In D.J. Smith’s first press conference with the Ottawa Senators, he communicated that he wanted the team’s identity to be a physical, hard-working team that others hate to play against. Well, a quarter of the way into his first season with the team, and you’re starting to see those effects.
This timeline makes sense. Recall when Guy Boucher started with the Sens, his first game was a run-and-gun victory against the up-and-coming Toronto Maple Leafs after a training camp of preaching defence and fans were questioning what the plan was. ~25 games in, and we saw the shot blocking, defensive systems that Boucher was preaching, and the team took that into the playoffs.