LNN: Chabot Skating, Oilers Stink, Bruins Mostly Definitely Don't Stink
Ottawa Senators games is so close we can almost taste it, but the hockey world hasn't stopped moving while we sit through the break.
If it feels like it's been an eternity since the Ottawa Senators played a game, you wouldn't be totally wrong. After the conclusion of last night's game, the Sens' 15 matches are three less than the next lowest total among Atlantic Division teams. The season is almost two months old, and the Sens simply haven't played that much. Tomorrow our local heroes are back. Just one more sleep. You can do it.
Let's take a spin around the rest of the hockey world while we twiddle our thumbs:
-Thomas Chabot has been skating and seems to be approaching a return, but because he was placed on LTIR he must miss ten games before he is eligible to play again. If all goes according to plan, Chabot should return to the line-up on December 1st vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.
-Ian Mendes had a fun feature earlier this week shining the spotlight on European NHL fans, who, dedicated lunatics that they are, often find themselves watching games that start at 2 a.m local time. Don't ever doubt the commitment of a Swedish Sens fan!
-Graeme Nichols' latest for his Rome in a Day substack has some interesting thoughts about the Sens' season to date. Without writing the team off, I will just say that I would feel a lot better about the prospects for the season if Ottawa could improve their 5v5 play.
-The Edmonton Oilers kind of stink? The Oil were a popular Stanley Cup pick at the start of the year, but after last night's defeat at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton stands at 5-12-1 for the year. There's so much talent on that squad that I'm hesitant to totally write them off just yet, but at some point the hole just becomes too big to dig out of.
-Meanwhile, the Boston effing Bruins are 14-1-3 after taking down the Florida Panthers. I was told that this year, finally, mercifully, the B's would fall off. What happened to that?!
-Over at ESPN, Ryan S. Clark has an early season ranking of this year's rookies. You will not be surprised by who is leading the way thus far.
-I'm not an equipment junkie by any means, but I did enjoy this piece from Jesse Granger at the Athletic that digs into the culture of how players choose their gear. I will also add that I did not relate at all to this quote:
Some players have different stick flexes they use throughout the season. On the second night of a back-to-back, they’ll use a more flexible stick to counteract any fatigue. If they aren’t feeling the amount of pop they want on shots, they’ll switch to a stick with a stiffer flex.
Having somewhat recently, belatedly, admitted that I no longer have the "pop" necessary to use a 105 flex I cannot imagine going back to a stiffer stick between games. NHL players are athletic freaks.
