'We're Learning How To Win': Senators' Consistency Is Improving, But Will The Results Come?

Saturday night, Anton Forsberg and the Ottawa Senators cruised to a 3-0 shutout win over the struggling Seattle Kraken.

But it wasn’t just the Kraken’s struggles that allowed the Senators to dismantle them – they brought their A-game after a tough 2-1 loss the previous night at Madison Square Garden.

“I feel like that was the best 60-minute effort as a team we’ve had this year,” Senators captain Brady Tkachuk told reporters post-game.

Not only that, but the results are starting to match the effort.

The Senators escaped October with a record above .500 for the first time since 2017-18, and the playoffs still feel very possible in the month of November.

The Sens also deserved better in their previous night's outing against the New York Rangers. They outshot the Blueshirts 41-18 but got brick-walled by Igor Shesterkin.

“We lost a game that we probably deserved better,” said Senators coach Travis Green about the game in New York.

However, it’s the short-term memory and ability to bounce back that separates mediocre teams from the best teams, and that’s been lacking from the Senators’ repertoire for the past several seasons. But they did it last night, asserting themselves as the dominant team over a rested Seattle roster that also regained top-pairing defenseman Brandon Montour.

The shots were even at 22 apiece, but the Senators passed the eye test with their defensive play, and they earned just under 64 percent of the expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick.

Contributions from up and down the lineup stood out, highlighted by the fourth line of Nick Cousins, Adam Gaudette and Zack MacEwen. Gaudette potted his sixth goal to kick off the scoring, and the line garnered 65 percent of the expected goals at 5-on-5.

According to Green, his team wasn’t as sharp as the previous night, but their discipline shined through.

“There’s some nights that your structure, your details... you have to rely on that to win games, especially when you’re playing a back-to-back game and the other team is fresh,” he said.

“We talk about being process-driven a lot. If you stick to it, you’re gonna be on the right side more than not.”

Common themes Ottawa players and coaches echoed are "learning how to win" and “buy-in.” As one of the mainstays of the roster since the start of the rebuild, Tkachuk knows losing quite well, and there’s a belief that improved structure and team cohesion on a game-to-game basis will yield more wins.

“We’re sick of the continuous cycle that we’ve been on since we’ve been here of going home early and should’ve, could’ve, would’ve's throughout the whole year,” Tkachuk said. “I think for us, this year’s different, this year’s mindset’s different. We want more.”

But on the topic of should’ve, could’ve, would’ve's, the Senators’ recent road trip visits with the Stanley Cup-contending Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche seem like games they’d like to have back.

In Vegas, the Sens led the Knights 4-3 heading into the third but swiftly lost the lead and the game in the final moments after three Vegas goals in less than two minutes. In Denver, they clawed their way to a 2-2 tie in the third period, only to immediately concede two Avalanche goals in quick succession.

If Ottawa had taken care of business in those third periods, it would’ve been the difference between an 8-3-0 record and their actual 6-5-0 record after last night. The latter would have them second in the Eastern Conference, but eighth is where they stand.

Contenders don't blow these opportunities, but the Senators still do. Until that changes on a regular basis in a tight Eastern Conference, Ottawa won't be a lock for the playoffs. However, beating potential non-playoff teams like Seattle, the Utah Hockey Club and the St. Louis Blues is a good start.

And of course, a shutout from backup Anton Forsberg will also inspire confidence in the Senators’ game-to-game performances, as they would benefit massively from giving Linus Ullmark a chance to breathe.

“I think we could have a better record,” Green said. “The Vegas game and the game in New York we probably deserved a better fate, but I do think your team needs to learn through some tough lessons as well, and they’ve bounced back after those games.”

Their next stretch of games against the struggling Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins will be a critical test against Ottawa’s record of consistency.

When asked if his team is achieving the style he wants them to play with, Green said he was pleased with their last two games.

“They’re close.”

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