Senators starting to figure out how to win on road

When teams start to win, they begin to grow a clutch gene. Fortunately for the Ottawa Senators, their captain is leading the way in that department.

Tkachuk got high-sticked by Michael Backlund in the second period against the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, leading him to lose one tooth while earning nine stitches. He returned to the ice looking like the Grinch with a self-proclaimed “face for radio.”

In overtime, when his team needed him, Tkachuk kicked a rebound out of mid-air onto his stick to swat home the game-winning goal, immediately celebrating with a high-step jiggle dance that approximated a Tate McCrae dance rehearsal.

He called game.

Your best players need to be your closers; that’s why Ottawa is now on a five-game winning streak after 3-2 win over the Flames.

“Guy’s a warrior,” said the Senators’ coach Travis Green about Tkachuk’s performance.

This season, whenever his team has needed a player to impose a killer instinct, Tkachuk has done so, specifically in games tied 2-2 heading into overtime. Tkachuk scored in OT to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins on the weekend and then earlier this season ended a slugging match against the Boston Bruins. Both were 3-2 affairs.

Tkachuk is now tied for the league lead with three overtime goals and has four game-winning goals, which leads his team. He also has the franchise record for overtime goals with 10 in his career, the same number father Keith and brother Matthew have combined for in their careers.

However, not so long ago, it wasn’t all blissful for Tkachuk in Ottawa. Earlier this month, there were questions about whether he had a winning pedigree after the team jumped out to an 8-11-1 start.

Since then, he’s produced 12 points. In the 11 games since they lost to the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 23, Tkachuk has been Ottawa’s best player in terms of shot share, goal share and expected goal share, with the Senators outshooting opponents 87-66 at five-on-five and outscoring teams 8-2 with him on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick.

In the past, the Senators and Tkachuk would play loosey-goosey in their own end and lose tight games, especially on the road. This season, they’re learning to win.

“The maturity and the lessons that we’ve learned and the adversity that we faced,” said Tkachuk, after beating Calgary. “We can handle anything and just find a way to grease out a win.”

Despite getting outshot 31-29 against Calgary, the Senators split the high-danger chances 13-13, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Senators mucked it up and found a way to win.

“Probably would have lost that game three weeks ago, and found a way to win tonight,” said Green post-game.

What’s changed?

Of course, it’s not all about Tkachuk these days. The team’s other big star during their recent strong stretch has been goalie Linus Ullmark. “Lights out” is the phrase both Ridly Greig and Nick Cousins reached for after the victory over Calgary.

Ullmark made the big stops when needed, including two ridiculous glove saves on MacKenzie Weegar and Jonathan Huberdeau in the third period. The Senators have now allowed fewer than three goals in seven of their last eight games, and guess what?

They’ve won seven of those eight.

The biggest reason the Senators have flipped a switch since their loss to Vancouver, going 9-2-1 in that stretch, is that Ullmark has been dialed in. He has a .954 save percentage while allowing only 13 goals in his last nine starts. He made a clinching save on Huberdeau in overtime and then fed an outlet pass to Tim Stutzle, which led to Tkachuk’s goal. It was Ullmark’s first point as a Senator. A memorable one.

The Senators now lead the league with the most games without allowing a goal through two periods — 10. They have also shut out their opponent through two periods in six of their last eight games.

And guess who’s Ottawa’s best forward in terms of fewest expected goals at five-on-five per 60 minutes this season?

Brady Tkachuk.

He ranks 47^th of 661 players with 1.91 expected goals allowed per game among those who have played a minimum of 100 minutes, according to Evolving Hockey.

When the game was tied late in the third period, Tkachuk neutralized a Flames counterattack by punishing a Flame into the boards to thwart an odd-man rush.

That’s how it’s done.

Becoming road warriors

If the Senators want to be serious about the playoffs, they need to survive their current nine-game road trip, which comes as Ottawa hosts the world junior hockey championship during the holidays. They’ve earned four out of four points so far. However, this team has struggled mightily on the road since the 2020-21 season.

They’ve been the worst team on road trips five games or longer since 2020-2021.

Even this season, with the two wins to begin their nine-game road trip, the Senators have been markedly better at home than away.  

In the first two games of this road trip, the bottom six has scored four of six goals, which has provided a huge boost.

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