The 2018-19 season is three weeks old, and the Ottawa Senators find themselves in a position few were expecting them to be in. Although they currently reside outside of a playoff spot and sit sixth in the division, they have a winning record, which includes convincing wins over divisional rivals Toronto and Montreal.
The Sens’ outlook from everyone before the season, traditional analysts and stats nerds alike, all read basically the same, and it wasn’t positive. If Ottawa wasn’t last in your standings prediction, it was a bit of an anomaly.
While the season’s first eight games have exceeded the expectations, there are some key statistics to watch, some good and some bad.