For the past four years, November has been a struggling month for the Ottawa Senators. Even with November struggles, that didn't stop head coach Travis Green to have confidence in his team by issuing a bold statement.
On Nov. 18, Green issued a bold statement that the Senators would be over .500 if they were to "play the way they've been playing." Green's statement was made after the Senators were shutout against the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 16 in their previous game. The Senators had an 8-8-1 after the loss to the Hurricanes.
In the 10 games following the loss to the Hurricanes, seven of the games would be at home. Having seven of the next 10 games at home could help a team out to get to over .500. However, Green's bold statement wouldn't turn out to be true.
Senators loss on Sunday caused them to fall below .500 to conclude 10-game stretch after Green's bold statement
After the 10-game stretch following the Hurricanes loss, the Senators currently have a 12-13-2 record, good for 26 points in the Eastern Conference. During the 10-game stretch, the Senators went 4-5-1.
Ottawa's results from past 10 games:
5-2 loss to Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 19
3-2 loss to Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 21
4-3 loss to Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 23
4-3 win vs Calgary Flames on Nov. 25
4-3 win @ San Jose Sharks on Nov. 27
5-2 loss @ Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 30
4-3 shootout loss @ Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 1
2-1 win vs Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 5
3-1 win vs Nashville Predators on Dec. 7
4-2 loss vs New York Islanders on Dec. 8
Despite having seven of the 10 games at home, the Senators lost four of the games at home. That is a rough stretch for a team that played well at home prior to the start of the four-game home stand against the Oilers.
The Senators had a chance to be over .500 when they played the Islanders on Sunday. Even with allowing three shots on goal by the Islanders in the third period, the Senators still suffered a brutal 4-2 loss. The momentum killer for the Senators was Kyle Palmieri's powerplay goal to give the Islanders a 3-2 with 6:14 remaining in the third period.
One area that has been hurting the Senators badly is their penalty kill. The Senators came into their game against the Islanders with the 24th ranked penalty kill in the NHL. The Islanders converted on both of their powerplay opportunities. In seven of the past eight games, the Senators have allowed a powerplay goal.
If the Senators are going to be over .500 in their next 10-game stretch, the penalty kill will need to be better. Over the next 10 games, the Senators will have eight road games. The next game on the schedule for the Senators will be tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. ET against the Ducks at home.