Six weeks into the season, the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators are both sitting inside the playoff cutline. The catch? Their power plays have gone flat.
That kind of thing might not have raised eyebrows a decade ago, but in today’s NHL it stands out fast. With the man advantage becoming more and more decisive across the league, the pressure is building on the coaching staffs led by Martin St. Louis and Travis Green to get these units moving again.
What makes the slump more jarring is that both teams came into the year with much of the same personnel that powered strong special teams results last season. Montreal finished 10th in power-play scoring at 8.5 goals per 60 last year, while Ottawa was right behind them in eighth at 8.6 goals per 60.
This season has looked nothing like that. Injuries have played a part - Nick Suzuki has missed time for Montreal, Jake Sanderson has appeared in only 11 games for Ottawa, and Brady Tkachuk’s absence looms large - but that doesn’t fully explain the drop-off.
The warning signs are hard to miss. Players who normally feel like automatic threats, such as Cole Caufield and Tim Stutzle, have only two power-play goals apiece.
Beyond that, a long list of names - Chris Kreider, Juraj Slafkovsky, Suzuki, Noah Dobson Claude Giroux, Sanderson, and Thomas Chabot - have combined for zero goals. Zero!
And while Montreal and Ottawa are stumbling, the league as a whole is going the other way. Power-play scoring is surging, and this season has produced the highest rate in the NHL’s statistical modern era, dating back to 2007, by a wide margin.
That leaguewide rise has a lot to do with how teams are attacking now. More clubs are using four- and five-forward looks, but the bigger shift is in where the chances are coming from. The old dump-it-in, blast-it-from-the-point approach has given way to more sustained zone time and more pucks funneled between the circles, where defenses are far easier to crack and goals are far more likely to follow.
That’s why the Canadiens and Senators stand out. Both teams are creating looks, but both are also missing enough of the dangerous interior work that makes a power play dangerous in the first place.
Montreal’s shot profile tells the story. The Canadiens are clearly trying to get the puck to elite finishers like Caufield near the circles, and that part makes sense.
What’s missing is consistent traffic in front of the net. Last season, Montreal’s perimeter shooting helped cover for those issues.
This year, that mask is off, and the power play is paying for it.
Ottawa’s profile looks similar, which fits given how much of the roster and coaching structure remains the same. The difference, though, may be the loss of Tkachuk.
Whatever else you think of the former Senators captain, he was a major presence around the crease - a big body who could create chaos and screen effectively. Without him, Ottawa has been pushed away from that area, even if it is still generating dangerous shots from the circles.
There is at least some reason for optimism in both cases. The shot volume is there, and neither team is short on talent. Montreal ranks sixth in even-strength scoring, while Ottawa sits 15th.
Still, for two teams with bigger ambitions than simply surviving the regular season, this is a problem that can’t be brushed aside. In the NHL right now, life without a sharp power play is just a hard way to live.
In Other News...
Senators Keep Losing Useful Depth For Nothing And Fans Feel It
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He now joins goaltender Leevi Merilinen as another player Ottawa has watched disappear through waivers after spending time on the Senators side of the ledger. Merilinen had served as a backup in Ottawa before being sent to the minors, and for the Senators the frustration is less about one individual move than the pattern itself, with depth pieces they once controlled ending up on other teams for nothing in return. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Need Linus Ullmark Now More Than Ever
The Senators have spent much of this season managing one injury after another, and the latest setback only adds to the strain on a roster trying to stay afloat in a crowded Eastern Conference race. Nick Cousins is the newest name on the list, joining a group that has already included William Eklund, Andre Burakovsky and Warren Foegele, even as Ottawa has kept itself in the mix with an 11-6-2 record.
For a team leaning on depth and resilience, the timing could hardly be more important with Linus Ullmark returning to the crease. Ottawa has needed steady goaltending to survive the attrition, and now it gets a chance to see whether its No. 1 can help stabilize things as the injuries continue to pile up around him. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Get A Huge Net Boost At The Worst Time To Wait
The Senators finally have their No. 1 goalie back in the fold, and the timing could hardly be more demanding. Linus Ullmark has been activated from injured reserve after missing nine games with a lower-body injury, giving Ottawa a much-needed lift in net as the schedule brings a tough test against Colorado.
Before the injury, Ullmark had given the Senators exactly the kind of steady play they were hoping for this season. His return restores some stability at a position that can change the feel of a game in a hurry, but Ottawa is still walking into a difficult spot with little room to ease him back in. [Read more 🡒]