The puck still had about 30 feet to cover before it slid into a yawning cage, but Derick Brassard and Mark Stone had no doubts about where it was headed. As such, the two Ottawa Senators turned and high-fived, finally able to exhale in what had been a wild game.
Like the puck that passed into an unguarded Toronto Maple Leafs goal on Saturday night, the Senators have also exploited an opening of their own, surging up the standings while the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins were on their mandated five-day break.
The way things are trending, the Senators could soon find themselves in the Atlantic Division penthouse.
A 6-3 win in Toronto marked Ottawa’s fourth victory in five outings. A division title that Montreal once had a death grip on is now totally up for grabs thanks to the Sens’ recent surge and continued crumbling by the Canadiens. Ottawa sits just two points back of Montreal despite playing three fewer contests.
“We need to take full advantage of these games in hand we have on teams and I like the way we’re playing right now,” said Stone.
Everybody associated with the nation’s capital enjoyed what Stone produced versus the Leafs. In addition to scoring the empty-netter that trigged the celebration with Brassard, Stone tacked on four assists for an eye-popping five-point night.
The ENG—which came just before Brassard registered one of his own—was only possible because of the work Stone had put in earlier in the third period, helping his team pull ahead in a back-and-forth affair. Less than a minute after Mike Hoffman had fired a laser to draw Ottawa even at 3-3, the Sens went to the power play. When his team won the draw, Stone went right to the front of the net, creating havoc on a play that led to a tap-in game-winner from Brassard.
“Stone was outstanding in all facets of the game,” said Ottawa coach Guy Boucher. “But what I like is he’s the one screening the goaltender on that goal.”
The hot hand of Stone isn’t the only thing Ottawa has in its favour as it tries to overtake the Canadiens, while staving off anyone who might charge up from below. Saturday night was goalie Craig Anderson’s third game back since returning to the squad after an extended period away to be with his wife while she battled cancer. The veteran stopper has now won two of his three starts since re-joining the club and stopped 34 shots versus the Leafs.
“As far picking up the puck, fighting through traffic, physically, I feel pretty good in there,” he said.
Backup Mike Condon performed well in Anderson’s absence, but Boucher—while praising Condon—said the goaltending hierarchy in Ottawa is firmly entrenched.
“He’s our No. 1,” he said of Anderson. “It hasn’t changed and it won’t change.”
One thing that has shifted with the Sens is the team’s ability to keep a steady hand during difficult moments. Ottawa saw a 2-0 first-period lead evaporate against Toronto and trailed 3-2 early in the third when William Nylander tallied on the power play. The game could have easily slipped away at that point, but the Sens showed why they’re fighting for prime post-season positioning, digging deep and finding a way to down a fierce rival in its own building.
“I think collectively, the team has grown dramatically in terms of having poise, executing under pressure, not changing the game plan and making sure we stick to it mentally,” Boucher said. “That’s what mental toughness is; sticking to the plan under pressure.”
As well as things are going, more challenges lay ahead. Ottawa—which is no darling of the advanced stats community—plays 15 of its final 25 contests away from home. Still, right here, right now, the Sens are in position to finish in first place, something that seemed unthinkable a few short weeks ago.
Is that the kind of thing a club can draw energy from?
“Yeah, it is,” said Stone. “We had goals at the start of the year. We want to be right in the middle of the playoff race. We like where we’re at, we’re in a good spot, but there’s a little bit more that we want.
“There’s teams coming and we want to create separation and the only way to do that is to keep winning hockey games.”
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