For Tim Stützle and the Ottawa Senators got off to a great start to the new year. The team won their two home games against the Buffalo Sabers (3-1) and the Columbus Blue Jackets (4-0), confirming the upward trend that had started immediately after Christmas. The team from the Canadian capital decided four of the last five games in their favor (4-1-0).
Stützle is bursting with self-confidence at the moment. He contributed a total of four points (three goals, one assist) to the two wins against the Sabers and the Blue Jackets. The 20-year-old from Viersen thus extended his points streak to six matches, which is a personal best for him this season. He collected eight points (five goals, three assists) during this period.
“We’ve done an excellent job in the last few games, with the exception of the game against Detroit. Of course, if the team is successful, that also has a positive effect on our own performance,” was Stützle’s simple explanation for his run.
Video: CBJ@OTT: Stützle expands leadership of the senators
Since his comeback after a shoulder injury that forced him to sit out four matches in mid-December, the first-row center has unwound an unbelievable workload. In the very first match after his return against the Washington Capitals, he was on the ice for 27:52 minutes, which was also the best time in his NHL career. The average playing time in the six appearances after his recovery is exactly 23 minutes.
How important Stützle is for the overall structure of the Senators can also be seen from the fact that his presence in the special teams is no longer limited to the power play. Coach DJ Smith increasingly sends him onto the field in penalty kills. Before his injury he acted an average of 0:44 minutes with a man down, after that this number rose to 1:23 minutes per game.
Stützle does not see the heavy strain as problematic in any way. “Especially if you do a few shifts in penalty kills every now and then, it helps you get into the rhythm even better,” he said.
Video: BUF@OTT: Stützles two goals
Coach Smith is enthusiastic about what Stützle has recently delivered. “You can see that he’s in a really good mood and feels great,” was his assessment. At the same time, he indicated that he wanted to give his protégé more recovery periods in the coming games. “Obviously you want to see your number 1 center out there as much as possible, especially when he’s in great shape. But I think he might need a little more rest between shifts going forward,” Smith said.
The teammates are no less impressed with how Stützle performs this season. “Tim is a confident guy. He does things on the ice that not many can do, so we do everything we can to create space for him and give him the puck,” explained Claude Giroux. The veteran forms together with the German and captain Brady Tkachuk the top tier of Senators.
With 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) from 34 appearances, Stützle ranks fifth in the team’s internal scorer ranking. Ahead of him are Tkachuk (39 points), Giroux, Alex DeBrincat and Drake Batherson (36 each). However, they have completed all 38 games this season.
With recent success, the Senators have lifted their point average per match over the 50 percent mark. “That’s what we set ourselves as a goal for Christmas, or at least shortly after. We want to build on that now,” said Stützle.
Video: BOS@OTT: Stützle sinks a power play goal
The perspectives in the fight for a place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have improved for the Senators thanks to the convincing performances at the turn of the year. Direct qualification in the Atlantic Division seems unattainable given the current situation. The gap to the third-placed Tampa Bay Lightning is already ten points. The second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, on the other hand, is within reach again. The gap to the New York Islanders, who hold this position, is seven points.
The Senators’ next opponents are the Seattle Kraken on Saturday (7 pm ET; NHL.tv; Sun. 1 am ET). The duel takes place at Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Center.