Opinion
3 min read

Can the Ottawa Senators Overcome the St. Louis Blues at Home?

As the Ottawa Senators prepare to host the St. Louis Blues at the Canadian Tire Centre, fans are eager to see if their team can turn around a string of challenging performances. The upcoming game on March 21st is not just another match on the calendar; it's an opportunity for redemption and a chance to prove that recent results do not define this team's potential.


Dec 14, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA;  St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas (18) shoots and scores against Ottawa Senators goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) during the second period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The Senators have had a rough patch in their recent outings, with their last game against the San Jose Sharks ending in a narrow 2-1 loss on March 10th. Despite outshooting the Sharks by a significant margin of 32 shots to 21, they struggled to convert those opportunities into goals—a shooting percentage of just three percent tells its own story. Their powerplay did manage to capitalize once from eight shots, but it wasn't enough.


Looking further back, we see that inconsistency has been plaguing OTT. On March 8th against Los Angeles Kings, they managed three goals from 31 shots but ultimately fell short in overtime with four goals against them despite an even shot count. The powerplay showed some promise with one goal from five opportunities.


Dec 14, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA;  St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) checks Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris (9) during the first period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

However, there was also disappointment on March 7th when facing off against Anaheim Ducks where OTT only scored once from thirty shots while conceding twice despite having more hits and winning faceoffs at sixty percent efficiency.


What stands out is OTT's resilience and ability to create scoring chances consistently across these games—averaging over thirty shots per game shows offensive initiative but converting those chances will be crucial against STL.


Dec 14, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA;  St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) checks Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris (9) during the first period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Blues come into this matchup as formidable opponents who will test every aspect of OTT's gameplay. However, if there’s one thing that could play into OTT’s hands it’s their faceoff performance—winning over fifty percent across recent games gives them control starts which could be pivotal in establishing dominance early on.


OTT must also tighten up defensively; while goaltending has been solid with save percentages hovering around one hundred percent recently, limiting high-quality chances will ease pressure off netminders and potentially reduce opposition scoring opportunities.


Fans should expect an intense battle where every shift counts and special teams could tip scales either way given both teams' abilities during powerplays and penalty kills.


As we look ahead towards what promises to be an electrifying night of hockey action between two competitive teams striving for victory under bright lights Canadian Tire Centre – fans can catch all live-action ESPN+ online or BSMW TV network starting at 7:00 PM local time (EST). Will this be turning point for Ottawa Senators? Only time will tell as puck drops signaling start another chapter storied franchise history!

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