The Noise: Condon keeping Senators afloat, Bruins on thin ice
theScore's new series, "The Noise," is published every Monday. It kicks off each week with a quick look at three teams or players making headlines, good or bad.
Condon keeping Senators afloat
Where would the Ottawa Senators be without Mike Condon?
When general manager Pierre Dorion added the journeyman goaltender for the price of a fifth-round draft pick in October, the expectation was that he would give the club the occasional spot start while Craig Anderson was on personal leave and in relief of Andrew Hammond.
Three months later, we have tweets like this:
Another win for Mike Condon, season-saving pickup by rookie GM Pierre Dorion
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) January 22, 2017
This came after a shootout win over rival Toronto, and a day before Condon allowed seven goals in an overtime loss to Columbus. The latter result aside, the fact Condon was pressed into back-to-back starts is evidence of how heavily the Senators have relied on him with Anderson away and Hammond sidelined by an ankle injury.
Ottawa sits second in the Atlantic Division, a place in the standings that would be far less secure without the 13 wins and three shutouts Condon's posted in 23 starts for the Senators this season.
When Anderson returns and Hammond gets healthy, Dorion will have a big decision on his hands.
The other Conor
In need of some inspiration on a Monday? Consider the following:
Conor Sheary went from being an undrafted college free agent to riding shotgun with Sidney Crosby within two years. Anything is possible.
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) December 15, 2016
Over the past week, 24-year-old Conor Sheary led the NHL with six goals and three assists in four games, boosting his season totals to 17 goals and 34 points in 39 games played mostly on Sidney Crosby's left wing.
Sheary's production has surprised even Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.
"I'm not going to sit here and suggest to you that I thought he'd have 17 goals halfway through the season, but I knew he could play in this league and I felt strongly that he could be a solid player at the NHL level," Sullivan said, according to Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I think his game is just growing by the day."
Sheary has now scored more goals than Connor McDavid, Tyler Seguin, Patrick Kane, and teammate Phil Kessel, and only four left wingers have recorded more than his 17 goals.
Anything is possible, indeed.
Bruins lack bite
Speaking of Sheary, his latest two goals came at the expense of the Boston Bruins, a team that has lost its past four games, leaving head coach Claude Julien to answer questions about his job security.
His response following Sunday's 5-1 loss to Pittsburgh spoke volumes about the state of the club.
Claude: "This is a team that needs all 20 guys going to win. We don't have enough talent to think we can get away with a mediocre game."
— Fluto Shinzawa (@GlobeFluto) January 22, 2017
Julien is not alone in pinning Boston's struggles more on roster composition than the system being employed by the coaching staff, but the reality is that the Bruins are facing a third straight season out of the playoffs, and that could lead to a change behind the bench, at the very least.
While the Bruins sit third in the Atlantic Division, they're the only team in the NHL to have played 50 games, and in terms of point percentage, they rank 11th out of the 16 Eastern Conference teams.
Boston hosts Detroit and Pittsburgh prior to the All-Star break - two games that could determine the Bruins' short- and long-term future.