Senators 4, Penguins 0: Ottawa Dialed In, Start to Finish
The Ottawa Senators’ 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins felt like one of those nights where the building could relax early and enjoy the details. From the opening faceoff at Canadian Tire Centre, the Senators played with purpose, patience, and a quiet edge that suggested they knew what kind of game was required. No chasing. No scrambling. Just a steady tightening of the screws.
The early power-play goal from Brady Tkachuk set the tone, but the real story was how Ottawa managed the rest of the night. Pittsburgh pushed when it had to, especially in the third, but the Senators never lost their edge. Linus Ullmark made sure of that, calmly closing the door whenever the Penguins sniffed a chance.
By the time the empty-netter went in late, this one felt less like a win and more like a statement about how this group wants to play.
Key Point One: Linus Ullmark Sets the Temperature
Linus Ullmark was calm from the first puck drop, and the bench fed off it. His first shutout of the season didn’t come from acrobatics, but from positioning, patience, and a sense that nothing was going to get past him clean. When Pittsburgh pressed late, Ullmark pressed back just enough.
Key Point Two: Brady Tkachuk Leads the Way, Again
Brady Tkachuk scored twice, but more importantly, he played the kind of game that drags everyone else into the fight. His power-play goal came from right at the crease, where games like this are usually decided. Ottawa didn’t need him to do everything, just keep life miserable in the right places.
Key Point Three: The Senators’ Depth and Detail Matter
David Perron hit a milestone with his 800th NHL point, Claude Giroux found soft ice at the right moment, and Drake Batherson quietly drove play with two assists. This wasn’t about one line carrying the load. It was about staying connected and defending together for about four lines.
Final Thoughts from the Senators’ Perspective
This was one of Ottawa’s more complete games of the season. The Senators played a full 200-foot game, limited inside chances, and didn’t get impatient when goals didn’t come in bunches. Against a desperate opponent, that discipline mattered.
Tim Stutzle played his 400th NHL game and extended his point streak to five, another reminder that this core is no longer learning how to compete—it’s learning how to win consistently. Travis Green talked about textbook hockey afterward, and this one came close.
If Ottawa can bottle this level of structure and confidence, the challenge now is simple to say and hard to do: bring it again next game.