Ottawa Senators on the bubble: Stanley composed on top pairing, Yakemchuk scores sweet goal

Hoyt Stanley, 108th overall pick by the Ottawa Senators, poses for a portrait after being drafted in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena on June 29, 2023 in Nashville. Photo by Terry Wyatt /Getty Images

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It was the final opportunity to make a lasting impression for players with an outside chance of making the Ottawa Senators’ NHL roster on Saturday.

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In split-squad games with the Montreal Canadiens, the Senators’ ‘A’ squad won 4-3 at home, while their ‘B’ squad kept it close on the road in a 4-2 loss.

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A litany of injuries — Shane Pinto, Artem Zub and Warren Foegele were kept out of action, while Jake Sanderson and Andre Burakovsky left the action midway Saturday — means there could very well be a number of spots open for Game 1 of the regular season in one week.

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Playing in Ottawa

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Hoyt Stanley

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Paired with Sanderson until the star defencemen left in the second period, Hoyt Stanley held his own, to say the least. He looked comfortable handling the puck, not just simply handing it off to Sanderson every time there was an opportunity to rid himself of responsibility. Stanley was able to escape pressure with timely outlet passes, and he was able to skate out of trouble when necessary.

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The 21-year-old, who is heading into his first full season of professional hockey, had a slow start to training camp, often behind the play in rookie tournament games two weeks ago, but he has rebounded considerably competing with true NHLers.

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“(There’s) a couple young players that have kind of gotten better as camp’s gone on and he’s one of them,” coach Travis Green said post-game.

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Stanley was unable to clear Brett Berard from the edge of the crease on the 1-0 goal, but it was truly a whacky bounce and one of the very few blemishes on his performance.

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Stanley wasn’t afraid to tag onto rushes, once finding himself at the net front on a Michael Amadio slot shot in the first. He calmly accepted rims in both zones while under pressure, getting pucks to safety with quick passes to friendly jerseys.

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Perhaps the structure of the pro game will fit his abilities better. It demands more from your hockey IQ. And hey, he went to Cornell.

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Stanley didn’t play as much after Sanderson left the game, finishing with one block and a minus-2 rating in 13:48 of ice time.

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“There’s learning curves for everybody,” defenceman Thomas Chabot said of Stanley, “but to see him through training camp step up and get the job done like that, I mean, all the credit to him. Hoyt, the way he’s been playing, I think everybody notices and it’s good for him. I think it won’t be long before we see him (in the NHL).”

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Carter Yakemchuk

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The Senators were far more in control of this game than Wednesday’s chaotic 6-1 loss in Toronto, and that allowed Carter Yakemchuk to settle in much better.

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His confidence was evident early, once looking off a Chabot one-timer option on a power play in the first and skating to the top of the slot for a wrister. He transported the puck through the neutral zone well, making sensible passes and more creative ones when offered a little more time and space.

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Midway through the second period, he accepted a Burakovsky centring pass, shimmied ever so slightly to the middle of the ice to get a better angle, and ripped a wrist shot blocker side on Jakub Dobes to extend the lead to 3-1. He can still be a difference maker on offence, no doubt.