10 Observations After Senators Game One Loss

Needless to say, game one didn’t go to plan for the Ottawa Senators. Playing their first playoff game since 2017, the Senators struggled to stay out of the box in the 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. The Leafs scored first, dominated on the power play, and had Anthony Stolarz make some great saves. So, what stood out in game one from the Senators side of things? Let’s dive into the details.

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Lack of Discipline

Were there some questionable calls? Yes. The stat that stands out, though, is that the Senators took four offensive zone penalties. It was a sign that they were wanting to play physical and battle for the puck which is good, but hopefully the Sens have learned not to bother with the cross-checks. Go after the puck aggressively, but finish those hits shoulder to shoulder to avoid the chance that the refs will continue to call the game as tight as they did in game one.

Poor Penalty Killing

The Leafs, to their credit, took full advantage of their power play opportunities. They scored three goals with the man advantage, after scoring just one power play goal in their seven game series a year ago. It seemed as though the Leafs had a simple strategy- put the puck towards the net quickly with the extra man. All three goals were scored less than 10 seconds after a Senator had gone to the box. In that regard, the Sens need to be better prepared for those quick shot situations, with both the defense and Ullmark needing to step their game up.

Poor on Face-Offs

The other problem with the penalty kill for the Senators was that they lost those key faceoffs. For game one, the Leafs won 56% of faceoffs, including five of the nine while on the power play. The biggest problem was that Claude Giroux, typically great on the draw, won just two of his six shorthanded faceoffs. He was just 36% on the night as a whole. This is a battle between two of the top four faceoff teams in the league this season. The Senators lost that battle in game one.

Poor Finish

Brady Tkachuk had a glorious breakaway opportunity to tie the game in the second. Shortly after, Shane Pinto had a great chance alone in the slot. They were both stopped by Stolarz, which was one of the main themes of the night. The Senators have struggled to score on their chances all season- they ranked 8th in the league in shots this season, but just 24th in shooting percentage. Taking a look at the two goals they did score, it seems obvious that they will need to rely on crashing the net for rebound opportunities.

Stolarz Outperforms Ullmark

Stolarz saved his breakaway while Ullmark was scored on his. Stolarz helped kill off the Leafs two penalties while Ullmark allowed three power play goals. This wasn’t a case of a horrible game by Ullmark. It’s hard to fault him on many of the Leafs goals. Inevitably, though, the winner of the goaltender battle typically wins the series in the playoffs. Ullmark will need to be better going forward, where he makes those “how did he save that” type of saves to allow the Senators a chance to win.

Quiet Night for Sanderson

In his last 40 games of the season, Sanderson scored nine goals and 35 points. Only Tim Stützle had more points for the Sens with 38. League wide among d-men, he was six in points during that time. He produced elite offensive numbers while continuing to be just as important defensively, playing against top offensive players and eating up nearly three minutes per game on the penalty kill. It was that type of play that has set the expectations sky high for Sanderson in the playoffs. He wasn’t bad by any means, but in order for the Sens to win, he needs to be the best d-man on either side.

Great Third Line

This line combined for a goal, six shots and nine hits, playing their typical, two-way hockey. They were given less than 30% of their faceoffs in the offensive zone, yet still managed a goal and a few other high caliber chances. Amadio stood out as a player that knows what it takes to win in the playoffs. For Pinto, it’s a matter of finishing his chances. For Greig, it’s a matter of playing intense hockey, but trying not to cross the line.

High Intensity Hockey

As much as the fans have wanted playoff hockey back, the players were clearly just as amped up. They played with physicality and intensity throughout the game. They registered 56 hits. To put that total in perspective, the Senators were fourth in the NHL this season with 2,106 hits. That’s an average of 25.7 per game, meaning the Senators more than doubled their hit total from their average regular season game. Now, the focus needs to be on controlled intensity. Yes, the physicality was nice, but giving the Leafs six power plays proved costly.

No Nick Cousins

When Josh Norris was traded, Highmore took over as the fourth penalty killing forward. During that time, the fifth leading forward for the Sens in shorthanded ice-time was Dylan Cozens. However, he received just 24 seconds per game. Flashforward to game one, where Travis Green decided that Highmore was too important to sit because it would leave the Sens vulnerable on the penalty kill with only three forwards who received regular time on the penalty kill (Greig, Pinto, and Giroux).

I think the mistake Green made was not having the foresight to consider this exact possibility. He should’ve been giving Cozens more penalty killing time down the stretch, to gain confidence in him in that role. Now, Green is in a tough spot. Nick Cousins is a better player than Highmore. With him drawing into the lineup, though, the Sens will have to hope that Cozens, or whoever Green chooses, is ready to take on a formidable Leafs power play.

Brady Back in Action

The long anticipated Brady Tkachuk playoff debut saw Tkachuk throw seven hits and register five shots in just under 17 minutes of ice-time. The line of Tkachuk, Stützle and Giroux generated plenty of chances but couldn’t score. It wasn’t a superhero type performance by Tkachuk, but this comes after a couple of uneasy months where Tkachuk was either playing hurt, or missing games entirely because of injury. To see him  physically and offensively engaged all night was a good sign. Now, it’s a matter of converting his chances.