It’s official, Brady Tkachuk is set to return to the Ottawa Senators lineup. He was injured in the third game of the season, and the prognosis was intimidating. The Senators were going to be without Tkachuk for the next several weeks. In the end, the Senators played 20 games without Tkachuk. As of today, they find themselves in a playoff spot. Let’s dive into the numbers to showcase just how well the Senators played without their captain.
READ MORE: Analyzing the Shane Pinto Extension
Senators Numbers Without Tkachuk
Here were the key team numbers for the Senators without Brady Tkachuk:
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11 Wins, 5 Losses, 4 OT Losses, 26 Points, .650 Point %, 3.2 Goals/Game, 3.0 Goals Against/Game, 23.8% Power Play, 71.2% Penalty Kill
Their point percentage was tied for the seventh best in the league during that time. Translate that to 82 games, and the Senators would finish with 107 points. They were tied for ninth in goal per game, and had the tenth best power play in those 20 games. On the downside, they averaged 21.8 hits per 60, which is down from the 25.5 they averaged last season. They also averaged 25.7 shots per game, which is down from the 29.3 they averaged a season ago. Certainly with those last two stats, Tkachuk can be expected to help.
Stützle Leading the Way
Here were the Senators top performers over the last 20 games:
Stützle: 11 goals, 22 points
Batherson: 8 goals, 21 points
Sanderson: 4 goals, 15 points
Cozens: 7 goals 14 points
Giroux: 3 goals, 14 points
Pinto: 7 goals, 12 points
It’s often been thought that Stützle needs, or at least greatly benefits from having Tkachuk on his wing. That thought came from looking at Stützle as a skilled centre, thus needing the protection of the strong, physical presence that is Tkachuk. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of these 20 games has been the revelation that Stützle doesn’t need Tkachuk. Sure, they should often play together as the Senators two best forwards, but splitting them up to spread the wealth is now a viable option, given Stützle’s play during this time. Translate his numbers to 82 games and Stützle would be a 45 goal, 90 point player. That’s while winning 60% of his faceoffs, killing penalties, and throwing over 5 hits per 60 minutes.
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Final Thoughts
The Senators goaltenders both have save percentages of .880 or below this season. The Senators are bottom ten in the league in goals against per game, despite giving up just 25.3 shots against per game which is the third lowest amount in the NHL. They also have the worst penalty kill in the league. Add all that to the fact that they had to play without Brady Tkachuk for 20 games, and you would think that they would sit near the bottom of the standings.
Instead, they find themselves just two points back for top spot in the division. Their goaltending seems to be progressing (Ullmark has a .914 SV% in his last six starts, and Merilainen’s save percentage is .912 since his miserable season debut back in October). The penalty kill is also improving, with a 79.3 success rate since the start of November. Now, the Sens are bringing back Tkachuk, their leader, their most physical player, and one of their best goal scorers. The hope was that the Sens could tread water while he was out. They did a lot more than that. Now, the idea isn’t to hang on to a playoff spot. The Senators are primed to show themselves to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
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