Leclaire starts paying off
| I lost count of the times the Senators gave up a lead in the third period during their slump, the result of the Sens' too porous defense and average goaltending. No longer. Pascal Leclaire can be credited for saving the game for the Sens' at the ACC tonight. After Stajan finally put the Buds on the board to make it 2-1 in the third, Toronto really pushed hard and tested Leclaire who remained rock solid. True, he benefitted from the help of his two best friends, the goal posts. But, like ace Kings goalie Felix Potvin used to say, you don't have to stop the ones that aren't going in. Leclaire sealed the deal by robbing Toronto once again in the very dying seconds of the game. Bienvenue à bord, Pascal! |
 Pascal Leclaire |
The fourth line, with Donovan stepping in for Neil, was a force to be reckoned with. The played their usual hard checking game, and were rewarded with Ottawa's first goal of the game. Also impressive was Anton Volchenkov who threw some weight around, something the Senators don't do often enough. The second line also played solidly, with Kovalev seeming to be more comfortable and stepping up much more often. Alfredsson also seems to have found some wind for his sails, and was particularly impressive in the way he pinned rookie goalie Gustavsson on the penalty shot for the Senators' second goal. The Senators, at least until the third period, seemed to want the puck more, and it made the difference.
Low spots
The play of Karlsson was not up to snuff, and one has to wonder about Clouston making a defensive pairing with him and Carkner in the third period, while defending a one-goal lead, sometimes against the Leafs' first line. The defense needed some work overall, and it was readily apparent during the Leafs' power plays in the third, with blueliners out of position and the resulting Stajan goal. Alex Picard, who stepped in for Kuba on the D, was also unimpressive. I still wonder who got the better part of the deal when he was brought on board in exchange for Meszaros.
But...
Not to be underestimated is the fact that the Sens registered their first win. I have a theory that the Senators are somewhat of a tentative team. They are nervous on the ice until they accomplish something - their first shot on goal, or whatever - and then relax get on with playing better hockey. Same with their wins and losses. They now know that they can get it done with this much of skaters, and can start capitalizing on it. Look for them to start getting comfortable and developing some chemistry.
Comments