Detroit Red Wings
Will Senators Ride Roughshod Over Red Wings Again?
Ottawa likes to physically punish Detroit
Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was recently reminiscing about his first Stanley Cup win with the team in 1996-97. What’s often overlooked about that club is how they could physically punish opponents.
“I run down our wingers and we had Marty Lapointe around 220. Shanny (Brendan Shanahan) at 220, Mac (Darren McCarty) at 220, Joey (Kcocur) at 220. We added Tomas Sandstrom at the deadline. who was a 220 pounder. And I’m missing a couple too.
“We had these big boys on the wings and not to mention (defensemen like) Slava Fetisov who’s big. Murph (Larry Murphy) was big and heavy and then Vladdy (Vladimir Konstantinov) played like a 250 pounder.”
That was then. This is now. When the Red Wings find themselves facing the Ottawa Senators, it’s Ottawa’s wingers who run down Red Wings.
Wonder how panicked the league/networks are considering the Rangers, Flyers, Bruins, Penguins, Red Wings, Sabres, Blackhawks and Blues may all miss the playoffs. That's a lot of major US hockey markets
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) March 9, 2025
No Red Wings fan is in need of a reminder of how Brady Tkachuk and company ran Detroit out of the building two years ago in back-to-back 6-2 and 6-1 wins. They beat up the Wings are took their lunch money.
Todd McLellan wasn’t around for that debacle, but he’s well versed in what the Senators bring to the ice. The Detroit coach put his club through board battle drills at practice on Sunday to prepare them for what lays ahead.
“We’re going to play a heavier team (Monday),” McLellan explained. “Just reminding everybody what that feels like and how important it is.”
Must-Win Game For Red Wings vs Senators
There’s no sugar coating what a regulation loss on Monday would do to the odds on Detroit’s playoff chances. The Red Wings would fall five points behind Ottawa and four in back of Columbus.
Detroit is 1-6-1 in the club’s past eight road games against Ottawa. Canada’s capital city has proven to be an unfriendly environment for those wearing the winged wheel. And it might be getting worse.
Dylan Cozens is fired up after being named second star in his Ottawa debut. #GoSensGo
He finished the game with 17:27 TOI, a primary assist, 55.56 FOW% and 9 (!!) hits- a new career high.
Safe to say he's excited about being here. pic.twitter.com/A2XpKJC2Mn
— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) March 8, 2025
The Senators are fifth in the NHL with 1,581 hits and fourth in hits per game (25.28). Tkachuk leads the Senators with 199 hits. He’s tied for 13th in the NHL. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Ottawa captain is averaging 10.64 hits per 60 minutes.
To this group Ottawa has added 6-foor-3, 197-pound Dylan Cozens from Buffalo. He was a player that the Wings coveted and it’s easy to see why. Cozens is 30th in the NHL with 157 hits. He’s averaging 8.82 hits per 60 minutes. In his Ottawa debut, Cozens delivered a career-high nine hits.
By contrast, Detroit is 28th in the league hit hits at 1,147. Christian Fischer (10.64) and Joe Veleno (8.83) were two of the top three Detroit players when it came to hits per 60 minutes. Both were let go last week. And 6-foot-8, 246-pound Elmer Soderblom is making a physical impact since his recall from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. He’s dishing out 9.31 hits per 60 minutes.
