OTTAWA — After last year’s playoff push, playoff hopes were supposed to be reasonable in the nation’s capital this season. Instead, the Ottawa Senators are another bad week away from planning their golf trips.
Here are eight things we want to see from the Senators in the eight games remaining before the Olympic break to get them into the post-season.
The best for Linus Ullmark
When I’m not writing about the Senators, I work as a mental health professional. You quickly learn that anyone — even the people you think have it all — can suffer mightily because of their mental health.
Earlier this week, Linus Ullmark addressed his personal leave in a TSN interview that revealed something of his battle with anxiety and depression, where he felt he lost himself, was broken and needed help. It led to bouts of severe anxiety in the Senators’ game against Toronto on Dec. 27, which resulted in him seeking help. The interview was a powerful display of vulnerability, describing his bouts of depression while playing in the NHL: the strife, the unfounded rumours about his marriage that he was furious about and how Victor Hedman helped him on his journey to a more tranquil mind. Maybe the most fascinating part of his interview was his assertion that the unsupported rumours that swirled about his leave of absence are exactly why professional athletes aren’t speaking about their own emotions and mental health.
As hockey fans, we love sports. Sometimes we have to remember that our favourite teams or players aren’t robots or content on PuckPedia roster boards. They are human, just like us.
Cut back on PK turnovers
The last team with the worst penalty kill in the league to make the playoffs was the 2023-24 Islanders.
Unfortunately for Senators fans, Ilya Sorokin isn’t stopping the pucks that leak through Ottawa’s penalty-kill diamond formation. Which means it's probably a good time to get yourself out of the shorthanded basement, if you’re coach Travis Green and the Senators.
The biggest issue has been puck clearance. Last weekend, on three occasions, a Senator had the puck with time to clear but failed to get it out, leading directly to a goal against.
First, it was Claude Giroux against Montreal.
Then, Tyler Kleven and Tim Stutzle against Detroit.
Also, a historically bad league-worst goaltending issue only accentuates the penalty-kill problems. Some cleaner zone exits and paddle stops would do the trick.
The good news for Senators fans is that against Columbus on Tuesday, James Reimer was excellent while shorthanded. Goalies can make or break a penalty kill.
Dylan Cozens has to translate his offence to five-on-five
This season, Dylan Cozens has entered the upper echelon of power-play performers across the NHL. He’s tied for 10th in power-play points, with 21. But at five-on-five, he has only 16 points. Quite the dichotomy.
“There's definitely more (offence needed from me at) five-on-five,” Cozens told Sportsnet.ca. “For me, it's a different kind of play than I'm used to; we get a lot more O-zone time. And I’m used to, obviously, the run-and-gun, like odd-man rushes and stuff (from Buffalo).
“It's a part of my game that I want to develop more is O-zone (play).”
Cozens is fourth on the team in expected goals share at five-on-five; however, the Senators' shooting percentage drops to seven per cent with him on the ice, two percentage points lower than the league average. On Tuesday, Cozens made a great pass to Ridly Greig, who potted home a goal at five-on-five. The Senators need this good play-driving to lead to tangible results. An uptick in five-on-five offence for Cozens is what the Senators sorely need from their second-line centre.
Tyler Kleven has to elevate his game
Last year’s playoffs were a breakout party for Tyler Kleven. This season, however, clean breakouts from Kleven have been hard to come by. On the weekend, two failed clearances from Kleven, one on an icing when he had Drake Batherson wide open against Montreal, and another shorthanded in Detroit, resulted in opponents’ goals seconds later.
However, since Jan. 8, when Kleven has been on the ice, the Senators have outscored opponents 6-1, with an excellent 58 per cent expected goal share. He’s found a good partnership with Jordan Spence: both are capable of a brainfart but overall have been an excellent third pairing.
Kleven described the pairing as “peanut butter and jelly”: Kleven’s hulking size matched with Spence’s diminutive stature. In Columbus, Kleven made a silky move to score his first goal in 61 games. If this trend leads to him earning some confidence, at his best, he makes the left side of the Senators' defence formidable, which is what they need to salvage their season.
Tkachuk has to play with force
There was growing worry from some in Sens Nation that Brady Tkachuk wasn’t playing to his standards. But, recently, he’s looked like one of the game's best power forwards, the one Sens fans have grown to love. Tkachuk has seven points in his last four games.
On Tuesday, Tim Stutzle graciously deferred to Tkachuk for an empty-net goal, likely to give Tkachuk some confidence.
His coach wasn’t worried.
“He should be confident,” Green said last week about Tkachuk.
“I think 80-some points would be pretty good for him, if there's any room for anyone to complain about his point total, to be honest. Brady brings a lot to the game, other than it's not about points, but he gets points.”
Tkachuk has been revving his game up when his team desperately needs its captain.
“I don't think defencemen enjoy going back against him when he's on his game,” said Green.
More saves needed
Ottawa needs saves, whether it's by Reimer, who has put up back-to-back strong performances, or a mentally refreshed Ullmark, who’s closing in on a return.
Reimer has a .911 save percentage in two games, a level of performance that Ottawa needed. Those kinds of performances have been few and far between this season for the Senators, and he could be the solution, even when Ullmark returns.
One goaltender likely out of the mix is youngster Leevi Merilainen, who too many times looked overwhelmed at the NHL level, especially with Ullmark on the sidelines.
After Jake Sanderson’s heat-of-the-moment "you gotta make more than 10 saves" comment about Merilainen's effort against Montreal, Sanderson apologized to his young tendy.
“First off, I’m pretty embarrassed,” said Sanderson. “I think that’s the situation where, after a game, you’ve got to take a few more minutes. Take a few deep breaths.
“I still feel really bad. Leevi’s a great guy. And I think that’s not what good teammates do. You don’t tear each other down. You build each other up, especially after a game like that. I’m pretty embarrassed.”
It was a remorseful gesture from Sanderson, who has kept Ottawa afloat this season. But the bottom line is the team needs more saves from its goalies to have a shot at the post-season.
Shane Pinto has to return to his pre-injury levels
Shane Pinto hasn’t been the same since an injury in early December that kept him out for nearly four weeks. Pinto has two goals and seven points in 12 games since returning; he had 12 goals and 22 points in 27 games before his injury. He was on pace for 36 goals.
“I still think I could be so much better,” Pinto told Sportsnet.ca. “(With the) injury, obviously, I'm trying to get back and trying to feel like myself again.
“I struggled a little bit coming back to get my timing back, and rustiness. … Took a couple games, but I'm starting to feel better with that.”
The analytics also show a stark difference in Pinto’s play, pre-injury versus post injury.
Most Sens fans know the trendline: the Senators are 77-17-10 when Pinto records a point.
Jake Sanderson's evolution continues
Jake Sanderson is already one of the best defensive defencemen in the NHL at the young age of 23. He’s on pace for career highs in every offensive statistical category. Sanderson is one goal away from matching his career high in goals. He has had 13 points in his last 12 games. Match that with Sanderson ranking fourth in expected goals allowed among defencemen who have played a minimum of 500 minutes. After Stutzle said Sanderson was a top-two defenceman in the league, the hyperbole started to look like a prediction.
“I definitely told him to say that,” Sanderson said, joking.
“Get a little stir in the media,” he added, laughing.
Sanderson is no laughing matter when it comes to the 2025-26 Norris Trophy consideration, and the Senators will be better for it if he continues his elite play.
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