Just a week ago, the Senators were filled with hope as they entered the first round of their series against the Hurricanes. Fast forward to today, and the senator is on the verge of elimination. After not losing a single game for three games, they will now try to avoid a sweep without their best player. During the third game, Jake Sanderson took a hard hit from Taylor Hall. Hall was given a two-minute penalty. Sanderson left the game, did not return and would not play in the fourth game due to an injury. While winning Game 4 is a must, it is also absolutely essential for the Senators to stand up for Sanderson. Let's get into the details.
senators are still struggling
Coming into the series, I have come up with five keys that will allow the Senators to pull off the Hurricanes upset. You can read about them in detail here, but here's a quick recap:
- Rely on last year's experience
- ulmark
- penalty killing
- Sanderson, Stützle and Tkachuk are leading
- Pinto's defensive game
Ullmark and the penalty kill have both been very good. Pinto has been like that, as he hasn't been a standout defensive forward in the series compared to some of the Hurricanes players. As far as relying on last year's experience, it doesn't seem like the Sens are overwhelmed, but a year of playoff experience clearly pales in comparison to the Hurricanes, who have made the playoffs eight consecutive years and look like a well-oiled machine after the shift.
The biggest failure in the above five points is the Senators' star players. To his credit, Sanderson was playing well, especially in game two when he played 43:06 and assisted on both of the Senators' goals. Of course, he's out now. The Senators looked much worse without him to end the third game. Now the time has come for other stars to move forward as well.
Stützle and Tkachuk haven't been very good anywhere. Both of them have been declared redundant. They were both on the ice for two overtime-winning game two by the Canes. Stützle missed his great chance to end that game. Tkachuk missed his perfect chance to tie game three. They both have been part of a miserable power play with no scores on 12 occasions. They will need to lead offensively and physically in game four, especially after what happened with Sanderson.
Breaking down Taylor Hall's blow to Sanderson
Travis Green clarified his thoughts on the hit that injured Sanderson. He called it "a tremendous blow to the head, one you don't want to see."
In the game, Hall had a clear chance at the puck. In fact, he had a better angle to the puck than Sanderson. However, he had no interest in Puck. That's OK, it's playoff hockey and playing physical is a big part of any winning strategy. However, it is up to Hall to make sure his physicality is clean. This hit was not clean at all. The direct point of contact was on the head. In fact, the referee's call on the ice was for an illegal check on the head. Sanderson missed the second half of the third game and will now miss the fourth game due to a cheap shot. Yet somehow, even though the referee saw it as an illegal checking, it was only a two-minute penalty without any supplementary discipline.
Later in the game Brady Tkachuk was initially given a major penalty for a cheap shot on Jordan Martinook. The referee reviewed it and changed it to a two-minute interference call. Maybe the lesson here is to go down in the snow as if you were in excruciating pain like Martinook, unlike Sanderson, who kept trying to battle on.
standing up for sanderson
It is the second time this season that a hit has forced Sanderson to miss time. The first time, it was a hit by Brandon Montour that caused Sanderson to miss 13 games. No one addressed the senators about this that night. Sure, it was a clean hit, but we have seen in the past that players have to answer for clean hits. The Hall hit was not clean at all and needs attention this time. The Senators need to play their most physical game of the season. Brady Tkachuk needs to lead. Through three games, he is tied for 12th in the series with eight hits. By comparison, Dylan Cozens leads the Senators with 14. William Carrier leads the series with 20.
A stage fight is not a good enough answer. We've seen a lot from Tkachuk recently. I'm not suggesting a cheap shot at Hall, but he needs to be upset. So to the star players on the Hurricanes. Take a page out of the Florida Panthers book. Matthew Tkachuk is always ready to set the tone physically. When Sebastian Aho delivered a bruising hit to Sam Reinhart in last year's playoffs, Tkachuk beat out Aho in the next game to make room for Reinhart.
It is not necessary that Brady Tkachuk fill in for Sanderson, although that would be ideal. However, someone needs to move forward. Let's face it, the Sens are in an impossible situation, down three games to one against a loaded Hurricanes team. Although winning the series may not be possible, the Senators can at least favor their best player. He has tried to make his mark on the basis of hard work and perseverance. This is an important test to show who they really are.
