After suffering through ten months without game action, the Ottawa Senators are set to begin their 2021 quest tomorrow night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. If the schedule makers had feelings, they likely wouldn’t have extended Ottawa’s absence from competitive hockey beyond opening night, but alas here we are… Regardless, it’s great to be back.
Unlike the Senators, the Maple Leafs have already tested the waters in this 2021 season, having defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 in overtime on Wednesday. It was a very Leafs-like performance, in that not a lot of defence was played. Natural Stat Trick counted a combined 81 scoring chances between the two opponents in that game; for reference, consider that the Lightning and Blackhawks teamed up for a combined 54. A one-game sample size doesn’t tell too much of a story, but the very early returns suggest that these are the same old Maple Leafs.
Of course, the “same old Maple Leafs” remain a regular season juggernaut. This is a group that has the ability to score at will, which certainly makes them a difficult opponent for an Ottawa team that has some defensive deficiencies.
Even with question marks on the back end, though, the good news for the Senators is that they look a lot better up front this year than they did last year. They may not be able to match the Leafs quite yet, but they should be able to deliver more of a challenge to their opponents than they have in the past two seasons. That’ll be especially true if Thursday’s practice line translate into game action on Friday:
With the names they selected to make the opening night roster, this is basically best-case scenario for anyone who wants to see what the young forwards in this organization can do. Giving Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, and Tim Stutzle prime top-six minutes is exactly what many of us have been hoping to see. Rookie mistakes will undoubtedly be made, but they are likely to be offset by equal parts creativity and youthful enthusiasm. Unless the Leafs have learned to defend in their own zone since Wednesday, this matchup sets up as a real run-and-gun tilt.
The corresponding downside of playing so many of the prospects at the top of the lineup is that Colin White has seemingly fallen out for the team's opening night, though it hasn't yet been confirmed. After receiving positive reviews through camp, it's a little bit surprising to see him on the outside looking in. Given the financial commitment the team made to him, it's unlikely that he'll spend much time on the sidelines, but it will still be a surprise if he's nothing more than a spectator on Friday.
Unlike the situation up front, which comes with good and bad as discussed above, the blue line setup (from my perspective, anyway) looks to have completely missed the boat. Tying Thomas Chabot to Erik Gudbranson and Christian Wolanin to Nikita Zaitsev is basically a recipe for not getting the most out of the best defensemen on the team. Toronto will have an opportunity to feast on one side of the ice, regardless of which pairing the Senators ice. That's going to be a problem.
In closing, and before the puck drops, I want to extend a personal thank you to everyone who continued to stop by and generate discussion here over the last ten months. There hasn’t been much to talk about, but you all have contributed to keep this message board thriving. Let’s hope that earns the Senators some goodwill with the Hockey Gods.
As always, thanks for reading.
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