‘We played the right way’: Senators focused on structure, not style

Philadelphia Flyers' Tyson Foerster (71) and teammate Bobby Brink (10) fight for the puck against Ottawa Senators' Nick Jensen (3) during third period NHL hockey action in Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators aren’t chasing style points right now, they’re chasing structure.

After an inconsistent start, the team is focused on rediscovering the gritty, disciplined brand of hockey that earned them success last season.

It may not always be pretty, but the Senators (3-4-1) believe that getting back to their identity is the surest way to get their game and their results where they want them to be.

“We still have a lot of work to do but winning, it always feels good, whether you deserved it or not,” Claude Giroux said after his Senators beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Thursday.

“I felt like we deserved it, but it’s not always about the results. It’s about getting our game where we want it to be.”

With captain Brady Tkachuk sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, the Senators know they need to work as a team and maybe, more often than not, keep things simple.

Ottawa’s performance Thursday wasn’t always pretty, Giroux said, but it was effective.

“We made some big plays and when we had a chance to score that’s what we did,” said the veteran winger. “We played the right way.”

Equally crucial for Ottawa is finding scoring beyond its top line. While players like Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson will continue to drive the offence, the team knows success depends on depth scoring and on more players finding ways to make an impact.

“In today’s NHL, and especially with our team, Brady being out, we’re going to need contributions throughout our lineup,” said head coach Travis Green. “We got it (Thursday) from a couple guys who hadn’t scored this year.”

One of those guys was Olle Lycksell, who was recalled from the American Hockey League’s Belleville Senators Tuesday.

The 26-year-old right-winger scored his first as a Senator — a goal that held up as the game winner.

His parents and younger sister were on hand to witness the milestone.

‘It was a great play by (Lars) Eller to find me there,” said Lycksell.

Eller made a between the legs pass to Lycksell at the side of the net for a tap-in.

Eller, signed as a free agent, has been a welcome addition to the roster and is having an impact despite limited playing time on the fourth line. Through eight games the 36-year-old has one goal and two assists, and is providing additional leadership.

“We faced a little bit of adversity early on, but we were able to find a way back,” he said of the game against the Flyers. “We were comfortable playing in a tight game, a 2-1 game, or a one-goal differential game, and we were able to put a pretty good 60 minutes together, enough to win.”

With more than 1,100 games to his credit, Eller understands what is needed through an 82-game schedule.

“When it’s not going in for you, it’s so important that you’re able to shut the door behind you,” he said. “And I just think this was a good building block for us and we’re going to try to get better offensively and we’re going to try to let in less goals as well.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2025.

Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press