Senators’ 5 Keys to Surviving The Dreaded November

The second, like the forwards, is the defense doing some more of the same. The defense has been generating plenty of offense, but not necessarily sacrificing the defensive side of the game, either. Team defense through the first 13 games of the season has been much better than years past, with the expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) of 2.18 (via JFresh), which is good for fourth-best in the league.

Goaltending has been the major issue for the Senators, with Linus Ullmark ranked dead last among 70 goaltenders in goals saved above expected (GSAx) according to MoneyPuck‘s model. The third key to their success throughout the month is going to be contingent on him turning his game around.

Ullmark has been playing better, but still not up to the standard that not only the team set for him with the $8.25 million salary, but also the standard he sets for himself. Ullmark is a very talented goaltender, and he is well aware that his stats need to improve, but there is no need to panic.

The fourth key to success would be health. While that is generally not something anyone has control over, hoping for a little bit of luck isn’t the worst thing in the world. So far, the Senators started the season without Drake Batherson and lost Brady Tkachuk, who is out for six to eight weeks. That is a lot of quality, but a month into the season, the Senators have only had 13 man-games lost, and if they can stick to a number like that, November has a chance of going well.

Senators Have a Difficult Schedule in November

Number five is going to have to be weathering the tough schedule, which includes a tough road trip out west. With 13 games lined up in the month, there are 12 remaining, with a number of them being winnable games, and others being more challenging matchups.

The Senators played the Montreal Canadiens on the first day of the month, losing 4-3 in overtime. They had plenty of rest to start the month after that, sitting for four days before two games on the road.

The Senators finished higher in the standings than the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers last season, and are above them again so far this season. Both of those games will likely be physical battles and far from easy, but could be two wins. One note about the Flyers game: it is an early start, and the Senators haven’t done well in matinee games in recent memory.

The Senators kick off a four-game home stand against the Utah Mammoth on the second half of a back-to-back after the Flyers game, and then play the Dallas Stars, the Bruins again, and then the Los Angeles Kings. The goal for the home-stand should be to come out of that with six of eight possible points, which is entirely doable.

They then head to the West Coast, where again, they have struggled. The Senators haven’t done too bad with the Western Conference as a whole, but when on the road in California and Vegas, they haven’t performed at their best.

They close out the month with road games against the St. Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars before heading to Montreal to start off December. Both of those games will be an anticipated challenge. The Stars are one of the top teams in the league, and while the standings don’t reflect it, the Blues are a very talented team who do well at home.

Of the 12 remaining games in November, the Senators can probably get 16 points and be happy. If they want to get rid of the narrative of the November woes, it will take more than that.