by Ken Hawkins (a.k.a. khawk)
Expectations for the Ottawa Senators in 2024/25 are high, with many speculating that the team could seriously challenge for a wild card playoff spot. GM Steve Staios has been hard at work this off-season making significant roster moves throughout the lineup, bringing in a new coaching staff, and trying to establish a more professional team culture. Thursday night was his first chance to assess some of these major changes, and he had to be pleased with a 3-1 win against the defending Stanley Cup champions. There’s a lot of pressure for this team to start proving they have what it takes to win, and it was an undeniably positive start to the season.
NHL Game Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz8EvVOG3xI/
This isn’t to say there aren’t many areas for improvement, but much has been made about working on the details and there was ample evidence of that on the scoresheet. Yes, they won on the scoresheet, and won the special teams battle by going 1-for-3 on the PP and 2-for-2 on the PK. But they also won 56% of the faceoffs, outhit a very physical team 27-20, and had a 30-9 blocked shot advantage. Their two newest D-men had solid nights, with Jensen being a team-best +2, and Kleven leading the team with 4 hits. But it was their new starting goaltender who really stole the show. In addition to not giving up a goal on one of the first 2 shots of the game, Ullmark was at his absolute best with the game on the line in the 3rd period.
The Good - It would be easy to pick Stutzle for scoring his first 2 goals of the season, including a PP marker in the first period that ties his entire PPG total for the 2023/24 season. But this one goes to Ullmark, who couldn’t have done much more to ensure an important win for all of the new faces on the team. A hard-earned 0.968 sv% is a very welcome site to Senators' fans, who haven't seen efforts like that in quite some time.
The Bad - They certainly made Ullmark work for it, though… watching Florida attack the offensive zone so relentlessly in the 3rd period was a reminder that there’s still much work to be done in terms of defensive details when the chips are down. Of course, they're the defending Stanley Cup champions for a reason, and if this Senators team wants to take the next step they have to start making a habit of taking 2 points from high-quality teams like this.
The Ugly - there was a nasty collision between Stutzle and Barkov near the end of the game, where the two got tied up together in a puck race that led to an empty net goal. Barkov went into the boards especially hard and had to be helped off the ice. We can only hope his injury isn’t too serious, because he really is one of the best in the game.
Next up will be their first road game of the season in Montreal vs. another divisional rival on Hockey Night in Canada. It feels like the Greig/Xhekaj incidents from the pre-season have run their course, but who knows what kind of new incidents might develop. The Senators played a very disciplined game tonight, but this roster has a lot of sandpaper and it wouldn't be a surprise to see MacEwan step into the lineup to add some muscle.
What did you think of the first game of the Senators’ season? Please leave your comments below, and as always thanks for reading!
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