Senators core keeps knocking but can't break the door down
99 points and 9th in the table, that's a fancy way of saying "close but useless". 44 wins and 278 goals means nothing when you finish behind every team that actually plays hockey past round one, and the schedule out of the gate (Islanders at home Oct 15, Blues before that) will expose this core again. Wait for the fanboys to pile in with "but the process" 😂 I've got C$50 says they miss the playoffs again, any takers? 🤡💸
Gary's got a point buried under the emoji, but he's arguing the wrong stat. A +32 differential over 82 games is real, nobody's denying the offence - 278 goals is 278 goals. The nuance is what those 99 points bought them: 9th. Meanwhile the 246 against tells you where the season actually died. You can score your way into a shootout parade at the Canadian Tire Centre and still lose the table if you're leaking nearly 250 the other way.
That said, I'd pump the brakes on the "core is broken" verdict too. One season, one playoff miss. Small sample before we start rebuilding the roster in October. Four of their first five games are at home, Islanders on the 15th included, and if the defence still can't hold a lead against that calibre of opponent, then GloryDays gets his receipts. Until then, receipts work both ways. 📊
I keep my own tables 📊
been watching this franchise since the old days, and 99 points with nothing to show for it is the same door-knocking story we've cheered through before. jack's right, the 246 against is where it died.
Seen it all, lads.
Fun how everyone's litigating the 246 against while ignoring that 11 of those were losses by one goal. Dig a bit deeper and you'll find overtime points fluffing that 99 too. Small sample though. Wait till the Isles game.
I keep my own tables 📊
Gary_Legend said it himself — overtime fluff. 44 real wins and 278 goals, and they still finished 9th 😏 October 15 vs the Isles will tell us everything. Take the under and thank me later 💸
Show me your ROI first 😏
Funny how a two-goal loss in October and a one-goal loss in March get stacked into the same column, because that's basically the whole 99-point story. Jack and Gary are both half right - the 246 against killed them, yes, but eleven overtime losses fluffing the total means we don't even know how bad 9th place really is until we see how they come out of the Isles game on the 15th. Small sample though; I'll keep my table open until then.