The Ottawa Senators ended a nine-game losing streak tonight with a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Buoyed by solid goaltending from Matt Murray and stellar performances from a variety of young players, Ottawa delivered a win against a very strong Montreal squad. Here are tonight’s thumbs:

Thumbs Up: Matt Murray Gives Us a Glimpse
The Canadiens controlled most of the even-strength play throughout this game, but found themselves unable to get much past Matt Murray. He stopped 36 of 38 shots fired his way, and was especially good in the first and third periods when the Canadiens had plenty of opportunities to pepper him. He was, in a word, excellent.

This was the Matt Murray that Pierre Dorion committed four years and $25-million to over the summer. This was the Matt Murray that gave many fans hope that these Senators could be more competitive than last year. One game doesn’t mean much in the standings, but it’s a glimpse that provides some light and reason for optimism moving forward. Murray needed this one. Senators fans needed this one. Let’s hope it continues.

Thumbs Up: Tim Stützle Arrives
All his contributions prior to this point now feel like a pre-game show. The Tim Stützle everyone wants to see arrived tonight. In just less than 15 minutes of ice time, the German forward tallied a goal and two assists for a historic three-point night:

#GoSensGo Tim Stutzle is the first teenager with a 3-point game on the road vs the Canadiens since Dainius Zubrus of the Flyers on Oct 11, 1997

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 5, 2021

Fans are more than happy to put up with loss, after loss, after loss, after loss if young players like Stützle are going to have the chance to do this on any given evening. To get a win out of it, too? What a bonus.

One of the things that’s going to be interesting to follow with Stützle is whether the gap that has existed between his eye test results and his underlying numbers sticks around. Once again, his fancy stats were rather underwhelming. But, by my eye, he was doing a lot of things right. His speed, creativity, and puck-handling abilities are all mesmerizing.

Thumbs Up: Erik Brannstrom Makes an Impact
Recalled to replace Braydon Coburn in the lineup, Erik Brannstrom proved that he should have been playing all along. He posted positive relative shot attempt and expected goal shares (Natural Stat Trick), and contributed an assist on Connor Brown’s game-winning goal by getting his point shot through to the net. Those are two things that most of the defenders in Ottawa’s lineup have been unable to do so far this season. Moreover, the big difference with Brannstrom compared to others – and it was noticeable tonight – is his ability to move his feet. Good things happen when you put good young players in the lineup.

Thumbs Up: DJ Smith’s Lineup Decisions
It took a few games to get here, and there’s probably still more that could be done, but it was so rewarding to see young players combine to play such a pivotal role in a Senators win. Between Stützle, Brannstrom, Drake Batherson, and Thomas Chabot, the next generation of Ottawa players drove the bus tonight.

Thumbs Up: Artem Zub’s Solid Play
From my perspective, Artem Zub had another nice game. At his worst, he’s better than many of the veteran players that the Senators have been relying on to this point in the year. If he can continue to get reps and stay in the lineup, it’s quite easy to envision him developing into a sound top-four option. The underlying numbers and the eye test agree in Zub’s case tonight, as he was one of the team leaders in both shot attempt and expected goal share (Natural Stat Trick).

Thumbs Down: The Derek Stepan Situation
It was another not-so-good night for Derek Stepan this evening, as he was once again outplayed by the opposition on most of his shifts. There’s plenty of chatter out there that the relationship between team and player isn’t particularly good right now, with some suggesting that the Senators are already shopping him on the trade market. Considering the hefty price paid for what always looked like a bad investment, it’s probably okay to call this one an “L” for Pierre Dorion already.

Thumbs Down: The Late Shorthanded Goal
That made things a little bit too close for comfort, hey?

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The Senators will look to increase their season win total by 50% when they take on these same Montreal Canadiens on Saturday afternoon.

As always, thanks for reading.

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