One shy of the halfway mark in their season, the Senators have made huge strides in what was a woeful defensive game because of coach Guy Boucher’s demands and the statistical contributions of three players in particular — Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone and Mark Borowiecki.
While still leading the team in scoring, the new and improved Karlsson is third in the NHL in blocked shots, a category he sat atop for weeks and, being just five off the pace, could very well reclaim the lead in the second half.
Stone’s puck-stealing skills grow even more amazing — “Probably the best I’ve ever seen,” Boucher said this week — as he now leads the league in takeaways with 52, a full dozen more than Filip Forsberg.