For the Ottawa Senators, the past two nights have been a tale of opposites — one game that made you believe this team might finally be figuring it out, and another that reminded you they’re still a work in progress.
On Monday, they demolished the Boston Bruins 7–2, skating with confidence, scoring in waves, and getting a strong bounce-back performance from young goalie Leevi Merilainen. A night later, they were torched 7–3 by the Chicago Blackhawks and the unstoppable Connor Bedard, who scored a hat trick and made the Senators’ defense look lost more than once.
Related: Bedard’s Career Night Lifts Blackhawks in 7-3 Win Over Senators
That’s Ottawa hockey in a nutshell right now — flashes of brilliance wrapped around long stretches of inconsistency. But through both nights, there were threads worth pulling on. The most significant point might be that the team is desperately missing Brady Tkachuk.
Item One: Batherson and Stützle Are Cooking
You can see it in their timing. Drake Batherson and Tim Stützle are starting to click in a way that makes Ottawa’s top six look dangerous again. Against Boston, they combined for four goals and five assists. Against Chicago, they followed that up with a combined two goals and four assists. That’s back-to-back multi-point games for both players. In Stützle’s case, it’s three straight.
What’s changed isn’t just the scoring touch; it’s the tempo. Stützle looks more decisive, and Batherson’s been relentless on the puck. Together, they’re moving plays faster, forcing turnovers, and creating space for everyone else.
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Batherson now has 12 points in his last seven games, with five of those coming on the power play. He’s always been streaky, but this stretch feels different — like he’s taken ownership of driving offense. Stützle’s doing the same, showing that blend of confidence and edge that makes him such a unique player. This team goes as far as its stars go, and right now, those two are leading from the front.
Item Two: Jake Sanderson Quietly Becoming Ottawa’s Anchor
If Batherson and Stützle are the flash, Jake Sanderson is the glue. He’s not loud, but his fingerprints are all over the past two games. Three power-play assists against the Bruins, another goal, and a helper against Chicago — that’s five points in two nights from the defense.
The 23-year-old looks more comfortable than ever managing the blue line. His skating lets him recover from risks, and his reads are getting sharper. The best part? He’s driving offense without sacrificing much defensively. He now has 10 points in 11 games. That’s top-20 among NHL defensemen. And he’s doing it while eating heavy minutes against tough competition.
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For all the talk about Ottawa’s young stars, with Tkachuk injured, Sanderson might be the player who holds this entire team together. When he’s on, the Senators look calm. When he’s off, everything starts to fray. It’s that simple.
Item Three: The Goalie Question Isn’t Settled
You could call the goaltending situation in Ottawa “fluid.” Others might say “unsettled.” Either way, there’s a story brewing in the Senators’ crease.
On Monday, Merilainen earned redemption after his early-season nightmare against the Buffalo Sabres. He stopped 26 of 28 shots, looked composed, and gave the Senators a steady night. But 24 hours later, Linus Ullmark gave it all back and Chicago got six past him on just 25 shots. That’s two games this season where he’s surrendered six goals or more.
To be fair, Ottawa’s defense hung him out to dry more than once, but Ullmark’s inconsistency is starting to raise eyebrows. He’s 4–4–1 with an .858 save percentage, which isn’t good enough for a number-one goaltender on a team that expects to compete. The crease isn’t in crisis yet, but it’s trending that way if he can’t settle down.
Related: Senators Finally Giving Linus Ullmark the Support He Needs
If Merilainen keeps giving them solid starts, head coach Travis Green may have to reward him with a few more starts. That’s how goaltending controversies begin. So far, there’s no drama, just a young goalie quietly outplaying the veteran.
What’s Next for the Senators?
Ottawa’s scoring in bunches, which is encouraging, but they’re still bleeding too many goals. Fourteen for, nine against in two games — that tells the story of a team that can fill the net but can’t always keep it out.
The good news? The core is producing. Batherson, Stützle, and Sanderson look like a foundation you can build on. The question now is whether the team can find its defensive shape before those big wins get lost in a sea of 7–3 losses.
The Senators head home with both swagger and bruises. If they can harness that energy from Boston and learn from the Chicago letdown, they might start turning these flashes into something steadier. But if they keep riding this rollercoaster, Senators fans will need to buckle in for another season of highs, lows, and “what just happened?” hockey.
