One-On-One Drill: Ottawa Senators Defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker To Sit Out On Thursday Night

As encouraging as it was to see Shane Pinto, Artem Zub and David Perron participate in this morning's skate, two personnel decisions raised some eyebrows.

The first was that Anton Forsberg was the first goaltender off the ice and would be starting tonight against the Islanders. The second involved Travis Hamonic taking reps on the third pairing alongside Tyler Kleven.

In the former's case, at least there's a defensible argument. Forsberg has had two shutouts in his past three appearances, providing some stability. With Boston and Toronto on the docket following tonight's game, it makes sense to play Ullmark, the team's most talented netminder, against those two divisional opponents. If it is safe to assume Forsberg will draw back in for the Flyers game on November 14th, it would have almost been two weeks between starts if he did not play tonight.

There is also the statistical anomaly that in the two instances Ullmark was called on to start consecutive games this season, the Senators have lost both of those games - October 12th against the Canadiens and November 1st against the Rangers.

In Hamonic's case, the explanations for his presence in the lineup are less convincing.

"Just, you know, we gotta make a decision," Travis Green stated as he explained his decision to bench Jacob Bernard-Docker. "I've liked both guys' games.

"Obviously Hammer's been playing with Sandy, playing against a lot of good players in the league, because anyone knows when you're in the top four you're playing against the top players. When you're in the bottom, you're using the one protected with your ice time. Yeah, they both played well. We had to make the decision."

As I detailed in a piece a few days ago, the Senators' third pairing has unquestionably been sheltered. It has also produced one of the league's best expected goal rates per 60 minutes of five-on-five ice time. A glance at NaturalStatTrick's data today reveals that only five pairings that have logged more than 100 minutes together have better rates than the Tyler Kleven/Bernard-Docker pairing.

Interestingly, in the two games that Hamonic played with Kleven before Zub's injury, the pairing fared quite poorly. In the 29 minutes and 14 seconds that they have played together at five-on-five this season, the Senators have generated 37.78 percent of the shots (CF%), 42.86 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), and 40.83 percent of the expected goals.

When asked what Travis Hamonic brought to the lineup, Green pointed to his experience and physicality.

"He's a veteran guy," Green explained. "We've got a relatively young group back there. He brings a physical element to the game. He understands the game and when to speak up when certain things are happening."

I spoke with Bernard-Docker following practice and the young defenceman said the right things.

Nichols: "Artem Zub's injury created an opening for you to come into the lineup. You played really well. How did you feel about your sample size of games thus far?"

JBD: "Yeah, I felt pretty good. Obviously, there's all these things you look back at you want to improve, but for the most part, I thought I'd played a solid game. I'm just trying to play that role to the best of my ability, but we've got seven good (defencemen) here. So, it sucks being out of the lineup, but we just try to be a good teammate along the way."

Nichols: "You mentioned you want to improve some things, what are they?"

JBD: "Just here and there being more aggressive, I think, in the defensive zone. Making some quicker reads. Making sure I'm moving pucks north. Just such little time to make plays in this league sometimes and I think it always works out better if you just try to make a quick play and put it in our skilled forwards hands. Yeah, so I think those are probably the things I'm trying to improve on."

Nichols: "How did it feel playing with your former collegiate teammate Tyler Kleven? It looked like you were making some good reads and doing things you needed to. How was that experience?"

JBD: "Yeah, it's a lot of fun, I think, if we went along like it got a little more comfortable. We played here and there together in college, but probably not as much as we did in that eight or nine-game stretch. So, it's good, I think we've got a good dynamic and we can kind of both give it to each other and that it's in our best interest. But, also be there for one another when there's a mistake. So it was fun."

Nichols: Did the coaches have any messages for you?

JBD: "Yeah, just to kind of stay ready. Keep trying to improve my game and practice to make sure that I'm sharp. I think that that's probably the main message, to make sure I'm ready for that opportunity when it comes around again."

Nichols: How much confidence do you have knowing you sat for the first few games? Does it build confidence knowing that you can integrate in this lineup right away and have success playing at a high level?

JBD: "Yeah, I have full confidence in myself, and I know I can be a contributor on this team, I think, even when I'm out of the lineup. I can get down on myself for a little bit, but I think that's just human nature. But, I think I've done a better job. I just know my ability and when I get in there now, I know I can do the job."

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