Ottawa Senators Quartlery Season Review
Written by: Isaac Deans
After beating the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, the Ottawa Senators have officially played their 20th game of the season, meaning we’re already about a quarterway through the 2023-24 NHL season. So how have the Sens looked? How does this start match up to previous years?
Heading into this season, most media members, Sens fans, and hockey fans in general unanimously agreed that the Senators would likely make the playoffs, or just fall short. Unfortunately, things have not gone so well… Currently, they sit last in the entire Eastern Conference and 28th in the league with a record of 10 wins and 10 losses. Granted, they have played the fewest games of any team in the league by a considerable margin so it’s a bit difficult to know exactly where they stand. Therefore, as they head into a busy rest of the month packed with 12 games (most of which are on the road), the time is now to start racking up wins if they want any hope of climbing back into the playoff race.
If there was one word to describe the team’s overall play this season, it would have to be ‘inconsistent’. All throughout the year, the Sens have taken one step forward and then one step backward. So far, they’ve had two separate three-game win streaks, immediately followed by a three-game lose streak. They’ve hovered around the .500 mark the entire season, often falling just below, but rarely eclipsing that mark. Therefore, it’s really hard to gauge how good this team is because their play is so wildly unpredictable.
Despite the discontent with the team, the Sens have actually progressed compared to years prior. If we look to the past three years, they’ve made significant improvements in their overall record, goals for, and GF/GP. Their 3.5 GF/GP sits at an impressive sixth place in the entire NHL. However, everyone knew the Sens would have no problem with putting the puck in the net. The real problem lies in the defensive zone. Despite improving over the years, their 3.2 GA/GP ranks at 10th worst in the league. No matter how high flying their offense is, letting in that many goals is not a sustainable way to win in this league. In terms of special teams, it is a bit surprising to see their powerplay take such a large nosedive compared to last year. The subtraction of Alex DeBrincat surely would have some effect, but I think most would have thought they’d manage fine with their collective of lethal weapons along with the addition of Vladimir Tarasenko and return of Josh Norris. However, most nights their power play has looked relatively flat, with their biggest struggle seeming to be transitioning into the offensive zone and setting up the play. The penalty kill has not been where it needs to be this year. Sitting at 28th in the league is just unacceptable with the guys they’ve got on that backend, regardless of Thomas Chabot’s injury. In terms of goaltending, while both Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg have had great games here and there, they’ve had just as many ugly ones. Much like the team overall, they’ve been painfully inconsistent.
So even though the Sens have technically progressed from years prior, the play of this team has left us fans in an uncertain state of confusion. They make us look out to be an unhinged and dramatic group, who act as if the sky is falling after every loss and claim to be playoff contenders after every win. Overall, the current state of the team has left a bitter taste in our mouths. We rightfully expected playoffs this year, not just because it’s been long promised, but because we can see how good this team can be. Tuesday’s victory over the red-hot Rangers proved that when they want to, the Sens can compete with even the NHL’s finest. However, in so many contests this year when they’re playing well, they immediately collapse when things start to go against the grain. To me, that’s the sign of an immature and inexperienced team that just doesn’t know how to win. And for that, I blame the coaching staff. I hate piling on DJ Smith like everyone else, but this youthful team does not need a buddy-buddy player’s coach who can’t reel them in when they start to drown. It’s not normal for a team to give up so many unanswered goals or to have to force a comeback in every game. They need someone who’s experienced, tough, and a bit of a hard one who won’t let their antics run wild. They need someone who can take complete control, demand respect, and force them to take accountability. I just don’t see that from Smith and with him at the helm, I can’t really see this team reaching the heights that we all envision.
The good news is they just brought in former Sens alumni coach, Jacques Martin to serve as their Senior Advisor to the Coaching Staff. While he won’t be behind the bench, hopefully he’s able to calm the defensive end of the ice while enforcing accountability from both players and coaches. If things remain more of the same though, don’t be surprised to see Martin pull up his sleeves and take control of things himself…
