Senators Struggling Between the Pipes - and the Numbers Back It Up
Let’s not sugarcoat it: Ottawa’s goaltending has been a problem this season. The trio of Linus Ullmark, Leevi Meriläinen, and James Reimer hasn’t been able to provide the kind of stability a playoff-hopeful team needs.
The Senators currently own the league’s worst save percentage at .868, and their 3.28 goals-against average ranks 26th in the NHL. Those are tough numbers to overcome, no matter how much talent you have elsewhere on the roster.
Goaltending is always crucial, but in a compressed format like the Olympics, it’s even more magnified. You don’t get the luxury of riding the hot hand over a long stretch.
There’s no time to cycle through options. You pick a goalie and hope they catch fire at the right moment.
That’s the gamble Team Canada is taking with Jordan Binnington. He’s posting a .864 save percentage this year-third-worst in the league-and his 3.65 goals-against average sits at the very bottom.
Still, Canada is betting on his experience and past playoff heroics. Sound familiar?
Ottawa’s doing the same with Ullmark, a goalie who, like Binnington, has hoisted the Stanley Cup and once looked like a franchise cornerstone.
The difference? Binnington only needs to string together six wins.
But four of those will come against the world’s best-teams that can punish even the smallest mistake. Ullmark, meanwhile, has to be sharp night in and night out over the grind of the NHL schedule.
The margin for error is razor-thin in both cases, but the pressure looks a little different: Binnington’s is short-term and high-stakes; Ullmark’s is long-haul and unrelenting.
Both teams are hoping their goalies can flip the switch when it matters most. The numbers say one thing. History, and maybe a little faith, say something else.
Center Depth: The Backbone of Canada and Ottawa
If you’re building a championship team, you start down the middle. And no one does it better than Team Canada.
Just look at the names: Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Bo Horvat, Nick Suzuki, Macklin Celebrini, and Sam Bennett. That’s a murderers’ row of elite centers, and we’re not even counting injured stars like Anthony Cirelli or Brayden Point.
It’s a luxury most teams can only dream about.
The Senators aren’t quite at that level, but they’re no slouch either. Tim Stützle, Shane Pinto, Dylan Cozens, Ridly Greig, Lars Eller, Stephen Halliday, and Claude Giroux give Ottawa a deep and versatile group down the middle. Giroux, though now playing more of a hybrid role, remains one of the best in the faceoff circle and brings veteran savvy that’s hard to quantify.
Why does this matter? Because the center position is the engine of a hockey team.
Centers drive transition, dictate pace, and control the faceoff dot. Win the draw, and you control possession.
Control possession, and you control the game. It’s that simple.
With this kind of center depth, both Canada and Ottawa can match up against anyone. They can roll four lines with confidence, adjust to different styles of play, and win the little battles that often decide big games.
Faceoff wins don’t show up on highlight reels, but they prevent icings, create clean zone entries, and give your goalie a breather. It’s the kind of detail that separates good teams from great ones.
Defensive Discipline: A Shared Identity
Both Team Canada and the Senators are built on a foundation of structure and accountability. That’s no accident.
John Cooper, coaching Canada, has been preaching the same message throughout the Four Nations tournament: “Play the right way.” It’s about more than just X’s and O’s. It’s about winning puck battles, staying above the puck, and committing to the kind of hard-nosed, team-first hockey that wins championships.
Travis Green is echoing that same message in Ottawa. Every game is treated like a one-goal game, and every player is expected to lock in defensively, shift after shift.
And to their credit, the Senators have bought in. They’ve done a solid job limiting high-danger chances and keeping games within reach-even when the goaltending hasn’t held up its end of the bargain.
That kind of commitment doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet, but it’s felt in the flow of the game. It’s the backcheck that breaks up a 2-on-1.
The blocked shot late in the third. The smart stick in the neutral zone that turns defense into offense.
Both Canada and Ottawa are showing they can win ugly-and that’s often the difference in the postseason.
No Room for Egos - Just Roles and Results
You don’t win at the highest level without buy-in. And both Team Canada and the Senators are showing what that looks like.
Canada’s roster is stacked with Stanley Cup champions and franchise players. Yet no one’s complaining about being the 13th forward or the seventh defenseman.
Everyone knows the assignment, and they’re willing to sacrifice personal stats for the greater good. That’s rare-and powerful.
The Senators are following the same blueprint. Pinto and Cozens have centered the third line without a hint of ego.
Giroux, once a top-line fixture, has accepted a more limited role without protest. The defense corps has been shuffled all year, but guys like Spence have stayed ready, waiting for their shot and making the most of it when it comes.
That kind of selflessness is contagious. It creates a culture where the team comes first, and that’s the kind of environment where winning becomes sustainable. It’s not about who gets the credit-it’s about getting the job done.
Fraternity on Ice: The Power of Team Chemistry
Talent wins games. Chemistry wins tournaments.
Team Canada showed that resilience last year at the Four Nations. After a tough loss to the U.S., they didn’t splinter-they rallied.
They bounced back against Finland, then regrouped to beat the Americans in overtime in the final. That kind of response doesn’t happen without trust in the room.
The Senators are cut from the same cloth. Despite early-season struggles, injuries, and the goaltending questions, they’ve kept the locker room tight.
The vibes haven’t dipped. The belief hasn’t wavered.
And that’s starting to show up on the ice, with recent wins over contenders like Vegas and Colorado.
This is a team that’s still chasing a playoff spot, but they’re doing it together. And when a group is this connected-when the culture is strong and the purpose is shared-they become a tough out, no matter where they sit in the standings.
Bottom Line
Both Team Canada and the Ottawa Senators are betting on more than just stats. They’re betting on identity, chemistry, and the belief that when it matters most, their guys will show up.
The goaltending numbers might not inspire confidence right now. But with elite center depth, structured defensive play, selfless team culture, and a bond that runs deep, both teams have the ingredients to make noise.
Now, it’s just a matter of execution.