Ottawa Senators: The Goalies Need Help

With how many shots they allow, it’s no wonder the Ottawa Senators rank 30th in goals allowed.

The Ottawa Senators have a problem, or at least a bigger problem than most.

Yes, in a season full of them, one issue stands out, and it’s the amount of shots the Senators allow each game. And those shots have an effect on the men between the pipes.

Senators goalies have faced 2,041 shots, more than any team in the league and almost 300 more than the league average (1,764) and their statistics have suffered. But there’s only so much the goalies can do, and while a save every once in a while would be nice, they can’t stop every shot when they are bombarded with them night after night.

Shots Fired!

The Sens have only had eight games where they allowed fewer than 30 shots, the fewest amount of those games in the NHL. The team is 17-27-5 when their goalie faces 30-plus shots, along with a 3-9-5 record when facing 40-plus shots. Compare that to the 4-4-0 record in games with fewer than 30 shots, and there is a clear pattern in how goalies perform.

It is a fairly simple concept: The more shots a team has, the more likely it is that the puck will go in.

Thank Goodness For Goalies

And yet, the team still has a SV% of .900 (Tied for 19th in the NHL) and a PDO of 100.1 (Tied for 15th in the NHL). So even though the Sens’ goalies are facing 36.6 shots per game, they are still performing at a higher level than the team’s current position in the standings.

For example, Craig Anderson has faced 1,004 even strength shots, the ninth most in the NHL, and is still 10th in saves with 916 (.909 SV%), putting him in a top ten that includes six goalies starting for playoff teams (In the current standings). Yes his save percentage could be better, but what can you ask from a goalie who faces 28.8 even strength shots per game.

Now, Anders Nilsson has looked strong in his few starts, but he has still faced 30-plus shots in nine consecutive starts. His record during that stretch is solid (6-3-0), but how long until he collapses under the pressure of so many shots?

The problem may lie in the team’s penalty kill, but the real culprit is the tactics of Guy Boucher.

Fix The Formations

The 1-3-1 has been a staple of Boucher since his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning. And to his credit, it does work…when everyone is on top of their game.

The problem with the Senators continuing to use this formation is that not all of the players have the skill or endurance to keep it up every night. When one piece of the formation is having a bad night, the rest of the team must make up the slack, allowing opponents to cross into the offensive zone and pepper shots on the Sen’s starter.

Something Has To Be Done

The starters are doing whatever they can to keep pucks out, but they can only do so much. If the Sens keep allowing teams to dominate play in the offensive zone, then the goalies won’t stand a chance and the team will continue to lose hockey games.

The tactics of the Ottawa Senators are going to have to change. Until something does, their goalies will be the equivalent of targets at the end of a firing range, hoping for a cease-fire that will never come.