Sens first quarter report – Goalies

Last but certainly not least in my first quarter report is a look at the Sens’ goaltending duo of Pascal Leclaire and Brian Elliott who have been somewhat inconsistent so far this year but in general have provided the Sens with above average goaltending on most nights.

After coming over from the Blue Jackets at last season’s trade deadline, Leclaire started off the season as the team’s clear-cut number one goaltender and besides a rough outing in the first game of the year, he played exceptionally well for the first two weeks of the season as the Sens got off to an impressive 5-2 record.  Leclaire was especially strong on the penalty kill and helped the team become one of the top shorthanded teams in the league.  The confidence that Leclaire seemed to possess in the net was unheard of for an Ottawa Senators goaltender and gave the team and its fans the reassurance of having a legitimate number one goaltender for the first time ever.

The wheels began to fall off in the October 22nd game versus the Predators when Leclaire was in net for all 6 goals against in the Sens thrilling 6-5 overtime loss.  After that game it seemed like Leclaire had lost a bit of the confidence that had made him such a standout early on and it resulted in him giving up at least one soft goal seemingly every game.  When it finally looked like he had started to turn the corner and regain his confidence, he went down with a couple of injuries and hasn’t played since.  When Leclaire does return, he will need to play with the confidence that he exhibited early on in the season and stop letting in soft goals or else he could be watching games from the bench.

A major reason for that has been the excellent play of Brian Elliott so far this season, especially since he took over for Leclaire five games ago.  Elliott had a relatively strong rookie season last year when he appeared in 31 games and carried the team to a strong second half showing.  He was guilty, like so many Senators goaltenders before him, of letting in a week goal at the most inopportune times but he seems to have remedied that problem.  This season he appears much more confident in the net and that confidence has translated into improved results.

Regardless of what happens when Leclaire returns from injury in a couple of weeks, the Sens seem to be in good shape when it comes to their goaltending situation.  Leclaire is still the number one but Elliott is pushing him for playing time which should only help motivate Leclaire to play better.  Look for Cory Clouston to make both goaltenders earn their playing time and then go with the hot hand down the stretch.  My money is still on Leclaire but I wouldn’t count out Elliott in what should be an intriguing battle for the rest of the season.