The Ottawa Senators played a nearly perfect game on Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets, but left the building with only a single point after an overtime loss. Against a tired, shorthanded Jets squad, Ottawa dominated play from basically start to finish. Even when Winnipeg started pushing towards the end of the second and through the third, Ottawa still felt as though they were in control. It was the kind of performance that should give anyone watching confidence that this Senators team can be more competitive than that of yesteryear. To lose out on the win on a night like this is highly disappointing, to say the least. Here are tonight’s thumbs:
Thumbs Down: The Cedric Paquette Experiment… Again If you can tell me what Cedric Paquette demonstrated during the first two games of the season to warrant being tasked with holding a late-game lead for the Senators, I’d really appreciate it. With the Senators only minutes from victory, DJ Smith elected to send Paquette out for another shift as though he were some kind of defensive specialist. The result was predictable. Paquette spent the shift watching the Jets move the puck, and Winnipeg capitalized on the chance.
Three strikes, you’re out. Between Alex Galchenyuk and Colin White, there are players on the roster who can deliver a lot more than what the Senators are currently getting from Paquette.
Thumbs Up: Alex Galchenyuk’s Debut When you look back on what Alex Galchenyuk brought to the table tonight, it’s really difficult to rationalize some of the lineup decisions (see above…) that kept him on the sidelines for the first two games of the year. He was phenomenal for Ottawa against the Jets, delivering competent play in both zones and a tangible offensive contribution. His second period goal, which put the Senators up 3-1 at the time, was a thing of beauty; if he can make that shot happen from that spot consistently, the team’s man-advantage unit might start to look dangerous.
Regardless of what happens moving forward, Galchenyuk’s play this evening should guarantee him another game in the lineup when the Senators take on these same Jets on Thursday.
Thumbs Up: The Top Line, and Specifically Josh Norris This was probably Josh Norris’ best game in the National Hockey League to date. He and his first-line colleagues were driving the bus in a way that only league’s very best are known to do. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Tkachuk-Norris-Batherson trio posted a five-on-five shot attempt share of 93.75% and an expected goal share of 100%. What a night.
It was therefore only fitting that Norris would be rewarded with his first career National Hockey League goal. The power play marker was a good example of Norris having his head in the game, as he was able to take a blocked pass/shot attempt and turn it into a quick release that beat Laurent Brossoit. It’s quite clear that Norris’ confidence is building, which is a scary thought for opposing teams.
Thumbs Down: Tim Stützle’s Absence Things just aren’t as fun when he’s not in the lineup.
Thumbs Up: Nikita Zaitsev, Actually Good? One of the very surprising storylines to start this season is the play of Nikita Zaitsev, who has actually looked like a very competent NHL defender to date. Outside of a few awkward moments in his early shifts against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Zaitsev has done a remarkable job of moving the puck in the right direction for the Senators. He has been rewarded with four assists in three games so far this year, including a secondary assist on Chris Tierney’s goal tonight. Playing primarily with Mike Reilly, Zaitsev looked quite good again in this game.
Thumbs Up: Drake Batherson’s Entertainment Value Tim Stützle is rightly going to generate most of the headlines this year, but Drake Batherson is just so, so fun to watch. His combination of size and skill allow him to create plays that few in the league have the ability to create. When he’s using those attributes to enter the zone with the puck on his stick, it’s museum-quality art. He only notched a very disconnected-from-the-play secondary assist on Norris’ goal tonight, but still struck me as one of the more impressive Senators on the ice.
Thumbs Down: Matt Murray’s Stat Line People will point to Adam Lowry’s deflection and say the goalie can’t be blamed. They’ll say the goalie had no chance on the pretty passing that led to Kyle Connor’s goal. Morrissey’s goal? He was screened. Ehlers’ overtime winner? It was basically a breakaway.
The problem, of course, is that when you add it all up, Murray still allowed four goals on 28 shots against. Whether you can blame him for all of them or not, it’s difficult to win on nights like that. And, quite frankly, it’s going to be difficult to win if the trend is even three goals against like it was against the Maple Leafs. The Senators are going to need more saves than this.
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The nice thing about this baseball-like schedule is that Ottawa will have a chance to get their revenge against these Jets right away, with the next game scheduled for Thursday. If they repeat 99% of what they did tonight, the result should go their way.
As always, thanks for reading.