Senators vs Panthers10.10.24
Ottawa, ON
Folks... it's that time of year again. Days are getting shorter, the leaves are changing colours (at least in Ottawa), sweater weather is here. You know what that means? It's hockey season! And after an offseason that I would describe as methodical from GM Steve Staios, my hometown Ottawa Senators have returned with a noticeably more veteran laden lineup. With notable additions Dave Perron, Nick Cousins, Michael Amadio, Noah Gregor, and Adam Gaudette coming from free agency to bolster the bottom six forward crew. And two significant trades bringing in defenseman Nick Jensen to ideally pair with Thomas Chabot and, probably most importantly, an established starting goaltender in Linus Ullmark.
Luckily, Canadian Thanksgiving and my first trip back to Ottawa after moving to Vancouver in April coincided with the Senators' home opener against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. You already know I was there in person! And to bring home a 3-1 win against these guys, a team that the Sens have cracked and shown a ton of immaturity against (particularly last season), I hope this is a sign of what's to come this season. Linus Ullmark was very sharp; this is a game that I think we lose with our shaky goaltending of years pas. Sorry, not sorry Joonas Korpisalo! Let's see how long Boston lasts with him in between the pipes as long as Jeremy Swayman remains out of action.
