Nick Cousins speaks, Tyler Kleven's emergence and more: Senators notebook

New York Times

29-04-2025

OTTAWA — Unsung heroes can come from anywhere in the Stanley Cup playoffs. And they aren't limited to overtime goal scorers or top-billing players.
Consider the case of Tyler Kleven, the towering 23-year-old North Dakota defenceman whose game has caught some onlookers by surprise this postseason. The 6-foot-5 rearguard has imposed himself physically while showing off his defending and mobility as the Senators' No. 5 defenceman.
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Kleven saved goalie Linus Ullmark by batting the puck out of midair after the latter made a big save in Game 4. In overtime, he got the primary assist on Jake Sanderson's winner after skating into the offensive zone and nearly beating Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz with a shot of his own.
'I just tried to get a shot on net,' Kleven said. 'The puck got whacked up to (Sanderson). He just made a nice shot on net. I was happy to see that one go in. There was not much there, but I'm just happy to see him score.'
The Sens' playoff inexperience has been well documented, and there might be no better encapsulation of that than their third pairing. Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo had 141 NHL regular-season games between them entering the playoffs. That's just under the 161 career regular-season games Matthew Knies has played for the Maple Leafs in addition to his 18 playoff games. Kleven also had at least two other partners throughout the regular season: veteran Travis Hamonic and 2018 first-round pick Jacob Bernard-Docker, who is now a member of the Buffalo Sabres.
But the Kleven and Matinpalo pairing has held up better than anticipated in the Senators' first-round matchup. They've obviously been sheltered. But they're still the Sens' best pairing in terms of expected goals percentage and high-danger chance percentage among pairings who've played a minimum of 30 minutes together in the playoffs, thanks in part to how they've dealt with chances against.
The most important thing is that the duo has helped more than harmed the Sens.
'I've liked them,' Sens head coach Travis Green said. 'The physicality within them. I don't want to call (Kleven) sneaky physical because he's now just becoming physical and comfortable playing that way. And he hits hard. Big defencemen who can skate and hit hard are hard to find. (Matinpalo) is similar. And when you have two guys that are long and can skate and can be physical, that's the making of a good pair.'
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'I've had the same mentality all year,' Kleven said. 'Just go out there and play my game.
'Simple, hard, fast. That's just how I like to play.'
It helps that Kleven and Matinpalo have a rapport dating back to their days in the American League with the Belleville Senators. Matinpalo told The Athletic back in March that they spent last season together in the minors, and he benefited from the constant communication Kleven provided.
Just like many of his young teammates, Kleven has had some growing up to do on and off the ice. He acknowledged what it was like this season playing through growing pains and how Green has managed it.
'They give you a leash at times,' Kleven said. 'Sometimes, being a younger player, your leash can be shortened at times. I go out there and try to make the right plays. But at times, I don't always make the right play, and (Green) has to get on me for that. It's all for the right reason. He's definitely given me a hard time … but he's been a great coach for me this year. He's helped my game grow a little bit.
'I've got a lot of guys around me in this locker room, too, that have helped me out.'
Green acknowledged that he had to give the 23-year-old some 'tough love' as he played through his first year as a full-time defenceman. But Green said he 'stood tall on a little pressure' while also crediting assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner for keeping his confidence and helping him adjust to the NHL level.
'Sometimes the habits of players, the focus for a player from day to day when they come out of college or junior, can vary,' Green said. 'Some players come right into the NHL. Some have to learn the hard way in the American League. And as coaches, we've got to pick and choose how we develop. That's a big part of the NHL now is developing young players.
'He's a guy that I probably treated differently than (Thomas Chabot). Being very demanding of him, whether it was being late for a meeting or not quite focused in a meeting where every detail matters. And making him accountable to his play yet still playing him.'
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And now, Kleven has emerged as a solid, key part of an ambitious comeback attempt down three games to one.
'Just take it one day at a time. You can't win three games without winning the first one,' Kleven said. 'I think that we just (have) to go out there and play our style.'
The Senators forward spoke to the media for the first time since the NHL fined him $2,083.33 for 'unsportsmanlike conduct' during Game 3's pregame warmup against the Leafs. Ottawa was also fined $25,000.
Video surfaced of Nick Cousins lobbing pucks toward Stolarz, the Maple Leafs goalie. The two were previously teammates on the Florida Panthers, winning the Stanley Cup last year. The incident has since been dubbed 'Warmupgate.'
Here's what NHL is looking at from last night. 'Friend of Bieksa' Nick Cousins shoots puck at Stolarz. NHL not crazy about pre-game stuff…also clamped down on funny Scheifele/Hofer standoff in Blues/Jets series pic.twitter.com/ZF08AZwdO4
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 25, 2025
Days after the events, Cousins tried not to revive the storyline. He reiterated a few times that he'll focus on his play 'between the whistles.' But he conceded he was 'surprised' about the fine.
'I played with (Stolarz) numerous times in my career, probably talk to him once a week,' Cousins said. 'Haven't talked to him since the start of the series, obviously. We'll save that for after. But he's playing really well for (Toronto) right now. He's playing the best hockey of his career, and I'm happy for him.'
Cousins will also focus on making life difficult for his former teammate turned Maple Leafs goaltender.
'Clearly, shooting pucks at him isn't the play because he's been lights out for them,' Cousins said. 'I just think we've got to get a little more traffic in front of him and beat him that way.'
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The NHL is trying to crack down on any pregame antics ahead of its playoff games. The NHL fined the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens on Monday for their 'unsportsmanlike' actions ahead of Game 4 in Montreal, in which Caps defenceman Dylan McIlrath and Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj found themselves in the fray. McIlrath and Xhekaj were also fined.
'The league obviously doesn't like it,' Cousins said. 'Well aware of that.'
Nick Jensen is among the #Sens group at practice today. No sign of Ridly Greig. pic.twitter.com/MZtXpZD36X
— Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) April 28, 2025
These lines sure seem familiar. They're the ones coach Green started the series with. We've been told the Senators won't skate Tuesday, so this might be the last time we get a peek at potential plans ahead of Game 5. There is also nothing stopping Green from reverting to the lines he started Game 4 with.
The line blender was active throughout these first four games, with Brady Tkachuk playing alongside Dylan Cozens, Tim Stützle getting reps with Drake Batherson, and David Perron getting bumped down to the fourth line with Adam Gaudette and Cousins (and scoring on that line). Finally, as anticipated, Fabian Zetterlund was bumped up the lineup as a 'Swiss Army knife' type player.
'He's fast, he's sturdy,' Green said. 'He's still young, too. He's still learning the importance of certain parts of the rink and being ultra-competitive shift in, shift out. He's definitely built for it. He's fast enough, and he's competitive. He can shoot the puck. There's a lot to like about him.'
Now, let's focus on the third line. Matthew Highmore is in Ridly Greig's spot from our projected lines. Unless the Sens tell us otherwise, you should expect Greig to play third-line minutes with Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio. Greig hasn't made many appearances at pregame skate since the eve of Game 1, with Green playing his cards close to the vest. For what it's worth, Nick Jensen practiced with his teammates on Monday. He's missed a handful of practices and skates since the halfway point of the season.
Zack MacEwen took line rushes as an extra on the fourth line. The forward recently returned to the organization after leaving partway through the year for what has been described as 'personal reasons.' The 28-year-old was among a handful of recalls made last week, as is custom for most NHL teams when they want to recall Black Aces for their playoff roster. They include Senators prospect Carter Yakemchuk, who joined the Sens after his WHL postseason run with the Calgary Hitmen came to an end.