The article discusses the 2025 Battle of Ontario, highlighting the differences in team strategy and player deployment compared to past matchups. It focuses on the Ottawa Senators' lineup, emphasizing the strengths of lines centered around Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto. Stutzle's critical role as the leading scorer is noted, alongside Pinto's emerging identity line that shows promise in both scoring and matchups against key opponents. This analysis sets the stage for understanding how these dynamics could unfold in the series.
The Tim Stutzle-centered line is fed offensive zone starts—Stutzle, in particular. He is their leading scorer, and they cater to his offense with the deployment.
If we stretch the sample further back, Pinto leads the team in goals since the Christmas break. The trio is starting under 30 percent of their shifts in the offensive zone this season, winning the expected goals metric, and is outscoring opponents 9-8 overall.
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