Senators Ups and Downs: Week 2
Ups and downs is a feature that looks at the individual performances of the Ottawa Senators during the past week.
The Ottawa Senators' Western road trip went sideways from the get-go this week: Before they were 20 minutes into it, they were down 3-0. Less than a minute into their next game, they were down 1-0. Less than a minute into the game after that, they were down 1-0. They gave up 17 power play opportunities. They drew just 8. As one might expect, they walked away with a record of 0-2-1 in three games. And the sky.
Is.
Falling.
Biggest Gains: Robin Lehner
Robin Lehner faced 97 shots in two games and saved 92 of them. That's 94.8%. And that's all you need to know.
Biggest Losses: Chris Neil
Interference. Unsportsmanlike Conduct. Fighting. Tripping. Roughing. Those are the 13 PIMs Neil accumulated this week. They would be inexcusable in a normal week, but Neil is now officially part of the Senators' leadership group--he has a letter on his jersey to indicate exactly how much his leadership is valued. That makes this little penalty box safari beyond inexcusable. What Neil did this week was not leadership. It was setting his teammates up for failure. The example Neil is currently setting is one we hope none of his teammates follow.
| Goaltenders | Trend | Notes |
| Craig Anderson |  | It's not his fault--not really--but Anderson has to do better until his teammates can right the ship. |
| Robin Lehner |  | See "Biggest gains." Likely to start a goaltending controversy by the end of the month. |
| Defensemen | ||
| Joe Corvo | | Corvo had three assists in three games. As a third-pairing player, you can't really ask for more, even though you might need to given how his fellow defensemen are playing. |
| Jared Cowen | | Cowen had 10 hits in three games, but hits are no good if you can't help keep the puck out of the net. |
| Eric Gryba |  | By only appearing in one game, Gryba dodges most of the whirlwind of criticism this week. |
| Erik Karlsson | | Karlsson, Karlsson, whereart thou Karlsson? |
| Marc Methot | | Good thing Team Canada has already sent out their invites |
| Chris Phillips | | Phillips actually had two assists this week, which outperformed Karlsson. That's good for him, but bad for the team. |
| Patrick Wiercioch | | Nope, nope, nope. He and Cowen had their streams crossed all week. |
| Forwards | ||
| Cory Conacher | | He only goes forward, regardless of what line he plays on. |
| Erik Condra | | When Condra's not contributing on the PK, his lack of offensive ability is harder to stomach. |
| Stephane Da Costa | | Getting less than 10 minutes a night when Spezza plays, and produced nothing on the top line when Spezza was out. |
| Colin Greening | | Helped spur the almost-comeback against San Jose with his straight line speed. Got bumped to the top line against Anaheim to help spark them. |
| Matt Kassian | | 6 shifts. 4:59 TOI. Why? |
| Clarke MacArthur | | We got a bad dose of MacArthur this week, as he took a late penalty that led to the GWG for Los Angeles, and then a lazy holding penalty against Anaheim in the 3rd that also helped sap the momentum already on life-support in that game. |
| Milan Michalek | | A goal and a good PK performance against Anaheim. That's enough for an up arrow this week. |
| Chris Neil | | See "Biggest losses." |
| Jean-Gabriel Pageau | | 13:14. 11:03. 3:02. We know what comes next. |
| Bobby Ryan | | 4P (3G, 1A) in 3 games. Bobby Ryan is doing what he was brought here to do. |
| Z. Smith | | With a goal and seemingly all the defensive zone draws, Z. Smith might be a little unsung right now. |
| Jason Spezza | | Had a sick PP feed to Ryan, but has been otherwise invisible. |
| Kyle Turris | | Currently the best center on the team. |
Special thanks to our friend winterion at Japer's Rink for our icons!