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Early in the preseason, there has been no room to cross the line when it comes to cross-checking.
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Whether the NHL sticks to the crackdown in the regular season or not, the exhibition schedule has featured a parade down to the penalty area as players stick to a stricter line standard.
In Wednesday’s 4-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Senators took three cross-check minor, contributing to a night in which they allowed three power play goals overall.
The way Senators coach DJ Smith sees it, players might need some time to weed out old bad habits from their system, trying to determine how much club work is allowed.
“You have to be very smart,” he said. “It’s simple. Don’t check. You are allowed to push. You can’t carry and pull a guy. If you keep getting those penalties night after night, you won’t be able to play, so you have to learn the rules.”
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The Senators’ coach suggests it could make a difference for certain players.
“It’s like everything else, with the hitch and clamping (gears) a few years ago. You learn. The boys who learn the best are the ones who will play the most ”.
MORE SPECIAL TEAMS WORK: After their regularly scheduled practice late Friday morning, the power play and penalty teams returned to the ice for some more work.
The initial analysis? Penalty killers are one step ahead of those in the power game.
Defender Thomas Chabot agrees that the senators have been guilty of spending too much, looking for the nice play.
“When you see the guys that are in the power game, we all like to have the puck, we all like to make plays,” he said. “But when we were successful (last season), we put the album online. It’s about doing those things and getting reps. We spend a lot of time on it. “
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SOKOLOV KEEPS ON ROLLING: After drawing attention to the Senators’ rookie camp, powerful winger Egor Sokolov was enthusiastic as he first got a taste of NHL preseason action last Sunday in Winnipeg. “That was amazing, playing in an exhibition game is another step towards my dream,” he said on Friday. “It’s a higher level from rookie camp.”
Sokolov, 21, and a 2020 Senators second-round draft pick, scored 15 goals and 10 assists in 35 games with the AHL’s Belleville last season. He then went on to a busy summer training program, improving his skating considerably.
The Senators are being careful how they develop a player who could become an NHL power forward (he’s modeling his game after Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler), but he was on the Senators’ 25-player roster for Friday’s game, with another chance to impress first. the big decisions are made on Sunday.
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“I have to work hard, improve my forechecking and around the net and hopefully get another game,” he said. “I want to have fun and not push myself too hard.”
MORE INJURY PROBLEMS: Center Clark Bishop is expected to be out of action for an extended period due to an ankle injury sustained against Winnipeg. Bishop had three assists in 13 games for the Senators last season after being acquired in a trade by Max Lajoie.
“He sprained his ankle and it looks like he’s going to be out for a significant amount of time,” Smith said, emphasizing that it is not broken. “It’s unfortunate. I think he’s a guy who can really play a role for us, but that will open him up for someone else.”
2018 first-round defender Jacob-Bernard Docker, who played five games for the Senators last season after finishing his college career with North Dakota, also missed practice Friday with an ankle injury. “I stopped him for a couple of days just to cool him off,” Smith said.
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By not playing this weekend, Bernard-Docker will lose the opportunity to prove that he belongs in the top eight and that he could start the season with Belleville.
NEW BEGINNINGS IN NEW PLACES: Former Senators goalkeeper Joey Daccord, who lost to Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, introduced himself to his organization by taking a 4-3 shootout victory over Calgary on Wednesday. Daccord stopped all 10 shots he faced in the third period and two of three in the shootout … Logan Brown, traded to St. Louis last Saturday for Zach Sanford, played 16:49 in Blues’ 5-2 preseason loss against Columbus on Wednesday. Brown had no points and it was minus one. Interestingly, more penalties were used for killing (1:52) than on the power play (0:29).
Reference-ottawasun.com