The Senators earned it — the game and the expected-goals battle both.
Ottawa's 5-2 rout was built on dominance at every measurable level. At 5v5, the Senators held 66% of expected goals (5.08–2.67), controlled 56% of shot attempts (23–18), and generated far deadlier chances: 0.113 xG per shot against Colorado's 0.056.
The high-danger sequence was even starker. Ottawa created 10 dangerous looks to Colorado's 3, a gap that rendered the scoreline almost predictable. Four of Ottawa's five goals came off the rush; their defensive shape never wavered.
Tim Stützle's wrist shot from the slot at 18:53 of the third illustrated this imbalance perfectly. It came when the Senators were already in control and merely confirmed what the data had been saying all night.
Colorado's one bright spot was goaltending. M. Blackwood stopped 18 of 21 shots (0.857 SV%), saving 2.08 goals above expected—an exceptional effort that masked how thoroughly the Avalanche were outmatched. J. Reimer, facing higher-quality chances, posted 16 of 18 (0.889 SV%).
A. Zub paced Ottawa's defense with two assists across 21:55 of ice time, the kind of quiet control that only surfaces when you examine outlet passes and slot coverage. T. Stützle finished 1G, 1A in 18:28. J. Sanderson added an assist in 24:43, anchoring the backend.
This was dominance confirmed by every layer of analysis—a game where Ottawa's advantages compounded so thoroughly that elite goaltending could not level the field.