"You’ve got to make more than 10 saves to win the game."
That was just part of Ottawa Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson's post-game comments following his team's 6-5 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
And to say the least, it's just the beginning of what is and has been a major issue for the Ottawa Senators: goaltending.
In the five years post-pandemic (since the 2020-21 season), the Ottawa Senators had put out a total of eleven different starting goaltenders. Such names include Cam Talbot, Joonas Korpisalo, and now Linus Ullmark and ex-Toronto Maple Leaf James Reimer. Save for Linus Ullmark and James Reimer (the latter of which I'm not going to harp on too hard on because he just made his Senators debut), goaltender signings haven't exactly worked out for the Ottawa Senators. Cam Talbot gave up around three goals against per game in his lone season with the team, Joonas Korpisalo couldn't exactly make a save, and Anton Forsberg has been an up-and-down kind of goalie in terms of overall performance.
The Senators have had some success in the farm system. Mads Sogaard got the team some big wins during the middle of the 2022-23 campaign, Kevin Mandolese had a .916 save percentage through just three starts in that same year, while Leevi Meriläinen backstopped the Senators to a season-saving win streak in the 2024-25 campaign. Primarily acting as a backup for Linus Ullmark, who was out for two significant stretches of that season, Meriläinen posted an 8-3-1 record, three shutouts, and a .925 save percentage. He also conceded just two goals per game over his twelve games played that year.
Leevi Meriläinen would be rewarded with a one-year contract in the offseason, providing some hope that the Senators found their second full-time netminder.
But we know the story of the Ottawa Senators. No, not the story involving relocation rumours, coaching disasters (more on that later), and Tank Bowls galore post-December.
The story of goaltending is still the one worthy of the spotlight here. And unfortunately, Leevi Meriläinen was its next installment.
With Linus Ullmark out due to personal reasons, Leevi Meriläinen would inherit the starting role. While one could look at his performance in last year's critical stretch and have some optimism, no such optimism would be had.
In the nine games he started since Linus Ullmark's leave of absence was announced, Leevi Merilinen posted a 4-4-1 record.
That number alone doesn't do his struggles justice. In that nine-game span, Meriläinen gave up thirty-four goals, equivalent to a goals against average of 3.78. It's also worth noting that over that nine-game span, he posted a .847 save percentage.
His most recent performance? A game where his Senators had a 5-3 lead with under five minutes left to play against the Montreal Canadiens yet would end up giving up two goals over a two-minute span to give the Habs an overtime point and eventually the 6-5 win.
That exact performance prompted Jake Sanderson to break from team tradition and come as close as one could get to completely eviscerating their own teammate.
Sure, that's not necessarily something you do in front of the national media.
But he's right to do it. And if any longtime Senators fan were in that position, they probably would too.
With that said, let's be real for a little bit. After their 4-3 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night, the Ottawa Senators find themselves with a 22-19-7 record, good for just 51 points in the standings. Despite the winning record, they're dead last in the Atlantic Division and are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are undefeated since appointing Rick Bowness as their new head coach, for third-last in the entire Eastern Conference. Only the New Jersey Devils (24-22-2) and New York Rangers (21-22-6) have worse records.
In terms of the playoff picture, it's a tad more optimistic. As of this writing, the Senators sit six points back of the Buffalo Sabres for the final wild card spot while also trailing the Montreal Canadiens by ten points for a top-three slot in the Atlantic Division. The Senators do have one game left against the Canadiens and the Sabres, which gives Ottawa a lifeline of sorts in the playoff chase.
However, there's a couple issues. First of all, both Buffalo and the Boston Bruins, who hold the top wild card spot, don't seem to be dropping that many points at this time. At the same time, Ottawa hasn't been scoring enough standings points for those dropped points to actually matter all that much.
Another problem? The Toronto Maple Leafs, who are sixth in the Atlantic, have been scoring points at a much quicker clip than the Senators. While Ottawa does play Toronto three more times before the season is out, the Senators would have to start scoring points at an equal, if not better, pace to that of the Maple Leafs.
Should the Senators end up missing the playoffs this year, it would be the eighth time in nine seasons that the Ottawa Senators fail to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For the team's fans, it would also mean an unnecessary return to the feelings felt during the team's seven-season postseason drought, one that could probably end up hitting a lot harder in considering that the Senators were seen as a legitimate playoff contender heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
So how does Ottawa get it together and attempt to salvage yet another season?
The recovery should see a positive start, as Linus Ullmark recently returned to practice following his leave of absence. There isn't yet a timetable for his return, but his return to practice should be seen as a positive sign. There should be yet another leap once he gets back on the ice; at that point, the Senators should see some improvements in the overall goaltending performance.
Could that spur the Senators to some big pre-Olympic wins? Maybe.
On that note, Ottawa cannot lose any significant ground to teams like Buffalo and Boston. That means that upcoming games against Columbus, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Philadelphia (all of whom are fighting for playoff positioning of some kind), are going to now become must-win games. At the same time, Ottawa has to find a way to get results against top teams like Vegas and Colorado.
In terms of the goaltending position? The Senators have the cap space and the roster flexibility to work Linus Ullmark back into the lineup without sending a goaltender back to Belleville; save for major struggles from James Reimer, there shouldn't be that much roster movement in terms of goaltending.
That said, it's really behind the bench where the immediate goaltending questions could emerge. Goaltending coach Justin Peters had recently come under fire for goaltending struggles; rather than embrace each player's style, it's possible to notice that the goaltending is following a certain style that is arguably inferior to playing to a goalie's strengths.
While Ottawa was thirteenth in the NHL in goaltending last year, which served as Justin Peters' first full season as the team's goalie coach, the Senators have since fallen to 29th.
If the Senators are to turn their season around, they have to try making a move somewhere. Said move could come by replacing Justin Peters with a new goaltending coach.
Maybe someone like Craig Anderson wants a role like that? Ok, that was probably just me talking off the top of my head, but we did see Senators legend Jacques Martin return for a guard of honour midway through the 2023-24 season. Therefore, anything could happen in the case the Senators decide to make a change.
Even with the above said, there is absolutely no excuse for the goaltending to be performing like it is. You have to make the saves you have to make, you have to win the games you're in control of, and letting in six goals on nineteen (yes, nineteen) shots faced isn't exactly going to cut it in the NHL.
And that's why I side with Jake Sanderson here. Sure, he might be out of his lane. Yes, he might not have played goalie before. And it's also worth noting that Leevi Meriläinen is playing in just his second full season as part of the Senators' main goaltending tandem.
But like Sanderson said, "you’ve got to make more than 10 saves to win the game." And head coach Travis Green agrees; in his own presser, he expressed his worries over the blame being thrust on Meriläinen yet backed Sanderson's comments in that you can't earn excuses over such a performance.
Even if fans don't agree with what Jake Sanderson said or how he went about it, you have to realize that not one starting goaltender in the NHL would receive sympathy if they were to post a similar performance.
If Joseph Woll had that kind of performance for the Leafs? Craig Berube would be tough, while Steve Dangle would probably eviscerate the goaltending.
If anyone under ex-Columbus Blue Jackets boss John Tortorella posted a .684 save percentage in a game? He'd probably have the same reaction as Sanderson but with the added initiative of answering a journalist's phone.
If Andrei Vasilevskiy let in six goals on almost twenty shots faced? Safe to say Jon Cooper wouldn't be using his lawyer skills to bail his goalie out against an answer-hungry press.
Simply put, Meriläinen had an extremely disappointing showing against Montreal. And considering the Senators' consistent goaltending struggles and their lack of postseason appearances over the past eight years, it's right for Jake Sanderson to take the stance that he did.
And unless things take a turn for the better in that department, we might have to get used to answers like this coming from one of the Senators' leaders.