2011–12 Ottawa Senators season

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2011–12 Ottawa Senators
Division2nd Northeast
Conference8th Eastern
2011–12 record41–31–10
Home record20–17–4
Road record21–14–6
Goals for249
Goals against240
Team information
General managerBryan Murray
CoachPaul MacLean
CaptainDaniel Alfredsson
Alternate captainsChris Phillips
Jason Spezza
ArenaScotiabank Place
Average attendance19,356 (101.1%)
Team leaders
GoalsMilan Michalek (35)
AssistsErik Karlsson (59)
PointsJason Spezza (84)
Penalty minutesZenon Konopka (193)
Plus/minusFilip Kuba (+26)
WinsCraig Anderson (33)
Goals against averageRobin Lehner (2.01)

The 2011–12 Ottawa Senators season was the 20th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). It was considered a rebuilding season for the Senators after an off-season of high player personnel turnover and the hiring of a new head coach. Although the Senators were not expected to make the playoffs, the team qualified eighth. The team lost, however, in the first round to the first-place New York Rangers, although they took the series to a seventh game. Three Senators were nominated for NHL awards: captain Daniel Alfredsson for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, Erik Karlsson for the James Norris Trophy and Head Coach Paul MacLean for the Jack Adams Award. The Senators hosted the NHL All-Star Game and its festivities. Alfredsson was named captain of one of the teams and five Senators played in the Game.

Team business[]

On May 19, 2011, the Ottawa Senators were awarded the Ottawa United Way Community Builder of the Year Award for over $60 million in charitable fund-raising in the past ten years, support of youth hockey and the founding of the "Do It For Daron" initiative for mental health in honour of Daron Richardson, the daughter of Ottawa Senators assistant coach Luke Richardson, who took her own life in November 2010.[1] On May 20, 2011, the Senators announced the "Rink of Dreams" project to build an outdoor skating rink at Ottawa City Hall. The rink is to cost $1.25 million, $1 million of which would be funded by the Senators Foundation charity.[2]

In December 2011, the Senators officially announced the replacement of the scoreboard at Scotiabank Place. The old scoreboard dated from 1996, and its replacement had been rumoured in the media since the time of the announcement that the All-Star Game would be played in the arena. The new scoreboard, to be supplied by Panasonic, uses four high-definition video screens, plus two LED "rings", one above the scoreboards and one below. While the old scoreboard had video screens, the new screens are much larger in size and have a larger number of pixels per screen. The scoreboard was first used for the December 27, 2011, game against the Montreal Canadiens. For the game, only the four video screens were in place; the LED rings were to be operational for the All-Star Game.

2012 NHL All-Star Game[]

The Senators were the hosts of the 58th NHL All-Star Game in January 2012. The Ottawa Convention Centre hosted a Fan Fair of fan activities from the Thursday until Saturday. The Rideau Canal had to close due to mild weather, but the Senators' new Rink of Dreams was able to be used in its place. Confederation Park was used for ice sculptures and displays.

In the annual All-Star Game voting, Senators fans voted four members of the team to the All-Star roster: Daniel Alfredsson, Erik Karlsson, Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza. Karlsson led all players in voting with over 939,591 votes cast.[3] Colin Greening was added later by the NHL operations department. Alfredsson was named captain of one team and was able to put the Senators onto his team, except for Greening, who was selected at random for the other All-Star team, coached by former Senator Zdeno Chara. Senators' fans in attendance at the game were thrilled when Alfredsson scored two consecutive goals in the second period, giving him a standing ovation.

Off-season[]

After firing Head Coach Cory Clouston at the end of their 2010–11 season, the Senators began a search for a new head coach. According to media reports, Bryan Murray interviewed several candidates for the job, including Kurt Kleinendorst (coach of the Binghamton Senators), Dave Cameron (coach of the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors), Craig MacTavish (former coach of the Edmonton Oilers), Paul MacLean (assistant coach of the Detroit Red Wings) and Kirk Muller (assistant coach of the Montreal Canadiens). On June 14, 2011, the Senators announced the signing of Paul MacLean to a three-year contract as the new head coach.[4] On June 23, 2011, Dave Cameron and Mark Reeds were hired as his assistant coaches. Reeds was the head coach of the Owen Sound Attack from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).[5]

The Senators unveiled a new third jersey on October 1, 2011. The new third jersey replaces the "SENS" design third jersey. The New Jersey is primarily black, with horizontal red and off-white stripes in a pattern reminiscent of the original Ottawa Senators jersey of 1926–27. The team will wear the jersey 11 times at home and once on the road. The symbolism of the number 11 corresponds to the number of Stanley Cup championships the original Senators won.

Pre-season[]

On June 22, 2011, the Senators announced that they would be playing seven games during the pre-season – three games at home, three games on the road and one neutral-site game. The team will play divisional rivals Toronto, Montreal and Boston twice each. Meanwhile, the Senators will also play the Winnipeg Jets once in Conception Bay South, Newfoundland, as part of the Kraft Hockeyville Celebrations.[6] The game was moved to Mile One Centre by Conception Bay South to maximize the use of arena upgrade dollars for renovations, instead of preparing their arena for the exhibition game.[7]

The Senators held a rookie camp in early September. The rookies participated in a rookie tournament in Oshawa, Ontario, with rookies of the Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs. The team won all of its games in the tournament. All members of the rookie camp were invited to the main training camp, which started on September 16 at Scotiabank Place and the Bell Sensplex.[8]

Regular season[]

The Ottawa Senators 20th Anniversary patch

The Senators opened the season on October 7, 2011, at the Detroit Red Wings. The Senators finished the season on April 7, 2012. 81 of 82 games were televised, either on CBC, RDS, Sportsnet, TSN or TVA. The sole game not televised was a visit to the Florida Panthers on February 15, 2012.[9] The NHL later organized a video feed available to NHL Centre Ice subscribers in Ottawa for the Panthers game.[10]

The Senators had their home opener on October 11, 2011, against the Minnesota Wild. Since it is the franchise's 20th anniversary season, the Senators had special celebrations. With 14 members of the 1992–93 team in attendance, Laurie Boschman, the 1992–93 team's captain, dropped the puck on the ceremonial face-off. The team went on to win the game 4–3 via shoot-out. It was head coach Paul MacLean's first win as a head coach in the NHL.[11]

Nikita Filatov, a 21-year-old Russian player (and former first-round pick) acquired in a trade at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, had an up-and-down season between Ottawa and before being loaned to CKSA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in December; he played for CSKA for the remainder of the season. Filatov was to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and general manager Bryan Murray indicated that the club had not given up on Filatov, and would put in at least a qualifying offer at season's end.[12]

The Senators made a trade in December 2011 for the Phoenix Coyotes' Kyle Turris in exchange for David Rundblad and a draft pick. After Turris arrived in Ottawa, the team won ten of 13 games, and had a nine-game unbeaten streak over the end of December into January. The run pushed the Senators up into a playoff position. On December 17, the Senators were in tenth position. On January 20, the Senators were as high as fourth in the Eastern Conference.

In February, goaltender Craig Anderson cut the pinky finger on his right hand while preparing food at home. The injury put him out of action as the cut made him unable to hold the goal stick while the injury healed. The Senators made a trade to improve the organizational depth at goaltender, trading for Ben Bishop of the St. Louis Blues. Bishop was playing for the Blues' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate and was due to become an unrestricted free agent. Bishop had won the MVP award at the AHL 2012 All-Star Game and was considered one of the best prospects outside the NHL. Before the trade, the Senators had recalled Robin Lehner from Binghamton and Bishop reported to Binghamton. Although Lehner played well and earned his first NHL shutout, Lehner was sent to Binghamton in early March and Bishop recalled to Ottawa. While Ottawa continued to earn points, division leader Boston struggled, and the Senators found winning the division feasible. On March 16, the Senators moved past the Bruins into first place in the Northeast Division and second overall in the Eastern Conference.[13] The lead lasted one day, but the Senators qualified for the playoffs, an unexpected development that made head coach MacLean a candidate for coach of the year.

Playoffs[]

The Senators succeeded in making the playoffs after missing them in the 2010–11 season, with a 5–1 win over the New York Islanders on April 1, 2012. The Hockey News had predicted that the Senators would finish last in the Eastern Conference and miss the playoffs.[14]

Senators vs. Rangers[]

The Senators qualified in eighth place, drawing the first-place New York Rangers in the first round. Although the Senators won three out of four games during the regular season between the two teams, the NHL Network predicted the Rangers will win in five or six games.[15] ESPN predicted the Rangers would win in seven games.[16] It was the first New York–Ottawa series since the first Senators played the Rangers in 1927–28, and the last until 2016-17.

In the first game, the Rangers scored once in the first, and twice in the second to take a 3–0 lead into the third period. In the third, the Rangers scored to make it 4–0 before Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Condra scored in the last ten minutes. It was close until the middle of the game. The Rangers were leading 1–0 late in the second period and the Senators were pressing for an equalizer. The Rangers took a time-out and from there, scored three times in six minutes ( from the second into the third period) to build the lead the Senators could not overcome.[17]

In game two, the Senators added two players known for fighting to the roster: Matt Carkner and Zenon Konopka, changes described by coach MacLean as done in response to the Rangers' Brian Boyle's rough treatment of Erik Karlsson. After only two minutes of play, Carkner was ejected from the game for fighting Boyle, who did not want to fight Carkner, and punching him after Boyle went down to the ice. The Rangers' Brandon Dubinsky jumped into the fight and was ejected for being the third man into a fight. In the second period, the Rangers' Carl Hagelin elbowed Alfredsson and was ejected. In the game itself, the Rangers took a one-goal lead after one period. The Senators equalized during the match penalty to Hagelin to leave the game tied after two. In the third, Boyle scored to put the Rangers ahead, but Nick Foligno tied the score with four minutes to play. In the overtime, the Senators applied pressure from the start, and Chris Neil scored to win the game for the Senators after only one minute of overtime.[18] For their actions during the game, the NHL later gave Hagelin a three-game suspension, and Carkner a one-game suspension.[19]

Alfredsson did not return for game three, as he was still suffering from a concussion from the Hagelin hit. The first star of the game was the Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped all 39 Senators shots on net for a shutout. The game was scoreless until the third period when the Rangers' Boyle scored on a backhand after the puck bounced off the back boards directly to him nearly in front of the Senators' goaltender Craig Anderson, who stopped 21 of 22 shots. It was the only goal of the match. Lundqvist preserved the win with a save in the final minute on Kyle Turris, who was alone in front of the Rangers' goal with the Senators pressing and their goaltender pulled for an extra attacker.[20]

In game four, it was the Ottawa goalie Anderson's turn to save a game. After giving up two power play goals by the Rangers in the first few minutes, he stopped the Rangers the rest of the way. In the second period, the Senators tied the game on goals by Milan Michalek and Sergei Gonchar. No goals were scored leading to the second overtime of the series. In the overtime, the Senators' Kyle Turris scored his first-ever overtime goal to tie the series after four games, ensuring a game six in Ottawa.[21] Ottawa captain Alfredsson missed another game. It was the first victory at home by the Senators since the 2007 Stanley Cup Final.

The fifth game, in New York, saw Anderson continue to hold off the Rangers, stopping all of their shots for a 2–0 shutout victory. Junior call up Mark Stone made an impression, setting up the winning goal of the game by Spezza in the first period. Spezza added an empty net goal to seal the victory. It was Stone's NHL debut.

Game six was played in Ottawa with the Senators having a chance to eliminate the Rangers. The Senators scored the first goal of the game in the first period on a power play. With Anderson continuing to hold off the Rangers, it appeared the Senators might have scored enough. It all changed in the second period with three goals by the Rangers, including a pair on the power play, to put the Rangers ahead 3–1. Anderson's shutout streak of the Rangers ended at 145 minutes, 27 seconds. In the third, Senators' coach Paul MacLean benched stars Spezza and Alfredsson in a ploy to turn their games around, but it was ineffective. Alfredsson himself showed a rare temper outburst on the bench, due to his frustration. The Senators scored a goal on a disputed play in the last minute, but it was too little, too late. The game was the NHL debut for Senators prospect Jakob Silfverberg, who had just finished playing in the Swedish Elitserien playoffs.

The series shifted to New York for the deciding game seven. Like game six, the deciding goals were scored in the second period. The Rangers scored a pair of goals to go ahead 2–0, while Alfredsson replied on the power play for the Senators. The third period was scoreless. Alfredsson was considered to be the best player for the Senators in the game, and there was considerable speculation after the game that it might be the last game of his NHL career.

Standings[]

Northeast Division
Pos Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 y – Boston Bruins 82 49 29 4 40 269 202 +67 102
2 x – Ottawa Senators 82 41 31 10 35 249 240 +9 92
3 Buffalo Sabres 82 39 32 11 32 218 230 −12 89
4 Toronto Maple Leafs 82 35 37 10 31 231 264 −33 80
5 Montreal Canadiens 82 31 35 16 26 212 226 −14 78
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division
Eastern Conference
Pos Div Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 AT z – New York Rangers 82 51 24 7 47 226 187 +39 109
2 NE y – Boston Bruins 82 49 29 4 40 269 202 +67 102
3 SE y – Florida Panthers 82 38 26 18 32 203 227 −24 94
4 AT x – Pittsburgh Penguins 82 51 25 6 42 282 221 +61 108
5 AT x – Philadelphia Flyers 82 47 26 9 43 264 232 +32 103
6 AT x – New Jersey Devils 82 48 28 6 36 228 209 +19 102
7 SE x – Washington Capitals 82 42 32 8 38 222 230 −8 92
8 NE x – Ottawa Senators 82 41 31 10 35 249 240 +9 92
9 NE Buffalo Sabres 82 39 32 11 32 218 230 −12 89
10 SE Tampa Bay Lightning 82 38 36 8 35 235 281 −46 84
11 SE Winnipeg Jets 82 37 35 10 33 225 246 −21 84
12 SE Carolina Hurricanes 82 33 33 16 32 213 243 −30 82
13 NE Toronto Maple Leafs 82 35 37 10 31 231 264 −33 80
14 AT New York Islanders 82 34 37 11 27 203 255 −52 79
15 NE Montreal Canadiens 82 31 35 16 26 212 226 −14 78
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division; z – Clinched conference

Schedule and results[]

Pre-season[]

2011 pre-season game log: 3–3–1 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–2–0)
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Decision Location Attendance Recap
1 September 19 7:00 pm Toronto 2–4 Lehner Air Canada Centre 18,556 [22]
2 September 21 7:30 pm Boston 2 – 1 (OT) Auld Scotiabank Place 16,492 [23]
3 September 23 7:30 pm Montreal 3 – 4 (SO) Anderson Scotiabank Place 17,583 [24]
4 September 24 7:00 pm Montreal 3–2 Lehner Bell Centre 21,273 [25]
5 September 26 4:00 pm Winnipeg 1–3 Auld Mile One Centre (St. John's, NFLD) 6,275 [26]
6 September 27 7:30 pm Toronto 3–5 Lehner Scotiabank Place 18,831 [27]
7 September 29 7:00 pm Boston 2–1 Anderson TD Garden 16,763 [28]

Regular season[]

2011 regular season game log: 41–28–10 (Home: 20–15–4 ; Road: 21–13–6)
October (Games: 12; Home: 7; Road: 5) (Record: 7–5–0; Home: 5–2–0; Road: 2–3–0)
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Decision Location Attendance Record Pts Recap
1 October 7 7:00 pm Detroit 3–5 Anderson Joe Louis Arena 20,066 0–1–0 0 [29]
2 October 8 7:00 pm Toronto 5–6 Auld Air Canada Centre 19,324 0–2–0 0 [30]
3 October 11 7:30 pm Minnesota 4 – 3 (SO) Anderson Scotiabank Place 19,455S 1–2–0 2 [31]
4 October 13 7:30 pm Colorado 1–7 Anderson Scotiabank Place 19,239S 1–3–0 2 [32]
5 October 15 7:00 pm Washington 1–2 Auld Verizon Center 18,506 1–4–0 2 [33]
6 October 18 7:30 pm Philadelphia 2–7 Auld Scotiabank Place 18,059 1–5–0 2 [34]
7 October 20 7:30 pm Winnipeg 4–1 Anderson Scotiabank Place 17,919 2–5–0 4 [35]
8 October 22 7:00 pm Columbus 4–3 Anderson Scotiabank Place 18,867 3–5–0 6 [36]
9 October 25 7:00 pm Carolina 3 – 2 (SO) Anderson RBC Center 12,083 4–5–0 8 [37]
10 October 27 7:30 pm Florida 4–3 Anderson Scotiabank Place 18,165 5–5–0 10 [38] 11 October 29 3:00 pm NY Rangers 5 – 4 (SO) Anderson Madison Square Garden 18,200 6–5–0 12 [39] 12 October 30 7:30 pm Toronto 3–2 Lehner Scotiabank Place 19,522S 7–5–0 14 [40]
November (Games: 12; Home: 4; Road: 8) (Record: 5–5–2; Home: 1–2–1; Road: 4–3–1)
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Decision Location Attendance Record Pts Recap
13 November 1 7:00 pm Boston 3–5 Anderson TD Garden 17,565 7–6–0 14 [41]
14 November 4 7:30 pm Montreal 1–2 Anderson Scotiabank Place 20,329S 7–7–0 14 [42]
15 November 5 7:00 pm Buffalo 2 – 3 (SO) Anderson Scotiabank Place 18,805 7–7–1 15 [43]
16 November 9 7:30 pm NY Rangers 2–3 Anderson Scotiabank Place 19,543S 7–8–1 15 [44]
17 November 11 7:30 pm Buffalo 1–5 Anderson First Niagara Center 18,690 7–9–1 15 [45]
18 November 12 7:00 pm Toronto 5–2 Anderson Air Canada Centre 19,553 8–9–1 17 [46]
19 November 15 9:00 pm Calgary 3–1 Anderson Scotiabank Saddledome 19,289 9–9–1 19 [47]
20 November 17 9:30 pm Edmonton 5–2 Anderson Rexall Place 16,839 10–9–1 21 [48]
21 November 20 9:00 pm Vancouver 1 – 2 (OT) Auld Rogers Arena 18,890 10–9–2 22 [49]
22 November 25 7:00 pm Pittsburgh 3–6 Anderson Consol Energy Center 18,610 10–10–2 22 [50]
23 November 27 5:00 pm Carolina 4–3 Anderson Scotiabank Place 19,656S 11–10–2 24 [51]
24 November 29 8:30 pm Winnipeg 6–4 Anderson MTS Centre 15,004 12–10–2 26 [52]
December (Games: 15; Home: 9; Road: 6) (Record: 7–5–3; Home: 5–4–0; Road: 2–1–3)
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Decision Location Attendance Record Pts Recap
25 December 1 8:30 pm Dallas 2–3 Anderson American Airlines Center 10,490 12–11–2 26 [53]
26 December 3 7:00 pm Washington 2 – 3 (OT) Anderson Verizon Center 18,506 12–11–3 27 [54]
27 December 5 7:30 pm Tampa Bay 4–2 Anderson Scotiabank Place 18,742 13–11–3 29 [55]
28 December 7 7:00 pm Washington 3–5 Anderson Scotiabank Place 17,771 13–12–3 29 [56]
29 December 8 7:00 pm New Jersey 4 – 5 (SO) Auld Prudential Center 13,743 13–12–4 30 [57]
30 December 10 7:00 pm Vancouver 1–4 Anderson Scotiabank Place 19,171S 13–13–4 30 [58]
31 December 13 7:00 pm Buffalo 3 – 2 (OT) Anderson First Niagara Center 18,690 14–13–4 32 [59]
32 December 14 7:30 pm Boston 2–5 Anderson Scotiabank Place 18,088 14–14–4 32 [60]
33 December 16 7:30 pm Pittsburgh 6–4 Auld Scotiabank Place 19,710S 15–14–4 34 [61]
34 December 20 7:30 pm Buffalo 4–1 Anderson Scotiabank Place 18,474 16–14–4 36 [62]
35 December 22 7:30 pm Florida 4 – 3 (OT) Anderson Scotiabank Place 19,296S 17–14–4 38 [63]
36 December 23 7:00 pm Carolina 1 – 2 (OT) Anderson RBC Center 14,556 17–14–5 39 [64]
37 December 27 7:30 pm Montreal 2–6 Anderson Scotiabank Place 20,500S 17–15–5 39 [65]
38 December 30 7:30 pm Calgary 4–3 (OT) Anderson Scotiabank Place 20,500S 18–15–5 41 [66]
39 December 31 7:00 pm Buffalo 3–2 (SO) Anderson First Niagara Center 18,690 19–15–5 43 [67]
January (Games: 14; Home: 4; Road: 10) (Record: 8–5–1; Home: 3–1–0; Road: 5–4–1)
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Decision Location Attendance Record Pts Recap
40 January 2 7:30 pm New Jersey 3 – 2 (OT) Anderson Scotiabank Place 19,573S 20–15–5 45 [68]
41 January 5 7:30 pm Tampa Bay 4–1 Anderson Scotiabank Place 19,994S 21–15–5 47 [69]
42 January 7 1:00 pm Philadelphia 2 – 3 (OT) Anderson Wells Fargo Center 19,792 21–15–6 48 [70]
43 January 8 5:00 pm Philadelphia 6–4 Anderson Scotiabank Place 20,028S 22–15–6 50 [71]
44 January 10 7:00 pm Pittsburgh 5–1 Anderson Consol Energy Center 18,603 23–15–6 52 [72]
45 January 12 7:00 pm NY Rangers 3–0 Anderson Madison Square Garden 18,200 24–15–6 54 [73]
46 January 14 7:00 pm Montreal 3 – 2 (SO) Anderson Bell Centre 21,273 25–15–6 56 [74]
47 January 16 7:30 pm Winnipeg 0–2 Anderson Scotiabank Place 19,927S 25–16–6 56 [75]
48 January 17 7:00 pm Toronto 3–2 Anderson Air Canada Centre 19,615 26–16–6 58 [76]
49 January 19 10:30 pm San Jose 4–1 Anderson HP Pavilion 17,562 27–16–6 60 [77]
50 January 21 4:00 pm Anaheim 1–2 Anderson Honda Center 15,500 27–17–6 60 [78]
51 January 23 10:30 pm Los Angeles 1–4 Anderson Staples Center 18,118 27–18–6 60 [79]
52 January 24 9:00 pm Phoenix 2–3 Anderson Jobing.com Arena 8,061 27–19–6 60 [80]
53 January 31 7:00 pm Boston 3–4 Anderson TD Garden 17,565 27–20–6 60 [81]
February (Games: 12; Home: 8; Road: 4) (Record: 7–3–2; Home: 3–3–2; Road: 4–0–0)
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Decision Location Attendance Record Pts Recap
54 February 3 7:30 pm NY Islanders 1 – 2 (OT) Anderson Scotiabank Place 18,252 27–20–7 61 [82]
55 February 4 7:00 pm Toronto 0–5 Anderson Scotiabank Place 20,500S 27–21–7 61 [83]
56 February 7 7:30 pm St. Louis 1–3 Anderson Scotiabank Place 18,952 27–22–7 61 [84]
57 February 9 7:30 pm Nashville 4–3 Auld Scotiabank Place 18,592 28–22–7 63 [85]
58 February 11 2:00 pm Edmonton 3 – 4 (OT) Anderson Scotiabank Place 20,085S 28–22–8 64 [86]
59 February 14 7:00 pm Tampa Bay 4–0 Anderson St. Pete Times Forum 17,488 29–22–8 66 [87]
60 February 15 7:30 pm Florida 6–2 Anderson BankAtlantic Center 14,038 30–22–8 68 [88]
61 February 20 1:00 pm NY Islanders 6–0 Anderson Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 15,818 31–22–8 70 [89]
62 February 22 7:00 pm Washington 5–2 Anderson Scotiabank Place 18,357 32–22–8 72 [90]
63 February 25 7:00 pm Boston 3–5 Auld Scotiabank Place 19,444S 32–23–8 72 [91]
64 February 26 5:00 pm NY Islanders 5–2 Lehner Scotiabank Place 19,660S 33–23–8 74 [92]
65 February 28 7:00 pm Boston 1–0 Lehner TD Garden 17,565 34–23–8 76 [93]
March (Games: 13; Home: 7; Road: 6) (Record: 6–5–2; Home: 3–3–1; Road: 3–2–1)
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Decision Location Attendance Record Pts Recap
66 March 2 7:00 pm Chicago 1–2 Lehner Scotiabank Place 18,788 34–24–8 76 [94]
67 March 4 6:00 pm Florida 2–4 Lehner BankAtlantic Center 15,811 34–25–8 76 [95]
68 March 6 7:30 pm Tampa Bay 7–3 Bishop St. Pete Times Forum 18,967 35–25–8 78 [96]
69 March 8 7:30 pm NY Rangers 4–1 Bishop Scotiabank Place 18,854 36–25–8 80 [97]
70 March 10 7:00 pm Buffalo 3 – 4 (SO) Bishop Scotiabank Place 19,951S 36–25–9 81 [98]
71 March 14 7:30 pm Montreal 2 – 3 (SO) Bishop Bell Centre 21,273 36–25–10 82 [99]
72 March 16 7:00 pm Montreal 2 – 1 (OT) Bishop Scotiabank Place 20,500S 37–25–10 84 [100]
73 March 17 7:00 pm Toronto 1–3 Bishop Scotiabank Place 20,500S 37–26–10 84 [101]
74 March 20 7:30 pm New Jersey 0–1 Bishop Scotiabank Place 19,834S 37–27–10 84 [102]
75 March 23 7:30 pm Montreal 1–5 Anderson Bell Centre 21,273 37–28–10 84 [103]
76 March 24 7:00 pm Pittsburgh 8–4 Anderson Scotiabank Place 20,076S 38–28–10 86 [104]
77 March 26 8:30 pm Winnipeg 6–4 Anderson MTS Centre 15,004 39–28–10 88 [105]
78 March 31 1:00 pm Philadelphia 4 – 3 (SO) Anderson Wells Fargo Center 19,822 40–28–10 90 [106]
April (Games: 4; Home: 2; Road: 2) (Record: 1–3–0; Home: 0–2–0; Road: 1–1–0)
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent Score Decision Location Attendance Record Pts Recap
79 April 1 3:00 pm NY Islanders 5–1 Anderson Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 14,210 41–28–10 92 [107]
80 April 3 7:30 pm Carolina 1–2 Anderson Scotiabank Place 19,484S 41–29–10 92 [108]
81 April 5 7:30 pm Boston 1–3 Bishop Scotiabank Place 20,500S 41–30–10 92 [109]
82 April 7 3:00 pm New Jersey 2–4 Anderson Prudential Center 17,625 41–31–10 92 [110]

Playoffs[]

Eastern Conference Quarter-final – #8 Senators vs. #1 Rangers – Rangers win series 4–3
Game Date Time Score Decision Location Attendance Record Recap
1 April 12 7 pm 2–4 Anderson Madison Square Garden 18,200 0–1 [111]
2 April 14 7 pm 3–2 (OT) Anderson Madison Square Garden 18,200 1–1 [112]
3 April 16 7:30 pm 0–1 Anderson Scotiabank Place 20,182S 1–2 [113]
4 April 18 7:30 pm 3–2 (OT) Anderson Scotiabank Place 20,340S 2–2 [114]
5 April 21 7 pm 2–0 Anderson Madison Square Garden 18,200 3–2 [115]
6 April 23 7 pm 2–3 Anderson Scotiabank Place 20,500S 3–3 [116]
7 April 26 7 pm 1–2 Anderson Madison Square Garden 18,200 3–4 [117]
Notes:
S.^ Sell-out (over 19,153 at Scotiabank Place).

Player statistics[]

Source: Ottawa Senators.[118] Source: NHL.[119]

Scoring[]

Goaltending[]

Source: NHL.[120]

Regular season
Player GP Min W L OTL GA GAA SA Sv% SO G A Pts PIM
Craig Anderson 63 3492 33 22 6 165 2.84 1917 .914 3 0 4 4 4
Alex Auld 14 645 2 4 2 36 3.35 310 .884 0 0 0 0 0
Ben Bishop 10 532 3 3 2 22 2.48 243 .909 0 0 0 0 2
Robin Lehner 5 299 3 2 0 10 2.01 154 .935 1 0 0 0 0
Playoffs
Player GP Min W L GA GAA SA Sv% SO G A Pts PIM
Craig Anderson 7 419 3 4 14 2.00 208 .933 1 0 0 0 0

Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Senators. Stats reflect time with Senators only.
Traded mid-season.

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards/Milestones[]

Awards[]

Regular Season
Player Award Awarded
Jason Spezza[121] NHL Second Star of the Week October 24, 2011
Jason Spezza[122] NHL First Star of the Week December 19, 2011
Craig Anderson[123] NHL Third Star of the Week January 9, 2012
Craig Anderson[124] NHL First Star of the Week January 16, 2012
Daniel Alfredsson[125] NHL Third Star of the Week January 30, 2012
Jason Spezza[126] NHL Third Star of the Week February 20, 2012
Erik Karlsson[127] NHL First Star of the Week February 27, 2012
Erik Karlsson[128] NHL Second Star of the Month February 2012
Craig Anderson Molson Cup April 2012

NHL awards[]

Norris Trophy Erik Karlsson
King Clancy Trophy Daniel Alfredsson
First All-Star team Erik Karlsson

Records[]

The Senators set a new franchise record for the fastest two goals scored on October 8, 2011, in a 6–5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. The first goal was scored by Jason Spezza at 15:36 of the third period, while the second goal was scored eight seconds later by Daniel Alfredsson. The previous record was nine seconds, set the previous season.

On February 22, 2012, Erik Karlsson set a new franchise record for assists by a defenceman in a single season by tallying two assists, bringing his total to 47, in a 5–2 victory over the Washington Capitals. The previous record was held by Norm MacIver, who tallied 46 assists during the modern franchise's inaugural season in 1992–93.

On February 26, 2012, Erik Karlsson set a new franchise record for points by a defenceman in a single season by tallying two assists, bringing his points total to 65, in a 5–2 victory over the New York Islanders. The previous record was held by Norm MacIver, who tallied 63 points during the modern franchise's inaugural season in 1992–93.

Milestones[]


Transactions[]

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