What prompted Senators rookie Ryan Dzingel to drop the gloves for his first NHL fight Tuesday?

Did he think that, in his 20th NHL game, it was about time?

Was he unhappy with the treatment he received from Matt Dumba in front of the Minnesota Wild net?

Or did Dion Phaneuf shout out orders?

OK, so probably not the latter, but earlier in the day, coach Dave Cameron was explaining that Phaneuf’s contributions have been “50-50” as far as what we mere observers do and do not notice from the former Leafs captain. As an example of the latter, he harkened back to a March 6 game when Dzingel took a Marc Methot slap shot off the back of his ankle.

“He went down, and he wasn’t going to get up,” said Cameron. “But Phaneuf was up on the bench yelling ‘Ryan, get up, get up’ and up he pops. It comes back to our end, our goalie freezes the puck, Dzingel’s coming to the bench to change, and Phaneuf is standing there and says, ‘Why are you changing?’ Back he goes.

“You can’t put a price on that. Especially for that being a young player. Now, was Ryan Dzingel hurt? Yeah. But not enough to change.

“Nobody on our team would have done that (before). Ever. And if I do it. ‘uh oh,’ (even though) I’m thinking it.

“That’s the stuff that’s invaluable.”

Apparently, so is Phaneuf’s demeanour when he shows up for work.

“He walks into the rink every day excited as heck about being in the National Hockey League, and feeling really privileged that he’s able to do it,” said Cameron. “You would think that would happen with every player in the NHL, right? Because it’s a pretty good life, pretty good money, pretty good environment. Well it’s not.

“Some guys beat themselves up when things aren’t going good. They lose sight of just how good every day should be. Yeah, there’s some bumps in the road, but if you’re waking up every day and you’re in the National Hockey League, there ain’t many bumps, that it should take away from your karma, from your good energy.

“We call that learning to be a pro.”

“This guy comes in, he’s a real good player, he’s really fired up, he’s engaging, he says ‘good morning’ to you, he’ll throw something at you ... he won’t let you mope. So automatically, bang, your energy level comes up.

“That’s what this game is about. Execution and good energy. That’s invaluable. We don’t have enough of those guys on this team.”

That’s rather alarming. Players always remind us they can’t control things that are out of their control, but showing up at the rink in the proper frame of mind should be a relatively simple task to complete.

“On the bench, when things are getting tight and you’re feeling your team tensing up, (Phaneuf) is the guy that’s up,” said Cameron, who also pointed out the unnoticed contributions of veteran Scott Gomez. “He’s coming off, he’s talking to his wingers. We call that putting your neck in the noose, or putting your thing on the line. If I see you on the ice and you’re taking charge, you’re pointing out instructions, even if you’re wrong, I like it. Because I’ll teach you how to make the right call. The speed of this game is such that communication is invaluable.”

Meanwhile, somebody should probably communicate to Dzingel that he needs to get in a few more fights before he starts waiving for fans to raise the roof, especially since it wasn’t much of a scrap.

On the other hand, maybe he was just showing some of the energy and communication skills he’s been taught by the new veterans.

Or maybe Phaneuf told him to do it.

STARTS AND STOPS

The Senators have signed Rouyn-Noranda Huskies left winger Francis Perron, their seventh-round (190th overall) selection two years ago, to an entry level deal. Perron, who is second in QMJHL scoring with 107 points (41 goals), is a 6-foot, 163 pounder who has always had a superior offensive touch. But the Senators gave him the contract because this season he has focused on being a more complete player, as was instructed … Erik Karlsson was caught up ice on the 2-on-1 that produced Nino Niederreiter’s first-period goal. This time he hung Michael Kostka out to dry … Bobby Ryan didn’t get an assist (they went to Karlsson and Mika Zibanejad) but by waiving his stick in an attempt to deflect Mike Hoffman’s wrist shot, he sure provided a distraction for Devan Dubnyk.

BETWEEN PERIODS

When was the last time you heard the (Jean-Gabriel) Pageau song at Canadian Tire Centre? Fans liked him better as an underdog than the team’s best centre? … Dzingel was in six fights during the season and a half (or so) he spent in the AHL, so he’s got more practice at it than you would think … Hoffman’s goal stopped his slump at eight games … Karlsson spared Methot the embarrassment of a bad giveaway when he hustled to block a shot in the first … Methot delivered a crushing hit into the end boards on Marco Scandella in the second.

LAST LINE CHANGES

Chris Neil offered advice on how to remove a stain from a shirt (“soda water”) and a diagnoses on Cheapseats’ knee and finger ailments. “Gout. The rich man’s disease,” he said. “Too much steak and red wine.” Like there’s a lot of rich men in the media … For two teams in different conferences, there was a lot of chippiness through two periods. And why exactly are the Senators and Wild seeing each other twice in the final dozen or so games that should be reserved for divisional rivals? “Yeah, I wish they’d phone me on the schedule,” said Cameron, “but they don’t.”

DREAMY LAZAR 'COULD BE THE BACHELOR'

Curtis Lazar has yet to develop the scoring touch he had as a junior, but early into his career with the Senators he has proven to be as gritty as he is smart.

Away from the rink, however, the 21-year-old Senators centre has a gentler side.

“The one line I always say is it takes a real man to admit he’s soft,” Lazar stated with his trademark grin Tuesday morning.

The “real man” in him emerged the night before, while roommates Mark Stone and Chris Wideman watched a hockey game on TV.

Lazar went downstairs and turned on his program of choice: The Bachelor.

“I was on my couch by myself, watching it,” he said. “I watch The Bachelorette in the summer, every Monday. I’ve always loved that drama and gossip type stuff, so through the season I was like why not, let’s just watch (The Bachelor).

“It’s one of those shows you either love or you hate,” he continued, adding that Erik Karlsson and his girlfriend watched it, as did rookie Nick Paul. “For some reason I just love it. It’s pretty funny.”

As for his taste in movies, Lazar said comedies are his “go-to” but also admitted to a certain sensitivity.

“I got choked up at that The Fault in Our Stars .. that got me pretty good,” said Lazar, adding he’s also a fan of Nicholas Sparks, who wrote The Notebook and The Longest Ride. “I love that stuff, too.”

For many girls, that would make him a dream date.

“I could be The Bachelor,” said Lazar, who remembers quarterback Jesse Palmer being on the show. “I don’t know how it’s going to work with the hockey schedule, but I’d love to audition for that. I’d be a gentleman on there.

“I could date, how many girls to start with … 21? I could date them all, for sure. It’d be cool. I’ve watched enough of the seasons, I’d get a little bit of a game plan going.”

At that point, Paul arrived at the dressing room stall beside him.

“We’re talking about you watching The Bachelor,” Lazar told his younger teammate.

“Who said I watched The Bachelor?” Paul replied with a hint of embarrassment.

“He’s a boy,” said Lazar. “He’s a boy.”

CHIASSON TRYING TO PUT ONE AND ONE TOGETHER

Alex Chiasson’s most recent bout of misfortune, the Senators winger himself noted, included a missed open net Saturday and a lack of finish at Tuesday’s morning skate.

One of the skills he has developed this season, however, is coping.

“I know the same thing happened last year,” said Chiasson, who had 11 goals in 2014-15 and five this season before squaring off against the Minnesota Wild. “I think this year, my play has improved a lot defensively. Obviously my role on the team is a little bit different, but you still try to create offence for your team. I think puck-luck hasn’t gone my way this year, but if you focus on the bad luck you’re having and all the chances you’re going to miss, that’s not helping you much for the next game.”

Chiasson points out that as a third/fourth liner this season, he’s in a role he has never played before. But he also doesn’t blame coach Dave Cameron for his lack of production.

“Dave has never tried to get my offensive game away, he’s tried to get my defensive game much better,” said Chiasson. “Now it’s for me to bring the offensive stuff I had back. I’m confident once I get that back it makes me a more complete player.”

Meanwhile, Cameron remains pleased with Chiasson’s game.

“Because he skates and he’s a big man, he can go through people and create some havoc, both opening up space for his teammates, creating turnovers and retrieving pucks,” said Cameron, who believes Chiasson’s play has improved from last season. “I think Chase’s big challenge was not to evaluate his game on scoring. I think he’s more comfortable realizing that he doesn’t have to score to be a good player.”

At the same time, Chiasson also is in another contract year, and this time there’s a question as to whether the Senators will qualify him. His disappointing experience at the arbitration table last summer showed him how important it is to put up numbers.

“When you come into your contract year, you try to get a big year,” he said. “That obviously hasn’t happened for me this year. At the same time, I still think I’ve developed my game in different ways. We have 12 games left, and it’s up to me to give an impression what I can bring to the team. I think I can have a really valuable role here.”