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Ottawa Senators: Addressing The Powerplay Problem

By Alexander O'Reilly

OTTAWA, ON - MAY 23: Guy Boucher of the Ottawa Senators looks on against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre on May 23, 2017 in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - MAY 23: Guy Boucher of the Ottawa Senators looks on against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre on May 23, 2017 in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Ottawa Senators have a serious problem on their hands. It isn’t as simple as an inability to generate offence or struggling to play defensively. The Sens have struggled to perform on their powerplay for a long time now. If they want to get back to their level from last year this will have to change.

Through two games thus far this season the Ottawa Senators have lost in the shootout both times. In these games they failed to score on a total of 12 powerplay opportunities. Since they lost both games in the shootout it’s safe to say that the difference between victory and defeat was the powerplay. Had they even scored once in each game on the powerplay they would have won. Although it’s just two games into the season, this is a problem that goes back further than just this season.

Last Season

Last season the Sens made the playoffs while winning a large majority of one goal games. However, it could have been much easier for them if they were better on the powerplay. Despite being a playoff team they finished 23rd in the league in powerplay percentage at just 17%. Had they even performed at league average on the powerplay there’s a decent chance the Sens would have won the division.

Playoffs

In the playoffs the powerplay was even worse. Despite going three rounds deep the Sens had just a 11.5% success rate on the powerplay. That was 14th out of 16 teams in the playoffs. A number that once again if was even average could have got the Sens to the Stanley Cup Final.

Erik Karlsson

Part of why the Sens have struggled on the powerplay this season is because Erik Karlsson isn’t in the lineup. He’s the player that everything runs through on the powerplay. Without him a bad powerplay becomes even worse. However, this is not why the team has struggled for a long time with the powerplay as it was a problem last season.

Next: Ottawa Senators Tie Game Late But Fall In Shootout To Detroit

Staying Competitive

If the Sens want to stay competitive they need to improve on the powerplay. Winning as many one goal games as they did last season is not sustainable. Despite the fact that the Ottawa Senators are built to win close games they cannot be expected to win them at the rate they did last year. Improving on the powerplay has to be priority number one for Guy Boucher. Without it the Sens run the risk of missing the playoffs.

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