ,never retrieves the puck or chases people down, has five shots on net and scores twice.

Two hat tricks in the game last night, it was not a goal tender duel.

Some good news from last night tho, leafs lost 4-1 to the Canes!

The game was a coaches nightmare but made for an exciting game to watch.

Batherson has a swagger about him that just leads you to believe he’s going to be a star. His development is going to be great to watch. Solid games from the top forwards overall.

This team isn’t going anywhere if the defence isn’t improved. Chabot and Zub are great right now, but the bottom 4 is a train wreck. Frustrating to watch. Even more frustrating that they had a whole summer to try and address the defence but really didn’t change anything. Will be interesting to see if anything is addressed. However, I assume the team is just waiting for Sanderson and JBD to develop this year and save the day in the future in their first professional seasons.

This team has some exciting parts but this season, more than ever, there is a huge separation in talent of top players and players rounding out the roster. Night and day when shifts are changed.

What I want to know is...how is Josh Brown in the league? He can't handle pressure at all. The second goal was entirely preventable. What is he thinking at the blueline?

Ottawa needs a dose of Brannstrom for sure...quick puck movement is needed

Some good news from last night tho, leafs lost 4-1 to the Canes!
- Mithos

Schadenfreude

The defense needs help.
Entertaining for sure
Stuetzle is struggling . Seems the league is aware now of his growing reputation. I try and put a spin on it, thinking back to Crosbys reputation in the beginning. But its apples and oranges. He is looking overwhelmed .

Reality is setting in about the " north division " - oilers

Three tough losses in a row. Any two would have been much easier to swallow had they managed to pull out one win this past week.

Still, signs of growth amonth this young team. Loved the poise / hesitation by Batherson on that one goal.

While this is one of those learning expereices most young teams must go through, seems many of the biggest miskates are coming from the most experienced players on the team.

Some good news from last night tho, leafs lost 4-1 to the Canes!
- Mithos

I just had to draft Nylander in my pool

I just had to draft Nylander in my pool
- david22

could be worse, i have Campbell


and my other goalie is fleury

My question on Twitter - Which blueline would you rather have, last year or this year?

Defense last year - Chabot/Zub/Brown/Zaitsev/Reilly/Gudbranson - 7th Coburn

This year - Chabot/Zub/Brown/Zaitsev/Holden/Mete - 7th Michael Del Zotto
Sens fans thought it was bad last year, but what has really changed?? Scary, this is on Dorion!
- Kevin Francis

Scary to think both defense line ups of last year and this year are a dead heat in my eyes. I don't get GM's that think because you change the bottom pairing that the results will change?

could be worse, i have Campbell


and my other goalie is fleury
- sensarmy_11

Just posted this in my comments of my blog.
Toews(CHI), O'Reilly and Saad(STL) placed in covid protocol today!

Chicago is a mess.

My question on Twitter - Which blueline would you rather have, last year or this year?


Defense last year - Chabot/Zub/Brown/Zaitsev/Reilly/Gudbranson - 7th Coburn

This year - Chabot/Zub/Brown/Zaitsev/Holden/Mete - 7th Michael Del Zotto
Sens fans thought it was bad last year, but what has really changed?? Scary, this is on Dorion!
- Kevin Francis

What about Brannstrom? I know he's going through growing pains, and is still somewhat young, but it's hard to think the defence would be worse with him in the lineup.

Obviously you want to do what's best for his development. But he's the one guy I look at whos closest to being ready who would make the D look better. Giving him top four minutes with this young team may be the best thing for him.

Scary to think both defense line ups of last year and this year are a dead heat in my eyes. I don't get GM's that think because you change the bottom pairing that the results will change?
- PuckPix

True, both groups are comparable and even in a lot of ways! Just unreal!

What about Brannstrom? I know he's going through growing pains, and is still somewhat young, but it's hard to think the defence would be worse with him in the lineup.

Obviously you want to do what's best for his development. But he's the one guy I look at whos closest to being ready who would make the D look better. Giving him top four minutes with this young team may be the best thing for him.
- david22

At least he can break out of the defensive zone and carry the puck up the ice, at this point it's painfully clear Brown and Zaitsev cant, heck they cant even make the first pass out from behind their net!

What I want to know is...how is Josh Brown in the league? He can't handle pressure at all. The second goal was entirely preventable. What is he thinking at the blueline?

Ottawa needs a dose of Brannstrom for sure...quick puck movement is needed
- AlexProScout

Exactly! Someone messaged me on Twitter saying does he have photos of DJ Smith from their junior days in Oshawa lol

The game was a coaches nightmare but made for an exciting game to watch.

Batherson has a swagger about him that just leads you to believe he’s going to be a star. His development is going to be great to watch. Solid games from the top forwards overall.

This team isn’t going anywhere if the defence isn’t improved. Chabot and Zub are great right now, but the bottom 4 is a train wreck. Frustrating to watch. Even more frustrating that they had a whole summer to try and address the defence but really didn’t change anything. Will be interesting to see if anything is addressed. However, I assume the team is just waiting for Sanderson and JBD to develop this year and save the day in the future in their first professional seasons.

This team has some exciting parts but this season, more than ever, there is a huge separation in talent of top players and players rounding out the roster. Night and day when shifts are changed.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

Exactly, huge gap from 1st line and 1st D pairing. The dropoff is remarkable. Like I said in the piece, Brown and Paul arent excelling with the increased minutes, in fact they are struggling to produce their overall game that we are used to seeing the last 2 years!

Well last night was my first attended game in......well...a long time.

Agree with what most have said.
I'll say in-person I was thoroughly entertained for my 42$ (two tickets+parking) by the over all experience. The refill option on the popcorn and the keeper Tkachuk tumbler is a cool idea too since we need to constantly munch on popcorn to keep our masks off.

On ice....seeing just how much Chabbot is on the ice LIVE ….has you shaking your head. It's almost easier to count when he's "off the ice" which is rarely. He played well but then you see moments of exhaustion and stupid give aways. Tkachuk's foot speed, such as it, isn't quite up to NHL speed yet. He looked slow.

Finally Ovechkin is annoying to watch. He does NOTHING all game, floats around ,never retrieves the puck or chases people down, has five shots on net and scores twice.

Two hat tricks in the game last night, it was not a goal tender duel.
- Octavarium

Brady is definitely not able to sustain his effort level like he wants for a full game, he needs this road trip and lets see how he is when they return home. Agreed on Chabot and Ovechkin, well what can you say, he seems to produce in the same spot like Brett Hull did for years, everyone knew it was coming but nobody ever stopped it. Glad you enjoyed the game live!

A shootout like that needs a "GBU" review structure...

The Good - some real tenacity and legitimate production from the team's top-unit. Batherson with a 3G-1A performance, 2Pts for Norris/Chabot, 1Pts for Tkachuk/Zub... all of whom were also +2 or better. Norris/Paul/Tierney paced them to a 62% win rate in the faceoff-circle, and they only gave the Capitals 1 PP opportunity. Tierney/Ennis chipped in on the 2nd PP unit, and Gustavsson stepped into a $hitstorm, and played well enough to give them a chance to come back. And fighting back from 4-1 and 6-4 definitely showed resilience.

The Bad - as noted in the review, Brown/Paul are being overplayed, and Stutzle just has nobody to help him offensively. The potential is undeniable, but this is exactly how you do harm to a young player's confidence. I'd almost prefer if they just let him play on the 3rd line with Tierney/Ennis just to get him away from the shut-down nature of the minutes they have Brown/Paul playing. Hard not to be down on Forsberg as well... after a hot start, he's really getting exposed. Gustavsson is already proving to be the more reliable option, but given the injury to Murray it's good they at least have good depth in goal.

The Ugly - holy $hit, those bottom-2 D-pairings are vulnerable. Holden at least understands defensive positioning and has some meaningful physical upside, but Brown is just lost. He and Mete somehow managed to be a combined -5 despite just 10-11min each, and looking like passengers for most of the game. But Zaitsev... I realize he's being unjustifiably burdened with the most minutes of that group, but he was not only a team-worst -3, but can be held DIRECTLY responsible for the plays that resulted in the 5th & 6th Capitals goals, and broke the momentum of their comeback.

Holden is clearly the #3 guy... or at least the most effective of the non-Chabot/Zub options available. But he needs a legitimate RD partner, and the rest of the blue line is nothing but a group of reclamation projects from the discard pile of the league. Del Zotto "might" be able to handle that role, but it's becoming very clear that Zaitsev is just out of his depth when not being paired with Chabot. At some point, you have to wonder when Bernard-Docker or Thomson might get a look... because they're definitely the future, and that future may have to come sooner than expected.

P.S. Speaking of the future, Jake Sanderson now leads UND in scoring with 7pts in 6GP, including 3G/4A, along with a team best +6 rating. What a difference this guy is going to make, when they'll have him or Chabot on the ice for at least 45min/GP every single night.
- khawk

As always, great post my friend! Sanderson does look dynamite in the bits that I have seen him this year. To nobody's surprise. I do think Thomson gets a look before JBD. He really needs time down there. They really need to find someone to insulate Stutzle as you mentioned. Brown and Paul arent nearly as effective this year and Timmy is getting the opposing teams top units matching up on him. They need to move things around but they cant until Dorion gets someone for the top 6. Not more bottom 6 forwards.

I think at this point you can't play Chabot and Zub together. Chabot can cover for Zaitsev and Zub can cover for maybe Brannstrom or Mete, two guys who should be used a lot more than MDZ or Brown, especially when Watson gets back so other teams don't take too many liberties which why Brown is there to begin with I'm guessing. Holden is ok on third pair but I don't know who you pair him with unless he can play the right side.

Up front you need to stick Stutzle on the first line and let Tkachuk work with Paul and Brown for now. Do not put Pinto back at 2C. He's not at all ready for that and he may never be for all anybody knows. Also give Formenton a shot at bigger things maybe. I think he can be a surprise given the opportunity. Can he play the right side?

This is a year to experiment because this team is not going anywhere. Try Stutzle at C maybe.

Forsberg is never going to be your guy so maybe play Gus a little more. Who knows when Murray will be back.

Just a few idle thoughts that might be completely off base.

I think at this point you can't play Chabot and Zub together. Chabot can cover for Zaitsev and Zub can cover for maybe Brannstrom or Mete, two guys who should be used a lot more than MDZ or Brown, especially when Watson gets back so other teams don't take too many liberties which why Brown is there to begin with I'm guessing. Holden is ok on third pair but I don't know who you pair him with unless he can play the right side.

Up front you need to stick Stutzle on the first line and let Tkachuk work with Paul and Brown for now. Do not put Pinto back at 2C. He's not at all ready for that and he may never be for all anybody knows. Also give Formenton a shot at bigger things maybe. I think he can be a surprise given the opportunity. Can he play the right side?

This is a year to experiment because this team is not going anywhere. Try Stutzle at C maybe.

Forsberg is never going to be your guy so maybe play Gus a little more. Who knows when Murray will be back.

Just a few idle thoughts that might be completely off base.
- Whatisavailable

Holden is top 4 on this team right now, but like you said how do you pair these guys up. But as you mentioned, it's a great point, move guys around and find out what works, they have nothing to lose. Brannstrom looked just fine with Holden before being sent down. They played in Vegas together a bit too.

Getting Watson back will help too, Sanford is just useless! He truly is going through the motions, like Simmer said here on TSN1200 he doesn't seem to care out there.

Stutzle is beyond worth a look at center, why not find out this year if it will ever happen! As for Pinto, I am with you, it was clear once the regular season got started he wasn't 2C, not yet.....in time, quite possibly but he was dominated in the faceoff circle too and the opposing teams top pairings were neutralizing him. The coaching staff needs to get a few players away from different match up.

Thanks for posting!

Holden is top 4 on this team right now, but like you said how do you pair these guys up. But as you mentioned, it's a great point, move guys around and find out what works, they have nothing to lose. Brannstrom looked just fine with Holden before being sent down. They played in Vegas together a bit too.

Getting Watson back will help too, Sanford is just useless! He truly is going through the motions, like Simmer said here on TSN1200 he doesn't seem to care out there.

Stutzle is beyond worth a look at center, why not find out this year if it will ever happen! As for Pinto, I am with you, it was clear once the regular season got started he wasn't 2C, not yet.....in time, quite possibly but he was dominated in the faceoff circle too and the opposing teams top pairings were neutralizing him. The coaching staff needs to get a few players away from different match up.

Thanks for posting!
- Kevin Francis

Didn't Stutzle say he does not want to play center? He's only 29% in the faceoff circle of the ones he's taken thus far in the NHL.

Murray on the ice, and could play on the road trip