Saturday, Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green said his team lacked “desperation” after Saturday’s loss to the Florida Panthers, their fourth straight.
Fast forward two games later, and the Senators appear to be quickly returning to form, albeit their opponents were the last-place Vancouver Canucks and the slumping New York Rangers. Minus a pair of third-period pushes in each game, the Senators were easily the dominant team.
Ottawa fired 40 shots at Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen in what was only a 2-1 squeaker; the Senators made up for their lack of scoring in Wednesday’s 8-4 drubbing of the Blueshirts at Madison Square Garden.
Seven players registered multi-point nights: Brady Tkachuk (4), Dylan Cozens, Ridly Greig (3), Nick Cousins, Nick Jensen, David Perron, and Jake Sanderson (2). While some may have thought newly-signed goaltender James Reimer was getting his first start as a Senator in NYC, it was Leevi Merilainen who tended net for both games of the Senators back-to-back outings after facing only 20 Canucks shots Tuesday.
Five Game Thoughts
Senators Fourth Line Magic
After four consecutive losses, Travis Green juggled lines Tuesday, putting together a veteran combination of Nick Cousins, Lars Eller, David Perron. The goal was to have a trio play responsibly, led by example ,and as players say, “the right way,” and the line did just that.
Tuesday, the freshly-formed combo was noticeably the Senators top line, shutting down the opposition, rocking a 94.3 Corsi mark. And on Wednesday, Cousins, Eller, and Perron, who possess a combined 3,398 NHL games and three Stanley Cups between them, were plus-three, with Perron notching a goal and the line being on the ice on markers from blueliners Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson.
More Line Chemistry
Not shy to change the lines after a victory, the Senators head coach shifted Claude Giroux to his familiar spot on the right side of Michael Amadio and Shane Pinto. Ridly Greig was elevated the to the right wing on a line with Brady Tkachuk on the left and Dylan Cozens up the middle.
Playing for the first time together all season, the trio combined for eight points as a unit. Tkachuk and Cozens added assists on the Senators opening power play goal by Drake Batherson. Greig recorded a career high three points, all assists, Cozens one goal, two assists, and four shots on goal. But it was the Senators captain who was the evening’s first star.
In what was undoubtedly his best game since returning from undergoing thumb surgery, Tkachuk tallied his 200th career goal, becoming the fourth Ottawa Senator to accomplish this feat. Daniel Alfredsson (426), Jason Spezza (251), Alexei Yashin are the others. In addition; Tkachuk added three assists to complete his second four-point game over his six NHL seasons.
Offense From The Defense
Of the Senators 10 goals scored in the past two games, five came from defensemen. Jordan Spence and Artem Zub were the only Senators to find the net against Vancouver. Thomas Chabot, Nick Jensen, Jake Sanderson each netted a goal Wednesday evening, with Jensen, Sanderson, and Zub also adding assists.
The Senators rank 10th league-wide in combined points from d-men (24 goals, 79 assists, 103 points).
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Leevi Bounces Back
No one needs to remind Senators’ fans how their team’s goaltending has fared this season. But after a pair of average to sub-par appearances, Leevi Merilainen didn’t wilt in a pair of back-to-back wins. Making his ninth consecutive start, all the 23-year-old wants to do his play, just ask him. Merilainen thrives in wanting to play as many games as possible.
One has to wonder what’s in store in the future. With the veteran backstop Reimer in the fold and the expected return of Linus Ullmark on the horizon, where will Merilainen fit within the Senators roster? Time will tell, and his play should dictate this.
Another Back-To-Back
After back-to-back victories, Ottawa returns home for a pair of weekend Atlantic Divisional matchups. Of their remaining 37 games, only 13 are versus divisional opponents, and two of which are Saturday/Sunday. The Senators meet their arch-rival Montreal Canadiens in what’s billed as the 30th anniversary game played at the Canadian Tire Centre and Sunday the team travels to Detroit to face the Red Wings.
If the Ottawa Senators have an eye towards a top-three finish in the Atlantic, these pair of games are as must-win as any.
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