In the lockout shortened season, the Ottawa Senators were the league's best on the penalty kill.
While the team's power play struggled to a 20th place finish during a stretch where the team lost many of their most talented players, the penalty kill remained a strength. Paul MacLean and his coaching staff will be hoping for more of the same in the 2013/2014 season.
You'll hear it often during television broadcasts but your goaltender really does have to be your best penalty killer. In no city was this more apparent than Ottawa. The folks over at The 6th Sens talked about the sustainability of the Sens penalty kill success and the numbers aren't overly encouraging.
The team was actually ranked 24th in terms of shots against per 60 minutes and far too often relied on lights out goaltending from Anderson, Lehner and Bishop. So while the Sens ended up at the top of the heap while down a man, there is definitely room for improvement in terms of limiting the amount of shots they give up.
That's as advanced statistically as this blog has ever been. I'm trying! Strongly encourage you to check out The 6th Sens article for more detailed information on the numbers from last year.
For the defending Jack Adams winner and his staff, including Dave Cameron and Mark Reeds, the challenge will be finding the right mix of penalty killers with veterans like Sergei Gonchar and Daniel Alfredsson and other PK guys like Jakob Silfverberg and Peter Regin (and maybe Jim O'Brien) out of the picture.
Erik Condra will obviously be a regular on the PK. He’s extremely comfortable in this role and will be the team’s go to guy this season. Zack Smith is another option as is Mika Zibanejad. The Sens didn’t use the young Swede much in that role last season but he seems like a likely candidate. Assuming he finds his way into the opening night lineup, Jean Gabriel Pageau is another option. It’s also safe to assume MacLean will use more skilled guys in this role, including Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek and Kyle Turris.
On defence, the Sens will rely on Jared Cowen and Marc Methot to carry the mail. Chris Phillips can still play in that role and when he’s in the lineup, Eric Gryba will definitely see time on the PK. Erik Karlsson saw plenty of time shorthanded but I sort of expect MacLean to use him a little less in that role this season. Patrick Wiercioch and Joe Corvo will get spot duty but certainly won’t be regulars.
Oh and it would help if Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner continue to stop everything in sight.
The penalty kill was an area of strength for this team last season and will need to be even better this coming season if they are going to hold their spot among the league leaders.
- The Sens have started negotiations with Jared Cowen this week and all indications are it will be a fairly quick and painless process. Still think there is a chance we hear something this week and if not, early next. Also still believe the Senators are working on a multi-year extension for Colin Greening but nothing official just yet.
- Mentioned it in the comment section yesterday but I’m working on putting together a new SensChirp contest to help us get through the long month of August. It may or may not involve searching for a duck or duck like object. Keep an eye on the site for details.
