|
Senators Win First Playoff Game Since 2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
By Ken Hawkins (a.k.a. khawk)
While it may not yet be a run of unprecedented success, the Ottawa Senators are officially back into the playoff win column. The Senators managed to reverse their recent bad overtime luck, and earned a hard-fought 4-3 OT win in Game 4 of their series with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Of note, it was the first game of the series where TOR never had a lead at any point, even though they did a very good job of keeping the game within striking distance. Never was this more evident than in OT, when it seemed almost certain that a 4-minute PP opportunity would mean the end of the Senators’ 2024/25 season. Instead, OTT came up with a desperate PK effort, and were finally rewarded with a bit of good luck as a long-range shot from Jake Sanderson found its way through a screen into the top corner.
Overall, it's been anything but an easy start to the playoff series for the Senators, but it was always understood that the learning curve would be steep, and the growth has been readily apparent. Case in point, the quality of their play has steadily improved in each of the four games so far, and the outcomes are pretty much a direct reflection.
Game 1 - Down 2-0 early, 3PP GA, lost in regulation
Game 2 - Down 2-0 early, 1PP GA, lost in OT
Game 3 - Up 1-0 early, 1PP GA, lost in OT
Game 4 - Up 2-0 early, 0PP GA, won in OT
Naturally, home ice advantage certainly plays heavily into this distribution, but even so it raises some interesting questions about Game 5. Do they continue to play Stolarz exclusively, or allow Woll a chance to get into the lineup? Does Robertson get a chance to play in the home game, where they have a chance to control the line match-ups? The Leafs are still firmly in the driver’s seat of the series, however that Game 4 loss drops the Matthews-era Leafs team to 1-12 in potential elimination games (as reported by CBC). Combine with this the improved play the Senators have shown, and there will be more than a bit of pressure on TOR to finish the series off in 5 games vs. giving OTT a chance on home ice to extend the series to 7 games.
A few additional thoughts regarding the Senators’ performance in Games 1-4…
The Good - There are certainly positives to be found in the Senators’ play, given that just 2 goals the other way could have the series at 3-1 in their favour. They’ve had 9 different goal scorers, outhit TOR by a 188-121 margin, gotten very strong performances from younger defensive players like Pinto, Greig, Sanderson, and Kleven, and twice found ways to come back and score in the 3rd period to force OT. And despite the fact that Tkachuk still isn’t 100%, he’s still found ways to lead the team on the ice and make a difference. His hit on Pontus Homberg in front of Ullmark shortly before OTT scored their 3rd goal in Game 4 was worthy of an assist.
The Bad - Many people were blaming Linus Ullmark for the high number of GA early in the series, but it seems pretty clear that the lack of consistent defensive play was the larger concern. This included a dysfunctional PK early in the series, unusually poor faceoff performances, and the combined -6 standing of the Chabot-Jensen pairing… who were on the ice for 4 of the first 5 ES goals against. It’s also not clear that it’s such a good thing for a player like Tim Stutzle to be leading the team in hits instead of shots or points. Being willing to throw the body around is commendable, but Stutzle is the main offensive catalyst on a team with just 10G so far in the playoffs.
The Ugly - Early in the season the Senators really suffered from giving up high-momentum swing goals at crucial times, and this has reared its head in this series in a big way. For the most part, TOR has been able to summon goals at key moments, and effectively disrupt the confidence of the Senators. Linus Ullmark has improved as the series has progressed, but the whole team needs to do a better job of recognizing when these high-momentum times are taking place, and not taking unnecessary risks that have cost them. Playing it smart and not trying to force the issue is seldom the wrong decision.
The next chapter of the Battle of Ontario is set for Tuesday night, when the Maple Leafs will host the Senators in Game 5. Regardless of the outcome, it’s probably safe to say that the Senators have now officially delivered on the potential of their season. It would have been hard to feel 100% positive about a playoff sweep to a provincial rival, but winning such a hard-fought and emotional OT game on home ice like they did in Game 4 gave the Ottawa fanbase something to celebrate and be genuinely proud of. The question now is whether they have more to give, now that they’ve tasted a small bit of playoff success.
What did you think of the Senators’ OT win vs. the Maple Leafs in Game 4? Please feel free to comment below, and as always thanks for reading!
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»