After a brief hiatus, our ‘3 Up, 3 Down’ column for the Ottawa Senators is back. Each week, we’ll reflect on key developments from the past seven days of hockey at the Canadian Tire Centre.
After a rocky start to the season, the Ottawa Senators have work to do. They sit at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with a 5-8-1 record and have a difficult week on the horizon. However, there are reasons to be optimistic about the team. They finished last week with a regulation win over the Philadelphia Flyers and showed signs of life in an overtime loss to the red-hot New Jersey Devils.
With that in mind, here are six key takeaways from the week that was for the Senators. There’s plenty to discuss.
Plus 1: Senators’ Stars Produce Vs. Flyers
The Senators tiptoed into Saturday’s (Nov. 12) contest versus the Flyers with a point to prove. They were – and still are – some way off the pace in their division and needed to prove that they could turn spells of pressure into positive results.
Finally, it clicked. The Senators entered the first intermission tied but pulled into a lead over the Flyers in periods two and three. Importantly, it was their stars – and Derick Brassard – who made the difference in the box score:
| Goals | Assists | |
| Claude Giroux | 0 | 3 |
| Brady Tkachuk | 0 | 3 |
| Alex DeBrincat | 2 | 0 |
| Tim Stützle | 1 | 1 |
| Derick Brassard | 0 | 1 |
| Thomas Chabot | 1 | 0 |
“It’s nice to see the puck go in the net,” said forward Alex DeBrincat. “Frustrating couple games before, it wasn’t going in, so it’s nice to get those in and hopefully keep going.”
It wasn’t a perfect performance by the Senators, who benefited from a penalty box parade from the Flyers, but it was enough to end their run of seven consecutive defeats. They should take confidence from the win.
Minus 1: Senators’ Nikita Zaitsev Waived
Defenceman Nikita Zaitsev was placed on waivers on Wednesday (Nov. 9) and went unclaimed. He has endured a miserable start to the season with the Senators, totaling just one assist in seven appearances.
Related: Senators Putting Zaitsev on Waivers Is the Right Decision
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Zaitsev has also been scratched multiple times by head coach D.J. Smith, fell down the depth chart in the preseason, and has failed to live up to his $4.5 million contract. His last appearance came in a defeat to the Canucks, in which he was minus-two in just 11:47 of ice time.
“I’m supportive of all our players and that’s what a coach should be,”
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