The Ottawa Senators are living dangerously.
As they get a short break to prepare to face the Boston Bruins on Thursday on the road, the Senators are sitting in a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, but it’s precarious to say the least.
The Senators have a 6-5-2 record in 13 games, and they lead the league in scoring with 48 goals in that stretch. The club is 4-1-2 in its last seven games, but has struggled mightily to find consistency.
After making the playoffs for the first time in eight years last spring, the Senators found that they’re getting the best out of their opponents every night.
With captain Brady Tkachuk sidelined for at least another six weeks after having surgery on his thumb, the Senators have to keep themselves in the playoff picture until he’s able to return.
Lots of areas need work, but here are five in particular with plenty of time left in the season to nip them in the bud:
SCORE FIRST
The Senators have allowed the opponent to score the opening goal in 11 of the club’s 13 games this season.
Coach Travis Green was asked about this statistic before the club’s 4-3 overtime win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday and had no explanation other than the fact that stuff happens.
He knows it goes deeper than that, and probably didn’t want to get into the details, but this has got to stop. The Senators are 5-4-2 after allowing the first goal, which means they’ve been able to survive it.
Chasing the game is never a good idea.
STOP THE PUCK
Linus Ullmark hasn’t been good enough.
He knows it. The coaching staff knows it. The management knows it, and the fan base is aware of it.
The Senators rank 31st in the National Hockey League in save percentage at .846. Heading into Sunday night’s action, only the St. Louis Blues were worse, and Jordan Binnington is supposed to play for Team Canada at the Olympics in Italy in February.
Ullmark and backup Leevi Merilainen, who has played more games in the American Hockey League than in the NHL this season, have combined for a 3.85 goals-against average.
Ullmark has shown signs of improvement lately and has posted a 5-4-2 record in 11 starts this season, but the club needs big saves.
PENALTY KILLING
The Senators have allowed 15 powerplay goals in 13 games, and it happened again on Saturday night in the loss to the Habs.
Ottawa is ranked last on the penalty kill at 62.5 percent. That’s not good enough, and it has got to be better. The Senators allow Grade A chances that end up in the club’s net.
A lot is made of the diamond formation, but I’m not going to get into the intricacies of penalty killing or coaching, for that matter. I just know that the Senators have to be better in this area.
It starts with what’s happening in front of the goalie, but he can also be your best penalty killer.
PLAY FOR 60 MINUTES
Green has been quick to point out that it hasn’t been all bad for the Senators in the club’s losses.
He’s right. There are fits and spurts in every game, except for the club’s loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of the year, where the Senators have played well.
Being ready from the drop of the puck would help solve that issue. Centre Tim Stutzle said after the loss in Montreal that he didn’t have a good first period, and he was hardly alone on that front.
You wonder at times if the Senators aren’t playing with enough of a sense of urgency. It’s almost like they wait for something bad to happen, and it serves as a wake-up call that they need to get going.
LEAD THE CHARGE
The Senators’ best players have to be at their best, especially with Tkachuk injured.
The costly turnover by Drake Batherson to set up the winning goal by Alex Newhook in Montreal can’t happen, especially against a team in the Atlantic Division you’re battling for a playoff spot.
Nobody can argue with the production by Dylan Cozens, with six goals and 10 points in 13 games. But the minus-11 rating is glaring when Stutzle is plus-4 and Shane Pinto is plus-2.
There has to be a better commitment to playing on both sides of the puck.
Winger Nick Cousins didn’t finish the game in Montreal after a fight with Jayden Struble in the third. That means Fabian Zetterlund will be elevated, and he has to start scoring.
His one goal and three points in 13 games aren’t close to what the Senators need him to produce.
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