Graeme Nichols has a one-on-one with Sens defenseman Cam Crotty, just hours before his NHL playoff debut with his hometown Senators as they face a crucial Game 3.
In the Ottawa Senators' dressing room on Thursday morning, Cameron Crotty was not tipping his hand.
Every one of the players in that room knew what the roster for game three was going to be, but Crotty refused to disclose whether he was playing. Not until an official announcement had been made by the coaching staff.
During the line rushes at today’s morning skate, Crotty took regular turns with Tyler Kleven. The latter has not played a game since taking a puck to the jaw during the Senators’ April 2nd game against the Buffalo Sabres, but he has progressed over the last week, going from wearing a non-contact jersey to a regular one.
Kleven was expected to return at some point during this series, but when game two’s third pairing of Dennis Gilbert and Lassi Thomson took rushes together this morning, it raised some doubt that Kleven was ready for game three.
Once in the dressing room for player availabilities, however, that feeling changed when the Gilbert and Thomson pairing remained on the ice to get more work in while Crotty and Kleven were in the room.
After Thomas Chabot let it slip that Kleven was drawing back in the lineup, it became obvious that Crotty was going to slide in alongside him.
“It would mean a lot to play tonight,” Crotty acknowledged. “Obviously, it's a massive game for us, and the first game of this series at home. I'm expecting it to be a pretty exciting game.”
The 26-year-old Ottawa native spent the majority of his season in Belleville, where he appeared in 49 games, scoring three goals and adding seven assists and waiting patiently for his opportunity to play.
“I don't know if (playing in the NHL playoffs) is something I had on the bingo card at the start of the year, because there's so much depth here,” Crotty admitted. “Obviously, it's been a year full of adversity in terms of injuries here.
“There have been a lot of guys who have stepped in and tried to help out. That's the mindset that we all have. Whenever your number is called, you're ready to go and try to contribute.”
With the rash of injuries that tested the Senators’ depth on the blue line, Crotty was eventually recalled on April 1st, and he played in six regular season games down the stretch.
In approximately 81 minutes of five-on-five ice time, the Senators generated 49.61 percent of the shots (CF%), 53.85 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 50.00 percent of the total goals (4-4, GF%) and 60.80 percent of the expected goals (xGF%) per Natural Stat Trick.
It is admittedly a small sample size, but the metrics were decent considering Crotty had 40 percent offensive zone starts, and, as a wrinkle, because of injuries to the Senators’ left side, Crotty played exclusively with other natural right-shot defencemen.
Crotty’s game may be better suited for the NHL postseason than Lassi Thomson’s. Travis Green and assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner tried to shelter the Finnish defender as much as possible, giving him zero defensive-zone and five offensive-zone starts.
Thomson was never on the ice for a goal against, and his metrics weren't necessarily bad, but there was a perceptible nervousness to his game in how he handled the pressure from Carolina’s forecheckers. In Crotty, the hope is that the more experienced defender will bring more poise, physicality and better defending to the third pairing.
There is nothing sexy about Crotty’s game, but he has a tendency to keep things simple. He plays a safe and responsible game, and the best indicator of his play is that you often do not notice him on the ice.
Even though Crotty has not played, his preparations have not changed.
“You just prepare as if you are playing,” Crotty said while reflecting on the mindset of being a healthy scratch and keeping himself ready. “When you get a chance to watch games from up top, it's a different perspective than watching on video.
“You can see things that maybe you don't see during the games. It provides another perspective. You can ask every guy here, every guy prepares the same, whether they're in or not. Something that I do is prepare as if it is my number going in.”
Interestingly, Crotty can draw on a layer of familiarity playing Carolina. One of the six games he played this season was against the Hurricanes on April 5th.
Crotty was on the ice for a goal for and against, but he did spend a lot of time in his own end defending with the Hurricanes generating the majority of the shots while he and his partner, Lassi Thomson, were on the ice. With that pairing on the ice, the Senators generated 30.77 percent of the shots (CF%), 35.71 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), and 42.12 percent of the expected goals (xGF%). It was a tough matchup, but it is worth noting that the majority of Crotty’s minutes were spent playing with right-shooting Thomson and the Senators’ fourth line.
Still, Carolina offers its challenges to Crotty.
“They are a really sticky team,” explained the defenceman. “They can be smothering, and for both teams, it's been really tight games.
“There's a lot of (efforts to) relieve pressure, just kind of throwing pucks into the neutral zone. It's going to be the same thing tonight, and going forward for this series. Both teams play very tight checking games, and you have to work for your offence and work for your zone time. I expect it to be the same thing.”
We can also expect the Canadian Tire Centre to be absolutely rocking for game three tonight. Although the Senators returned to the postseason last year, their matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs ensured the building would have its share of blue-and-white supporters.
That will not be the case on Thursday night, and it has been a long time since the Senators have enjoyed a playoff atmosphere like they will experience tonight.
I asked Crotty whether he had any fond memories of watching the Senators’ postseason games growing up.
“Not that I remember when I was young, but nothing comes to mind,” he acknowledged. “I just remember that pretty good playoff run that Ottawa had in 2017. I remember being in restaurants and watching the buzz of the city. It was pretty cool.”
An Ottawa product making his NHL playoff debut in what is ultimately a do-or-die scenario, it does not get more exciting than that.
Graeme Nichols
The Hockey News
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