Is Ottawa good?

[Coffey]

Not sure why people are bothering to reply to that dotter person, it's plainly obvious that they're trying to get a rise out of posters.



Most is quite a stretch, I don't know if I'd even say that most Canadian sports fans care about the NFL, let alone the entire country's population.

I have many friends that follow hockey and the NFL equally. But these people love sports and aren’t just casual watchers.

I feel that quite a bit do.

 

[MessierII]

Serious question, do Canadians care much about the NFL?

It’s exploded in popularity in the last 10/15 years

 

[Pavels Dog]

Nor is it realistic to expect Stutzle to produce at a 55 point pace. It’s a slump, and the team is still finding ways to win games despite offensive struggles, you are doing some mental gymnastics. If your top players aren’t going offensively and you are still winning games, that’s not a bad sign.

I'd argue it's mental gymnastics to deflect any possible questions about Stützle with the argument that they've found ways to win recently.

 

[dumbdick]

Nice to see the sens sitting in 3rd in the atlantic.

Even if it is a bit of a pts% mirage.

 

[NyQuil]

I'd argue it's mental gymnastics to deflect any possible questions about Stützle with the argument that they've found ways to win recently.

It’s too bad you can’t find the time to watch him play. He’s usually worth the price of admission.

The Giroux goal happens because he draws three players to him before dishing it off for the game winning goal.



The most obvious answer to your question is that his wingers, Tkachuk and Giroux and Batherson were all in epic slumps all at the same time.

Stutzle might be the only guy on the team who brings it every game.

But I expect you will keep tilting at that windmill because of some misplaced sensitivity about Lucas Raymond.

There are plenty of questions about the Senators but Tim Stutzle is not one of them. Hope it helps!

 

[GreeningOil]

Serious question, do Canadians care much about the NFL?

Because it’s a good sport with the best athletes.

CFL is awesome, but the season is over and Sundays need entertainment!

 

[Sens9292]

The most mid team in the NHL who are "officially done rebuilding".
Rangers will bump them out of a WC spot.

Have you seen the Red Wings? Definition of a team lost in direction

 

[Golden_Jet]

Serious question, do Canadians care much about the NFL?

I watched about 15 minutes worrh

 

[PainForShane]

It’s too bad you can’t find the time to watch him play. He’s usually worth the price of admission.

The Giroux goal happens because he draws three players to him before dishing it off for the game winning goal.



The most obvious answer to your question is that his wingers, Tkachuk and Giroux and Batherson were all in epic slumps all at the same time.

Stutzle might be the only guy on the team who brings it every game.

But I expect you will keep tilting at that windmill because of some misplaced sensitivity about Lucas Raymond.

There are plenty of questions about the Senators but Tim Stutzle is not one of them. Hope it helps!

In all fairness, I don't know that you can fully credit Stutzle on that goal, Marino went fishing there, he caused that breakdown all by himself.

Stutzle's really good though, as is most of Ottawa's roster, especially with a healthy Ullmark. His cap hit is also very reasonable as is most of the rest of your team.

Anyway glad you guys are doing well, looking forward to regularly seeing you in the playoffs going forward

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDoo]

I'd argue it's mental gymnastics to deflect any possible questions about Stützle with the argument that they've found ways to win recently.

People in Ottawa love to talk about the almost mythical transition a hometown player made back in the 90's ... going from an offensive juggernaut with 130 point seasons to a 200 foot player who cared more about winning than his point totals. His points dropped, but he ended up captaining 3 Stanley Cup winners.

Most of the time that player and his transformation was brought up when discussing Jason Spezza when he was the #1 center on those perpetually-underperforming-in-the-playoffs Sens teams.

I don't think we've heard those comparisons for Stuetzle -- although I try to avoid listening to the Ottawa hockey media, so maybe I'm wrong on that -- but the point is that it's not unreasonable to suggest that Stuetzle's point totals have been effected by the teams focus on defence this year, and that focus is what's leading to the winning record.














*** The Ottawa hometown player with that mythical transformation is, of course, Steve Yzerman.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

If you're looking for an entertaining game, don't bother watching the sens.

If you're a sens fan you're loving the boringness because there are wins

 

[Dotter]

Have you seen the Red Wings? Definition of a team lost in direction

One team is in the 'thick of a rebuild' and not even playing their top prospects yet. The other team has no notable prospects in the system while their "rebuild is officially over" (like 3 years ago).

Meanwhile, despite all that, only a few points separate these two teams in the standings. LMAO!

Weird flex.

 

[Pavels Dog]

It’s too bad you can’t find the time to watch him play. He’s usually worth the price of admission.

I've never said he's not a very good player capable of making great plays.

I find it curious how touchy of a subject Stützle's production seems to be. Not that long ago you were taking him over Matthews.

 

[Golden_Jet]

lol at the wings fan struggling to cope.

 

[Senscore]

One team is in the 'thick of a rebuild' and not even playing their top prospects yet. The other team has no notable prospects in the system while their "rebuild is officially over" (like 3 years ago).

Meanwhile, despite all that, only a few points separate these two teams in the standings. LMAO!

Weird flex.

I think Carter Yakemchuk is pretty notable

 

[Fatass]

Yes, the Sens are good. Their young core has matured and learned the hard lessons of what it takes to win.

 

[Boonk]

One team is in the 'thick of a rebuild' and not even playing their top prospects yet. The other team has no notable prospects in the system while their "rebuild is officially over" (like 3 years ago).

Meanwhile, despite all that, only a few points separate these two teams in the standings. LMAO!

Weird flex.

Its a weirder flex yapping all this nonsense about the Sens shit rebuild when the Dead Wings have been dogwater irrelevant with the same shit rebuild for almost the same amount of time now.

The Yzerplan will start working better tho right?

 

[Masked]

Serious question, do Canadians care much about the NFL?

I'd put it as a distant second to the NHL in terms of interest for pro sports leagues.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Its a weirder flex yapping all this nonsense about the Sens shit rebuild when the Dead Wings have been dogwater irrelevant with the same shit rebuild for almost the same amount of time now.

The Yzerplan will start working better tho right?

It's super weird how Sens fans main argument about any questions surrounding the team is "but Detroit tho".

Like, Detroit missed the playoffs with 91 points last season. Ottawa's currently on pace for ~92. Is that "good" or "dogwater irrelevant"? Pick a lane.

 

[jbeck5]

Most do, yes.

Most do not. Little groups of football fans do. Most however, do not. Most don't even care about sports in general let alone specifically football, let alone specifically the NFL.

It's super weird how Sens fans main argument about any questions surrounding the team is "but Detroit tho".

Like, Detroit missed the playoffs with 91 points last season. Ottawa's currently on pace for ~92. Is that "good" or "dogwater irrelevant"? Pick a lane.

Isn't is pretty average? Why do we always have to speak in hyperbole?

91 or 92 points would rank where out of 32 teams?

If it's 1-11ish, it's good.

If it's 12-22ish it's average.

If it's 23-32ish it's bad.

You can even go very specific and if it's 14 out of 32 say "slightly above average" for example.


My guess is it's average ish without checking.

 

[NyQuil]

I've never said he's not a very good player capable of making great plays.

I find it curious how touchy of a subject Stützle's production seems to be. Not that long ago you were taking him over Matthews.

You asked a question out of apparent ignorance, I answered it, that's all. I hope you've learned something today.

If you want to ask questions about Giroux or Tkachuk's level of play and production of late, that's certainly much more concerning.

However, Travis Green's focus has been on reducing the goals against numbers which traditionally have been very poor in Ottawa, and in that area he has been successful.

It wouldn't surprise me if overall production takes a bit of a dive compared to some of the numbers under DJ Smith and his brand of firewagon hockey, at least initially. Ottawa's PP has gone ice cold which certainly doesn't help.

 

[zenator]

Here is a synopsis of the current Ottawa Senators...

Interesting that when the Sens stopped scoring in late November, they started winning a lot more. It helps that their defense is airtight, and they have good goalies.

One interesting stat...

In their last 10 games, the Sens are 7-2-1. They were shutout 3 times, they lost 2 in regulation, 1 in OT. So when the Sens score a goal, they win!

Interesting stats from last night's broadcast...

Since Dec 1, the Sens are 32nd in the NHL in goals for. They are 14th in expected goals for. So, they have been having a lot of bad luck offensively (excepting Pinto's crazy goal vs. Toronto). Case in point: Stutzle scored the tying goal in Boston that was disallowed because the referee thought the puck was covered and blew a quick whistle.

The Sanderson-Zub pairing has the NHL's lowest expected goals against per 60 mins at 1.70. 2nd is Tanev-McCabe.

Sanderson is way better with a good partner in Zub than Hamonic who should not be on a top shutdown pairing ever. This statement is kind of obvious, as Zub is very good defensively, and Hamonic should be a 7th defenseman at this point in his career.

Sanderson-Zub is used as a pure shutdown pairing, Green always tries to get them out against top lines, Matthews for example. They are usually paired with a checking line (Pinto-Amadio-?), so aren't out there getting scoring chances, they are focused on shutting down, and are doing a great job of it according to the league-leading stat above.

I've noticed that at times the offense dries up, Stutzle is the only Sen who consistently looks dangerous. His assists are way down, as he's passing to guys that aren't scoring.

Stutlze-Tkachuk-Giroux needs to stay intact as a line. They got 2 goals last night, eveytime Stu and Brady are together, they produce, they should never be separated again.

It's really odd seeing the Sens with one of the best checking systems in the NHL after the last 7 years.

The reason the Sens are down a lot in scoring, as their tight checking system prevents the Sens from having odd-man rushes up ice, they used to score a lot on these. It also prevents the opponent from having odd-man rushes. And they have drastically cut down on high-danger chances for the opponent. Having 2 goalies playing really well has helped too, and another goalie that has been good his last couple of games.

I was suspect at first, but it's clear that Travis Green is an excellent coach. Great system, plus the team looks very resilient. If they lose a couple, they get right back on the horse and grind out tough wins.

It's cool that all the Sens best players are under contract for 4+ years. Ullmark, Sanderson, Chabot, Zub, Stutzle, Tkachuk, Norris, Batherson. Plus important young players like Pinto and Greig have at least 4 years of team control remaining. Goaltending should be set for 4 years also, with Merilainen looking good enough for me to pencil him in as backup next season.

One element missing is a true offensive defenseman. 2-way players Chabot and Sanderson certainly move the puck up ice with ease, and are good distributers, but neither is overly creative, nor has a cannon of a shot. That's why they drafted Yakemchuk: a cannon of a shot, great offensive creativity, great hands as demonstrated in the preseason.

Notable: the Sens have the NHL's easiest schedule down the stretch. They have already had several western and miswest road trips including a 9-gamer. They barely travel anywhere far for the rest of the season, 1 trip to Florida remaining. In April, they play 8 of 9 games at home, and not many top teams.

Considering they have had one of the NHL's toughest schedules to this point in the season, it's outstanding that they are where they are in the standings.

 

[NyQuil]

Here is a synopsis of the current Ottawa Senators...

Interesting that when the Sens stopped scoring in late November, they started winning a lot more. It helps that their defense is airtight, and they have good goalies.

One interesting stat...

In their last 10 games, the Sens are 7-2-1. They were shutout 3 times, they lost 2 in regulation, 1 in OT. So when the Sens score a goal, they win!

Interesting stats from last night's broadcast...

Since Dec 1, the Sens are 32nd in the NHL in goals for. They are 14th in expected goals for. So, they have been having a lot of bad luck offensively (excepting Pinto's crazy goal vs. Toronto). Case in point: Stutzle scored the tying goal in Boston that was disallowed because the referee thought the puck was covered and blew a quick whistle.

The Sanderson-Zub pairing has the NHL's lowest expected goals against per 60 mins at 1.70. 2nd is Tanev-McCabe.

Sanderson is way better with a good partner in Zub than Hamonic who should not be on a top shutdown pairing ever. This statement is kind of obvious, as Zub is very good defensively, and Hamonic should be a 7th defenseman at this point in his career.

Sanderson-Zub is used as a pure shutdown pairing, Green always tries to get them out against top lines, Matthews for example. They are usually paired with a checking line (Pinto-Amadio-?), so aren't out there getting scoring chances, they are focused on shutting down, and are doing a great job of it according to the league-leading stat above.

I've noticed that at times the offense dries up, Stutzle is the only Sen who consistently looks dangerous. His assists are way down, as he's passing to guys that aren't scoring.

Stutlze-Tkachuk-Giroux needs to stay intact as a line. They got 2 goals last night, eveytime Stu and Brady are together, they produce, they should never be separated again.

It's really odd seeing the Sens with one of the best checking systems in the NHL.

The reason the Sens are down a lot in scoring, as their tight checking system prevents the Sens from having odd-man rushes up ice, they used to score a lot on these. It also prevents the opponent from having odd-man rushes. And they have drastically cut down on high-danger chances for the opponent. Having 2 goalies playing really well has helped too, and another goalie that has been good his last couple of games.

I was suspect at first, but it's clear that Travis Green is an excellent coach. Great system, plus the team looks very resilient. If they lose a couple, they get right back on the horse and grind out tough wins.

It's cool that all the Sens best players are under contract for 4+ years. Ullmark, Sanderson, Chabot, Zub, Stutzle, Tkachuk, Norris, Batherson. Plus important young players like Pinto and Greig have at least 4 years of team control remaining. Goaltending should be set for 4 years also, with Merilainen looking good enough for me to pencil him in as backup next season.

One element missing is a true offensive defenseman. 2-way players Chabot and Sanderson certainly move the puck up ice with ease, and are good distributers, but neither is overly creative, nor has a cannon of a shot. That's why they drafted Yakemchuk: a cannon of a shot, great offensive creativity, great hands as demonstrated in the preseason.

Notable: the Sens have the NHL's easiest schedule down the stretch. They have already had several western and miswest road trips including a 9-gamer. They barely travel anywhere far for the rest of the season, 1 trip to Florida remaining. In April, they play 8 of 9 games at home, and not many top teams.

Considering they have had one of the NHL's toughest schedules to this point in the season, it's outstanding that they are where they are in the standings.

This is an excellent summary of the season thus far that no one who keeps coming back to this thread to troll will read or care about.

 

[NyQuil]

In all fairness, I don't know that you can fully credit Stutzle on that goal, Marino went fishing there, he caused that breakdown all by himself.

This play is a good example of how Tim Stutzle helps his team night after night.

Perhaps his most standout quality as an offensive contributor is his ability to draw opposing players to him. He's like a magnet.

His stick-handling, his shifty skating with quick acceleration and turns frustrate the opposition into over-committing to him, usually leaving one of his wingers wide open for a very high quality scoring chance.

He manages to create plays out of nothing, in situations where there doesn't appear to be any time and space. He always appears dangerous and draws a lot of attention out there, and when his linemates can actually finish, they end up as the beneficiaries.

 

[zenator]

I think Carter Yakemchuk is pretty notable

Not to mention Leevi Merilainen, who has a .921 save % in 11 games at age 22. And perhaps late bloomer Blake Montgomery who is scoring at exactly the same pace as Easton Cowan in London.

Although they certainly don't have quantity, which won't matter as long as the top 2-3 guys become decent NHLers.