2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Ottawa Senators Strengths

In the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Ottawa Senators have made their way to the Eastern Conference Finals. There are definite strengths to this team, and in this Puck Prose series, we explore them.

The Ottawa Senators have progressed smoothly through two rounds of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They defeated both the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers in six games. They’ve already won game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their series.

So how can the Ottawa Senators make their way through the ECF? What has brought them to this point, and can it take them further? What are the Senators’ strengths?

Erik Karlsson’s Offensive Input

Erik Karlsson has played through these playoffs with a broken foot. Still, he’s looked like the greatest player on any team through the playoffs to this point. That’s a sign of things to come for the Senators captain, but also of things that have happened. Karlsson is 26 and already owns two Norris trophies.

He’s the greatest offensive defenseman in the National Hockey League. Yes, he had worse numbers than Brent Burns in the regular season. For that reason, he will likely miss out on the Norris. But he’s also proving to be a more substantial boon to his team in the playoffs than Burns was. Karlsson is the threat on the ice that Burns should have been but wasn’t this postseason.

Karlsson is also making plays like this in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs:

(Via YouTube.com)

Again, on a broken foot. Karlsson is better than anybody. Better than anybody left in the playoffs, certainly.

In thirteen games in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs so far, Karlsson has registered 13 points. Two of those have been goals, both game-winning. So when Karlsson has found the back of the net, it’s been to clinch a victory. Sounds, how do I describe it, clutch.

Karlsson, with those thirteen points, also has a +9 +/-. While that’s not a highly applicable stat anymore, when it describes a defenseman with 13 points, it’s a good number. That means that when Karlsson is on the ice in these 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he’s doing a good job. At least, a good enough job defensively that it’s not harshly affecting the team.

Other Defensemen

The Senators have the playoff-best penalty kill, and that’s also because of Karlsson. The guy is playing 29 minutes a night, he’s playing some penalty kill. The Senators have killed off 88.9% of their penalty kills. That’s a full 2% better than the Nashville Predators, second best of teams remaining.

That’s also showing that the Senators have a fully capable defense. One that is led by Karlsson, yes, but one that also is made up of capable players. Marc Methot, Dion Phaneuf, Chris Wideman, and Cody Ceci have all contributed meaningfully. Outside of Karlsson’s 13 points, the Senators defense has fourteen. That’s led by 5 from Phaneuf and 4 from Wideman.

The defense has also contributed 3 of Ottawa’s goals (excluding Karlsson’s). The damage is being done, like in Nashville, on both sides of the puck for the Senators. And that’s making a truly potent difference in each game, as the defense separate themselves from the competition.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

It’s the element of surprise over in Ottawa, it really is. Before this postseason, Jean-Gabriel Pageau was known mostly as a Habs killer. That’s from a newspaper in Ottawa – they should know. Pageau scored thirty-three points in the regular season, 12 of those goals. That was in 82 games.

In just 13 postseason games, Pageau has scored 8 goals. None of these games have come versus the Habs, so how has Pageau morphed himself into just a postseason killer? How did a guy on a down season (43 points last year versus 33 this year) turn into a guy tied with Ryan Getzlaf for third in goals in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Break it Down

This Puck Daddy article explains it with more numbers than I’m about to. Yes, I tend to be stats heavy, but I want to work with heart. Let’s start with the teammates – Pageau, according to Left Wing Lock, has played a lot with Mark Stone and Bobby Ryan (or Mike Hoffman). Those are two of Ottawa’s best forwards.

And Pageau wasn’t playing with them in the regular season. In fact, in nearly every Left Wing Lock lineup from the regular season, Pageau is with Tom Pyatt. Since he’s also with Mark Stone in the top one, let’s weigh Hoffman vs Pyatt.

Hoffman has seven points in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Pyatt has one. Hoffman had 61 points in the regular season. Pyatt had 23. Simulation complete.

So it’s clearly that Pageau has the ability to skate with better teammates. When he’s put with them, he’s bound to be better, and he’s doubled down on that probability. He’s converted it into the most goals on this Senators roster.

And he’s helping them win games. He had a hat trick versus New York. That got the Senators back into the game, and it was one they won in overtime. Pageau’s goal to get that hat trick, though, was a deflection. That means it’s not just him and teammates skating. It’s the Senators coaching to get in front of the net and work until it’s in.

Coaching

And that’s what it really boils down to. After a while away from the league, Guy Boucher has had a successful run. His style has translated well to a team with the best offensive defenseman. He’s working with a roster of guys who can get to the front of the net and stay there. And that’s converting itself into goals.

It also doesn’t hurt that a lot of the Senators’ guys have speed. Viktor Stalberg, Mark Stone for two. And they’re able to convert those chances when they get on the breakaway. And that in itself is a huge aide for the Senators.

Next: 2017 NHL Draft: First Round Mock Draft

It’s just a team of guys who genuinely have the ability, led by a guy who wants to get it done. That’s turning out to be a winning formula.