Ottawa Senators Need to Stand Up For Jake Sanderson

Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images Just one week ago, the Senators were filled with hope as they entered their first round series against the Hurricanes. Flash forward to today, and the Senators are on the brink of elimination. Down three games to none, they will now try to avoid the sweep without their best player.

Part way through game three, Jake Sanderson took a high hit from Taylor Hall. Hall was given a two minute penalty. Sanderson left the game, did not return, and will not play game four due to a concussion .

While winning game four is imperative, standing up for Sanderson is an absolute must for the Senators as well. Let’s dive into the details. Senators Struggles Thus Far Coming into the series, I came up with five keys that would allow the Senators to upset the Hurricanes.

You can read about them in detail here , but here’s a quick recap: Lean on last year’s experience Ullmark Penalty kill Sanderson, Stützle & Tkachuk leading the way Pinto’s defensive play Both Ullmark and the penalty kill have been great. Pinto has been just so-so, as he hasn’t been the standout defensive forward in the series compared to some of the Hurricanes players. As for leaning on last’s year experience, it doesn’t seem that the Sens have been overwhelmed, but one year of playoff experience has clearly paled in comparison to the Hurricanes, who have made the playoffs eight years in a row and look like a well-oiled machine shift after shift.