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Ottawa Senators Seem Especially Prone to Shootouts

By Ian Smith

Mar 31, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan (6) in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. the Ottawa Senators beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan (6) in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. the Ottawa Senators beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Shootouts are a very controversial part of the NHL game, and the Ottawa Senators seem to find their games being decided by them pretty often.

First implemented for the 2005-2006 season to generate fan excitement after a lockout forced the cancellation of an entire season, the gimmick is starting to wear thin with some fans.

I understand the sentiment. It’s a shame to play such a long game to have it decided by something like penalty shots, but the rules are the same for each team.

The best way to capitalize on it and pull out some extra wins is to construct a lineup that is adept at the necessary skills.

It’s a frequent occurrence for the Senators to reach the shootout stage. They participated in 12 shootouts last season. That tied for most in the league with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Both the Senators and Maple Leafs went 6-6 in those shootouts. It wasn’t terrible, but not necessarily that great, either.

Bobby Ryan participated in 11 out of those 12 shootouts. That tied for the league lead in attempts with Pierre-Alexandr Parenteau of the Maple Leafs.

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Ryan had a far better success rate than Parenteau, though. Ryan scored on 6 of those 11 attempts, while Parenteau scored on 4.

Those 6 goals in the shootout stage lead the league. Ryan also had the highest conversion rate of the 13 players who attempted at least 8 shots.

Mika Zibanejad and Kyle Turris were the other 2 players for the Senators with the bulk of the attempts. Each went 4 for 9.

With Zibanejad being traded, it’s unclear who’ll take his place among that top 3. Mike Hoffman is probably the main candidate. The sniper has had 8 shootout attempts the last 2 seasons, scoring once.

Last season, Craig Anderson saved 16 out of the 25 shots against him, while Andrew Hammond saved 14 out of the 19.

Only 4 out of the 19 other goalies with at least 15 shots against had a better save percentage than Hammond.

Among that same group, Anderson wasn’t as relatively dominant. 13 out of those 19 other goalies had a higher save percentage than him.

In 2014-2015, Anderson actually had a better save percentage on his 20 attempts than Hammond did on his 19 attempts. Anderson edged Hammond 70% to 63.2%.

Next: Ottawa Senators Have a Bruising Defenseman in Mark Borowiecki

With how often the Senators found themselves in shootouts last season, they’re useful opportunities to pull out some extra wins.

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