The Ottawa Senators currently sit in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 13-11-4 record, but theyâ€re only three points behind the third-place Montreal Canadiens, and four points behind the second-place Boston Bruins.
In addition, Ottawa has two games in hand on Boston. So itâ€s rather remarkable the Senators remain a strong team in the playoff hunt while their goaltending is not getting the job done.
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In their past four losses, Ottawa has given up 16 goals and been outscored 16-7. Their 3.29 goals-against average this season speaks to their struggles in their own zone as a team.
But if the Sens want to take a competitive step forward and contend for home-ice advantage, theyâ€re going to have to tighten things up defensively, specifically in the crease.
For instance, starter Linus Ullmark has posted an .877 save percentage and 3.00 GAA in 21 starts this season. Heâ€s been better of late, with an SP of .900 or higher in his last couple of games.
However, Ullmarkâ€s career averages of a .915 SP and a 2.58 GAA suggest the 32-year-old is going to put it all together and atone for his subpar start to the season. But Ullmark can’t do it all himself, and thatâ€s where his understudy – backup Leevi Merilainen – comes in.
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In seven appearances this year, Merilainen has an .876 SP and a 3.36 GAA. The 23-year-old still has only 21 games of NHL experience under his belt, but thereâ€s no sense the Sens have given up on him.
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That said, Merilainen has to give Ottawa coach Travis Green a reason to challenge Ullmark for playing time. That means being more consistent, and given that heâ€s lost his past three games, Merilainen has to show he can work his way out of adversity.
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Aside from the goaltending, thereâ€s plenty to like about the Sens as a team. Sure, the team has to be better in front of Ullmark and Merilainen, and the blame for Ottawaâ€s so-so start shouldn’t fall on their netminders alone.
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But the truth is, if the Senators’ tandem can find a bit more consistency and challenge each other, there’s an opportunity for Ottawa to not only be a playoff team again, but possibly a club that can claim home-ice advantage for the post-season.
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If the Sens are to get to the next level, theyâ€re going to need their goalies to be better than theyâ€ve been thus far this season.
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