When Artem Zub returned to the Ottawa Senators lineup in early January, the prevailing thought was, “Okay, now that the Senators have two quality defensive pairings, how much will the needle move?”
Despite dropping their first four games (0-3-1), the Senators have put together a 10-5-2 record in the 17 games since the Russian defender returned from a fractured foot.
Interestingly, the team has only been able to keep Thomas Chabot and Nick Jensen together for 10 of those games. The latter has remained sidelined with an undisclosed lower-body injury, believed to be the knee, since January 24.
The Senators have still managed to win games, but Chabot’s minutes have been spread out almost equally between the injured Jensen and Travis Hamonic. Irrespective of who his partner was, the underlying metrics have not been good.
After a one-game reintroduction to the lineup, Artem Zub was reunited with Jake Sanderson on January 3, 2025, for the Senators’ game against the St. Louis Blues.
According to NaturalStatTrick, here is how the Senators performed at five-on-five with Thomas Chabot on the ice with his different partners since January 3:
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With Nick Jensen: 10 GP, 49.82 CF%, 44.44 SF%, 33.33 GF%, 40.16 xGF%
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With Travis Hamonic: 6 GP, 45.10 CF%, 48.68 SF%, 100.0 GF%, 43.41 xGF%
Jensen has been dealing with the injury without impacting his performance, but seeing these metrics, it is not surprising that he went on the shelf shortly thereafter. The team’s performance with Chabot and Hamonic on the ice is understandable, given the latter’s history of being an anchor dragging any partner he plays with.
Coupled with the fact that the Tyler Kleven and Nik Matinpalo pairing have generated some porous numbers during this stretch, it is incredible that the Senators have been as successful as they have been.
The Senators have generated 47.27 percent of the shots (CF%), 42.97 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 40.00 percent of the goals (GF%), and 36.56 percent of the expected goals (xGF) with the Kleven/Matinpalo pairing on the ice.
The Senators have overcome these performances on the strength of their goaltending, but what has helped immensely is the play of the Sanderson/Zub pairing.
Since reuniting on January 3, the duo have been paired for 15 games, logging 218:47 of ice time. They have been one of the best pairings in the league at five-on-five, generating 56.54 percent of the shots (CF%, 5th in NHL), 58.64 percent of the shots (SF%, 2nd in NHL), and 64.76 expected goals (xGF%, 1st in NHL).
This duo has been incredibly effective, but the NHL Network‘s Mike Kelly helps explain as to why Jake Sanderson has been so good.
Sanderson’s ability to find another level has been one of those inflection points that fans were banking on. Well, it is here.
The young defenceman has taken his game to the level he showed glimpses of during the preseason. It could not have come at a better time.
Speaking to Sanderson last week ahead of his team’s road trip, he believed his chemistry with Zub was simple.
“We keep it simple in the (defensive) zone,” he explained. “Try not to do too much on the breakouts. Just get up to our forwards, let them make a play, and we can jump up after that. We’re communicating a little bit better now, and it’s showing it helps.”
Sanderson’s Russian has not made marked improvements, so it is Zub’s English that has been improving. The young defenceman believes that spending time and talking away from the rink has benefited their partnership.
What is interesting is that Sanderson pointed to an offensive moment during the team’s January 19th game in New Jersey in which Zub scored a goal as a turning point.
“I honestly think when he first scored in New Jersey, I believe that boosted his confidence,” Sanderson explained. “(Since then) he has done such a good job shutting down plays on the rush. He’s so strong in the (defensive) zone. It makes it easy for me.
“It’s really nice finding consistency with one player, but at the same time, like, whether it’s Travis or (Zub), we all have chemistry together, so it doesn’t really matter. Once you find chemistry with the player, and, you know, just keep growing both your games, it helps you a lot.”
All that matters is that Sanderson’s game has found a level commensurate with his talent. It could not have arrived at a better time.
“Yeah, at the start of season, I wasn’t feeling myself. Right now I feel, I feel pretty good. My energy is really good on the ice. I haven’t scored in a while, but I’m getting a lot of chances, and that’s all I can ask for. So, you know, they’re gonna go in eventually.”
Since the interview, Sanderson has scored three goals and tallied seven points in his last three games, looking every bit the dynamic and dangerous defenceman that he can be.
The Senators already look like a viable threat in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but if this team can eventually have the Chabot and Sanderson pairings clicking at the same time, look out.
This article is from The Hockey News-Ottawa. For more great Ottawa Senators coverage, check out THN.com/Ottawa or the article links below:
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