Travis Green’s line blender has produced plenty of head-turning combinations in Ottawa, and the latest one is paying off. Nick Cousins, a veteran who has built his NHL career as a bottom-six irritant, has suddenly found himself on the Senators’ top line with Tim Stützle and Fabian Zetterlund - and the early returns have been better than most expected.
That move raised eyebrows when Green first made it. Cousins has spent more than a decade in the league as the kind of forward a coach leans on for edge, disruption and a little chaos.
He’s the player who gets under opponents’ skin, not the one usually asked to drive a top line. But in this setup, that’s exactly the point.
He doesn’t need to be the finisher or the playmaker. His job is simpler: get into the hard areas, battle on the boards, create traffic at the net and make life easier for Stützle and Zetterlund.
Against the Utah Mammoth, that role showed up in a big way. Cousins matched his season high with five hits, blocked two shots and kept turning up in the kind of spots that matter in a tight game. He was around the puck, absorbing contact and helping recover it, and then came the payoff: he tipped in the game-winning goal off a Thomas Chabot shot.
It was the kind of moment Cousins will remember for a long time, especially since his previous game-winner came on November 9, 2025, also against the Utah Mammoth. His goal helped lift Ottawa to a 4-2 win.
Still, this doesn’t mean the Senators have found a permanent top-six answer. Stützle remains Ottawa’s most gifted offensive player, and he needs linemates who can match his speed, puck-carrying and creativity. Cousins can fill a useful role when the games get gritty, but his limited offense makes it hard to picture this being a long-term fit with Stützle and a winger still looking for a spark.
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Nick Cousins finished it off in the third period, giving the Senators the kind of timely response that can change the mood around a team in a hurry. Samuel Ersson backed it up with 30 saves, continuing a strong run in goal and giving Ottawa a steadier backbone as it tries to turn home ice back into an advantage. [Read more 🡒]