The Senators earned it — the game and the expected-goals battle both.
The Senators won 7–4 and controlled every underlying metric. They owned 66% of expected goals (4.28–2.19 at 5v5) and held Seattle to 36% of shot attempts.
Both teams beat their expected output significantly. Seattle scored four goals on just 2.19 xG—a 1.81-goal outperformance. The Senators posted a 2.72-goal outperformance, a larger margin that confirms their superior play created a wider scoring advantage.
The shot map reinforced Ottawa's dominance. They generated 37 attempts to Seattle's 21, and quality widened the gap: eight high-danger chances to three. In transition, Ottawa scored five goals on 35 rush chances; Seattle managed three on 24—a speed advantage that proved decisive.
L. Ullmark made 17 saves on 21 shots (0.810 SV%) for the Senators, while J. Daccord saved 30 of 37 (0.811 SV%) for the Kraken. Both posted strong percentages against relentless pressure. Seattle did score two goals from low-danger areas—chances that an opposing goaltender normally stops—but even those gifted tallies could not bridge the gap created by Ottawa's superior volume and quality.
The scoreboard showed a blowout. Every underlying metric confirmed it.