SNAPSHOTS: Coach D.J. Smith promotes togetherness off the ice in the Sunshine State
DJ Smith #DJSmith
TAMPA — Sometimes you have to take one step back, to take two steps forward.
That’s exactly the approach D.J. Smith took Monday morning.
After getting a lot of work done Sunday following a frustrating 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers at the FLA Live Arena, the Ottawa Senators’ coach cancelled the club’s skate here Monday, held an off-ice workout and meeting then took the whole team out for some outdoor activities.
Preparing to face the defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday night at Amalie Arena, Smith knows you can only spend so much time at the rink and break from the daily routine to help promote togetherness isn’t a bad idea either.
The schedule is so busy you can’t skate players into the ground either so a game of pickleball in the great outdoors is a nice change of pace.
“We’ve been practicing a lot and we skated (Sunday) before making the trip here,” said Ottawa winger Drake Batherson Monday. “A day today to play with some games with the boys will be unreal.”
A BUSY MONTH
After the loss to the Panthers to start this two-game road trip, the Senators closed out October with a 4-4-0 record and face a pivotal month of November with 14 games in the next 30 days.
Seven games are on the road, starting with Tuesday’s game against the defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. The Senators went winless in road games against Buffalo, Toronto and Florida last month and need to get that turned around.
Trying to get back to the consistency the Senators had at home in a four-game winning streak last week, Smith shuffled his deck and has changed three of the club’s four lines to try to get this team back on track in short order.
The trio of centre Tim Stutzle along with captain Brady Tkachuk and winger Drake Batherson remained together while pivot Shane Pinto was moved up to play with Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux.
Dylan Gambrell will play. He was skating on the fourth-line with Parker Kelly and Austin Watson while Mark Kastelic moved to play with Tyler Motte and Mathieu Joseph Sunday.
Veteran Derick Brassard will be a scratch.
Pinto has had the opportunity to play with DeBrincat and Giroux on the power play so there’s already some chemistry there. Pinto scored his sixth of the season against the Panthers.
“They’re just so skilled, they make so many smart plays out there and I’ve just got to put myself in good spots,” said Pinto. “You’ve seen on the power play that (Giroux) is always finding me so I just have to get to those areas and get open because they can make plays.”
The coaching staff has been toying with this move for awhile.
“That was always thought but it was as much about when he was ready,” said Smith. “At this point I think we need the checking presence with the offence. Pinto has offence, but we need guys that are going to be hard to play against in their zone.
“I think (Pinto) can provide that but I also think those guys are going to be responsible for us.”
Of course, the other guy getting a bigger role is Kastelic. The rookie centre has been impressive in his fourth-line role, but this is a chance to help provide offence with the third-line while also trying to inject some energy.
“He’s earned it,” Smith said. “The time is now to give him a bigger opportunity. He wants to do it right and he wants to win. He’s checking and he’s doing all the right things so I think now is the time to get him more minutes.”
Smith wants to give Gambrell the opportunity to play and that’s why he’s stepping in to a fourth-line role. He brings experience, can kill penalties and has some speed.
“Gambrell will play. We need his speed, his tenacity, his compete level on the track in his own zone,” Smith said. “He’s been a good soldier, he’s been sitting there and he hasn’t complained. He’s got himself in good shape.”
THE LAST WORDS
Lightning coach Jon Cooper has a lot of respect for the Senators.
“They caught a tough break when (Josh) Norris went down. You don’t want to see those young guys get injured,” he said Monday.
“They’re just on the rise. A lot of those teams that haven’t been playoff relevant in our division in the last few years have all improved. Ottawa is one of them. They’re a bit of (a) scary team because they’ve got young, exciting and exuberant youth.
“They’ve brought in a couple of veterans with Giroux and DeBrincat. They’re a team that’s knocking on the door. We need to be ready.”
Speaking of Norris, Smith told this newspaper Saturday — with or without surgery the minimum timeline for the shoulder injury is three months. Norris hasn’t made a decision whether he’s going undergo surgery on the left shoulder
He had surgery on the shoulder after the 2019 IIHF world junior championship and wants to take some time before making a decision. The Senators have no issue with Norris exploring his options.
bgarrioch@postmedia.com
Twitter: @sungarrioch