Take a deep breath, Sens fans. Not all hope is lost.
While the Ottawa Senators may have lost their first game back in the postseason since 2017, it’s not time to hit the panic button just yet.
It may have been a 6-2 final in favour of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but that wasn’t a true reflection of the game.
The first finger being pointed at has been at Linus Ullmark.
Goaltending has long been a point of contention in Ottawa, and it seems the Senators have finally found their guy. Putting up a six-spot in his first playoff game with the team was obviously not the best-case scenario, but I wouldn’t be so quick to count him out.
While the first Leafs goal of the night might have been saveable, it was still a tough shot through traffic. You can’t blame the breakaway goal by Mitch Marner on Ullmark, and three of the other four goals came on the power play.
While Ullmark no doubt has proven that he can steal a game for this team, it would have been a big ask for him to keep them in it yesterday.
That leads into the real problem of the night… penalties.
The Ottawa Senators spent 38 minutes in the box, giving the Leafs six power plays on the night, and they would capitalize on three of them.
While there may be an argument that the officiating wasn’t quite up to the same playoff standard we are used to when it comes to physicality, there were some inexcusable ones on the Sens’ part.
This team is best when they are disciplined and drawing penalties. With only two power plays on the night and a whole lot of penalty kills, Ottawa did not stick to that game plan, and it hurt them.
The bright side, though, is that it’s an easy fix. If the Senators can maintain the physicality but walk the line a little better, they are set.
Despite being on the man disadvantage for over half the game, Ottawa outshot the Leafs 33-24 and looked strong during five-on-five. They kept the pace all game, and with a few luckier bounces, this game could’ve been a lot closer. In a long series like this one, they’re bound to get a little bit more puck luck as they keep pushing.
There’s no doubt that the inexperience of the Ottawa Senators played a factor. The Leafs may be a familiar team, but the playoffs are something extremely unfamiliar for this Ottawa core.
There were nerves, and that was clear, but as the series goes on, and certainly as they head back to Ottawa, the Senators will settle into these playoffs.
One player who hasn’t been in the playoff spotlight in his career, but continued to be a bright spot for this Sens team into game one, was Drake Batherson.
Joining the team in 2018, Batherson just missed the last time Ottawa was in the playoffs. However, he’s finished this regular season riding a high and continued that hot streak into game one, scoring the Senators’ first goal of the night.
Batherson staying hot is going to be key for the Senators, who are a spread-out team when it comes to scoring. While it feels like it is just a matter of time until that top line gets going for Ottawa, they are deep enough that any line is a threat to score in this series.
With lots of options to score, a goaltender who can steal a game or two, and the nerves of game one behind them, I wouldn’t count this Senators team out after one game.
ITR 39: Conference Finals – Inside The Rink
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