Sens Writer: Senators Win 8-7 (OT) vs. Kings in Wild Afternoon Game

if OTT continues to play like they did in the first 3 games, they will the favorite for 1st OA selection at the 2025 draft.

Defensively they are playing like the previous years, the PK is nearly non-existent and the PK coach should be fired immediately, you cannot be that passive on the PK and expect not to be scored on most of the time.

they still playing the old dj smith way of letting the other team shoot, hope it does not go in, hope to get possession and then attack.

Ullmark won the first game, OTT got owned by MTL in the 2nd and LAK sucked just as bad as OTT in the 3rd game.

From a fan perspective, yesterday’s game was the most exciting regular season game for the Sens that we have seen in years. It was honestly great to watch. Emotional roller coaster and quality offense.

I don’t think the Sens defense was great by any means but when you have goaltending that is barely stopping 60% of the shots they are facing, even Norris-trophy caliber defense would look bad. It would be nice to move on from Forsberg and Soogard. With Forsbergs contract, that is easier said than done. Soogard feels like he just can’t adjust to the NHL game. Smallest looking 6’7 guy I have seen. Ullmark should provide consistency (assuming he is healthy) but you need a back-up that can keep up a similar level of play against weaker teams.

I thought the Sens resilience was outstanding. They didn’t lay down like they have in the past. They kept up their level of play, outplayed LA, and the team that should have won, ultimately won. I felt Nick Cousins made a key play to get under the skin of LA and draw a penalty when they were down 2-0. It was only a shift or two after it happened. Game could have gone south in a hurry but that play seemed to keep the team “in” the game.

There are kinks to work out for sure but nice to see the offense go off and watch a team who didn’t lay down and die when they fell behind by two goals multiple times in the game.

if OTT continues to play like they did in the first 3 games, they will the favorite for 1st OA selection at the 2025 draft.

Defensively they are playing like the previous years, the PK is nearly non-existent and the PK coach should be fired immediately, you cannot be that passive on the PK and expect not to be scored on most of the time.

they still playing the old dj smith way of letting the other team shoot, hope it does not go in, hope to get possession and then attack.

Ullmark won the first game, OTT got owned by MTL in the 2nd and LAK sucked just as bad as OTT in the 3rd game.
- Mithos

100% agree.

Quote not working replying to Gord above...

Agreed on the resilience.

Tsn said there were some losing habits ingrained in this team. This is true, but last year I'm not sure this teak comes back last year. Maybe, they can start to turn this thought process around.

On top of the teams resilience, at a certain point I had beleif that they could come back, even though they kept being scored on. Last season I'm.not sure that would have happened.

Hoping the offense can continue to get into gear, nice get some spread out offense especially from the D. Next game would be great to see some of the 3rd liners get going.

if OTT continues to play like they did in the first 3 games, they will the favorite for 1st OA selection at the 2025 draft.

Defensively they are playing like the previous years, the PK is nearly non-existent and the PK coach should be fired immediately, you cannot be that passive on the PK and expect not to be scored on most of the time.

they still playing the old dj smith way of letting the other team shoot, hope it does not go in, hope to get possession and then attack.

Ullmark won the first game, OTT got owned by MTL in the 2nd and LAK sucked just as bad as OTT in the 3rd game.
- Mithos

this post might make sense 15 games in, not 3

Smallest looking 6’7 guy I have seen. Ullmark should provide consistency (assuming he is healthy) but you need a back-up that can keep up a similar level of play against weaker teams.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

Agree 100%. Mads has slow lateral movement. Strikes me as a goalie who expects the puck to hit him, and plays positionally, and always wonders why the goals are scored, since he was technically in the right spot (See Reimer, James).

Forsberg at his price is a horrible backup. He has stole games before but he also lost us games. And having a backup that loses you games is the absolute worst for that position. And having a backup that you can't trust is awful. Changes the way everyone plays in front the crease.

as a team, you definitely don't want to play your emergency backup!

Ullmark dealing with a strain. Sens being "cautious" with their approach.

We can't have nice things....

I'm not one for the doom and gloom some are putting forward, however it's true that the schedule will ratchet up a notch over the next week and a half. The next 5 games will include NJD, TBL, UTA, VGK, and COL... 3 of the past 4 Stanley Cup winning teams, and two of the highest-scoring young teams so far this year. That stretch of 5 games also features a 3-game road trip, which I suspect will reveal the extent to which they can assert their game plan without the benefit of last change or home ice.

If ullmark sits, would you start Soogard or Forsberg Thursday?

If ullmark sits, would you start Soogard or Forsberg Thursday?
- david22

I think you have to give Forsberg the chance to do his job... the question is how long do you wait to pull him if he doesn't. His first start of the year only lasted 3 goals/26 minutes on Monday, plus a disallowed goal. Looking back, Green rolled the dice in quite a big way by putting an AHL goaltender into a game that he knew had a low probability of success given the 3-1 score with only 5 D-men playing. The fact that it worked despite Sogaard putting up a 0.765 sv% is almost preposterous.

As for Sogaard not taking advantage of his size, from what I've seen his leg quickness is excellent, but that same leg strength may result in too much unnecessary motion and impact his positioning. Ullmark, by comparison, is just so much more efficient in his movement. I'd like to see him mentor Sogaard for at least a year to see if they could tighten up his mechanics. But the clock on Sogaard is ticking, and if he doesn't show more progress in his NHL you could see the team place more emphasis on Merilainen's development.

Great entertainment. Teams can grow from this kind of experience. Coaches are no doubt thinking about a tighter defensive structure. But make no mistake, goaltending changes how the entire team gets viewed.

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I think you have to give Forsberg the chance to do his job... the question is how long do you wait to pull him if he doesn't. His first start of the year only lasted 3 goals/26 minutes on Monday, plus a disallowed goal. Looking back, Green rolled the dice in quite a big way by putting an AHL goaltender into a game that he knew had a low probability of success given the 3-1 score with only 5 D-men playing. The fact that it worked despite Sogaard putting up a 0.765 sv% is almost preposterous.

As for Sogaard not taking advantage of his size, from what I've seen his leg quickness is excellent, but that same leg strength may result in too much unnecessary motion and impact his positioning. Ullmark, by comparison, is just so much more efficient in his movement. I'd like to see him mentor Sogaard for at least a year to see if they could tighten up his mechanics. But the clock on Sogaard is ticking, and if he doesn't show more progress in his NHL you could see the team place more emphasis on Merilainen's development.
- khawk

At what point do you call Soogard just another Marcus Hogberg?

Soogard: 28 games, 3.52 GAA, .881 SV%
Hogberg: 42 games, 3.39 GAA, .894 SV%

It’s amazing Hogberg even got 42 NHL games. I wouldn’t run too far with Soogard. I’d much rather move on and see what Merilainen can do if you can only address the back up position from within.

I do see Green giving Forsberg another shot to get his game back to an acceptable level, but I don’t think Staios can stick with an inconsistent back up going forward. Another terrible Dorion goalie contract strikes again.

Huge plus that the team was able to play well with subpar goaltending. The resilience will go a long way to have a season improve upon las year.

That game was a gong show. Can't expect our offense to cover for that kind of goaltending, but a win is a win. Glaring so far this season is how the team is struggling mightily with zone clearance and entry. They need to clean up their play around both blue lines, stat.

Not only can clicks make collecting bananas easier, but they also offer opportunities to improve your skills. In banana game, you can experiment with everything, such as increasing your harvesting power and automating the collection process. Soon, your monkey will grow into a real banana harvesting machine with faster banana gathering times. What is your ultimate goal? Turn into the richest monkey in the forest with an endless supply of bananas!
- MichealLloyd

Please don't post things like this on the Senators page in the future, or your account will be flagged.

So.
We dodged one bullet with Ullmark.
Took a shoulder graze with Zub.
Then JBD reloaded and fired at Chabbot but missed.

This team is cursed.

So.
We dodged one bullet with Ullmark.
Took a shoulder graze with Zub.
Then JBD reloaded and fired at Chabbot but missed.

This team is cursed.
- Octavarium

2nd or 3rd? concussion for Zub..not good, he could be closer to retirement than we and him think.

April 16th - Boston plays Ottawa - the last game of the season. Kevin Shattenkirk plays 19:31 (3rd most among D-men on the B's after Lindholm and McAvoy). He also had an assist on the only goal Boston scored that night. He also played in round 1 of the playoffs to defeat Toronto.

He gave a speech and was instrumental in the leadership (see below link)

https://www.boston.com/sp...nkirk-maple-leafs-game-7/

Why don't Ottawa sign him?

April 16th - Boston plays Ottawa - the last game of the season. Kevin Shattenkirk plays 19:31 (3rd most among D-men on the B's after Lindholm and McAvoy). He also had an assist on the only goal Boston scored that night. He also played in round 1 of the playoffs to defeat Toronto.

He gave a speech and was instrumental in the leadership (see below link)

https://www.boston.com/sp...nkirk-maple-leafs-game-7/

Why don't Ottawa sign him?
- AlfieisKing

It's a reasonable idea, but you're assuming he's interested. You have to consider that he's a 35yo American-born player whose already played for 7 different teams in his career - none of which are Canadian. He might be willing to sign, but he might also prefer to hold out for a mid-season UFA contract from a much larger American-based team. Or at least not go back to playing on a rebuilding team like ANA, which he did for the 3 years prior. He may even be hoping that BOS in particular will re-sign him, so he doesn't have to move around yet again, especially if his family has settled in the area.

Greig out with UBI for two weeks?

At what point do you call Soogard just another Marcus Hogberg?

Soogard: 28 games, 3.52 GAA, .881 SV%
Hogberg: 42 games, 3.39 GAA, .894 SV%

It’s amazing Hogberg even got 42 NHL games. I wouldn’t run too far with Soogard. I’d much rather move on and see what Merilainen can do if you can only address the back up position from within.

I do see Green giving Forsberg another shot to get his game back to an acceptable level, but I don’t think Staios can stick with an inconsistent back up going forward. Another terrible Dorion goalie contract strikes again.

Huge plus that the team was able to play well with subpar goaltending. The resilience will go a long way to have a season improve upon las year.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

Hogberg is actually back in North America in the NYI system, but I generally agree with your point. That said, pretending that 8-7 fiasco was a normal game isn't appropriate in terms of evaluating either G. Looking back at Sogaard, the first goal was a deflection that would have beat Ullmark, the second was a top-corner PP shot, the third was a near-breakaway shot off a terrible turn-over, and the fourth came because of a missed interference penalty in front of the net. If the team has 6D playing in front of him there's a good chance that at least 1-2 of those goals don't go in and it's quite a different conversation. Plus, Hogberg was 25 or older for most of his NHL games with the Senators, while Sogaard is still just 23.

As for Forsberg, he's a journeyman G who they claimed off waivers and overpaid because of one good season. In fairness, he's also recovered from some pretty serious injuries, which may have taken a toll. Regardless, if Sogaard is his functional equivalent they should be working towards that transition by the end of the season. In theory, they could even waive Forsberg to the AHL and save about $350K in terms of cap space by playing Sogaard in the NHL, but I still think they need to give Forsberg a reasonable chance to prove himself in some less bizarre NHL games.

It's a reasonable idea, but you're assuming he's interested. You have to consider that he's a 35yo American-born player whose already played for 7 different teams in his career - none of which are Canadian. He might be willing to sign, but he might also prefer to hold out for a mid-season UFA contract from a much larger American-based team. Or at least not go back to playing on a rebuilding team like ANA, which he did for the 3 years prior. He may even be hoping that BOS in particular will re-sign him, so he doesn't have to move around yet again, especially if his family has settled in the area.
- khawk

Great point about an American player that has never played in Canada. I kind of knew that but didn't think about it so strongly until you mentioned it. There are rumors Oilers are interested - I can see him going there or somewhere around NY state (where he's from). I should mention that NY state is a 1h drive from Canadian Tire Centre

He's another Hamonic. He can't keep up anymore.

Also. If you want to call that game against LA an anomaly I think you can look at LA's tilt against the Leafs last night and say no....no it wasn't. When your team gets good goaltending, and LA's goalies play the way THEY play...that's your result. The difference in the Ottawa LA game was 3 goalies played like hot garbage not one.

Also. the radio and everyone else needs to stop talking up Hamonic's season with Sanderson as if it was the He-Ham himself that helped develop our young D. Nay, it was the opposite. Sanderson carried and bailed him out with his speed most of the time they played together. I'm sorry, some defencemen age well. Others do not. He's a nice guy and good presence in the room and he should be shaking hands and kissing babies in the Bell Club on a nightly basis.

He's another Hamonic. He can't keep up anymore.

Also. If you want to call that game against LA an anomaly I think you can look at LA's tilt against the Leafs last night and say no....no it wasn't. When your team gets good goaltending, and LA's goalies play the way THEY play...that's your result. The difference in the Ottawa LA game was 3 goalies played like hot garbage not one.

Also. the radio and everyone else needs to stop talking up Hamonic's season with Sanderson as if it was the He-Ham himself that helped develop our young D. Nay, it was the opposite. Sanderson carried and bailed him out with his speed most of the time they played together. I'm sorry, some defencemen age well. Others do not. He's a nice guy and good presence in the room and he should be shaking hands and kissing babies in the Bell Club on a nightly basis.
- Octavarium

Well, you should prepare for more disappointment given that Hamonic is now lining up in Zub's place on the top-D pairing.
https://www.dailyfaceoff....enators/line-combinations

It really shouldn't be surprising that Hamonic is getting this much ice time, as Green has been playing him well ahead of any of the younger D-men since the pre-season. People who thought Hamonic would just be a #7D passenger because of his NMC really didn't understand how much they want more veteran presence in the line-up. It's also the only logical deployment of RHD right now, given that Bernard-Docker hasn't even played in a single game yet... unless you want to disrupt the Chabot-Jensen pairing, which is just starting to develop some chemistry.

As for the Leafs-Kings comment, replay that game but give Tanev a concussion early in the 1st period and see if it doesn't affect the outcome just a bit. Playing with only 5D where you've lost your top defensive D-man for the whole game is about as major a roster disruption as you can have, especially in terms of keeping the puck out of your own net. Not to mention that the Kings are still trying to figure out how to manage without Doughty, who is the anchor of their blue line. Their problem with GA is more complicated than just how Kuemper/Rittich are playing.