{"id":455864,"date":"2024-11-12T09:59:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T14:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=455864"},"modified":"2024-11-12T09:59:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T14:59:00","slug":"ottawa-senators-drake-batherson-bath-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/11\/12\/ottawa-senators-drake-batherson-bath-man\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ottawa Senators and the One They Call Bath Man"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/11\/12\/analyzing-tonights-matchup-featuring-ottawa-senators-at-toronto-maple-leafs\/\" target=\"_self\">Ottawa Senators<\/a> want to talk about positives around the club, and one of those positives is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bathedr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drake Batherson<\/a>. We all know of Batherson\u2019s skill, but this year he\u2019s putting it all together. But, just what does that mean and how does it impact the club\u2019s performance? All this and more, as we discuss Batherson and his significance on the Senators roster.<\/p>\n<h3>Drake Batherson Determined to Make This the Year for the Senators<\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We all know about <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Batherson\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> skillset. He has terrific hands, a <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">hard<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, accurate shot, and playmaking skills. But it seems that we have yet <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">to truly see his potential<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Now,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Batherson <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">did<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> previously <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">have<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> his breakout season in the NHL.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> In 2021-22, he <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">put up<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> 44 points in 46 games <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">playing<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> alongside <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/n\/norrijo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Joshua Norris<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> and <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/tkachbr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Brady Tkachuk<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Unfortunately, that season was cut short by injury for Batherson. However, in the two seasons that have followed, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">he&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> been able to show it was no <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">fluke,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> despite not quite getting back to that level. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> scored at least 22 goals and notched <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a minimum<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> of 62 points in each of those <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">two<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> campaigns.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Now, in 2024-25, he looks to do what it takes to elevate his level <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">back<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> to where it was and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Drake Batherson Strikes Seconds After Series Of Saves by Forsberg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YqW2H9wtSfQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So far <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">on<\/span> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> season, Batherson has been working hard.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> He <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is showing<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> that he <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">isn&#8217;t<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> afraid to play the body and goes to the dirty areas to generate offence. Just from his 5v5 play, his <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/moneypuck.com\/stats.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">expected goals<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> on the season are already up to 2.1 through 14 games. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Interestingly enough, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> a sign the Sens forward group is playing the right way<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">despite<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> that high rating,<\/span> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">he&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> only ranked fifth on the team.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Unsurprisingly, the captain, Brady Tkachuk, leads the charge at 3.0 in the category. Furthermore, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Batherson&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> shooting shows confidence in his game. His 2.9 shot attempts per game at <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">5v5,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> have him ranked fourth on the squad.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Batherson May Have Found a New Home With Norris Again<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The other aspect raising the level of comfort in <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Batherson&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> game <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is the steady line he plays on<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> The line of Norris and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Batherson<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> combined with veteran point producer <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/g\/giroucl01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Claude Giroux<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> has consistently been one of the Sens best lines on a nightly basis. They have been on ice for nearly 94 minutes thus far in 2024-25. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In contrast, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">it is a bit odd to find<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> their xGoals% at a very underwhelming mark of 41%.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Perhaps that has factored into the <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/11\/06\/ottawa-senators-road-woes-wont-go-away\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Sens only being a .500 hockey <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">club<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> if one of their best forward <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">alignments,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> still <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">isn&#8217;t<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> overly <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">great<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">On the other<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> hand, what makes the trio <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">successful,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> has been their efficiency. Their actual on-ice goal% is much higher at 50%. This positive discrepancy between actual and expected, shows that they produce more than they should relative to their opposition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The other aspect of Batherson&#8217;s game that has elevated his play this season is his work on the power play. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/09\/03\/ottawa-senators-tim-stutzle-2024-25-point-projections\/\" target=\"_self\">Sens power play continues to roll along<\/a> at 31.1%, good for fourth in the entire NHL. Batherson is a main fixture on the top unit. As mentioned, he has the skills, and he has been able to effectively apply them on the power play. In addition, he is already up to three goals and three assists, with the six points ranking him fourth on the team in power play scoring.<\/p>\n<p>If the Ottawa Senators are to remain competitive in the playoff race throughout the 2024-25 season, Drake Batherson will continue to be a major contributor. Based on his body-of-work thus far, he&#8217;s setting a great precedent for what&#8217;s to come. As long as he can stay consistent, the Sens power play, the second line with Norris and Giroux, as well as the team outcomes, will all play out favourably as the season wears on.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ottawa Senators want to talk about positives around the club, and one of those positives is Drake Batherson. We all know of Batherson\u2019s skill, but this year he\u2019s putting it all together. But, just what does that mean and how does it impact the club\u2019s performance? All this and more, as we discuss Batherson and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4222,"featured_media":445104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4547,4548],"tags":[2837,70],"class_list":["post-455864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-senators","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-drake-batherson","tag-ottawa-senators"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4222"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=455864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/445104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=455864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=455864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=455864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}