The Ottawa Senators have a lot of work to do to get back into the National Hockey League Eastern Conference playoff picture, but if they put up a performance like Thursday, they’ll get there.
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Head coach DJ Smith’s men fired 47 shots in a 5-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes to post a .500 record. Trailing by seven points for a place giving access to the playoffs, they have started a three-game streak on the road. Also, it was necessary to return to success after two straight setbacks suffered at home, failures having slowed down the pace acquired before.
“You don’t want to experience shortages. I believe this team is capable of pulling off successful streaks no matter when. Every win in this league gives you a bit of confidence, especially on the outside,” Smith told the Ottawa Sun.
Even if Thursday’s opponent was weak on paper, no one should be taken lightly in the NHL, said the driver whose club remains seventh in the Atlantic Division.
“We were generous at first, but I liked what I saw. It’s hard to win in this circuit. You can’t cheat, he assessed. We stayed in those games where we were outshot and that’s what you have to do.”
Captain Brady Tkachuk also believes the result is everything. “It’s not always what we have planned, but we will take it willingly. These are two important points that we needed,” he said.
positive elements
Besides Smith, who has reached the 100-game NHL milestone, there are other individuals who can celebrate on the Senators’ side. Alex DeBrincat bounced back with a goal and an assist for Tempe. At the same time, he stopped a series of four matchups without a point, he who also finished with an awful differential of -5 against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
For his part, veteran Claude Giroux has amassed two assists for the fourth time in his last seven games; he has 23 this season.
The Federal Capital team will visit the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. The duel will be presented on the TVA Sports 2 channel.