Ottawa Senators: A Difference in Style
The Ottawa Senators continue to prove the critics wrong as they take game one of the Eastern Conference Final by a score of 2-1 in overtime.
The final four has started with the Senators and Penguins each looking to book their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final. This will be the toughest test so far for Ottawa and could be the toughest test for Pittsburgh as well. While the Penguins did take down the Presidents Trophy winners in the Washington Capitals, the Sens could prove to be a tougher match-up.
Differences in Style
This is a complicated match-up which could all boil down to a difference in style. The Penguins are a speed team that is excellent at transitioning. They use their speed and skill to overwhelm the opposition with unrelenting pressure in the offensive zone. The Senators are a patient, defensive team that frustrates the opposition with their version of the trap. While most seem to think it’s a 1-3-1 system, in practice Ottawa often uses a 1-4 approach where one player fore-checks with four players clogging up the neutral zone. This is a system that frustrates the high speed transition teams, preventing them from getting into a rhythm.
This system beat the Bruins and then the Rangers the latter of which plays a very similar style to the Penguins. The Penguins haven’t had to adapt to anything like this yet in the playoffs. Both the Blue Jackets and Capitals play fast games that match up well with the Penguins. Now the Penguins are forced to adapt or they’ll be shut down. It already happened in game one.
Patience to Win
The Ottawa Senators won the first game of the series scoring a goal early on and then shut it down. The Sens are very good at protecting a one goal lead by making it difficult for the opposition to get valuable offensive zone time. If the opposition is able to tie things up they have the speed and skill to get the lead back as they showed in game one. Within ten minutes of the Penguins tying things up, they scored the winning goal.
A problem many experts have when analysing the Sens is they think the best teams will be able to solve their defence. Then once their defence is solved they won’t have the skill to keep up with the scoring. Anyone who watched game one should have noticed the difference in the Sens play before and after the Penguins goal. As soon as the game was tied up the Sens immediately began to put more pressure on the Penguins and controlled the puck more. Ottawa absolutely has the skill to keep up. Karlsson, Turris, Stone, Hoffman, Ryan, and Brassard are all stars in this league that don’t get as much attention playing in a small market.
The difference between the Sens and other teams is they know when to stop taking risks. They know they can protect a lead and trying to get another goal is more risk than it’s worth. They take the opportunities that are given to them and they win because of it.
A War’s Coming
The Penguins are the more skilled team but that doesn’t mean they’re the better team. The Senators are a team that is greater than the sum of their parts. This series is far from over but as of now the Sens are in the lead. Going into the series many seemed to speak about the Sens posthumously as they have the whole playoffs. Lucky for the Sens the victor isn’t chosen by the talking heads. This series is going to be a blood bath and the Senators have drawn first blood. I like their chances. If you’re a Sens fan you should too. After all, they’ve been proving people wrong all year.
The Ottawa Senators won’t make the playoffs
They won’t stay in a playoff spot
They won’t beat the Bruins
They won’t beat the Rangers
They won’t beat the Penguins ???