Travis Green may finally have a winger solution for Tim Stützle.
With injuries constantly forcing the Senators’ top-six into a nightly shuffle, Green has spent much of the season trying to piece together the right mix around his star centre. William Eklund’s injury was the first hit to the top two lines, just as he was beginning to settle into a role in Ottawa’s top pairings.
Since then, the search has centered on finding Stützle a fast, productive winger. Green has cycled through Drake Batherson and Claude Giroux on the right side, while the left has been a revolving cast of Stephen Halliday, Ridly Greig, Fabian Zetterlund, and the recently injured Warren Foegele and André Burakovsky.
Zetterlund has brought some needed bite and a heavy shot in recent games, but Green added a different kind of piece last night in San Jose: Dylan Cozens. Social media had been pushing for that look, and the fit was obvious on paper. Cozens brings size, strength and speed to go with Stützle’s puck carrying and finishing touch, and the combination quickly looked like more than just a theory.
It didn’t take long for the line to make noise. In Cozens’ first start as a winger alongside Zetterlund and Stützle, the trio clicked midway through the opening period when Stützle set up Cozens for his fourth goal of the season.
Cozens had opened the year slowly, collecting only three assists in his first 11 games, but he has caught fire lately with seven points in his last four. Four of those points have come with Stützle on the scoresheet too.
The numbers from the game were hard to ignore. At five-on-five, the three skated 9:28 together, generated 10 shots and posted a 78.93% expected goals for percentage.
Money Puck had their first outing together among the league’s top forward lines, with 5.53 expected goals per 60 minutes. Across the full game, Cozens and Stützle combined for two goals, two assists, 12 shots and four hits.
That kind of start gives Green a real reason to stick with it, especially with the Senators heading into a rested Anaheim Ducks team in the back half of their fourth back-to-back of the season. Ottawa rolled to a 5-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Friday, and this line looked like the club’s most dependable combination all night.
If Cozens and Stützle keep producing together, the ripple effect could reach Zetterlund too. He has had chances, but the goals haven’t followed.
Through the first 15 games, the former Shark has just one goal and five assists. The hope now is simple: if this trio keeps humming, Zetterlund’s finishing touch may be the next thing to wake up.
In Other News...
Kirby Dachs Late Scratch Puts Canadiens Fans On Edge Again
The Senators are already dealing with a couple of notable absences up front, with coach Travis Green confirming that Andr Burakovsky and Warren Foegele are expected to miss the next few weeks because of injuries. Ottawa responded by reaching into its depth chart, recalling Philip Tomasino and Xavier Bourgault to help fill the gap, and Tomasino wasted little time making an impression by picking up an assist in the clubs 5-1 win over San Jose.
For a team trying to keep its forward group moving, the timing is far from ideal, but it also gives Ottawa a chance to see what it has in some of its newer options. The recent lineup shuffle has added another layer of intrigue around the Senators, especially with Tomasino already contributing and Bourgault stepping into the conversation as the team navigates a stretch where availability has become just as important as production. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Hot Start Is Fueling One Big Debate In Ottawa
Ottawas strong October has given the Senators something they have not had in a while: a real early-season cushion and a legitimate place near the top of the Atlantic Division. Finishing the month at 9-5-1, the club has stayed in the mix despite a profile that is still a little uneven, with the offense sitting in the middle of the pack and the defense doing enough to keep games manageable. Drake Batherson, Tim Sttzle and Linus Ullmark have all played major roles in getting the Senators this far.
The bigger debate in Ottawa now is whether this start says more about where the team is headed or about how much room there still is to grow. The underlying numbers suggest there is another gear available, especially if the special teams can support the rest of the roster instead of putting extra pressure on it. For now, the Senators have banked points and created momentum, but the next stretch will show whether this is the beginning of something sturdier or just a fast first month. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Depth Takes Another Hit At The Worst Possible Time
The Senators depth chart has taken another hit coming out of the West Coast trip, with Warren Foegele and Andre Burakovsky both going down in separate games and leaving Ottawa to reshuffle again. Head coach Travis Green confirmed the injuries are lower-body issues, and both players were hurt in recent matchups, Foegele against the Vegas Golden Knights and Burakovsky against the Los Angeles Kings.
For a team already trying to keep its forward group intact, the timing is especially rough because the absences stretch into the coming weeks rather than a quick reset. Ottawa will turn to Philip Tomasino and Xavier Bourgault to fill the openings, giving the Senators a chance to test more of their depth while waiting for two more pieces of the lineup to work their way back. [Read more 🡒]