by Ken Hawkins (a.k.a. khawk)
Despite their overall improved play, inconsistent effort and slow starts have been a problem for the Senators early in the 2024/25 season. However, their game vs. Seattle on Hockey Night in Canada was probably the most consistent 60 minute effort they’ve had all year, and the result was a solid 3-0 win on home ice. Adam Gaudette opened the scoring at 5:28 of the 1st period to establish an early lead as part of a hard-working 4th line shift. Brady Tkachuk added to the lead at 11:11 of the 2nd period by deflecting a point shot to score his team-leading 7th goal. Tim Stutzle then added an empty-net goal late in the 3rd period to round out the scoring.
OTT 3 - SEA 0 (NHL Game Highlights)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7cyv5sxRBM/
It was a well-deserved win by the Senators, but the Kraken played a smart road game and did a good job of keeping the game within reach. The shots were kept very close in all 3 periods, they kept the Senators PP at bay, and the Kraken hit two posts that could easily have tied the game. But Anton Forsberg had another quality start to keep the game in the Senators’ favour and not allow the Kraken to build any momentum. That said, it’s clear that this team is still working to develop their identity, as within the first 11GP they’ve already had 2GP where they’ve scored 8 goals vs. 2GP where they’ve scored 1 goal, and 2GP where they gave up 6+ goals vs. 2GP where they had a shutout. Hopefully this game is an indication of them adopting a more consistent and mature approach.
The Good - You have to start with Anton Forsberg, who made 22 saves including one especially impressive cross-crease effort to get his NHL-best 2nd shutout of the season. This is no minor achievement for a goaltender who many believed could have received a buyout in the off-season, and is now playing behind a $8M starter. Adam Gaudette scored his 6th goal of the season, and is currently the most efficient scorer in the NHL in terms of goals/TOI. Brady Tkachuk scored the insurance goal in the 2nd period, and Tim Stutzle had 1G-1A including the EN goal to retain their standing as the two leading scorers on the team.
The Bad - Disparaging the job done by NHL referees can be tiresome, but in this game it didn’t feel like a very balanced effort. It’s already problematic when the first goal of the game only gets allowed because one coach risked a penalty in order to get the benefit of a replay to overturn a very quick decision on the ice. And the penalty calls on Batherson, Amadio, and Gaudette were all highly suspect, and even showed evidence of embellishment on more than one occasion. The league really can’t allow plays like that to decide an otherwise high-speed and well-played game, because it seriously detracts from the entertainment product they’re trying to put on the ice.
The Ugly - This team still doesn’t seem to understand that goals against at the wrong time result in game-changing momentum swings. With about 1:00 to go in the 1st period, the Tkachuk-Stutzle line got caught deep in the offensive zone and Greig blew a tire, which led directly to a dangerous odd-man rush the other way. It was basically a replay of VGK scoring their 5th goal a week ago that put a dagger in a game where OTT led 4-3 with <5min to play. Then, with about 0:45 left, the Norris-Batherson line got caught deep in the offensive zone because Giroux literally jumped into the air to try to bat the puck with his glove but wound up running a pick on his own teammate along the boards. It led directly to a dangerous odd-man rush by SEA, and about 30 seconds of chaos and dangerous shot attempts to end the period. None of that happens if they just play with a mindset of preventing odd-man rushes and scoring chances in the last minute of the period to protect their lead. Details!
Regardless, this win improves the Senators record to 6-5-0 and gets them back onto the right side of the .500 mark. It also puts them in 4th place in the Atlantic Division and 8th place in the Eastern Conference, which is hardly the worst position they could be in given the difficulty of their first 10 games. They also currently have the 7th best goal differential in the league, and 4 of their 5 losses came to high-quality opponents like NYR, COL, VGK, and NJD, where they mostly played on the road and left points on the board. They now have a chance to match-up with some key divisional rivals with a 5 game stretch that includes BUF, NYI, BOS, TOR, and PHI. The road games vs. BOS/TOR will be of particular interest, as these are effectively 4-point games in terms of eventual playoff consideration.
What are your thoughts on the Senators’ shutout win vs. Seattle? Please leave your comments below, and as always thanks for reading!
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