The Ottawa Senators are currently defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0 first-round series. It’s an eventful first three games, with overtime heroes, sometimes physical and suspicious hosts. While the senators are on the verge of the seat (which fans and experts think may be possible), people might say they are doing well, so the series should be closer.
Two games have been overtime and they sometimes control the run of the game, without the massive savings of Anthony Stolarz, the narrative entering Game 4 may be completely different. This raises the question: What if the Maple Leafs finished the scan on Saturday night? Will this season be considered a success or a failure?
Make the playoffs good enough?
This is the first time the Senator has been in the playoffs in eight years and travels with his young core, hoping to be the first of them in the following years. The fan base and organization have been waiting for a long time and have experienced a lot of turmoil since its last appearance. Just retrieving it is a huge achievement in itself, and although the Senators are a good team, they have not yet competed in the legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Meanwhile, they play an experienced team on the Maple Leafs who have experienced growing pains and seem to be more composed. Still, the Senators sometimes look like a better team.
From a territorial perspective, the series is not an incredible mismatch, but it may be from a talent and maturity perspective. Senators may benefit from it in the future.
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Maybe they can eventually break through the mind of Maple Leaf and plant the seeds of doubt, but if they don’t do that, will the playoff achievement become meaningless?
Seasonal positivity
Regardless of the Senator, there are many positive aspects this season.
For the first time in a while, they are a team that demonstrates hardworking, defensive and detailed identity. Their base numbers have improved a lot compared to previous years and it is much better to maintain a lead late in the game.
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They also received many outstanding performances from young talents. One of them is Jake Sanderson, who had a career season and scored 57 points while working with Artem Zub, one of the best shutdown pairs in the league. Not to mention, he is only 22 years old and was not signed until 2032, with a scale of more than $8 million.
And Brady Tkachuk, who didn’t have that influence in the series but thrived on the big stage of four countries confrontation. He was a big factor in Team USA, almost leading his country to victory and looked as comfortable as his first truly high-stakes series.
The Senators also have no doubt players, and the games they play are perfect for playoff hockey like Ridly Greig and Drake Batherson, who have demonstrated this throughout the series.
Negative factors of the season
Despite the encouraging signs of this group, there is a reason for it because they find themselves on the verge of elimination, the biggest of which is that they can’t score 5-to-5.
The Senators ranked second in the league and third in the regular season with a 5-to-5 shooting percentage, a problem that continued into the playoffs. There is no doubt that management must be a problem during the offseason, as there are not many players outside of Stutzler and Tekachuk who are large goalscorers.
They can also use more depth on the Blue Line, because once you go beyond Sanderson and Zub, the team won’t have much. Sometimes it’s a problem in 5-on-5 and free throw kills, and it’s a huge factor in the deficit that the Senators find themselves in.
How should we view the season?
Senators should be proud of themselves and raise their heads high, no matter how the rest of the series unfolds. They had a good fight as a knockout team, accomplished what they were going to do this season and made a bright future in the future. If they play cards during the offseason, they may be a force that cannot be ignored in the coming years.
It will undoubtedly be a humble experience, but they can only learn and get better in the playoffs later, and will now have a clearer understanding of which players to determine. While this may be a disappointing ending, this season should be considered a failure.
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