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Atlantic Notes: Canadiens, Senators, Lightning, Red Wings

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How are the top four teams in the Atlantic Division really doing?  There have been some surprises like Montreal’s red-hot start doused by a 10-0 drubbing at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Ottawa Senators have played great defensively. And the Detroit Red Wings will need a lot more effort wise should they want to make a 26th consecutive playoff appearance. For now, let’s take a closer look at the top four teams in the division.

  • Montreal Canadiens (9-1-1; 19 points; 1st place)

The Habs have benefitted from the return of Carey Price, who has been sparkling between the pipes, registering a 6-0 record, a .964 save percentage, and a goalie point share of 2.3. Al Montoya was fine through Friday night until he surrendered 10 goals in a ghastly game against Columbus. Shea Weber has also been a bright spot, making Marc Bergevin look smart early after the blockbuster trade netted him for P.K. Subban. Weber has ten points (4-6) in 11 games, and leads the Habs in average ice time, logging nearly 26 minutes per night.

  • Ottawa Senators (7-3-0; 14 points; 2nd place)

The Sens have looked strong early, riding a three game winning streak through Friday despite playing a brutal game of musical chairs in net. Craig Anderson has been tending to his wife during a health concern and has been in and out Ottawa, understandably. Andrew Hammond suffered a lower body injury that will keep him out for at least a week. Despite this, the Sens have charged on, and contribution from Erik Karlsson, Kyle Turris, and Ryan Dzingel have helped. Though some think they’ll come back to earth, Guy Boucher has done well early on.

  • Tampa Bay Lightning (6-4-1; 13 points; 3rd place)

The Bolts have scored a lot of goals–but they’ve also been fishing the puck out of the net. After jumping out to a 5-1 start, the Lightning have gone 1-3-1 since and suffered from Ben Bishop looking very human with a pedestrian .891 save percentage. Though some of this can be chalked up to struggles and on the blue line, Bishop is in a contract year and isn’t doing enough to help himself–or the Bolts should they look to deal him away instead of losing him for nothing. Steven Stamkos continues to be dominant, putting up 13 points (7-6), while Nikita Kucherov is tied with him (3-10).

  • Detroit Red Wings (6-5-1; 13 points; 4th place)

Sure, they’re fourth, but the Red Wings record is probably the weakest of the any team in the Atlantic. The Bruins have two games in hand, and are only a point behind while the Leafs and Panthers are two points behind, with a game in hand. The Sabres, last in the division, are only three points out of the Wings’ spot. Thomas Vanek was a bright spot until a hip injury sidelined him for 2-3 weeks, but the defense has been abysmal. Worse, the Red Wings are coughing up leads in the third period. Personnel decisions have been questionable, too. The deployment of the OMG line–Steve Ott, Drew Miller and Luke Glendening–has been lampooned by many while younger players, such as Andreas Athanasiou, continue to get limited ice time. The Red Wings can’t afford to sit back should they want to make another playoff appearance. The division–and conference–are much better.

Craig Anderson Returns To Senators

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Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson returns tonight against the Buffalo Sabres, reports the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. Anderson left the team for a second time this month following his wife Nicholle’s cancer diagnosis. The Sens reassigned goaltender Chris Driedger back to Binghamton to make room for Anderson.

Anderson initially left the team in October when his wife was first diagnosed, but returned after the Sens backup goaltender Andrew Hammond went down with an injury. Anderson posted two wins in his brief return, including an emotional shutout against the Edmonton Oilers. He then left the team again to be with his wife while the Senators announced that there was no timetable for his return.

It may not be a coincidence that tonight’s return is the same day as the NHL promotes Cancer Awareness day, and his presence is sure to garner extra attention. Anderson’s play, however, deserves attention regardless of what event the NHL is promoting. Anderson boasts a 6-1-0 record with a .924SV% and a 2.24GAA. And while it is a small sample size, his performance provides Ottawa with the goaltending stability necessary for the young team to progress.

Craig Anderson Again Away From Team; Timetable Uncertain

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In a story that sounds like it will be one of the focus points of the season for the Senators (however unfairly), Craig Anderson has again left the Ottawa Senators to be with his wife Nicholle. The goaltender’s wife was recently diagnosed with cancer, prompting the team to go out and get Mike Condon from the Pittsburgh Penguins for exactly this reason.

The 35-year old Anderson recorded an emotional shutout in his return to the net after learning of the diagnosis, and stopped 32 of 33 shots on Tuesday over Carolina. In his career with Ottawa, the veteran netminder now carries a 2.63 GAA and .919 save percentage, both outstanding numbers.

Even though the Senators were forced to give up a fifth-round pick for Condon, a player Pittsburgh had only just acquired on waivers three weeks earlier, it should provide them with some stability behind Anderson while Andrew Hammond nurses a groin injury. Even when Hammond returns, the team might elect to carry three goaltenders for the remainder of the year.

As everyone does when they write about this story, the staff here at PHR would like to extend our thoughts to the Anderson family. Many people’s lives are affected by cancer every day, but usually sports tends to provide relief from serious matters. If you’d like to help, check out #HockeyFightsCancer for donations and support.

Injury Notes: Hammond, Letang, Pietrangelo

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After dealing for Mike Condon today to give himself some insurance, Ottawa Senators’ GM Peter Dorion says that Andrew Hammond is out for at least another week dealing with a groin injury. Hammond was placed on injured reserve last week.

While Hammond is out with a known injury, Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen reports that the Craig Anderson situation is “very fluid”, meaning the goaltender may miss additional time during the year. Condon will fly to meet the Senators in Ottawa for tomorrow’s game against the Canucks.

Ottawa Acquires Mike Condon From Pittsburgh

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According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Ottawa Senators have acquired Mike Condon from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fifth-round draft pick. Since Craig Anderson was forced to take a short leave of absence from the team (he has since returned) and Andrew Hammond was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury, the Senators have been looking high and wide for some help in net.  It’ll come in the form of Condon, who was selected off waivers by the Penguins just before the start of the season.

For Pittsburgh, this is a nice return for a player who only spent a few weeks in your system. Condon was an emergency claim by the Penguins once Matt Murray wasn’t able to start the season due to his broken hand. Now, as Murray returns, the team had to make a decision on Condon as he would obviously require waivers once again to go to the AHL.

For the Senators, Condon will provide some assurance that they’ll have an NHL caliber goaltender in net each night even if Anderson has to take any more time off. While the team will likely come into the same situation once Hammond returns, they won’t have to make a decision for at least some time.

Condon broke into the league last season when Carey Price went down, playing 55 games for the Canadiens to mixed results. With a .903 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average, the 26-year old rookie at least showed he’s capable of helping an NHL squad, though perhaps not for the majority of a season.

It must sting the Canadiens the worst, as they were unable to get anything in return for Condon before the season. While a fifth-rounder isn’t a huge return, it is at least something tangible.

 

Anderson Triumphant In Courageous Return To Net

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Everyone knew this was coming.

Craig Anderson pitched a 37-save shutout in his return to the crease after his wife Nicholle was diagnosed with cancer. Anderson had taken a personal leave of absence last week, but returned to the team at the behest of his wife after backup Andrew Hammond went down with injury. It was Anderson’s second shutout in a row, with a week in between them.

It wasn’t an easy return to action for Anderson, as the Senators were in Edmonton to face the top team in the Western Conference. Oilers coach Todd McLellan knew what was coming; he was the coach of San Jose when Dominic Moore left the team during the 2012 playoffs to tend to his wife Katie, who had been diagnosed with liver cancer. The Senators were heavily outshot, but the game never seemed in question with Anderson in net.

Senators captain Erik Karlsson told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector afterwards that despite the rivalries, the NHL is a tight league, “I feel like we have a lot of respect for each other… We do a lot of stupid things, but at the end of the day, we all have a life outside of the rink. When things like this happen, you have a lot of human respect for that.”

Anderson was named first star of the game, and the Oilers fans gave the teary-eyed goaltender a loud ovation when he came out to wave to the crowd. Oilers goalie Cam Talbot remained on the bench to clap and show support for his peer.

TSN’s Ray Ferraro and Ryan Rishaug both noted the quiet nature of the Senators locker room after the game (Ferraro on the Senators broadcast, Rishaug on Edmonton radio Monday morning). The visitor’s locker room was empty when the media entered the room; the Senators communications staff brought out select players one-by-one for interviews. Anderson did not speak to the media after the game.

Sunday Review: The Top Five Posts This Week

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Did you miss any important NHL transaction news this week? Don’t worry, because PHR has you covered. Here are the top five news stories of the week:

UFA Christian Ehrhoff signs with Germany’s Kolner Haie
Unrestricted free agenct Christian Ehrhoff signed a one-year deal with the DEL’s Kolner Haie. The defensman failed to find a satisfactory fit this offseason after trying out for the Boston Bruins on a PTO. The Bruins offered Ehrhoff a contract, but Ehrhoff refused when he learned he would be starting the season as a scratch.

RFA Hampus Lindholm re-signs with Anaheim Ducks
Hampus Lindholm and the Anaheim Ducks came to terms this Thursday and ended months of negotiating. Lindholm was the second-to-last remaining RFA unsigned this season, and he took a six-year deal worth $5.25MM a year. It is understood that Lindholm’s camp acquiesed as its leverage shrunk the closer they got to December 1st.

Las Vegas given free agency head start
The Las Vegas Expansion team will have a 48-hour window prior to the Expansion Draft to negotiate with any unprotected UFAs and RFAs. This is to prevent situations where Las Vegas selects a player unwilling to then sign with the team. The rule also allows Las Vegas to sign any unprotected free agent it wants during the exclusive negotiating window.

Craig Anderson’s wife diagnosed with cancer
Craig Anderson’s wife Nicholle Anderson has been diagnosed with cancer. Anderson initially took personal leave from the Ottawa Senators to be with his wife, but rejoined the team when backup Andrew Hammond went down with injury. The return comes with his wife’s blessing, and it is unclear how long Anderson will stay with the team before returning home.

Isles shopping Jaroslav Halak
The New York Islanders are reportedly shopping goaltender Jaroslav Halak. This comes on the heels of tweets from Halak and fellow Isles goaltender Jean-Francois Berube’s agent Allen Walsh expressing anger over the Islanders three-man goaltending situation. Walsh complained that no goalie was getting adequate practice time, and that a three-man unit was hurting his clients.

Atlantic Division Snapshots: Anderson, Deslauriers, Conacher, Vanek

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As noted earlier this week, Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson is going through a tough stretch in his personal life with the recent news of his wife’s cancer diagnosis. At his wife’s insistence, Anderson has returned from a brief leave of absence and will be pressed right back into service tonight between the pipes for the Senators, who are in Edmonton to play the red hot Oilers. Bruce Garrioch confirmed via Twitter that Anderson will get the start tonight as Ottawa attempts to snap the Oilers five-game winning streak.

Anderson has won four of his five starts this season despite a GAA approaching three and a S% just above 90%. Now in his 14th NHL season, Anderson has won 217 career games and has twice finished fourth in Vezina voting. During the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Anderson led the league in GAA (1.69) and S% (94.1%).

With Andrew Hammond now on IR the Senators desperately need Anderson, though it would be understandable if the veteran netminder’s focus is somewhat divided. It’s likely most everyone outside of Edmonton is going to be an Ottawa Senators and Craig Anderson fan tonight.

More from the NHL’s Atlantic Division:

  • Physical winger Nicolas Deslauriers of the Buffalo Sabres left Saturday’s win over Florida after a collision along the boards in the game’s final minute, writes Amy Moritz of The Buffalo News. Later, Mike Harrington, also of the Buffalo News, revealed on Twitter that Deslauriers has a knee injury and will be out of the lineup for “weeks.” To replace the four-year veteran in the lineup, at least for the time being, the Sabres have recalled winger Nicholas Baptiste from Rochester of the AHL, once again courtesy of Harrington. Baptiste has already appeared in two games this season for Buffalo – the first NHL action of his career – and scored his first career NHL goal on October 20th.
  • Cory Conacher, who was recalled on Friday to take the place of the injured Nikita Kucherov, has been returned to Syracuse of the AHL, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Conacher played 13:26 last night for the Lightning but didn’t register a point and recorded a -1 plus-minus rating. Smith suggests the reassignment of Conacher could mean that Kucherov or perhaps even Ryan Callahan is ready to return to the lineup for tonight’s contest against the New York Rangers. As Smith also notes, it would be fitting for Callahan, who has yet to play this season following hip surgery this summer, to make his 2016-17 debut against his former team. It’s also possible head coach Jon Cooper will simply dress seven defensemen; a tactic he utilized on many occasions last season.
  •  Originally listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body-injury, it now appears as if Detroit forward Thomas Vanek has been downgraded to week-to-week and is expected to miss the next few games, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com. Vanek is off to a good start in his first year in Detroit, scoring four goals and eight points in his first seven contests. Detroit was considered a fringe playoff team at best coming into the season but the Austrian winger has helped the Wings to a 6 – 3- 0 start and a second place standing in the Atlantic. His extended absence is certainly bad news for a Wings club that has overachieved to this point.

Nicholle Anderson Diagnosed With Cancer, Craig Rejoining Senators

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Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion addressed the media on Saturday afternoon and offered an update to Craig Anderson’s situation. Craig’s wife Nicholle has been diagnosed with cancer.

Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that the 35-year-old Anderson will be rejoining the team in Edmonton, where they will take on the Oilers on Sunday.

Anderson had taken a leave of absence on Thursday. The Senators backup goalie, Andrew Hammond, subsequently suffered a lower-body injury, leaving the team with their AHL tandem in the NHL. According to Garrioch, Nicholle encouraged Craig to return.

Chris Driedger and Matt O’Connor will both remain with the Senators, as the team is unsure if Anderson’s return is permanent.

Everyone here at Pro Hockey Rumors sends their thoughts to the Anderson family at this difficult time.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

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