The Long Walk Lies Ahead for Senators

Is it a case of the glass being half full, or a glass half empty?

There are a couple of ways of looking ahead at the Ottawa Senators and a mammoth seven-game road swing that starts Thursday night in Anaheim. The potential good? If team bonding is an issue, the squad will get hefty practice to get it all tuned up and singing Kumbaya during the next two weeks. And if you’ve got the November blues, nothing like a stretch of California and Nevada warmth and sunshine to blow it all away.

The potential tough part? This can be a wearing and taxing run through some of the harder places to play.

Having said that, travel in the NHL isn’t like it used to be (commercial flights, remember those?) and the team will be well manicured and taken care of during the run.

Let’s delve in to what, and who, lies ahead (in order of upcoming competition).

ANAHEIM: The Ducks snapped a three-game losing streak Monday night with an overtime win against the suddenly struggling Utah Mammoth (they’ve now dropped five of their last six).

Anaheim’s relished being one of THE success stories in the league as we close in on the quarter-way mark. Pat Verbeek’s rebuild is firmly in fast-mode with the underdog Ducks currently leading the Pacific Division. The club is loaded with young, high-octane talent and the GM has lured in a number of quality veterans for balance.

Twenty-year-old Swede Leo Carlsson (2^nd overall in 2023) leads the charge with 26 points in just 19 games.

Challenge Level: A

SAN JOSE: Don’t call me Shirley, but surely, you’ve heard about the exploits of phenom Macklin Celebrini?

The North Vancouver product is one point up on rival Carlsson in the race of the super-kids. At 19, Celebrini’s even being considered (strongly, by reports) for Team Canada at the Winter Games. The first overall selection in 2024 is accompanied on the Sharks’ turnover-in-talent by 20-year-old Will Smith (fourth overall, 2023), William Eklund (seventh overall, 2021) and character vets Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg and Dmitry Orlov.

San Jose isn’t quite Anaheim but they’re on their way.

Challenge Level: C+

LOS ANGELES: Ottawa returns to Southern California two days after visiting the Sharks for a date with the Kings.

LA’s perpetually a tough team to figure out. They’ve had a terrible slog through the post-season lately that seemingly ends every year with a first-round blasting from the Edmonton Oilers.

The Kings are stingy defensively as Ottawa witnessed during a 1-0 loss this past weekend. The good news for LA as well is that Quinton Byfield is morphing into the skater the Kings liked so much while drafting him one slot ahead of Tim Stutzle in 2020.

Challenge Level: B+

VEGAS: Mitch Marner’s new team has struggled since the end of October, capturing just two wins in its last eight games. Oddly, given the talent base, the Knights are having a tough time scoring and sit in 20^th league-wide in goals.

Still, this is an organization that wins . . . year after year. Many pundits have the Knights as a Stanley Cup favourite.

Age is a growing concern, and injuries as well.

Challenge Level: A

LOUIS: From the friendly, dry confines of Nevada, Ottawa then travels eastward to Missouri.

The Blues, who won the Cup in 2019, are a mess. Defensively they rank at the bottom of the circuit. Team Canada favourite Jordan Binnington is in danger of losing his spot there, while the guys in front of him have not helped.

The Blues are not good at home and bad on the road, which conjures up that classic Harry Neale quote when he was coaching the dreadful Vancouver Canucks – “Last season we couldn’t win at home. This season we can’t win on the road. My failure as a coach is that I can’t think of anywhere else to play.”

Challenge Level: C-

DALLAS: Life does not get easier during the latter stages of this roadie. Like Vegas, the Dallas Stars are recognized as a legitimate Cup choice.

Dallas is on a burner right now, winners of its last five; including that Nov. 11^th 3-2 win in Ottawa.

Top to bottom, this group can be considered the most complete in hockey. There aren’t many holes here, if any.

Ottawa’s blueline will be fully tested with the likes of Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston, Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz and Thomas Harley dancing the dance.

Challenge Level: A+

MONTREAL: What a way to call it a day: ‘Seven-game swing ends with the Habs at the Bell Centre.’

The Ottawa optimist would say, well look, Montreal’s coming off its own run on the road (Colorado, Nashville and Vegas) so fatigue should be somewhat equal. And sure, it’s not quite the grind that the Senators are wrapping up but it’s significant.

I don’t have to tell you much about the Habs. Ottawa fandom gets a face-full every day, so you’re informed.

There’s always a can-you-believe-it moment or two when these clubs mix it up. We don’t expect that to subside on Dec. 2^nd.

Challenge Level: A, B or C?

OTTAWA SENATORS WEEK AHEAD:

Thursday, Nov. 20: Ottawa at Anaheim (10 pm)

Saturday, Nov. 22: Ottawa at San Jose (7 pm)

Monday, Nov. 24: Ottawa at LA (9 pm)

Wednesday, Nov. 26: Ottawa at Vegas (10 pm)

thegrossgame@yahoo.com

Photo: Courtesy nhl.com