Since the Summit has gotten boring, it's time to think about the actual game. Out of the teams in the league, Ottawa always has an interesting story in net. Maybe it's because the last beloved Sens goalie was Ray Emery, and, well, that says it all.
Last year, when Ottawa acquired Pascal Leclaire from the Blue Jackets, I figured this problem would be done. I was wrong. When Leclaire left Columbus, his stupid injuries followed him. Leclaire started off the season well, but inconsistency followed. Next thing you know, he gets hit with a puck in the mouth, while he was on the bench. During the time he was injured, Brian Elliot took his place. Overall Elliot played great, with some bad games here and there, but he did manage to get alot of wins, and some shutouts. But the best thing he accomplished was the "save of the year" against Chicago (featured in the "Good Memories" post below).
Even when third string Mike Brodeur came in, he was 3-0, with a shutout. Although the teams he played against were not exactly offensive juggernauts, (Montreal, Minnesota, New York Rangers) that's a very impressive record. When Leclaire came back from injury, he continued with mediocre play. When the March-April stretch run came, and the Sens secured a playoff a playoff spot, Clouston decided to go with Elliott as his number one goalie. That made sense, mainly because Elliott was Clouston's goalie back in Bingo (Editors Note: that's O-town slang for Binghamton) so he has more confidence in his old minor league goalie. Fast forward four games into Ottawa's first round series against the Pittsburgh Crybabies, and four sub-par performances by Elliott,( two of which were just crap) and Coach Clou is back at square one with his goalies. He decides to go with Snoopy for game five, where many Ottawa fans were expected to be put out of their misery. Leclaire played very well in regulation time, and was amazing in the three overtimes, making over 50 saves. After five and a half periods, Carkner wins it for the Sens. At game six, Leclaire plays well again, but after a Crosby onslaught and more or less questionable refereeing, Ottawa loses in overtime. Leclaire may not have had the season he should have, but he made up for it in the playoffs.
So where are we now? I don't really know. Both goalies can play like all stars, but both can play like Toskalas. To make things more interesting is Ottawa's top goalie prospect, and arguably their top overall prospect, Robin Lehner, is making the leap to Bingo this year. Lehner's gargantuan size, sharp reflexes and fierce competitive edge make him possibly Ottawa's new hope in net. But this guy is nineteen. Not many goalies his age make the jump to the bigs this early. So barring a disaster, Leclaire and Elliot will be in net for Ottawa. It's possible they could split the duty, but the key fact is that Leclaire is making $4.8 M this year, way too much for a back up, so he should be the starter.
Money aside, here's how the two stack-up.
Brian Elliott: 25 years old, born: Newmarket Ont.
Catches: Left, Drafted: 291st, 2003
H: 6 ft 2'' W: 198 lb
Butterfly
Pascal Leclaire: 27 years old, born: Repentigny Que.
Catches: Left, Drafted: 8th 2001
H: 6ft 2'' W: 202lb
Butterfly
Some say Leclaire's best is behind him, but if he continues his flashes of genius, and avoids pucks in the face, he is Ottawa's immediate answer in net. As you saw in the past Cup finals, you don't need an all-star in net to make it far, and Leclaire is very capable of holding the fort, and putting up a 50 plus save performance when he needs to. And with that, I leave you with hope.
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