By Ken Hawkins (a.k.a. khawk)
Saturday night’s game vs. the New Jersey Devils was unquestionably a very important game for the Ottawa Senators. After having blown a 3rd period lead to MTL, and then getting utterly embarrassed by COL on home ice, OTT needed to at least show they could scrape out some ugly points in the standings on the road vs. an injury-depleted NJD team. And for the most part ugly points is what they got, because the Senators only mustered 19 shots on goal, and the goals by Tkachuk, Batherson, and Perron were all deflections from in close. Not to mention that the forward line that got the most ice time was the 3rd line of Greig-Pinto-Giroux... who played well for most of the game and were trusted late in the game, but found ways to make the puck look like rubber hand grenade when the Devils were pressing hard. Still, points this late in the season are hard to come by, and the Senators managed to pick a clean 2 points in the standings that will go a long way to supporting their claim to one of the Wild Card spots in the East.
OTT 3 - NJD 2 (NHL Highlights)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzMxn5eEOYA/
The Good - Despite making just 25 saves, Linus Ullmark came up big when it mattered to help secure a critical win, and add another >0.920 performance to his 2024/25 honour roll. The Senators have also started to get the message that the key to scoring at even-strength is getting bodies to the net. Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson each scored goal-crease deflection goals just 33 seconds apart, which in many ways changed the dynamic of the game and really took the crowd out of the game until late in the 3rd period. Notably, it was also Batherson’s 20th goal of the year, and he’s well on the way to reaching the 20G-60Pts mark for the 3rd straight season.
The Bad - Protecting leads continues to be an area of concern for the Senators, and is something they absolutely must improve upon. What seemed like a secure 3-1 lead late in the game turned into yet another manic scramble to escape with 2 points in regulation after multiple failed attempts to clear the puck out of the defensive zone, followed by a late 3rd period goal by the Devils to further raise the temperature. Fortunately they had the good sense to have Artem Zub on the ice in the final seconds, as it’s doubtful that Travis Hamonic would have been able to clear the puck from the crease so effectively with the game on the line. Please get better soon, Nick Jensen... this team isn't a serious playoff team with Hamonic in the top-4D.
The Ugly - If there’s a major concern about the team’s recent play it has to be that Brady Tkachuk has been occasionally struggling with a nagging injury that may date back to the Four Nations tournament last month. Rare is the game where he doesn’t play at least 15 min/GP, especially in a game that’s not a rout. Despite scoring the first goal of the game, Tkachuk played a season-low 13:23 last night, and looked to be in serious discomfort at times. It's too bad that this happened to coincide with Fabian Zetterlund getting a chance to play on the top line - where he generally looked quite good, but obviously may need time to develop chemistry with his linemates. Hopefully whatever is bothering Tkachuk isn't too serious, as many NHL fans are looking forward to seeing the younger Tkachuk brother in playoff-mode for the first time in his career.
The Dylan Cozens Effect
When GM Steve Staios pulled the trigger on the trade deadline deal that sent Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker to Buffalo in exchange for Dylan Cozens and Dennis Gilbert, it was clear that the long-term benefits to each team could take years to fairly evaluate. However, the short-term impact of the trade has been undeniable for the Ottawa Senators, as Cozens has effectively stabilized what had been a major issue around the consistency of the team’s 2nd line scoring. Even more impressively, Cozens' offensive resurgence has equally benefited Drake Batherson and David Perron as his primary linemates.
Production Since Cozens-Norris Trade:
Cozens - 8GP, 3G, 4A, 7Pts, +2, 7 Games with Points
Batherson - 8GP, 4G, 3A, 7Pts, +2, 5 Games with Points
Perron - 8GP, 3G, 3A, 6Pts, +5, 6 Games with Points
Having an effective 2nd line also takes the pressure off the top line, and it’s notable that all of Tkachuk, Stutzle, and Giroux also have 6-7pts since the Cozens trade… as is the fact that Cozens has out-hit Tkachuk by a 31-22 margin in those same 8GP. Josh Norris was obviously a popular teammate, but this kind of consistent and reliable all-round production was never something he was able to provide during his time in Ottawa. No matter how you cut it, the team has gone 6-2-0 since the arrival of Cozens, and they look poised to make a serious playoff run with the best 1C-2C-3C lineup they’ve had in a decade.
Next Up
The win improves the Senators record to 37-27-5 on the season, which keeps them in the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference with 79 points, and 4 points ahead of the surging Montreal Canadiens. It also marks the start of the portion of the Senators’ schedule that should give them the greatest advantage in terms of making a playoff run - with their next 5 games coming vs. BUF, DET, CBJ, PIT, BUF, followed by a stretch of 7 of their following 8 games on home ice. Given the logjam at the top of the Atlantic Division, it also creates a very real possibility of a Battle of Ontario in the first round. Few would argue that this would rekindle much of the lost hatred into the provincial rivalry, and be about as dramatic a return to the postseason as possible for the Senators. But there’s still a lot of hockey to be played and it never pays to look too far ahead. It’s time for this team to make their final playoff push, starting on Tuesday night vs. the Buffalo Sabres.
What did you think of the Senators’ win vs. the Devils, or their current playoff chances? Feel free to comment below, and as always thanks for reading!
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