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Lessons from the Bubble: Former Senators Making an Impact

August 5, 2020, 8:01 PM ET [32 Comments]
Michael Stuart
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The NHL’s return to play in the Edmonton and Toronto bubbles has made one thing very clear: The Ottawa Senators have seen a boatload of talent pass through in the last few years. Regardless of where you look, there are former Senators making an impact on teams in this prelude to the post-season. Here’s a quick summary of some highlights:

J-G Pageau Continues His Scoring Success

There’s no doubt that Senators GM Pierre Dorion cashed in on J-G Pageau when his value was at its peak, but that’s not to say that the good times have stopped rolling for the 27-year-old centerman. In three games against the Florida Panthers in New York’s play-in series, Pageau has tallied two goals, including a pivotal opening marker in a 2-1 Game 1 victory. With his Islanders up 2-1 in the best of five series, Pageau may have an opportunity to play hero at least once more before all is said and done in this opening round. It’s not hard to remember when he was doing things like this in the playoffs while wearing Senators red:


Mike Hoffman Saves the Day
Speaking of that Panthers vs. Islanders series, Mike Hoffman has done his best to keep Florida’s chances afloat. He’s scored a goal and added an assist in each of his squad’s last two games. With the Panthers on the brink of elimination, his big performance in Game 3 is a major reason that they get another chance to play. Check out this shot:


Zibanejad Contributes in Defeat
Nobody expected the rebuilding Rangers to do much against the seriously excellent Carolina Hurricanes, so the 3-0 sweep didn’t come as much of a surprise. With that said, there were certain bright spots for the Rangers during the course of the series. One of those rays of light was Mika Zibanejad’s Game 1 performance, when he scored a goal and contributed an assist to the cause:


Mark Stone is Mark Stone
Mark Stone. Goal. Assist. It’s like clockwork for one of the league’s most talented wingers. He played a major role in his Vegas Golden Knights’ 5-3 comeback victory over the Dallas Stars in their first game of this playoff season. He received nothing but rave reviews for his play both with and without the puck, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to any fan of the Senators:


Lehner Earns a Win

Robin Lehner’s stat line in that Vegas victory over Dallas doesn’t look particularly impressive, but wins are all that matter in the postseason. Lehner earned his “W” in Vegas’ first win, and should have an opportunity for more given the strength of that team.

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What’s the moral of this story? The Ottawa Senators aren’t playing in this tournament, but there are plenty of former Ottawa Senators making an impact. It’s crazy to think of the level of talent that has passed through the CTC over the course of the last decade. Here’s hoping that the next decade will bring even more.

As always, thanks for reading.
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