The Ottawa Senators have seven games left in the regular season and, based on today’s development, that means about seven more questions of who’ll start in goal.
Another takeaway from today? Don’t expect many advance answers.Cameron says “I don’t know” when asked who his goaltender is tomorrow #sens
— Don Brennan (@SunDoniB) March 30, 2015
“Cameron” is, of course, Ottawa head coach Dave Cameron, who went with Craig Anderson in back-to-back losses this weekend against Toronto and Florida. The decision to start Anderson was made easier by the fact Andrew “the Hamburglar” Hammond was on the limp with a back injury but now, with Hammond declaring himself fit, the decision on who to start gets more complex.
The case for Anderson is based largely around the fact he’s got more experience and has played through playoff battles before (and the Sens are, to borrow a tired cliche, already in playoff mode.) He could hardly be blamed for only securing one of a possible four points this past weekend -- the Toronto game was his first in 18 days, and he stopped 33 of 36 shots against Florida -- even though people did blame him.
The case for Hammond? Well, I mean, his remarkable hot streak has been pretty well documented. It’s also worth noting that for a team that’s desperate for points, the Hamburglar has just one regulation loss in 17 appearances this season and, despite an ugly five-goal loss to the Rangers last Thursday, still boasts a 1.91 GAA and .938 save percentage.
The only thing for certain here is that we’ll soon know who’s starting in goal. The Sens take on Detroit at Joe Louis tomorrow, at which time Cameron will have to make his choice.