The Ottawa Senators were not the better team on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but that didn’t stop them from keeping things close and delivering an entertaining hockey game. It was chaos hockey at its finest. Here are last night’s thumbs:

Thumbs Up: Connor Brown Sets the Record
Considering all the big names that have suited up for the Senators over the year, Connor Brown setting the franchise record for most consecutive games with a goal is hugely impressive. He scored for a seventh straight game last night, after a phenomenal quick rush from Evgenii Dadonov set him up. His reaction to the goal said more than words can describe; he was as animated as anyone could possibly be about cutting a two-goal deficit in half during a mid-season game. It’s clear that this was a really meaningful moment for him.

As mentioned in the last blog, Brown fits his middle-six role with the Senators like a glove. When the team talks about having a “veteran presence” around the young guys, this is the kind of player it makes sense to have in the lineup. He’s effective. Pierre Dorion getting him signed to a three-year pact this past offseason was a tidy bit of business, one that will help this team as its competitive window starts to open.

Thumbs Up: Erik Brannstrom’s Performance
Last night should put to rest any notion that Erik Brannstrom isn’t worth minutes on this roster. He was among the more solid defenders for the Senators. The icing on the cake was his assist on Drake Batherson’s goal. While he wasn’t directly involved in the scoring play, it was his quick transition work in the neutral zone that allowed the Batherson / Stützle duo to go to work.

Even though he didn’t play a ton, seeing him above 14-minutes in the TOI column is definitely a step in the right direction. The fact that some of those minutes came in the dying seconds of the game, with the Senators’ fate on the line, speaks to an increased level of trust from the coach. We’re talking baby steps here, but they count as long as they’re moving towards Brannstrom being an integral part of this blue line on a day-to-day basis.

Thumbs Up: Tim Stützle’s Night
Auston Matthews will rightly generate all the headlines today for what he was able to accomplish last night, but don’t let that distract you from the highly entertaining performance that Stützle delivered for the Senators. He was buzzing in every sense of the word, showcasing those electric offensive instincts that make him such a promising prospect.

On top of the eye test accolades, Stützle’s underlying numbers were also relatively strong compared to those of his teammates. That seems to be happening with increased regularity.

Thumbs Up: Alex Formenton’s Speed
There’s nothing I need to say about this.

Thumbs Down: Team Defence
Outside of the positives from Erik Brannstrom, it was a fairly underwhelming night for the defence as a whole. The young, offensive forwards looked really good, but they can only do so much to win a game if the blue line is going to consistently hand out scoring opportunities to the opposing side. This really was a game in which the talented forwards were swimming upstream against a tide of defensive incompetence. The Senators are more competitive this year because of those forwards, but it’s clear that they still have a long way to go in building a blue line that can lead them to respectability at this level.

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The Senators will play the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow.

As always, thanks for reading.

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