Ottawa Senators find their way under Travis Green: ‘We know what we have to do’

Travis Green saw a locker room hungry for success.

He was hired to lead a capable group that fell far short of expectations Ottawa Senators The new head coach also found a talented core that was acutely aware of its own shortcomings.

“They are all very coachable,” Green said. “As much as they are part of the answer to victory, they are also part of the problem.”

It seems like senators are finally starting to understand the formula.

Without a playoff appearance since its march to the 2017 Eastern Conference finals — the organization went on to produce a pockmarked string of ugly results and headlines over the next seven seasons — Ottawa has looked different in 2024-2025 .

More committed to structure and detail, the club posted road victories over Atlantic Division rivals Boston and Toronto this past week, including Tuesday’s emphatic 3-0 shutout of the Maple Leafs, where the Senators (8-7-0) won the owned the most puck. of the night.

“I really have confidence in our group,” center Tim Stutzle said. “We can beat any team.”

There is also an expected learning curve in the nation’s capital. Ottawa was inconsistent in a recent loss in Buffalo and again at home two nights later against the Islanders of New York.

“If you play a certain way, you can have success,” Green said. “And if you don’t play that way, you’re not going to.”

Getting buy-in from Ottawa’s young stars, led by Stutzle and captain Brady Tkachukhas been crucial.

“Our guys came in with a different mentality,” said the 22-year-old Stutzle, who has already scored seven goals after registering just 17 last season. “You always try to win, but you don’t understand what it takes to win in the NHL when you’re so young.

“This year we got it. We know what to do. We know how to play.”

Finally, strengthening the fold has been a big part of the equation. A franchise that has struggled to consistently keep the puck out of the net since Craig Anderson left town, Ottawa has acquired the former Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark from Boston before signing him to a four-year contract extension last month.

Pedigree and numbers aside, Ullmark has brought swagger to a position that has been a near-constant headache.

“This is not a success,” he warned of the solid start after his first shutout in Ottawa. “This is just hard work, day in and day out. It’s a tough schedule, a lot of back and forth. There has to be a lot of maturity … doing what’s good for yourself, but also what’s good for the team.”

Groen, meanwhile, has promoted a culture of responsibility.

“Keeps everyone honest,” Ullmark, 31, said. “We know that if you’re not in the mood to snort, you’re probably going to sit down a little bit. You have to do the right things.”

Depth forward Noah Gregor is also in his first campaign with the senators.

“I don’t think they’re very happy with the way their seasons went,” he said. “Everyone strives to work the right way.”

Green, whose team entered Wednesday with the NHL’s fourth-best power play, said his players are still working on honing their on-ice identities.

“Teams that have been in the playoffs for a while know it,” he said. “They know what it takes to win, how their team needs to play individually and collectively to be successful.

“It has to start with our skating and our work. When we do that, we play connected.”

Ullmark said winning the right way — which he did a lot in Boston — is addictive.

“Get a little bit of it, they understand that, ‘Okay, this is actually kind of fun,’” he said. “If you work hard and do the right things, it feels a lot better.”

That process started with some long offseason looks in the mirror before the players reconvened under new leadership.

“They were really open to honest communication,” Green said. “They like to play a certain way that is conducive to winning hockey.

“Not just hockey scoring.”

ROOM CALL

Shea Weber and Pavel Datsyuk were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this week in their first years of eligibility. The class of 2025 could include an even larger freshman crop. Carey PriceZdeno Chara, Joe Thornton and Duncan Keith will all be eligible for their Hall call-ups when the selections are made in June.

MCDAVID MAGIC

Connor McDavid is about to rejoin an elite company. The Edmonton Oil Companies captain is one point behind 1,000 for his career after scoring a goal and three assists on Tuesday. McDavid will play his 659th game at home against Nashville on Thursday and could become the fourth-fastest player to reach the milestone, behind only Wayne Gretzky (424 games), Mario Lemieux (513 games) and Mike Bossy (656 games). “We’re not talking about greatness,” Oilers said Leon Draisaitl said. “We’re talking about legendary things.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

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Joshua Clipperton’s weekly NHL notebook is published every Wednesday.