4 Takeaways from the Senators' 4-1 victory over the Bruins

The Ottawa Senators defeated the Boston Bruins on Monday night with a convincing 4–1 victory led by Tim Stützle. It was an all-around performance from the forwards, defencemen, and goaltenders, showing the league that the Senators aren’t hurting all that much from Brady Tkachuk’s departure. Though it's early, two points against a division rival is crucial, especially on the road. Here are some takeaways from the dominant win.

Chabot finally finds a stable D-partner in Spence

If you ask a Senators fan who Thomas Chabot’s best partner has been, the answer would most likely be Dylan DeMelo. The two played one season together before DeMelo was traded. The team has been searching for a D-partner for its new captain for some time, and last season, Jordan Spence was acquired in the hope that he could fill that role. So far, the Chabot–Spence pairing has been nothing short of excellent. Spence played 24:49, while Chabot played 24:13. Last season, there were concerns about whether Green had complete trust in Spence, but I don’t think that’s much of a concern anymore. The pairing consistently controlled the puck and moved it out of the zone to create plays. Chabot has been playing at another level since being named captain, and Spence has been right there to help him elevate his game.

The defence has bent but hasn’t come close to breaking

As mentioned above, the pairing of Chabot and Spence has been rock-solid for the Senators, especially in the absence of the team’s top pair, Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson. But they aren’t the only players stepping up. Tyler Kleven, Nik Matinpalo, and Carter Yakemchuk all played in both games and have looked good. Yakemchuk had a rough preseason and, at times, looked lost defensively, but that hasn’t been the case in the first two games. He looks confident whenever he has the puck and has limited his mistakes in the defensive zone.

Kleven has been leaned on heavily, totalling 23:21 in last night’s game. He is playing on most penalty kills and starting predominantly in the defensive zone. Matinpalo is also a steady presence on the back end, and his play will make deciding who stays in the lineup once Sanderson and Zub return much more difficult. Even Cameron Crotty, who was the team’s sixth defenceman last night, was able to give the team meaningful minutes in his deployment.

The second line looks great but hasn’t scored yet

William Eklund, Dylan Cozens, and Fabian Zetterlund make up the second line, and they have been buzzing all over the ice. They consistently create chances, with Eklund sometimes looking like a man possessed as he tries to will a goal into existence. Their playing styles complement one another well: they have plenty of speed, drive hard to the net, and play physically on defence. Zetterlund looks more settled than in previous seasons, most likely because he knows he won’t be taken off the line after one game. It’s not a matter of if this line will find the back of the net, but when.

Ullmark hurt?

Linus Ullmark started the game for the Senators yesterday and stopped all 10 shots he faced before Samuel Ersson took over in the third period. Ullmark appeared to get up gingerly after a collision with JJ Peterka midway through the second period, but he finished the frame.

He was sitting on the bench during the third period, which is a good indication that the issue isn’t serious. Most likely, Ullmark got up slowly, and Green decided during the intermission that there was no need to risk playing him with the team up 4–0. The change also gave Ersson some game action before his scheduled start against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday evening. Obviously, we’ll need to wait for an update from Green or the team, but it’s a safe bet that Ullmark is fine.

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