BUFFALO — Breaking up is hard to do.
And, in the case of defencemen Mark Borowiecki and Dylan DeMelo, Ottawa Senators’ coach D.J. Smith isn’t thrilled with the idea of having to do it from time-to-time.
Yes, Smith decided to change the club’s pairings during a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils last Wednesday on the road by placing moving DeMelo to play with top defender Thomas Chabot while his regular partner Nikita Zaitsev was on the ice with Borowiecki for the rest of the club’s victory.
But Smith didn’t want to make the move permanent because he respects what Borowiecki and DeMelo bring to the table on a nightly basis. He calls them the most reliable defensive duo on the ice most nights and Smith likes what they bring.
“They play hard every night and they don’t give you an inch,” Smith said before the club’s 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres here Saturday night at KeyBank Center. “They’re honest players and they’re competitive. In a sport where as many competitive people as possible help you win, I truly believe they’re two of the most competitive guys we have on this team.”
DeMelo played mostly with Chabot last season when he arrived in a deal with the San Jose Sharks for Erik Karlsson. Much was made of the fact DeMelo’s role might be slipping when he was moved to play in the pairing with Borowiecki, but that’s hardly been the case and both have stepped up this season to earn more ice time.
“Anytime, in any good partnership, usually each individual plays their game to the best of their abilities and that usually means you’ll have a good partnership,” DeMelo said. “We’ve done a good job collectively, and individually, of playing hard and playing for each other.”
DeMelo noted both players will be unrestricted free agents on July 1 and they’re playing for the futures either in Ottawa or in the league. If they aren’t signed here then they’ll be moved at the February trade deadline and then try to cash in on July 1 when free agency begins.
Both are playing with something to prove and it could pay dividends down the road.
“We both know this is a really big year for us and we’re taking that challenge and we’re making the most of it,” DeMelo said. “For me, (Borowiecki) plays such an aggressive style with how competitive he is, how hard he plays and the best part of his game right now is that he’s pitching in some offence and that’s great to see.
“He’s using his feet and shooting a lot. I just try to do what I do by just playing solid, reliable hockey and kind of contribute when I can. Both of us playing really well individually. Now that we’ve been together a long time, we know a little bit about our tendencies and we’re both easy guys to play with because we keep the game simple.
“We don’t over-complicate things and that’s why we’ve had a great partnership.”
Borowiecki said they hope this is something that lasts through this season and beyond.
“We work well together, no question,” Borowiecki said. “It helps if you have a relationship with the guy off the ice, you’ve got the same mindset and you get along well that translates to being good on the ice.
“We both think the game in a fairly similar way, we try to play it safe, we’re not afraid to get up in the play and for whatever reason we’ve gelled. He’s really helped me settle my game down and I’ve really, really enjoyed playing with him. A huge shoutout to him for helping me find my game this year and, hopefully, we’ve got a few more to come together.”
GOOD WORK, COACH
Ottawa centre Colin White will be keeping an eye on the Hockey Hall of Fame ceremonies in Toronto Monday night.
A former Boston College product, the 22-year-old White is thrilled the club’s legendary coach Jerry York will be installed in the Builders’ Category with the rest of the class. The 74-year-old York has been coaching in the NCAA since 1972 and has more than 1,000 wins. He started at Clarkson, spent time with Bowling Green and has been at BC since 1994.
White played in his hometown for two years and has a lot of respect for York.
“It’s pretty exciting for everybody who’s ever played at BC and played under him,” White said on the weekend. “He’s a pretty special guy and to be able to coached by him is a real honour.
“He’s a legend, his name speaks for itself, but the things he’s done for college hockey and he’s got 600 wins at Boston College, that’s just an amazing accomplishment. For him to get that recognition is just great. I had a chance to meet him when I was 10-years-old and I always knew I wanted the chance to play for him.”
There was some criticism of York, who is in his 46th season behind a college bench, because he elected to coach this weekend before heading to Toronto to attend the ceremonies. White said York always puts his team first.
“He does anything to promote his program and he really cares about Boston College and not only the team, but the school as a whole,” said White. “He would always choose (the team). He would never put his accomplishments above the team or anything else. That’s one thing we always liked as players is that he always cared about us.”
Twitter: @sungarrioch
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