AK-27 Firing “Blanks”

Take a deep breath Sens fans, your team is off to a 2-1 start and are showing signs that they have made progress from the previous season. However one member of the team seems to have taken a step back. Alex Kovalev, the ex-Hab, has been held pointless in all three games and is showing no signs of ending his current slump.

Any Habs fan will tell you that when Kovalev is in a slump, it is simply because he is trying to do too much with the puck, and is not utilizing his linemates properly. This seems to be the case early on this season and it is becoming more and more apparent to Sens fans that the off-season acquisition likes to hold onto the puck.

Senators winger Alex Kovalev is off to a slow start, but there is still lots of time for him to find his game.

Is this a problem? Of course not, and Bryan Murray knew what he was getting himself into when he signed the talented winger in the summer. The problem arises when Kovalev decides to hang onto the puck for that extra second and then passes it to the opposing team.

Like Sens fans, Senators head coach Cory Clouston has also been keeping a close eye on his star winger and doesn’t like what he sees either. Kovalev’s ice time has dropped about 2 minutes each game from 20:25 in the opener against the Rangers, to 18:14 against the Leafs, and then down to 16:31 last night against the Islanders. It is obvious that Clouston’s patience is running thin, but the beauty of being a star winger is that you can earn a coach’s trust back very quickly.

Kovalev has played this game with coaches his entire career and is well known for his ability to rebound in dramatic fashion. Clouston is going to give him every chance to get going, but Kovalev has to hold up his end of the bargain as well. The Senators were able to scrape out two wins against mediocre teams, but know that if they are going to compete for a playoff spot they will need the nifty Russian to be at the top of his game.

Luckily for Kovalev, his teammates have bailed him out the last two games and as long as the wins keep coming, many in Sens nation will turn their heads to his poor play. Newcomers like Matt Carkner, and Peter Regin have helped ease the pressure with their early season contributions and the goaltending of Pascal Leclaire has been near perfect since the Ranger game.

Kovalev knows all too well that poor play in a hockey-rich market like Ottawa is unnacceptable and realizes his play must improve sooner rather than later. If he can find his game and be that impact player the Sens desperately need, then their playoff chances increase dramatically.

However, if he is unable to show up and perform on a night-to-night basis, then it is most likely going to be another long, cold winter for those in the nation’s capital.

For The Hockey Writers, I’m Kyle Dunn.