For the first time this season, fans had the chance to watch and cheer passionately for the Ottawa Senators at home. Old habits don’t die hard for Artem Zub, who had the chance to hear his surname being chanted by the crowd anytime he made even the simplest of plays. Fans were so riled up that even current Senators players that weren’t present in the building were being mentioned in chants.
Looking aside the “we want Pinto” chants, the big storyline is that the Senators delivered an entertaining 5-2 home opening win against the Philadelphia Flyers. They impressed both the crowd and their new owner Michael Andlauer in a physically intense game. This was certainly a statement game that hopefully sets the tone for the rest of the season.
But bigger tests are still to come.
A Great Team Effort on Offence
We saw a glimpse of what the Senators’ defence core has to offer in the future as they led the offence to start off the game.
Jakob Chychrun played an exceptional game for his team as he scored the first two goals of the game. His first goal was scored on the team’s first shot following a nice effort behind the net by Ridly Greig. Chychrun’s second goal came on their first power play opportunity, which became a recurring theme for the Senators moving forward in this game. Jake Sanderson joined in on the fun when he ripped a powerful bar-down slap shot for the Senators’ second power play goal of the game.
Eventually, a Sens forward made it on the scoreboard as Brady Tkachuk scored almost two periods in to make it 4-2 for his team. The Senators captain stepped up big and followed up with yet another power play goal, also finishing with a two-goal game.
So while the offence was big for the Senators, the biggest key takeaway was the team’s power play. Not only did they connect for three goals, but the second unit had two of them. If we see the Sens continue to move the puck with as much ease as they did in today’s game, goalies should start getting nervous.
The Senators Showed Character
It’s no secret that the Flyers rely on their physicality under head coach John Tortorella to compete in games. All credit to them as they did compete to try to leave their mark until it was too late to claw back from the three-goal deficit. However, the Senators also deserve credit as they handled it really well. Rather than getting played by the mind games, they played them.
These mind games started early following Chychrun’s second goal. On his way to the bench, he stared down the Flyers’ bench to try and send a message. Travis Konecny reciprocated following his goal to make it 2-1, which made things interesting for the rest of the game.
Related: Senators Prospect Report: Starting Up the New Season
The Senators played with a lot of energy and even outhit the Flyers in the game. Zub and Parker Kelly led the way with four hits each in a physical game which saw both teams combine for 40 penalty minutes.
Even Anton Forsberg, who stopped 19 of 21 shots directed at him, wasn’t intimidated by the opponents tonight. He had a solid outing and even made some spectacular saves, including a flashy glove save in the middle of the third period.
If the Senators can keep up the energy at home, they’ll be a dreadful team to play against for teams visiting. Their early stretch of home games could help them out in the long run, but their youth should hopefully keep the team going throughout the season, barring any injuries.
Today Was a Quiz, Tomorrow Is the Exam
The reality of this game is that the Flyers aren’t expected to make the postseason this year and were playing an away game today. This is not to take away from the effort by either of the teams, but the Sens should have a bigger challenge tomorrow as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on home ice.
The Lightning may be without Andrei Vasilevskiy, but this didn’t stop them from winning their first game by a score of 5-3 in their league-opening game against the Nashville Predators. While the Senators’ effort today was admirable and much needed, the reality is as follows: It’s nice to win a game, but even nicer to beat a strong team.
If the Senators could replicate this physical play and great offensive output against a Lightning team that includes stars such as Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and more, they would be in a great position. The Sens have a tendency of not playing their best hockey in November, so every game, especially early on, is important. A 2-1-0 record by the end of the first week of NHL action could really go a long way and give them some confidence for the matchups to come after.
Unfortunately, they weren’t able to secure a win in their first game against a strong Carolina Hurricanes team earlier in the week. But they have their chance at redemption against the Lightning tomorrow.
