Probably the most impressive thing about the Ottawa Senators’ ongoing four-game winning streak is that in each of those games (save for two minutes against the Anaheim Ducks), they’ve been without star centres Josh Norris and Tim Stützle.
This isn’t to say that their absence hasn’t had a significant effect on the team’s play, particularly at 5-on-5. Despite a 6-1-1 record in the month of December, they’ve been outscored 14-9 at 5-on-5 in that span, with an expected goals share of 49.81%, according to NaturalStatTrick. The key to their success has been their red-hot power-play, with 15 goals this month.