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Oct 4, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto (12) skates during warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Can Senators Forward Keep Up Incredible Scoring Pace?

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Oct 27, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Ottawa Senators are off to a less than perfect start to the 2025-2026 season. The team is 4-4-1 through nine games and lumped in the middle of the pack of Eastern Conference teams jockeying for a playoff spot.

The Senators have plenty of room for improvement, but one player they aren’t hoping for more out of is forward Shane Pinto. The 24-year-old center is off and running to start the year, almost single-handedly leading the Senators offense since captain Brady Tkachuk underwent surgery.

Can Pinto keep this up? He has eight goals in the first nine games, but how much of this pace is sustainable?

Unleash the Howitzer

Pinto possesses an absolutely booming shot. It’s no wonder that opposing goaltenders struggle to track down the pucks he puts on net. According to NHL EDGE, his season high is a 90 miles per hour (mph) shot on goal recorded against the New York Islanders. He's also fired eight shots on goal this season registering between 80 and 90 mph and an additional seven shots on goal reaching between 70 and 80 mph.

It’s especially helpful because the Senators are getting Pinto the puck in the high-danger and mid-range offensive zones. His 12 shots on goal from the mid-range area rank in the 96th percentile among NHL skaters this season. The combination of his powerful shot and getting his opportunities in close, it's easy to figure out how Pinto is finding so much success.

Beware the Bloated Shooting Percentage

The one factor any scorer on a hot streak must beware is their shooting percentage. It’s like Icarus, once it gets too close to the sun, it comes crashing down.

Pinto is in Icarus territory.

Through the first nine games, he’s recorded 30 shots on goal, converting on nine of those attempts. That calculates to a shooting percentage of 26.7%.

Over his 219 NHL games played, Pinto has averaged a shooting percentage of 13.4%.

What that suggests is that Pinto is benefitting from a bit of puck luck. Eventually that luck could run out, and his shooting percentage is sure to dip back down to his career average as the season progresses.

Verdict: Regression Likely, But Career-Year Incoming

Pinto is very unlikely to sustain this ungodly pace, but his start for Ottawa isn extremely encouraging. He’s reached the 20-goal mark twice in his first three full seasons. Now, he's already set to shatter his previous career-high of 21 goals this year.

Even when Pinto comes back down to earth, it’s clear that he’s a pure goal scorer when healthy and succeeding. It’s coming at a great time for Ottawa as they navigate a few more weeks without Tkachuk, and while he might not sustain this production all season long, it’s providing a huge boost to the Senators.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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