Goaltending, Top-Six Fueling Senators Sudden Resurgence

The Ottawa Senators are suddenly in the playoff picture due to a few critical factors.
Dec 14, 2024; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; The Ottawa Senators celebrate their win in overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
Dec 14, 2024; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; The Ottawa Senators celebrate their win in overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images / Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
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Maybe it was all of the rumors and speculation that finally did it, but something has lit a fire under the Ottawa Senators lately. The team is 7-2-1 over their last 10 with three straight victories to their credit. The run has put them into the second Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference and just three points back of a top-3 spot in the Atlantic Division.

The Senators are achieving these victories by relying on a few very simple factors. The first is elite goaltending and the second is a reliance on their top two forward lines to cover all scoring needs. It may not be sustainable for the remainder of the season, but for now the team's hopes are on the rise.

After a shaky start to his tenure in Ottawa, Linus Ullmark is back to being a Vezina Trophy candidate for the Senators. He was just named the NHL's Third Star of the Week, but he's been on fire for longer than that. He won his last five starts, six of his last seven, and has earned the team at least a point in seven straight appearances.

It's a simple offensive formula for the Senators over this hot streak. The team is letting their top-six forward group of Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Josh Norris, Adam Gaudette, and Claude Giroux take care of everything.

It's working extremely well due to their top players being so talented. Stutzle is a superstar in the league who doesn't get enough attention due to where he plays, but he's scoring like an MVP candidate with 10 goals and 36 points in 30 games.

Batherson is having an exceptional campaign as well. The 26-year-old forward is recently skating on a line with Norris and Tkachuk, and the early returns on the trio are excellent. They've played roughly 80 minutes together so far, and they are absolutely dominating possession and scoring chances created when they're on the ice. According to MoneyPuck, the line has an expected goals rate of 69%.

And Batherson is a huge reason for that. He's not the quickest skater, but he does have above average acceleration. According to NHL EDGE statistics, he's had 57 bursts of 20 miles per hour or faster so far this season, putting him in the 85th percentile of skaters. You can see those bursts in action during the transitional part of the game. He flies through the neutral zone, backing off the defenders and giving him or the puck carrier extra space.

He's also contributing on the man advantage, which is another contributing factor for his and the Sens' success this season. In just 30 games, he already has seven power play goals and 16 points with the man advantage. Last season he had seven goals and 22 power play points over the entire season. This year he's confident and willing to shoot and the success is evident.

There's real concern with how long they Senators can sustain this stretch of scoring. The team's bottom-six has been nonexistent over their winning streak and still they are coming away victorious. Similarly, their blue line has gaps that Ullmark is covering for at the moment, but it's not a guarantee that he can do it all season long. But the way they're playing has put the division and conference on notice, adding another team into the crowded Eastern Conference playoff race.

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