SenShot
Fansided

Three Quick Fixes For The Ottawa Senators After Opening Weekend

By Nicholas Robinson

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 02: Assistant Coach Davis Payne and Head Coach D.J. Smith of the Ottawa Senators talk on the bench prior to an NHL game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on October 2, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 02: Assistant Coach Davis Payne and Head Coach D.J. Smith of the Ottawa Senators talk on the bench prior to an NHL game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on October 2, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
Ottawa Senators center Colin White (36)  Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Ottawa Senators center Colin White (36)  Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports /

Re-distributing Ice-time

While it’s only been two games, the Senators‘ bottom-six and especially the fourth line, has looked inconsistent. Austin Watson and Cedric Paquette are both averaging nearly nine minutes of time at even strength. That could probably be halved. Watson has made an effort to impose himself on the ice, which has been admired by some fans, but it’s Paquette in particular who has struggled.

That was highlighted by a couple of lazy penalties this weekend. Easing the role of these players could give some more time to the young faces in the top-six, which has looked very dangerous so far for the Senators. They should be doing more to assure that their best players are being maximized. While it’s understandable that D.J Smith sees a big role for some of the guys further down the line-up, they shouldn’t be in the same realm of 5v5 ice-time as somebody like Evgenii Dadonov.

The third line of Nick Paul, Chris Tierney and Connor Brown was a stand-out on Friday, with a 5v5 expected goals share of over 60% for all three players. However, they all fell to the other end of the spectrum on Saturday, each coming in at under 30% of the xG share. This was essentially due to an uptick in the performance of Toronto’s best players Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, showing that this line could still face problems when matched up against the league’s elite.

D.J Smith should look for some more in-game changes in that regard, to make sure his new checking line isn’t completely chasing the game at all times. He should perhaps give his top lines a chance to match-up against each other, to give the third-line a break.

Oh, and let’s keep Colin White in the fold. He wasn’t great on Saturday, but it’s certainly more beneficial to the development of the player to battle it out and prove his long-term value, as opposed to giving the minutes to someone who won’t be in Ottawa next season, like Artem Anisimov.

Home/Analysis