The Ottawa Senators have been moving on up in the standings. In their most recent game, they shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of 4-0. In this edition of Senators’ Quick Hits, I’ll look at some of the player news from the game and for the season to date.
Currently, the team has a record of 18-17-3. If the Senators are going to make the playoffs, they have some teams to pass. Hence, they need to continue to win. But breaking .500 is a start.
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Quick Hit One: Drake Batherson Continues Hot Two Months
Against the Blue Jackets, Drake Batherson scored with the man advantage to help carry his team to the win. If he had scored last Sunday, he’d now be on a 15-game point-generating steak. He didn’t, but perhaps he can start a new one. He’s been hot enough to do so. He’s at “one game” right now.
The 24-year-old Batherson has been hot since the beginning of December, which is more than five weeks now. In that period, he’s scored eight goals and added 11 assists (for 19 points) in the past 16 games.
This is Batherson’s fifth season with the Senators, and his previous best was last season when he scored 17 goals and added 27 assists (for 44 points) in 46 games. However, he’s well on a pace that will easily surpass that mark. The season is not halfway in the books, and he’s currently sitting with 13 goals and 23 assists (for 36 points) in 38 games.
Quick Hit Two: Claude Giroux Has Become a Senators’ Leader
Claude Giroux seems like one of those fortunate players. He’s right where he wants to be playing. He chose to come to Ottawa, a city close to his Hearst, Ontario, home. He’s making the most of this chance. It’s been four seasons since Giroux was a point-a-game player. He last hit that mark when he played with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018-19.
However, with 15 goals and 21 assists (for 36 points) in 38 games this season, he’s close. Giroux had collected two assists against the Blue Jackets. it was the second game in a row where he’s had two helpers.
Over his past four games, he’s totaled a goal and six assists (for seven points). This is Giroux’s first season with the Senators, and he’s making the most of it.
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Quick Hit Three: Tim Stutzle Now Has Six-Game Point Streak
Tim Stutzle is having a great season. He’s now played 34 games and the 20-year-old native of Germany has 15 goals and has added 20 assists (for 35 points). Against the Blue Jackets, Stutzle scored a goal and added an assist to run his point streak to six games in a row. He has five goals in his past six games.
The first period of the Senators/Blue Jackets game was scoreless. And, to Stutzle’s mind, he had a horrible period. But he rebounded nicely. Specifically, Stutzle noted that he “was awful in the first, that’s for sure.”
Stutzle added that “We just talked in the intermission that we’ve got to stick with it. We had a couple of bad turnovers here and there, especially our line, but we tried to stick with it, play better in the second period and the third period and I think everyone in here did a great job.”
Giroux, the Senators’ elder statesman noted about Stutzle: “Tim’s one of those guys who has confidence and makes plays that not a lot of players can make. Right now, he’s got confidence so we try to get him the puck and we try to get open for him.”
The game is pretty simple when you break it down to Giroux’s main point: Give the hot guy the puck and get open.
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