Senators notebook: Sanderson may not be flashy, but few rookies are as reliable

The Ottawa Senators got a badly needed win against a division rival, the slumping Buffalo Sabres. 

Can we call this game an oil painting? Sure, if you brought oil paints to a pre-school class.

En route to a 4-1 victory Wednesday, with an empty net goal and the hockey gods’ guidance past a cross-bar and post hit by the visitors, the Senators won for just their second time in the past ten games. 

We can’t emphasize how critical the victory was for a team that wants to stay competitive throughout this season. With the two points, Ottawa inches to within one point of the Sabres, the team just north of them in the Atlantic Division standings. At 6-9-1 on the season, the Sens are in sight of .500, the next target. 

At this point, every team in the Atlantic sits north of the Senators, but the Sabres have dropped seven straight and passing them is the first of many steps the Sens must take. 

This was a sloppy game, filled with turnovers, indecision and penalties on both sides. Goaltender Anton Forsberg was a life-saver for Ottawa.

The Senators finished with eight penalties, including five high-sticking infractions. What was up with that, besides the composite lumber? Buffalo players were getting clipped left and right by a Sens team among the league leaders in taking penalties. 

The home team was fortunate that a combination of Buffalo’s ineptitude on the power play and Ottawa’s effort on the kill, the Sens escaped. The Sabres scored just once on their eight man-advantage situations. The Senators were one-for-five. 

Asked to comment on his penalty killers, Senators head coach D.J. Smith used three words: 

“Too much work.”

In other words, the Senators are playing with fire taking that many penalties. Against a better opponent, it would have been fatal. Might be time for a five-minute instructional video on the care and control of the hockey stick.  

“Clearly, the high-sticking penalties, we’ve got to do something about,” Smith said. “Double minor, a bunch the other night. But the penalty kill did what they had to do.”

Magnificent 'Sandy'

The game was a showcase for Senators rookie Jake Sanderson, forced to take on a bigger role in the absence of the injured Thomas Chabot (and Artem Zub). 

Sanderson, a 20-year-old whose veins run on ice, had two assists and played 24:55, much of it against Buffalo’s top line of Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. Though Thompson scored his 12th of the year on the power play, and Tuch scored, Sanderson had himself a night. 

He finished plus one, with four shots, five blocks and didn’t take a penalty on a night when his teammates were on a steady stream to the box. 

“The way Jake played tonight, it’s just a glimpse into the future of him playing against everyone’s top lines,” Smith said. “With the game on the line, he’s blocking shots. It’s a heck of an effort.”

The most remarkable aspects of Sanderson’s play as a first-year defenceman – his sense of calm and ability to make the right decision. Every. Single. Time.

There have been flashier rookies. Think Erik Karlsson back in the day, or Cale Makar when he broke in. But there have been few defenders so unbelievably reliable. 

For those concerned about Sanderson getting too much ice time and running into some of the issues that have plagued Chabot, Sanderson is so far ahead of his peers on defensive acumen, that he has the foundation to play a lot. Secondly, his minutes will come down slightly when Chabot and Zub return. 

I would be more concerned about him throwing his body in front of everything. Coaches love players sacrificing themselves, but if Ottawa loses this kid to an injury from throwing himself in front of a slapshot it would be a pity. 

“I’m grateful with the playing time I have and try to make the most of it,” Sanderson said, matter of factly. “It’s really nice having Hammer (Travis Hamonic) on the right side with me. He’s a huge help.”

Sanderson always mentions the veteran presence of Hamonic and what it means to him. 

Now, the Devils

When he spoke to Ottawa media on Nov. 7, Senators GM Pierre Dorion said that “these next ten games will be important for our season.”

Well, the Sens are 2-2-1 through the first five of the ten, with one home game remaining before the first real travel of the season – to Las Vegas and California. 

Until now, the Senators have not left the Eastern time zone for a game. 

On Saturday, the New Jersey Devils check into the Canadian Tire Centre for a matinee game with the Senators. As they did when they suffered a 4-3 overtime loss to New Jersey on Nov. 10, the Senators can take a hard look at a team they need to emulate. 

Like the Senators, the Devils have capitalized on non-playoff seasons to beef up their prospect corps. With four picks inside the top seven over the last four drafts, including first-overall selection Jack Hughes in 2019, the Devils are starting to reap the benefits. 

In fact, riding a ten-game winning streak (heading into Toronto Thursday), the Devils are a solid choice as the early story of the year in the NHL. At 13-3-0 with a goal differential of plus-21 (only the Boston Bruins are better, at plus-30), New Jersey plays fast, fun hockey and likes to come at teams with all four lines. 

Isn’t this what the Senators want to be – a fun, entertaining team that can wear opponents down with an energetic attack? But also, a team that doesn’t give up much?

At times, the Sens have shown their talent and skated with some top teams. Yet, with 54 goals allowed – only Buffalo has yielded more – Ottawa clearly has to learn to systematically close out games. And haven’t we been saying this for some time now?

Of course, it hurts to be missing D-men like Chabot and Zub (who is close to a return). 

But the giveaways and lax coverage remain an issue that has plagued the Senators in recent seasons.