Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators Postgame: Sens Shut Out By Bruins
For the fifth time in 11 games, the Ottawa Senators were shut out. This time it came against the Boston Bruins, dropping the Senators out of a playoff spot.

There will always come a time for NHL teams when injuries build up, testing their depth as they try to survive the time without some of their key players. That’s exactly what happened tonight with the Ottawa Senators, with Jake Sanderson, Josh Norris, Linus Ullmark, and a few others out with injuries. Unfortunately, the Senators were not up to the test, as they were shutout by Boston Bruins 2-0. To make matters worse, it was Joonas Korpisalo, the former Senator, who posted the shutout. Let’s dive into the details on another shutout loss for the Ottawa Senators.
READ MORE: Missing in Action- Drake Batherson
Anton Forsberg Keeps the Sens in it
Let’s start with a positive. Perhaps the only positive, really. Forsberg did his job tonight, stopping 24 of the 25 shots he faced, including some great saves to keep this game within reach. Typically when you allow just the one goal, you’ve done enough to earn a win. That wasn’t the case tonight, though, just like it wasn’t the case for Leevi Merilainen when he lost 1-0 to the Washington Capitals last Thursday. That’s two straight great starts for Forsberg, following his 2-1 win against the Devils on Sunday. Of course, in between he did struggle in relief of Merilainen against the Rangers, but that was another game where the Senators didn’t score a goal anyway.
Offense Comes Up Lame, Again
Yes, Tim Stützle did look like he had a goal, with the refs getting in the way with a quick whistle. That’s a tough break. Moving on from that, though, this team continues to struggle mightily offensively. Right after that Stützle no-goal, the Ottawa Senators ended up on a 5 on 3 that consisted of a few long range shots and nothing close to a goal. Their power play is mainly lifeless, and so is the rest of their offensive game. Sure, they ended up with 30 shots, but the Boston Bruins had way more high quality chances.
If I start listing the players that need to step up, the whole roster would end up being included. Here’s a few suggestions: Stützle needs to find confidence as a shooter, Batherson needs to head to the dirty areas, Pinto needs to finish on his chances, and Sanderson and Chabot need to contribute more from the back-end. It might also be time to call up a better goal scorer. Angus Crookshank in for Matthew Highmore perhaps? Outside of that, could Steve Staios be looking at a trade to get the offense going? It’s not as if this is a new problem. The Senators are 31st in goal per game since the end of October, which was just 10 games into the season.
Additional Notes
Injuries aren’t a great excuse when Boston was playing without Jeremy Swayman, Hampus Lindholm, and Charlie McAvoy. At least David Perron was finally able to return. Let’s hope he can help with the offensive woes of this team. He was a 47 point player last season with Detroit, but his lack of speed is evident. Tyler Kleven had a nice game in Sanderson’s absence- 22:35 time on ice, four shots and six blocked shots. Early on it looked like Batherson and Tkachuk would end their scoring slumps. They had some good looks early and combined for 11 shots, but neither guy put together that full game of dominance that is needed from them right now. Surely it’ll come soon, right?