It's the first time this season the Sens have won three straight while once again, the team showed resolve to leave New Jersey with two points, as Three Thoughts details.
Sens make it three straight
Three wins from three. Six points from six.
The Sens made it three straight wins as they beat the Devils in a shootout Monday night in a rescheduled game from last month.
"You can see some confidence," Sens head coach D.J. Smith. "We know what we have to do to win games."
The Sens beat Carolina on the road Thursday, came home to defeat Colorado in overtime Saturday and then hit the road again to collect two points from the Devils.
During the Sens' winning streak, the team's top line of Drake Batherson, Josh Norris and Brady Tkachuk have tallied a combined 13 points and are a major reason why the team has collected three straight victories.
"Three in a row now and I think we're playing good hockey," Drake Batherson said. "I think we're maturing as a team now. We know how to play and we've been successful. Getting these three wins have been huge for our confidence and we're just going to keep rolling."
It's the first time since May 3-8, 2021, that Ottawa has won three in row and is just the third time since the 2019-20 season began the Sens have recorded such a streak.
Sens show more resolve
Part of the reason the Senators have won three straight has been due to the resolve they've shown.
Against Carolina, the Sens saw a 2-0 lead disappear before closing out a 3-2 victory. Against the Avalanche, a 5-2 lead vanished before they secured the overtime win.
And on Monday, the Sens twice had to come from a goal behind before they collected the extra point in a shootout.
"We're staying calm and staying in the moment," Josh Norris said. "There's 60 minutes in hockey for a reason. Nothing's going to always go your way. Other teams are going to play well but it's our responsibility to respond when things aren't going great to have a good shift and keep things going in the right direction.
"It was a good job by the guys tonight."
The Sens also stayed out of the penalty box Monday which marked the first time since Feb. 25, 2021, the team didn't take a penalty in a game. Senators head coach D.J. Smith said post-game Monday that earlier in the season, the Sens simply wouldn't have won Monday's game.
But the team's mindset has shifted drastically now.
"We have that confidence that we can come back in the game," Batherson said.
Forsberg shines again
The Sens have won three straight and Anton Forsberg has been between the pipes on all three occasions.
The Swede has stopped 95 shots over the course of the Senators' winning streak and for the first time in his career has won three straight contests at the NHL level.
"He's been awesome," Batherson said. "He comes to work every day, always has a smile on his face. He loves competing out there, even in practice. He's made a lot of saves over the last three games but I think he likes that.
"He's playing great for us."
In nine games this year, Forsberg is 4-4-0 with a 3.79 GAA. Forsberg's 36 saves per 60 minutes ranks fourth in the NHL, alongside teammate Filip Gustavsson. In his eight starts, Forsberg faces 32.9 shots per game.
"Forsy wins three in a row for us," Smith said. "The guys obviously play for him and his work ethic is second to none."
