If NHL teams have not taken notice yet of the Senators, they better start paying attention soon.
The Senators jetted home to Ottawa Sunday in the wee hours after a 6-1 thrashing of the Oilers, capping a three-game sweep of Western Canada for the first time in club history. The week-long sojourn included Alex Burrows’ triumphant return to Vancouver, which resulted in a 3-2 shootout victory, and a 6-0, 25-save shutout performance by Craig Anderson in Friday’s no-doubter over the Flames.
Sporting a 3-0-2 record, Guy Boucher’s club is one of only two teams (Kings) not to lose a game in regulation through the season's first two weeks.
What is even more impressive? The Senators accomplished this without the services of two-time Norris winner Erik Karlsson, the team's captain. And that’s about to change. Sunday afternoon, the club announced d-man Thomas Chabot’s reassignment to AHL Belleville, paving the way for Karlsson’s return on Tuesday versus the Canucks at home.
New colour today. Like this one. pic.twitter.com/ExvZowRTyD
— Sens communications (@Media_Sens) October 16, 2017
The demotion is certainly no slight to Chabot who made his presence known in all three road games. The twenty-year old earned two assists, was a plus-four, while averaging 13:40 of ice-time. Sens fans will see plenty of Chabot soon enough. However, the opportunity to see Karlsson return to game action once again should make the same fans giddy, not to mention the lift it provides his teammates.
So how was Boucher’s squad able to withstand the season-opening five-game stretch minus Karlsson?
Senators goaltending: Anderson and Condon
With a combined 1.52 goals against average, the goaltending duo of Craig Anderson and Mike Condon rank no.1 in the NHL.
After allowing four goals in an opening night shootout loss to the Capitals, Anderson locked down the crease – stopping 80 of 83 shots in his next three starts. Condon was stingy himself in his only appearance, beaten for one goal in a 35-save effort Saturday versus the high-voltage Oilers.
MORE: Still without Karlsson, Senators win again
Defence first for the Senators
Defensively, the team did not miss a beat without Karlsson. Cody Ceci led the way, averaging 23:06 time-on-ice and is second in the NHL with 21 blocked shots. Dion Phaneuf (22:09) and Fredrik Claesson (21:01) are also averaging over 20 minutes per game. Rookies Chabot and Christian Jaros filled in admirably for Karlsson and veteran Johnny Oduya who was injured opening night, but returned Saturday.
Senators' special teams are, in fact, special
Shorthanded on 15 occasions, fourth-fewest in the league, the Senators play an extremely disciplined brand of hockey. Even better, they have killed off all 15 penalties to date, further proving how structured and disciplined Boucher's team is. Free agent signee Nate Thompson fits in seamlessly averaging 2:13 on the 100% PK, more than any Sens forward.
While a failed power play may have been the root cause for two shootout losses, it came alive over the weekend. After a 0 for 20 start, the PP clicked on all cylinders, scoring goals on five of their last eight opportunities. Kyle Turris has points on three of those five power play goals, while defenseman Chris Wideman scored two of them.
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Senators use balanced attack offensively
The Senators are getting scoring throughout the lineup. Four players have three goals apiece, (Derick Brassard, Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Wideman). Turris leads the team with seven points (2g, 5a). The defence has chipped in with six markers.
Two of the club’s victories were by five-goal margins or more – a feat the team failed to accomplish all last season.
Guy Boucher's Coaching
Boucher is a cerebral coach, always analyzing how to get an edge on the opposition. The decision to ice 11 forwards and seven defenceman in all three road games took away his opponents' line-matching capability for the most part. The ability to rotate a top-six forward to form a fourth trio and keep a d-man fresh gave the Senators more than a running chance.
He also deserves high marks for the discipline and structure this team plays with, and for not letting Karlsson's absence be an excuse for a slow start.
The Senators likely would have been satisfied to tread water with a .500 record during Karlsson’s absence. Boucher’s team exceeded expectations, garnering eight of 10 points; and the coach deserves a lot of the credit.