When the Senators beat up on the Capitals on Saturday, it was natural for Sens fans to savour the victory. After all, how often does a team win a game by a 7-1 score? Well, how about winning back-to-back games with that same 7-1 score? That’s exactly what the Senators were about to accomplish tonight, until Viktor Arvidsson decided to ruin things by scoring a goal with less than ten seconds to go. Oh well. That made the final tonight, Senators 7, Bruins 2. This marks the Senators third straight win, putting them over .500 for the season at 5-4-1. Let’s dive into the details!
READ MORE: What to Like and Dislike About the Start to the Senators Season
Bounce Back By Merilainen
Merilainen had a rough preseason. Then, in his only regular season game, he gave up seven goals to the Buffalo Sabres and was promptly sent to the AHL. Tonight, the Senators put all the pressure on him, choosing to not even dress Linus Ullmark who is likely to start tomorrow night against the Chicago Blackhawks. Merilainen then proceeded to give up the first goal on the Bruins first shot of the game. Uh oh.
From there, though, Merilainen settled in nicely. He ended up stopping 26 of the 28 shots he faced. As great as the offense was tonight, Merilainen potentially returning to last season’s form is the biggest story of tonight’s game. Now let’s see if he can string a few more games like this together.
Star Players Lead the Way
How about these statlines from three of the Senators best players:
- Drake Batherson: 2 goals, 1 assist
- Tim Stutzle: 2 goals, 1 assis
- Jake Sanderson: 3 assists
Batherson has put together that same statline in each of the last two games. It was great to see Stutzle score a couple. He now has four goals this season, but it feels like he could have twice that amount. As for Sanderson, he has started this season right where he left off the last. He’s up to nine points through his first ten games.
Power Play Dominance
The Senators went 4-5 on the power play tonight. Both units contributed to the success. Perhaps the most significant goal with the extra man was by Fabian Zetterlund. Zetterlund has struggled to produce this season, with this being his first goal. Might that be what he needed to start to play up to expectations? For the season, the Senators have gone 13 for 37 on the power play, a 35% success rate. That is the best power play in the NHL.
Additional Notes
A lot of people scoffed at Nick Cousins being placed on the first line. In two games playing with Stutzle, he’s now scored two goals. It’s not likely to be a long term placement, but credit to Green for recognizing why this might work, and credit to Cousins for producing in this role. The only Senators forward to not register a point tonight was Kurtis MacDermid. Next up for the Senators, a tough back-to-back situation, where they’ll have to travel straight to Chicago and play the Blackhawks tomorrow night.
