The Ottawa Senators are on quite a run. With their 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night, Ottawa improved to a stunning 8-1-1 in their last ten games. While there is likely small segment of the fan base disappointed about the harm this stretch of games has done to the team’s draft standing, most are really excited about what they’re seeing on a now-nightly basis. Here are tonight’s thumbs:

Thumbs Up: This Feels Different
Late-season runs from teams sitting well outside the playoff picture are nothing new in the National Hockey League, but this one from the Ottawa Senators feels different. Why does it feel different? Because the players leading this successful charge are the players that are going to be around next season, the season after that, and the season after that. This feels less like a final ‘hurrah’ from a soon-to-be-broken-up roster, and more like the seeds of something pretty special.

Thumbs Up: Jimmy’s Hat Trick
Regardless of what happens from here, this game likely puts an end to the debate as to which game represents Tim Stützle’s best in the National Hockey League this season. He was excellent in all facets of the game, and happened to throw in a hat trick for good measure. With the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth goals of his rookie season, Stützle is now on a 47-point pace over the course of a regular season. He’s done everything anyone could have hoped to see this season.

Thumbs Up: The Stützle Line
The tangible offence from Stützle – referenced above – was nice to see, but so was the astounding subtle success that he, Connor Brown, and Shane Pinto delivered as a line. They once again did a phenomenal job of limiting opposition chances, while creating their own in the offensive zone. Pairing Pinto’s two-way game with Connor Brown’s consistent smarts and Stützle’s electric skill has been very effective for DJ Smith. It’s certainly a line I’m hoping to see more from next season.

Thumbs Up: Jacob Bernard-Docker’s Quiet Night
He didn’t play a lot, but I thought Jacob Bernard-Docker was quietly very good for Ottawa. He made a couple very slick plays to break the puck out of the Ottawa zone, which in turn help his team generate offensive zone time. As has been the case with so many others, young players like Bernard-Docker continue to impress when given the opportunity.

Thumbs Up: Gustavsson’s Continued Success
Eventually Filip Gustavsson’s bubble will burst, right? Eventually he’ll come back down to earth? He was phenomenal for Ottawa again in this game, stopping 27 of 29 shots fired his way. Matt Murray’s contract is a complicating factor, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to give Gustavsson an extended look as the number-one guy to start next season. He’s earned the opportunity with how things have gone this year for him.

Thumbs Up: Team Defence Minus Chabot
With Thomas Chabot sidelined, the Senators’ defence as a whole did a wonderful job of stepping up to the task at hand. They were very effective in limiting Winnipeg’s high-quality chances throughout the evening, which is a real testament to the major step forward we’ve seen from Erik Brannstrom, the rejuvenation we’ve seen from Victor Mete, and the consistency we’ve seen from Artem Zub. There was a time earlier this year when Chabot being out meant an AHL-quality defence group for the Senators; that is no longer the case.

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The Senators will see the Calgary Flames tomorrow.

As always, thanks for reading.

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