The Ottawa Senators started late, took hits to — you could argue — their two most important players and saw their biggest off-season acquisition already lost long-term to injury.
But with five wins in 10 nights, the Sens have surged out to a fantastic — and critically important — start.
Ottawa’s most recent victory, a 4-1 triumph in New Jersey on Monday night, was the club’s sixth game of the year as the Senators have now played more than all but five NHL teams despite being the last club to open its season on Oct. 3.
All-world defenceman Jake Sanderson did not play against the Devils, as he’s seen fewer than five minutes of action this year after departing the season-opening win versus Toronto early. Linus Ullmark — a goalie Ottawa must get quality play from this season — did beat the Devils by stopping 29 of the 30 shots he faced, but he also had to leave a win in Boston early last week with his own injury scare that, thankfully for the club, turned out to be of minor consequence.
As for William Eklund — who, in a roundabout way, is the replacement for departed former captain Brady Tkachuk — the former San Jose Shark is expected to miss an “extended” period of time with an ankle injury sustained on Thursday against the Flyers.
The Sens have absorbed even more bumps and bruises to other players along the way without missing a beat, storming out to the kind of start that will serve them exceptionally well when we get to playoff crunch time in the extremely competitive Atlantic Division.
Tim Stutzle picked up his fifth goal of the campaign in the ‘W’ over the Devils and with 10 points through six outings, there’s no doubt the German centre is the straw that stirs the Sens' offensive drink.
The aforementioned Ullmark, after finishing strong last season, has a league-best .948 save percentage and new captain Thomas Chabot has four points while playing more ice time per game (27:14) than every player in the league save Columbus’s Zach Werenski (29:35).
Sanderson’s absence, naturally, is part of the reason Chabot is playing so much — not to mention the Sens' blue line has been missing another key figure all season in Artem Zub. That’s allowed rookie Carter Yakemchuk to get a little run, and the seventh-overall pick from 2024 is showing he can hold his own in the world’s best league.
Of course, when Sanderson and Zub return, the Ottawa D corps will transform into a much stronger unit, something that could help the Sens carry a hot start well into the meat of the season.
Long weekend takeaways
• It’s one thing to see the Seattle Kraken out to a strong start, but quite another to witness the Kraken averaging nearly as many goals per game as the Oilers and Avalanche. Those three squads are the only clubs in the NHL putting up more than four goals per night, with the Kraken at 4.33, Edmonton at five and Colorado leading the way at 5.20. And while we must point out the Kraken have twice hung six on the sad-sack Calgary Flames, Seattle also notched six in Detroit on Friday and, most impressively, five more in Washington on Sunday as the team scored its way to two notable weekend wins. Maybe Frederick Gaudreau’s scoring exploits — four goals, with three coming against the Wings and Capitals — aren’t sustainable, but it’s certainly encouraging for the Kraken to see newcomer Mackie Samoskevich (three goals) finding the net along with young centres Shane Wright (two) and Berkly Catton (two). Offensive struggles have seemed coded in Seattle’s DNA since the club’s inception, so lighting the lamp at this rate must be thrilling for the team and its fans.
• Speaking of scoring, Alexis Lafreniere celebrated his 25th birthday by potting his fifth goal of the campaign on Saturday as, sans Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers drubbed the Vancouver Canucks 6-2. Every time a guy like Lafreniere — the first-overall pick in 2020 — has a surge, it’s easy to wonder if a true breakthrough is imminent. The Rangers winger is already two seasons removed from a 28-goal showing in 2023-24, a total that dipped in subsequent seasons as his team nosedived. With top-six minutes — Lafreniere is averaging nearly two minutes more per night this season than he’s played in the past — and first power-play duty now a staple of his existence, perhaps Lafreniere will find his ceiling this season.
• We’ve got a Panic Meter coming at Sportsnet.ca on Wednesday, so come back soon for some in-depth talk about the struggling Kings, Hawks and Flyers. Philly’s minus-15 goal-differential at five-on-five is worse than everybody in the league except Calgary (minus-16).
Red-and-white power rankings
1. Edmonton Oilers (4-0-1): The Oilers will complete an impressive three-game sweep of California if they beat the state’s worst club, the Kings, Tuesday in Los Angeles.
2. Ottawa Senators (5-1-0): The Sens have come flying out of the gate and will now play five of their next six contests at home. Even with injuries, there’s a chance for Ottawa to make some real early-season hay here.
3. Montreal Canadiens (2-2-1): Jacob Fowler was terrific in Montreal’s 1-0 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. With Jakub Dobes — fresh off a fantastic showing in last year’s playoffs — looking less than rock solid to start the year and veteran Sam Montembeault on the shelf for the next little while, it will be interesting to see how the workload shakes out in Montreal’s crease.
4. Winnipeg Jets (3-1-1): Old friend Nikolaj Ehlers comes to town on Saturday, when the Stanley Cup-champion Hurricanes visit Winnipeg. The Canes just received the tough news that captain and reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jordan Staal will be out a month or more with a torn calf.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (3-2-1): Nick Blankenburg has played one game for the Leafs and he’s the only defenceman on the team to kick in a goal this season. With Chris Tanev on injured reserve, the Buds blue-liners will have to pick up their game a bit.
6. Vancouver Canucks (2-5-0): The Canucks still have three outings to go on a six-game roadie and must clamp down defensively if they want to be remotely competitive. Thus far the squad has surrendered 17 goals through three contests on the trip.
7. Calgary Flames (0-5-0): Calgary is winless through five games for the first time in franchise history and the Flames' next four outings are at Anaheim and Vegas, then home for Carolina and Minnesota. This could get gruesome, friends.
The week ahead
• It’s Frozen Frenzy time on Tuesday, as — for the first of two times this season — all 32 teams are in action. The starts are staggered, beginning with a 6 p.m. ET matchup in Detroit between the Devils and Red Wings. Also, the Sabres visit Montreal for the first time since losing to the Habs in the playoffs; the Caps visit the Canes in a heavyweight Metro tilt; the Stars and Avs go at it in a battle of Central powers and Connor Bedard is expected to make his season debut when the Blackhawks host Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
• The Stars and Avalanche are right back at it on Wednesday night, as the second half of their home-and-home is set to go off in Denver.
• Sticking with Colorado, Nathan MacKinnon will host his old pal Sidney Crosby in the Cole Harbour Cup when the Penguins head to the Rockies on Friday night.
