Solving the Ottawa Senators Consistency Issues

In case you missed it, the Ottawa Senators put together one of their most complete efforts of the season Saturday night in their 3-2 overtime victory against the Boston Bruins. Here’s the thing, though. Through these first 14 games, the Senators have the same 7-7 record as they did last season. They sit outside the playoff picture yet again. For every step forward, they seem to quickly take a step or two back. Let’s dive into consistency issues that have plagued the Senators for years, and what can be done to solve this!

READ MORE: What to Make of Travis Green

Addressing the Main Issues

Here are some of the bigger problems with the Senators as I see them:

• Poor play on the road

The Senators are 2-5 this season on the road. They managed just 16 wins and 34 points on the road last season (10 less points than at home), and 15 wins and 35 points on the road in 2022-23 (16 less points than at home). Here’s the problem: The Senators were able to travel all the way to Sweden last season and win both of their games there. They also played great on the road against Boston, and great in a loss to the Rangers earlier this season. Clearly, they’re capable of playing well away from home. That leads me to issue number 2:

•  Struggle to fight through adversity

It feels like the Senators have a real tough time battling through tough times. Six times this season, they’ve allowed back to back goals in four minutes apart or less. The shift after a goal is always pivotal, but it’s almost as if the Senators have a mindset of “here we go again”. This is an issue that also goes with the next problem:

• Defensive issues in their own zone

There are countless examples that could be listed here. Let’s use Boston’s second goal last night. The Senators have just been scored on, they put out their best defensive pairing of Sanderson and Zub. Zub has the puck in his own zone, but throws it up the boards, along the ice, right to a Boston player. From there, Boston makes them pay, with the Senators not able to clean up the area around Ullmark. Zub is by no means alone with this type of mistake

Whether it’s watching the puck and losing their players, not communicating on switches, or silly turnovers, the Senators need to play with the same type of defensive intensity as they did in the third period against Boston. It can’t be something that comes and goes. It needs to be a full team commitment to the defensive side of the ice.

Don’t try to emulate the Edmonton Oilers; they have two MVPs leading the way. Try to be more like the Carolina Hurricanes, who for years have understood that even though they have plenty of talent, they will always go up against teams who probably a more talented player or two. The way for them to win is a commitment to two-way hockey. Rod Brind’Amour has done a great job of having his players understand this. It’s time for Travis Green to do the same for the Senators.

What Needs to Happen

As mentioned above, the Senators need to commit to two-way hockey. Those high scoring games early in the season were a lot of fun, but it’s games like last night against Boston, and the tough loss to the Rangers, that the Senators need to try to emulate. Green needs to be holding his players accountable, making sure they know when they’ve messed up, and how to fix the problems going forward. Here are a few other keys to the Ottawa Senators ending up in the playoffs.

• Goaltending

Anton Forsberg has been as good as Senators fans could hope. A .905 SV%, plus a few really strong efforts in the early going is all you can ask for from a backup. It’s time for Linus Ullmark to step up. I think he’s been fine for the most part, but his save percentage is currently at .890. It’s time for him to take over some games and show why he won the Vezina trophy two seasons ago. If I was to put an expectation from a statistical perspective, I’d say to aim for a .915 SV% or better from here on out. If he can do that, the Senators will be in a great spot. Hopefully his big overtime save last night can be the turning point for him.

• Health down the middle

Every team battles through injuries, but what the Ottawa Senators have gone through with their trio of centres is ridiculous. The Senators are 29-15-3 when Stützle, Norris, and Pinto all play. The problem is, they’ve played only 47 games out of a possible 272. Stützle has mainly been in the lineup. It was Pinto with a season ending injury in 2021-22, Norris with a season ending injury in 2022-23, and then Pinto with a suspension for half of last season, with Norris battling through injuries once again. Now, once again this season, Pinto has missed eight games with an injury. If the Senators could ever have all three of these guys in the lineup together for a decent amount of time, it would make them such a tough team to match up against.

The Bottom Line

On the bright side, I don’t see these as skill or effort issues. I truly believe this team is talented enough, and willing to work hard enough to end up in the playoffs. Sure, there are more talented teams than the Senators. But no one is looking at them to win the Stanley Cup this season. The goal is to be in the top eight in the Eastern Conference to allow Ottawa Senators fans to enjoy playoff hockey for the first time since 2017. That’s not too much to ask for, is it?