Ottawa Senators: Bobby Ryan's Playoff Play Vital to Team's Success

Bobby Ryan has played three fantastic games for the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the NHL playoffs and, if the Senators move on, a lot of the credit will be due to him.

Before the 2016-17 season began for the Ottawa Senators, left winger Bobby Ryan was touted as one of the most important skaters for this team. He was coming off of a 2015-16 season where he scored 22 goals along with 34 assists in 81 games for the Sens, and many expected him to have an even better season this year.

A Season-Long Slump

Unfortunately for Ryan, a couple of hand and finger injuries hampered his 16-17 campaign and he missed 20 total games for Ottawa. His season wasn't going well regardless, as he went through multiple scoring slumps. In fact, he went 12 straight games without a single point to end the season, only breaking the slump with a goal in the final game of the year against the Islanders.

Apr 3, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Ottawa Senators right wing Bobby Ryan (9) talks to a referee during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings won 5-4 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

These scoring slumps were unusual for Ryan who, in three prior seasons with Ottawa, had put up 63 goals and 95 assists. He finished the 16-17 regular season with just 13 goals and 12 assists in 62 games.

His lack of production certainly had an effect on the Ottawa Senators offense throughout the year, as the team finished 22nd in scoring in the NHL and had pundits wondering if it could hang in a series with a team like Boston.

Ottawa Senators Playoff Success

As it stands today, the Ottawa Senators lead their first-round series against the Boston Bruins 2-1 and a lot of credit for that should be given to the play of Bobby Ryan. Through those three games, Ryan has two goals and two assists, including the overtime winner in game three on Monday night.

He also opened the scoring in the series, tallying the only goal in Ottawa's game one loss, and helped the team capitalize on a power play with an assist in game two. He added another assist to his playoff numbers on a Derick Brassard goal in the first period of game three, before winning the game with the aforementioned goal in OT.

Bobby Ryan's play has certainly been a boon for this Ottawa squad and is a big reason why the team leads an arguably better Boston Bruins club. With leading goal-scorer Kyle Turris — as well as 22-goal-scorer Mark Stone — having trouble getting on the scoreboard, Ryan's play is that much more crucial to the Senators' success.

If Ryan can continue to generate offense and help get the puck past Boston's Tuukka Rask, this Ottawa team has a solid chance at moving on to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.