Senators Offense Falling Flat as Playoff Race Heats Up

The Ottawa Senators are still in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt, but they're fading fast with a lack of offense.

Jan 19, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) skates with the puck against the New Jersey Devils during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Just as the Ottawa Senators entered the Eastern Conference playoff race, struggles in a key portion of the game cropped up. Now sitting one point out of the East’s second wild card spot, the Senators lost to Atlantic Division rival Boston Bruins by a score of 2-0.

While the Senators don’t want to give up important standings points to a division rival, they also need to rekindle a broken offense. The Senators’ loss to the Bruins was their fifth time being shut out in the month of January and second in as many games.

Shutout the Sens. pic.twitter.com/LrmEZXPGBA

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 24, 2025

The last time the Senators scored a goal was just under three minutes into the third period against the New Jersey Devils nearly a week ago. 137 minutes of playing time has passed without a goal from at one point one of the hottest teams in the NHL.

The five shutouts in January ties the most times being shut out in a single month in franchise history. December of 2017 saw the Senators also eat five shutouts in a single month.

While the entire Senators offense is struggling, key faces are taking the brunt of the decline. Captain Brady Tkachuk has just three points in 12 games in the January and has been held from the score sheet in each of the last nine games.

Senators leading point scorer Tim Stutzle has only picked up five points in January’s 12 contests. Drake Batherson has just one goal since the turn of the new year.

As a team through their 12 games in January, the Senators are 5-5-2 while being outscored 31-22. They’ve recorded more than 30 shots in a game just three times and have been held to 20 or fewer four times.

The Senators seemed like a sneaky team that could find their way to the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the turn of the year, but with their offense falling on hard times, they’ll need to find their groove again. Star goalie Linus Ullmark being out with an injury doesn’t help the cause, but the skaters aren’t helping themselves out by piling on the offense in his absence.

The Eastern Conference is a tight race with just about every team within striking distance of the playoffs. If the Senators want to keep near the top of the running, they’ll need to figure out their offensive woes before it’s too late.

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