The Ottawa Senators are already being forced to juggle pieces, and the latest lineup shuffle may have uncovered something useful.
With William Eklund sidelined after surgery yesterday to repair a torn tendon in his ankle, Ottawa has been searching for a way to cover his top-six wing spot. Against the New York Islanders, that search led to a notable adjustment: Stephen Halliday was moved to left wing alongside centre Tim Stützle and right winger Drake Batherson, while Ridly Greig slid into the middle of the fourth line between Warren Foegele and Fabian Zetterlund.
It was a small sample, but the early returns were encouraging.
Following morning practice, Travis Green explained the thinking behind the change as a way to stabilize the Senators’ play at five-on-five on the fourth line while also giving Halliday a chance to show what he can do with some of the club’s most dangerous talent. The top unit looked dangerous quickly, and Halliday briefly had the payoff in the opening period before the goal was wiped out for offside.
The fourth line, though, may have been the real story. In 5:52 together over the first two periods, Greig’s new trio posted a 58.82% expected goals percentage according to Natural Stat Trick. That line kept finding chances, and late in the second period, after a power play opportunity, Foegele fed Greig for the first goal of the season, beating Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov.
Foegele had already come close himself in the first period, ringing one off the crossbar on a chance that got past Varlamov but never fully crossed the line.
Taken together, the Halliday move up the lineup and Greig’s shift back to center looked like more than just a temporary patch job. If Ottawa’s first and fourth lines can keep building chemistry, it may give the Senators an internal answer while the injuries pile up. Greig looked more comfortable in the middle, and Halliday has the skill set to handle tougher minutes than a fourth-line role usually offers.
The Senators still had to grind for it, though. They ended up beating the Islanders 2-1 in a shootout on home ice.
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Now comes the next layer to the storyline, and it will unfold in Ottawa. Tkachuk is set to make his return to Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday for his first NHL game in the city as a Panther, a visit that figures to carry some extra edge given the offseason move that sent him south. The reception should be a loud one, and not all of it will be warm. [Read more 🡒]