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Ottawa Senators: Mission Impossible

By Conor Peniston-Bird |
Feb 18, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) skates with the puck against Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) skates with the puck against Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Ottawa Senators pulled off nothing short of a miracle Tuesday night at the Prudential Centre.

Odds stacked heavily in the New Jersey Devils favour, the Ottawa Senators upset the entire Atlantic division with a regulation win.

The statistics, not surprisingly, point in the home team’s favour. Shots were 30-23 to the Devils,faceoff percentage was 61-39 also for the Devils. As we constantly discuss, analytics is bringing us into the next age of hockey but cannot explain everything.

How have a heavily depleted Sens side, dominated in the stats, pulled off a somewhat comfortable victory?

The system! Oh please Conor, enough of the system. Seriously, this is one of the biggest reasons, if not the reason they pulled off the massive coup. Arguably, the team just lost three of its players offensively (and in a lot of ways defensively, given the two-way tactics). Take top players out of any team in the NHL and they struggle massively, especially on a road trip.

What Guy Boucher’s tactics have done is allow Ottawa to win games without their top guns. The collective is much greater than the individual at the Canadian Tire Centre, and it worked yet again last night.

The unselfishness of this team is one of the interesting aspects. The Erik Karlsson powerplay goal for me epitomises this. In our ‘Dion Phaneuf: Renaissance Man’ piece (see below) we showed the glaring difference between Dion and Erik on the PP. Phaneuf dominating for his team.

Next: Dion Phaneuf: Renaissance Man

Yet, Phaneuf retrieves the puck off the draw, and cycles it with Karlsson on the blue-line. For a ‘slow’ player, Phaneuf’s crossovers on the blue-line were exceptional. Creating the space for Karlsson to unleash a pinpoint wrist shot.

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From a hockey purists’ view, it was just gold. Phaneuf could’ve forced a shot off, keeping his numbers up. Yet he respects this system and this team, giving it to the best player on the ice to put the Sens two ahead.

Furthermore, look at the changes Erik Karlsson has made. He too is less selfish, knows that he doesn’t always have to do it all. Going back to his PP goal, sometimes he might’ve got the shot off after the initial pass from Phaneuf, yet had the mindset to give it back and be patient.

To conclude, none of this is groundbreaking news, the system in all its’ infinite wisdom has worked once more. I stated in the week preview, that four points would be amazing on this road trip. Of course that target doesn’t change, but could the Sens shock everyone? With Stone tipped to be back sooner rather than later, the quest for the Atlantic goes on.

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