Nine games into the NHL regular season, the Ottawa Senators have shown us some good, some bad and a bit of ugly.
There have been terrific efforts like Tuesday’s 8-1 thrashing of the St. Louis Blues, there have been other good games mixed among their five wins, but there’s also been some ugly – on display through much of Sunday’s 5-4 road loss to Colorado.
The Senators have scored plenty of goals (38), but they’ve also given up too many (31) — usually not a good recipe for sustained success.
Impressive is the team’s success on home ice, going 4-1 at Canadian Tire Centre.
It has been an excellent start to the season for Tim Stutzle (five goals and nine assists) and captain Brady Tkachuk (six goals and seven assists), who have shown some magic working together on the team’s No. 1 line.
The Senators are still looking to find them a right winger after switching Claude Giroux (five goals and six assists) to a line with Josh Norris (four goals and four assists) and Drake Batherson (five goals and seven assists).
Maybe Ridly Greig, currently on the right side of Stutzle and Tkachuk, is the answer.
Defenceman Jake Sanderson, in his third NHL season at age 22, has found another gear, playing effectively at both ends of the ice (a goal and seven assists).
We’re looking for your thoughts on the Senators with the team playing its 10th game of the season Friday, on the road, against the New York Rangers.