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Only a couple of days ago, Senators fans were lined up down Catherine St. to buy Brian Elliott a bus ticket to Binghamton.
His departure date would be determined by the return to health of Pascal Leclaire — presuming that’s going to happen — but there’s no room for three in the Ottawa goaltending picture, and Mike Brodeur had arrived to give the slumping team some much needed stability at the position.
In the minds of many, the shaky Elliott would become the odd man out.
Now, suddenly, he’s back in the good graces. Front and centre of the photo. If Monday’s 5-1 win in Boston wasn’t enough, then a 4-1 victory over the NHL-leading Blackhawks a little more than 24 hours later has the paying customers, his coach and his teammates believing in Elliott again.
Yeah, he’s been the beneficiary of the Senators’ improved defensive play. But he also made a couple of beauties in the 29-save performance Tuesday night.
None were more spectacular than the diving stick stop off Marian Hossa with the score still 3-1 midway through the third.
Elliott had ventured out of his crease to play a puck along the end boards, only to have it play him instead. You’ve seen this picture before. The thing squirted out in front to Hossa, who was in the process of tossing it in the empty net, when Elliott miraculously dove and deflected it away.
The effort earned him a standing ovation from the normally stoic patrons. It also saved the day for the Senators.
With time winding down, Elliott made another big stop off Hossa, then one off Patrick Kane.
And when the final buzzer sounded, he took a bow as the game’s first star.
Elliott hasn’t given up a big rebound in the last two games — he’s made one.
Starts and stops
Hossa expected to see his former mentor still going strong at the age of 37. “Alfie’s like a Swedish machine,” he said Tuesday of Daniel Alfredsson. “I was working out with him when I was here. I know him really well. He likes to work. I’m not really surprised, the way he’s taking care of himself. He’s still running. It’s great to see.” ... Mike Fisher returned to the scoresheet with the empty-netter he had in Montreal on Saturday. If you’ll remember, Chris Kelly had a shot at it, but decided to pass off the opportunity. Obviously, you were trying to get your pal kickstarted, right Chris? “Not really,” Kelly kidded. “I had an empty-netter the game before. You can’t have two in a row. It’s a little embarrassing.” A second later, he answered seriously. “Not at that split-second, but afterwards I thought that. You could see how relieved he was. Fish puts a lot of pressure on himself to contribute and be a big part of this team. He worked really hard down low, and he had the puck ... he gave it to me and I gave it right back. It was the right play.”
Things I think I think
It’s about the SBP morons who were booing Marian Hossa, a great guy and great player who was TRADED from Ottawa, a city he never wanted to leave. “It’s definitely been lots of years,” said Hossa. “But it’s a special place, to come here. I’ve still got lots of friends in this city, and this is where my career started, so when you come back you’re always looking forward to it.” ... Best thing about Jason Spezza’s knee injury? It’s given Spezza 18 games to rest the sore back he played with early in the season.
BETWEEN PERIODS
What to do you do with Peter Regin when Spezza comes back? Regin had Soup for lunch (as in Brian “Soupy” Campbell) while scoring the key goal on a wraparound in the second last minute of the second. The 23-year old rookie continues to look like he deserves to be a top-6 forward ... Question from the back of the media scrum to Hossa Tuesday morning. “Who was the best-looking guy you ever played with?” Without hesitation, Hossa replied: “Jason York.” You’re right if you guess it was the Team 1200’s York asking the question ... Erik Karlsson made two fine backchecks outmuscling ’Hawks off the puck as they drove to the net, once on the strong skating Hossa. Now, before you say he shouldn’t be in that position in the first place, the point is then and at other times in the game, it looked like the skinny teen is getting stronger.
don.brennan@sunmedia.ca