Chlapik and Balcers click for Sens

It's been a bit of a whirlwind for forward Rudolfs Balcers since being acquired from the San Jose Sharks but his play on the ice doesn't show much in the way of turbulence so far.

Balcers hasn't even been with the Senators for a full week yet but he's credited his new teammates for making the transition as seamless as possible.
"Things are a lot different here than they were in San Jose," said Balcers following today's skate. "The guys have been really great though and made it a lot easier to adjust to joining a new team."
One of the guys who made a point to approach Balcers upon his arrival in Ottawa was Filip Chlapik and it turns out the pair have quite a bit in common. They're both 21, were drafted in 2015, hail from Europe and, probably most notably, they each led their respective AHL teams in scoring last season.
"When he joined the team I went straight to greet him and he's a really nice guy," said Chlapik about their first interaction. "He's a skilled guy and we seem to really click on the ice together."
Balcers also shared his recollections about first meeting Chlapik and how he had a hint that they might make good linemates given their playing styles.
"When we first talked he told me he was more of a playmaker," said Balcers. "I feel that I'm a little more of a finisher so that combination usually fits pretty good together."

Prior to forming a line with centre Ben Sexton for last night's pre-season contest against Toronto, the pair did spend some time playing together during the Sens' intrasquad games last week and Balcers noticed their chemistry right away.
"We were paired together in one of the scrimmages earlier in camp," Balcers said. "He's a good player that can make plays and he understands the game really well. It's not hard to play with a player like Filip."
Sens head coach Guy Boucher noticed their repertoire together as well last night and while he did jumble his forward lines a little as the game went on, he made the decision to leave that trio intact.
"When we talk about chemistry, that's not something that you put up on the board and think that these guys are going to work together," Boucher said when asked about Chlapik and Balcers' play in Wednesday's exhibition game against Toronto. "You don't know. You put it together and you see. If it doesn't click you move on. I changed a few things later on last night with the other lines but I thought they were doing good so I kept them together and it paid off on the final power play."
Chlapik scored the Sens' lone goal against the Maple Leafs on the man advantage late in the third period and while Balcers and Sexton didn't draw assists on the play, their line provided some nice puck movement down low to open up the point shot from Maxime Lajoie that produced a juicy rebound for Chlapik to jam home.

"All three of them played really well," Boucher said about the Chlapik-Sexton-Balcers line. "I thought they had plenty of piss and vinegar and I think they really clicked too."
While the chemistry the line showed was easy to see, Chlapik credits their constant communication as one of the reasons they saw some success together last night.
"Our line talked for a while before the game last night and a lot on the bench," said Chlapik. "I think that preparation really helped on the goal we scored. We just knew what each other were going to do and I thought we all played pretty well."
As Chlapik and Balcers continue their pursuit to earn a roster spot, they each acknowledged the advantage of playing with someone with the same goal. Naturally, every player comes to camp looking to earn an NHL job but the two young forwards admit that playing together has been mutually beneficial.
"We're both trying to make the team and play as hard as we can," said Balcers. "I think we're pushing each other and it's pretty clear that we have the ability to bring the best out in each other."
The Sens are back in action this weekend when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night at Canadian Tire Centre before traveling on Saturday to take on the Canadiens. Chlapik is set to appear in each game this weekend while Balcers is scheduled to join him in the line-up against Montreal.
Here's a look at the Sens' rosters for each game this weekend:
Sept. 21 vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Sept. 22 at Montreal Canadiens