There are lessons to be learned in every game and the Ottawa Senators, so far, are proving to be good students.
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Senators → be → game
Now three years under head coach Travis Green, the Senators (8-4-0) have fully bought into his system and are reaping the rewards.
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Senators → buy → rewards
Ottawa jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the second and by the end of the period found themselves clinging to a 4-3 lead.
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themselves → jump → lead
Green admitted he felt a shift in the team’s play when it went ahead 3-0.
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it → admit → play
“We got like five per cent loose or less competitive, and that happens a lot when you get a lead, and it’s something you have to guard against, especially against a hardworking team,” Green said.
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Green → get → team
“Sometimes it’s that five or 10 per cent that just kind of turns the table a little bit, and you can feel the game turning a bit.”
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game → ’ → table
The Rangers pressed hard in the final frame, but the Senators stuck to their system and didn’t try to press the game.
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Senators → press → game
They blocked shots and kept New York’s chances to a minimum.
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They → block → minimum
“I think you know, game’s never over ’til it’s over,” said Jake Sanderson.
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Sanderson → think → ?
“You saw they had their push, they had their chances, and you know, I think credit to us not to give up and cave, and just keep pushing through ’til the end.”
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credit → see → end
Sanderson spoke about it being an indication of the team’s growth and maturity.
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it → speak → growth
He admitted it would have been easy to get frustrated at the way things turned around in the second.
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things → admit → second
“I think when you talk about the growth of this group, you know, bearing down, knowing how important these games are early in the season because you know a win’s a win whether it’s at the start of the season or at the end,” he said.
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he → think → end
“So you know, I’ll take it.
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I → know → it
The Senators are heading out on a five-game, 11-day road trip and will likely need to rely on backup goaltenders Samuel Ersson and Jonas Johansson for much of it.
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Senators → head → it
Linus Ullmark was placed on injured reserve earlier in the week and is expected to miss at least a couple games.
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Ullmark → place → games
The earliest he could return is Thursday.
uncertain
he → return → ?
Johansson made his Senators debut Saturday and held his own when it mattered most.
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it → make → own
Acquired in late September, the 31-year-old has been with the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville, Ont., and isn’t well acquainted with many players, but made a solid first impression.
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old → acquire → impression
“I thought he did a real good job getting out of the crease and stopping some of their rims,” Green said.
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Green → think → rims
“You know, rim forecheck is hard to defend against, and he did a real nice job.”
Sanderson was impressed with Johansson’s puck handling.
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Sanderson → know → handling
“I think it’s pretty gutsy for a goalie to do, especially his first game with an organization,” he said.
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he → think → organization
With more than 100 NHL games to his credit, Johansson has been around long enough to understand the impact a solid first performance can have on new teammates.
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performance → understand → teammates
“I just try not to change the way I play, I just try to do my best out there for whatever team I play for,” said Johansson.
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Johansson → try → team
“I mean, I’m really happy to be here.
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I → mean → ?
He previously played with Ullmark in Buffalo and trained with Ersson for much of the summer so there’s a familiarity that helps.
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that → play → summer
Thomas Chabot will travel with the team and Green is hopeful he could be ready to play at some point on the trip.
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he → travel → trip
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
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