Ottawa Senators Three Stars of the Week: Week 22
Three losses, but at least they weren’t blowouts
It was three losses in three games this week, which ultimately led to the mathematical elimination of the Senators from the playoffs. But it wasn’t all bad, because the Sens actually hung around in all the games, and Islanders and Bruins are no slouches when it comes to opponents.
Three stars
- Brady Tkachuk — The young phenom had three points this week, including a deft tip against the Isles on Thursday. It’s nice to see him get some offence going now that Mark Stone isn’t here to really help him. He’s also getting more involved physically again, which seems for him to be proof that he’s engaged in games.
- Oscar Lindberg — Two goals isn’t bad at all for the unheralded Lindberg. He’s not an NHL top-six player, but he’s definitely showed enough to get a low-money extension for next year. He’s kind of like last year’s Magnus Paajarvi, only better.
- Anthony Duclair — Small sample size and all still, but Duclair does look like the most skilled Senator these days. He’s fast, he’s confident with the puck, he finds open players, he creates offence. Two assists to show for his efforts this week.
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- Brian Gibbons had a couple assists this week too. Not bad for a guy who I had never heard of before Ottawa acquired him.
- Christian Wolanin seems to be earning some trust from the new head coach, getting in the lineup over Christian Jaros despite the hand discrepancy favouring Jaros./
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- Of course, on the flip side of that is that Christian Jaros was a healthy scratch in every game this week. It’s probably deserved, as he hasn’t really stood out at the NHL level, but it’s still hard for a guy with a real shot to be part of this team’s future. (Update: Turns out Jaros was a healthy scratch for two games, but then injured his hamstring to miss the next two games. So it’s unclear if he would’ve missed both those games if he’d been healthy.)
- Thomas Chabot has not looked his usual self recently. He seems a little off in both ends. Not sure if it’s just late-season fatigue, a nagging injury, or something else. Hopefully it’s just a blip in a great career./
Who to watch
I’d say keep an eye on Duclair this week. He’s going to have a spectacular multi-point game where he carries the team to a victory.