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The Ottawa Senators suffered a heavy 7-2 defeat to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, exposing ongoing concerns about a struggling power play and a depleted defensive lineup. Despite the loss, Ottawa still holds a 5-2-0 record, one of the team’s best starts in over a decade.
Captain Thomas Chabot did not mince words after the game. “Not good, not good at all,” he said. “There’s no other way to put it.” Chabot acknowledged the team was aware of its shortcomings and promised a stronger response going forward.
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Power Play Struggles Continue to Concern Ottawa
One of the clearest problems for the Senators is their power play. Ottawa converted just one of four man-advantage opportunities on Tuesday. Through seven games, the team has scored on only five of 33 power-play chances, a conversion rate of just 15.2 percent.
Head coach Travis Green pointed to basic execution as the core issue. “They’re not executing their passes first of all,” he said. “Simple passes. We’re passing pucks that are rolling instead of passing it flat.” Green stressed that the team must master the fundamentals before addressing anything else on the power play.
The coaching situation around special teams has also shifted this season. Last year, assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson handled power-play duties. However, after Alfredsson departed for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ben Sexton took over responsibility for special teams.
Sexton is also working without a key contributor. Defenceman Jake Sanderson has not played since opening night, and his absence has hurt the power play significantly. Green said he is hopeful Sanderson could return this week. Without him, the Senators have struggled to move the puck out of their own zone during man-advantage situations.
Chabot acknowledged the unit needs to simplify its approach. “Let’s call a spade a spade,” he said. “We’re going to keep on nailing down details and maybe keep things a bit more simple.” He added that it falls on the players to make a difference early in games.
Blues Capitalize with Short-Handed Goal
The power play’s struggles also created a costly moment on Tuesday. St. Louis scored a short-handed goal to open the scoring, turning Ottawa’s man advantage into a liability.
Blues head coach Jim Montgomery praised his team’s special teams performance. “Getting that short-handed goal was really key,” he said. “Our penalty kill has been very good.” Montgomery also acknowledged Ottawa’s strong season so far, noting that both teams entered the game at 5-2. “That’s a really good hockey team over there, and they’re 5-2 for a reason,” he said.
Defensive Depth Tested by Mounting Injuries
Ottawa’s blue line faced serious pressure on Tuesday due to multiple injuries. The Senators were already missing Sanderson and Artem Zub. Then, on Monday, they also lost Nikolas Matinpalo.
As a result, Ottawa dressed a highly inexperienced defensive group. Carter Yakemchuk, Jorian Donovan and Hoyt Stanley combined for just 18 games of NHL experience between them. Yakemchuk finished the game with a minus-5 rating, though he played 22 minutes and 25 seconds of ice time. Green admitted the young players were being asked to handle heavy minutes.
Veteran forward Claude Giroux offered a measured perspective after the loss. “You’ve got to take the feeling that we have right now and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said.
There was also a minor injury update during the game. Forward Ridly Greig left in the middle of the third period. Green said Greig was dealing with a strain and that it made sense to keep him out for the rest of the game.
Senators Look Ahead to Thursday
The loss came at the end of a demanding stretch. Ottawa played seven games over 11 days and faced Tuesday’s game as the second half of a back-to-back.
The team will take Wednesday off to recover. They return to action on Thursday when they host the New York Islanders. Despite the difficult night, Ottawa’s overall start to the season remains encouraging. However, the power play and defensive depth will need attention if the Senators want to maintain their strong early-season form.
