Ottawa Senators News & Rumors: Basson, Stutzler, Sanderson and Goalie – Hockey Writer – Ottawa Senators
The past two nights have been a tale of opposites for the Ottawa Senators — one game that makes you believe this team might finally figure it out, and another that reminds you they’re still a work in progress.
They beat the Boston Bruins 7-2 on Monday, skating confidently, scoring in spurts and featuring a strong rebound performance from young goaltender Leevi Merilainen. One night, they were beaten 7-3 by the Chicago Blackhawks, with the unstoppable Connor Bedard scoring a hat trick and making the Senators’ defense look lost on more than one occasion.
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In a nutshell, this is Ottawa hockey right now — flashes of light amid long stretches of inconsistency. But on both nights, there were clues worth continuing. Perhaps the most important thing is that the team misses Brady Tkachuk so much.
Item 1: Basson and Stutzler are cooking
You can see this in their timing. Drake Batherson and Tim Stützle are starting to click together, making Ottawa’s front six look dangerous again. They combined for four goals and five assists against Boston. They totaled two goals and four assists against Chicago. It was back-to-back multi-point games for both players. As far as Stutzler is concerned, that’s three straight wins.
It’s not just the scoring touch that’s changed; This is the rhythm. Stutzler looked more decisive, while Basson was relentless with the puck. Together, they increase the tempo of the game, force turnovers from opponents, and create space for others.
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Basson currently has 12 points in his past seven games, five of which have come on the power play. He’s always been inconsistent, but it felt different this time – like he had control of the offensive attack. Stutzler is doing the same thing, displaying the combination of confidence and edge that makes him such a unique player. This team’s star players have come far, and now, these two are leading the charge.
Item 2: Jake Sanderson quietly becomes Ottawa mainstay
If Batherson and Stutzler are the Flash, then Jack Sanderson is the glue. He’s not loud, but his fingerprints are all over the past two games. Three power-play assists and one more goal against the Bruins and one assist against Chicago — a defense that allowed just five points in two nights.
The 23-year-old looks to be commanding the blue line more easily than ever. Skating allowed him to recover from the risk and his reading skills became sharper. The best part? He drives the offense without sacrificing much on defense. He now has 10 points in 11 games. This ranks among the top 20 defensemen in the NHL. And he did it in the face of fierce competition and a huge amount of time consumed.
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For all the talk about Ottawa’s young stars, Sanderson could be the player that holds the team together while Tkachuk is injured. The Senators looked calm when he took the field. When he left, everything started to go haywire. It’s that simple.
Article 3: The goalkeeping issue remains unresolved
You could call Ottawa’s goaltending situation “fluid.” Others might say “unsettling.” Regardless, the Senators are brewing a story.
Merilainen got redemption Monday after an early-season nightmare against the Buffalo Sabers. He hit 26 of 28 shots and looked composed, giving the Senators a solid night. But 24 hours later, Linus Ullmark came back with all his might, and Chicago outscored him by six points on just 25 shots. He has allowed six or more goals in two games this season.
To be fair, Ottawa’s defense has put him in trouble more than once, but Ullmark’s inconsistency is starting to draw attention. He’s 4-4-1 with a .858 save percentage, which isn’t good enough for the No. 1 goaltender on a team hoping to compete. The crease isn’t in crisis yet, but it will be if he can’t settle down.
RELATED: Senators finally give Linus Ullmark the support he needs
If Merilainen continues to get them off to solid starts, head coach Travis Green may have to reward him with more starts. This is how the goalkeeping controversy began. So far, nothing dramatic has happened, just a young goaltender quietly beating the veteran.
What’s next for the Senators?
Ottawa’s goal numbers are encouraging, but they’re still conceding too many. Fourteen wins and nine losses in two games – the story of a team that can fill the net but can’t always keep the ball out.
Good news? The core is production. Batherson, Stützle and Sanderson look like a foundation to build on. The question now is whether the team can find its defensive groove before those big wins are wiped out by a 7-3 loss.
The senators went home strutting and bruised. If they can harness Boston’s energy and learn from Chicago’s disappointment, they might start to turn those flashes into something more consistent. But if their roller coaster ride continues, Senators fans will need to brace themselves for another season filled with highs, lows, and “what just happened?” hockey.
