It has been an up-and-down season for the Ottawa Senators this year.
They have dealt with injuries, stretches of great play, periods of poor play, and games where fans did not know what to think about the team. That has been this franchise’s theme for the last several seasons.
With that said, the team managed to have itself a good week last week. They won three straight games and are currently (Monday, January 30) 23-23-3 with 49 points this season.
Believe it or not, that point total has them eight being the Pittsburgh Penguins, who currently hold the second wild-card spot and nine points behind the Washington Capitals for the first wild-card spot. While making the playoffs is still quite a long shot, at least the team is doing what it can to stay relevant.
One player on the Senators who has been consistent all season long is veteran Claude Giroux. Giroux, 35, is second on the team with 47 points in 49 games on 19 goals and 28 assists and is averaging nearly a point per game.
Giroux was especially good for the week ending January 29, as he was named the league’s first star of the week. He led the league with seven points on four goals and three assists while helping his team win three straight.
Giroux, who the Senators signed to a three-year, $19,500,000 contract during the offseason, has done exactly what has been expected of him thus far. For starters, he is producing.
As mentioned above, he is producing at a point-per-game pace. That is impressive for someone on the back nine of his career.
What’s equally impressive is that he has 15 multipoint games this year. He is also one goal away from hitting 20 on the season, which would be the ninth time in his career that he hit that plateau.
He has also done a great job of winning faceoffs this season. He is third in the league with a faceoff-winning percentage of 60.1.
Giroux is also someone that team head coach D.J. Smith can rely on to do anything, whether it is creating offense, winning a key faceoff, or providing leadership to the team’s younger players. In talking with Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, Smith explained that Giroux understands the game as a whole and knows what needs to be done in order to win.
“Now he understands how you have to win in this league. You know you’re in a game, and you’re not going to get much, so just do it the right way. When I talk to some of the younger guys, they always want their A-plus game, and a lot of times, you don’t have that game. Then, you’ve got to master the art of the best B or B-plus game.
“That’s what Giroux has done. If he doesn’t have it, he gives you a B game. He doesn’t drop right off, and that’s what makes you a good pro, is that you bring consistency.”
Again, this team may not make the playoffs when all is said and done. With that said, the team and their fans will know that Giroux is doing everything and more to try and make that dream a reality.
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