34 SPORTS
The Ottawa Sun n Saturday, February 1, 2014
REPORT CARD
SENS
CHANGING YOUR PAYDAY EXPERIENCE
A look back at the month that was January
TURNING THE CORNER AEDAN
HELMER aedan.helmer@sunmedia.ca @ottsunhelmer
The Senators have to be feeling good about themselves after stringing together some of their best hockey of the season with a 6-2-2-2 record to show for January, ending the month by squeaking into the final wild card playoff spot. And who knows? Take away two requisite afternoon stinkers — a 4-1 home loss to the Rangers and a 6-3 spanking in Carolina — and the Sens could have conceivably gone the whole month without a regulation loss. No, it hasn’t always been pretty. But fans have to be buoyed by the turnaround of key contributors like Jason Spezza, Craig Anderson and Jared Cowen, who have all seemingly put their game together. The top line of Clarke MacArthur, Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan wraps up January with all three tied for second in team scoring with 42 points, while team leader Erik Karlsson keeps getting better with each passing game and finally appears to be back to his old Norris-winning form. Add to that some key performances from role players up front like Zack Smith, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Neil, and the unexpected emergence of Cody Ceci, giving the team a wealth on the back end that could go a long way, either at the trade deadline or on the stretch drive. The Sens have only five more games before the Olympic break, but four bring them to some hostile rinks in Toronto, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Boston. So here’s hoping the good vibes carry over.
89 Cory Conacher Forward
GP G A Pts 52 4 13 17
6.0 Average for the season
/10 5.8
Found himself playing anywhere from the second to fourth lines, bringing his speed along with him. Picked up five assists and finished with a plus-2 rating.
25 Chris Neil Forward
7.5
/10
48 6 1 7
6.7
The veteran bruiser was sorely missed during a six-game absence, but made his presence felt shortly after returning. He fought Lightning B.J. Crombeen, then tied the game late with career goal No. 100.
22 Erik Condra Forward GP G A Pts
48 5 6 11
6.0
Average for the season
/10 6.0
Tallied a goal and an assist in an OT win in Montreal on Jan. 4, but has only one point since, and is currently mired in a seven-game scoring drought. Still effective on a checking line, or occasionally on Spezza’s wing.
6 Bobby Ryan Forward
7.5
/10
GP G A Pts 54 20 22 42
Average for the season
7.0
Defence
Average for the season
GP G A Pts 1
4
5
8.7
The sniper is still taking his shots, but had just one goal to show for it in 12 games until a slump-busting game against the Lightning. The team can only hope their go-to goal scorer’s struggles are over.
/10
19 Jason Spezza Forward
7.0
14 Colin Greening Forward
7.0
Came back to Earth after a dream December, but probably still pinching himself after being told to find a place to live in his hometown. As steady a presence as you could ask of a rookie.
GP G A Pts 54 4 7 11
6.0
Average for the season
/10 5.8
Led all forwards with 24 hits while playing his typically effective utility role. If he had better hands in the dirty areas he’s often in, he’d have more than the one goal he’s tallied in 18 games.
/10
GP G A Pts Average for
the season
49 14 25 39
GP G A Pts Average for the season
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5 Cody Ceci 22
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6.0
The captain endured his usual scrutiny while sitting out four games — all Sens wins — but since then, five of his nine points have come on the power play, including a crucial game-winner in Columbus. Still, his minus-5 rating in January dropped his season total to an ugly minus-19.
955 h Total faceoffs (15t a th wi ) ue ag le e th in . te ra s es 54.7% succ
40 Robin Lehner Goalie
6.5
GP W-L-OT GAA SV% 21 6-10-3 2.71 .921
Average for the season
/10
7 Kyle Turris Forward
7.2
A sparkling 27save shutout in Minnesota wasn’t enough to reclaim the starter’s job, and a pedestrian performance in his next start in Carolina — with the team sleepwalking through another afternoon start in front of him — didn’t help his cause.
GP G A Pts 54
18
24
Keeps tightening his grasp on the first-line centre role, with a fourgame goal-scoring streak and eight total goals in the month. He excels in all situations, with one power play goal, one shorthanded and two gamewinners.
42
9.5 Average for the season
/10 9.2
65 Erik Karlsson Defence
9.5
/10
GP G A Pts Average for 54 13 38 51
the season
9.2
Three goals and 13 points to go along with 20 hits and team-leading seven power play points. Still gets caught, but can recover without taking penalties. Assessed only one minor — for delay of game — in 17 games.
7.5
3 Marc Methot Defence
/10
GP G A Pts Average for the season
47 5 11 16
Felt the wrath of Paul MacLean for speaking out after being kept out of the lineup, but took out his frustrations on poor Nick Foligno with an old school hip check that sent the former Sen airborne. Showed his on-ice value with two goals, five points and a plus-8 rating.
16 Clarke MacArthur Forward 53
18
24
FEBRUARY
Sun
7.3
the season
42
Forward
5.0
Forward
GP G A Pts Average for 24 0 1 1
the season
5.7
Only dressed for five games, and averaged about six minutes on the ice, but his first period fight against the Jets’ Anthony Peluso gave the bench a much-needed spark.
15 Zack Smith Forward
7.0
/10
3
RDS, TSN
PIT
7:00
/10
6 16
the season
7.3
Trimmed his PIMs to just three minors in January, but still dished out 20 hits, while contributing to the offence with two goals and two assists.
93 Mika Zibanejad Forward
8.0
/10
GP G A Pts Average for 44
11
10
21
GP G A Pts 9
2
0
2
the season
Plenty to like about the kid’s game, whether centring his own line or riding shotgun with Spezza. Notched his third multi-point game, tallied five points while dishing out 20 hits.
Sat
1
AWAY
CBC, RDS
TOR
4
5
SNET-E
6
STL
SNET-E, TVA
7
8
BUF
8:00
CBC, RDS
BOS
7:30
3:00
10
11
12
13
14
16
17
18
19
20
23
24
25
26
27 SNET-E, 28 TVA
15
Olympic 21 22 Break DET 7:30
46 Patrick Wiercioch Defence
5.0
/10
GP G A Pts Average for 34 3 12 15
the season
5.8
Only dressed for five games, and saw his ice time rolled back to about 14:00, a full three minutes shy of his season average. Just six total shots, and three of those in one game.
6.5
/10
Average for the season
4.5
77 Joe Corvo Defence
6.5
/10
GP G A Pts Average for 25
3
7
10
the season
4.8
Looking good in his second callup of the season, scoring his first two goals in a crucial road win over the Blue Jackets, including a slick backhander on the power play.
A minus-8 rating through his last five games in December made Corvo a frequent spectator in January, where he dressed for only two games, and was used sparingly.
41 Craig Anderson
2 Jared Cowen
7.0
Defence
9.0
51
3
7
10
the season
6.5
62 Eric Gryba
7.2
6.3
Put up a 6-1-3 record in January with a 2.66 GAA and .917 SV% with one shutout. Numbers aside, he’s making the crucial saves at the right times to keep his team in the game.
/10
GP G A Pts Average for 29
1
6
7
9 Milan Michalek Forward
Pairing with Karlsson didn’t improve his offensive totals — with just three assists — but the big man has provided a steady presence for his freewheeling partner.
/10
GP W-L-OT GAA SV% Average for 38 18-10-7 3.02 .921 the season
/10
GP G A Pts Average for
Defence
7.7
Fri
9
9.2
Goalie
GP G A Pts Average for 54 10
24 Stephane Da Costa
Thu
Wed
7:00
2
The Sens’ most consistent player started the month on a four-game scoring streak and hasn’t really slowed down, tying Karlsson for the team-lead with 13 points in January. Of his six goals scored in the month, three came on the power play and three were game-winners.
/10
Tues
1
Blocked shots to go along with 124 hits
9.5
Mon
HOME
71
GP G A Pts Average for
28 Matt Kassian
35
SPORTS
The Ottawa Sun n Saturday, February 1, 2014
the season
GP G A Pts Average for 54
7
15
Enjoyed his best offensive output of the season — with a modest three assists in ten games — while going plus-4 and establishing the kind of physical presence expected of him.
22
the season
5.2
His goal on Jan. 2 snapped a six-game goalless drought, but he’s now gone another 11 without lighting the lamp. The veteran needs to do more to earn another contract.
4 Chris Phillips Defence
5.5
5.0
/10
6.0
/10
GP G A Pts Average for 49
1
12
13
the season
6.8
It takes more than a puck to the face to fell the Big Rig. But his ice time has been cut from his usual 20-minute range to around 17 minutes, while going minus-5 in ten games.