2010–11 Ottawa Senators season

The 2010–11 Ottawa Senators season was the team's 19th season of operation in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Senators posted a regular season record of 32 wins, 40 losses and 10 overtime/shootout losses for 74 points, failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second time in three seasons. After falling to last place in the Eastern Conference by the end of January, the Senators started a rebuild, trading away several veterans for draft choices. Head coach Cory Clouston was fired at the end of the season.
==Off-season==
Early in the off-season, the Senators signed several players including summer development camp attendee Colin Greening on April 28 and Binghamton Senators forward Ryan Keller on May 19, as well as goaltender Mike Brodeur on May 26. After some media speculation, the Senators also bought-out Jonathan Cheechoo's contract on June 29 after he cleared waivers, making Cheechoo a free agent.
At the Entry Draft, the Senators traded their first-round pick to the St. Louis Blues for defenceman David Rundblad, who had been the Blues' first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2009 Draft. Having now previously traded their first, second- and fifth-round picks, the Senators picked Jakub Culek in the third round (76th overall), Marcus Sorensen in the fourth round (106th overall), Mark Stone in the sixth round (178th overall) and Bryce Aneloski in the seventh round (196th overall).
Throughout July, the Senators made various signings. On July 13, they signed Swiss forward and 2004 Senator draft pick Roman Wick to a one-year, entry-level contract, and re-signed Derek Smith to a one-year contract. On July 22, they re-signed forward Cody Bass to a one-year, two-way contract and forward Mike Hoffman to a one-year, entry-level contract.
Having fired Goaltending Coach Eli Wilson in January, the Senators signed former goaltender Rick Wamsley as goaltending coach on July 27. His most recent job was interim head coach of the St. Louis Blues' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. He had at one time been Pascal Leclaire's goaltending coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
On August 5, the Senators re-signed Binghamton defenceman Geoff Kinrade to a one-year, two-way contract as well as signing forward and local prospect Corey Cowick to an entry-level contract. Cowick was an assistant captain with Ottawa's Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team, the Ottawa 67's, and was the Senators' sixth-round pick at the 2009 Draft.
===Free agents===
The Senators entered the off-season with four restricted free agents (RFAs): Chris Campoli, Nick Foligno, Peter Regin and Jesse Winchester. The team also had six unrestricted free agents (UFAs): Matt Cullen and Andy Sutton acquired via late 2009–10 season trades; Shean Donovan and Anton Volchenkov, as well as Binghamton players Martin St. Pierre and Josh Hennessy.
Of the four RFAs, all re-signed with the Senators. Winchester and Foligno each signed two-year deals on July 1 and July 21, respectively. Campoli and Regin both filed for arbitration, however they each re-signed before it reached that point. Regin signed a two-year deal on July 29, while Campoli signed a one-year deal on July 30.
Of the six UFAs, none re-signed with the Senators. On July 1, the first day of free agency, Volchenkov signed with the New Jersey Devils while Cullen signed a three-year deal with the Minnesota Wild. On August 2, Sutton signed with the Anaheim Ducks in a two-year deal. Donovan did not sign with any NHL team. St. Pierre and Hennessy both signed with teams overseas.
In terms of acquisitions, the Senators made a notable move in signing former Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Sergei Gonchar to a three-year deal in the first hours after the July 1 free agency deadline. Other free agency acquisitions include forward Corey Locke, defenceman and enforcer Francis Lessard, defenceman David Hale and defenceman Andre Benoit.
===Spezza trade speculation===
In early June, an Ottawa Sun article reported that star centre Jason Spezza was "unhappy" and that there were "indications [he] may have asked for a trade." Though purely speculation, the article prompted various other Ottawa sports media sources to issue their own perspectives. Theories ranged from conjuring up various trade rumours, noting the similarity to the previous year's Dany Heatley trade demand, or to suggesting that it was just "lazy rumor mongering." Meanwhile, the Sun received criticism for its journalistic integrity to the point where they had to defend accusations that they were "anti-Spezza" This did not stop speculation, however, which was emboldened by silence both from Spezza and general manager Bryan Murray.
Spezza finally broke the silence during his annual Celebrity Classic golf tournament on July 20:
Further, he expressed regret that the issue had become public at all. "Me and Bryan have talked since then and probably our conversation should have stayed between us", he said. "We probably wouldn't even be talking here today. But it happened and it's a reality." His statement largely settled the rumour, apart from some minor speculation (again by Ottawa Sun columnists) that Spezza had in fact demanded a trade similar to Heatley. However, sources confirmed with Spezza's team members that the situation was "not even close to the Dany situation."
==Pre-season==
On June 18, the Senators announced that they would play eight pre-season games, which includes three home games, four road games and one neutral site game. The Senators faced the Toronto Maple Leafs three times, and had home-and-home sets against the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers. The Senators also played in the 2010 Kraft Hockeyville game in Dundas, Ontario, against the Buffalo Sabres. The game was played on September 28, 2010, at the J.L. Grightmire Market Street Arena.
==Regular season==
The Senators' regular season schedule was announced on June 22, 2010. The Senators opened the season at home against the Buffalo Sabres on October 8, 2010. The Senators end the season on the road against the Boston Bruins on April 9, 2011.
The Senators' goal for the season was to return to the playoffs for the 13th time in 14 seasons. Media predictions were mostly negative. The Hockey News predicted in their 2010–11 Yearbook that the Senators will finish tenth in the Eastern Conference, thereby missing the playoffs. The Hockey News writer Adam Proteau predicted the Senators will finish ninth in the Conference. The Las Vegas Hilton SportsBook set the odds at 40–1 that the Senators will win the Stanley Cup.
Within a few days of each other, two of the Senators celebrated milestones in wins. On October 22, Daniel Alfredsson scored a hat trick to reach 1,000 points in his career in a win against the Buffalo Sabres. On October 26, Sergei Gonchar played in his 1,000th game in his career. The game saw the Senators set a new team record for fastest two goals. Erik Karlsson and Alexei Kovalev scored only nine seconds apart, breaking the record of ten seconds set in 1995. The Senators defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 5–2.
On November 13, 2010, the 14-year-old daughter of Assistant Coach Luke Richardson died. The team, on a four-game road trip, returned to Ottawa for a "celebration of life" memorial service held at Scotiabank Place on November 17. Five-thousand and six-hundred mourners attended the service, including former NHL players Paul Coffey, Wendel Clark, Doug Gilmour and Tie Domi. The team flew out after the ceremony for a game against the Carolina Hurricanes that night. Richardson took a personal leave from the club. He returned to his duties with the Senators in January.
Another player reached the 1,000-point plateau on November 22 when Alexei Kovalev scored at the 10:00-minute mark of the first period. He became the third Russian player to reach the mark. Kovalev later assisted on the game-winning goal as the Senators prevailed over the Los Angeles Kings at home, 3–2.
The Senators set a new modern franchise record starting in the first period of a game of November 29 against the Edmonton Oilers through the game of December 5 against the New York Rangers. The team went through a scoring drought that lasted 202 minutes and 57 seconds without a goal. The Senators were shut out by the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres before Chris Kelly broke the streak in the second period of a game against the Rangers.
The Senators' poor performances led to constant rumours of a shakeup right through until December. The rumours were heightened in January after the team went on a lengthy losing streak. Owner Eugene Melnyk, who had remained silent during much of the streak, finally broke his silence in an exclusive interview with the Ottawa Sun. He made it clear that, despite rumours in the media to the contrary, general manager Bryan Murray and Head Coach Cory Clouston would be allowed to finish out their contracts and would not be replaced mid-season. Melnyk also assured the team's fanbase that a "plan [was] now in motion" to return the Senators to the status of Stanley Cup contenders, and that "difficult decisions" would be made in the coming months.
Those "difficult decisions" began on February 10, 2011, when the club traded long-time centre and fan favourite Mike Fisher to the Nashville Predators for a first-round and a conditional draft pick. The trade was met with mixed reaction from the Senators' fanbase. Some viewed it as an important step in the team's rebuilding process, while others were outraged at the loss of a player who was adored within the community. That outrage was most palpable when a local Ottawa radio station suggested that Fisher's new wife Carrie Underwood was largely responsible for his move to Nashville, and subsequently banned the play of her music. Underwood is a country music singer who is based in Nashville, where Fisher had recently begun living during the off-season.
Following the Fisher trade, the Senators traded another lifetime Senator, forward Chris Kelly, to the Boston Bruins in another move which was met with mixed reaction. The team shed salary by trading Jarkko Ruutu and the under-achieving Alexei Kovalev, both of whom were to become unrestricted free agent at season's end, to playoff contenders Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins, respectively.
Struggling goaltender Brian Elliott, a pending restricted free agent, was sent to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for goalie Craig Anderson, who had also been struggling through an inconsistent season.
Anderson, scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, was auditioned for a possible contract extension by the organization. Ottawa later acquired goaltender Curtis McElhinney on waivers on February 28. With Pascal Leclaire's injury status unknown and future with the team in doubt, the Senators finished their schedule with a vastly different goal-tending tandem than they had begun the season with.
Following speculation that longtime Senators defenceman and looming unrestricted free agent Chris Phillips would be dealt as part of the rebuilding process, the club instead signed him to a three-year extension on February 27, the day before the trade deadline. With a group of inexperienced young defencemen expected to stock the Senators' blueline in 2011–12, Phillips' experience was deemed an important asset. Defenceman Chris Campoli was traded on deadline day to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Ryan Potulny and a conditional second-round draft pick, as Ottawa's rebuilding process continued.
For the rest of the season, the Senators rotated call-ups from Binghamton. On March 21, after 11 games with Ottawa, Craig Anderson was signed to a four-year extension by GM Murray. After media speculation on the future of Murray within the organization, Murray re-signed as general manager on April 8 to a three-year extension. After the final game of the season on April 9, Murray dismissed Cory Clouston and his assistant coaches.
==Standings==
==Schedule and results==
===Pre-season===
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 1 || September 21 || Ottawa Senators || 5–0 || Toronto Maple Leafs || ||Lehner ||1–0–0
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 2 || September 22 || Ottawa Senators || 1–4 || Toronto Maple Leafs || ||Elliott ||1–1–0
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 3 || September 24 || Ottawa Senators || 2–4 || Montreal Canadiens || || Leclaire || 1–2–0
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 4 || September 25 || Montreal Canadiens || 2–6 || Ottawa Senators || || Elliott || 2–2–0
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 5 || September 28(in Dundas, Ontario) || Buffalo Sabres || 2–1 || Ottawa Senators || || Lehner || 2–3–0
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 6 || September 29 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 4–3 || Ottawa Senators || || Leclaire ||2–4–0
|- style="text-align:center"
| 7 || October 1 || Ottawa Senators || 4–5 || New York Rangers || SO || Elliott || 2–4–1
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 8 || October 2 || New York Rangers || 5-8 || Ottawa Senators || || Leclaire || 3–4–1
|-
===Regular season===
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 1 || 8 || Buffalo Sabres || 1 – 2 || Scotiabank Place (19,350) || 0–1–0 || Leclaire || 0 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 2 || 9 || @ Toronto Maple Leafs || 1 – 5 || Air Canada Centre (19,157) || 0–2–0 || Leclaire || 0 ||
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 3 || 11 ||@ Washington Capitals || 2 – 3 (OT) || Verizon Center (18,398) || 0–2–1 || Leclaire || 1 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 4 || 14 || Carolina Hurricanes || 3 – 2 || Scotiabank Place (16,270) || 1–2–1 || Elliott || 3 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 5 || 16 || @ Montreal Canadiens || 3 – 4 || Bell Centre (21,273) || 1–3–1 || Elliott || 3 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 6 || 18 || @ Pittsburgh Penguins || 2 – 5 || Consol Energy Center (18,101) || 1–4–1 || Elliott || 3 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 7 || 22 || @ Buffalo Sabres || 4 – 2 || HSBC Arena (18,009) || 2–4–1 || Elliott || 5 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 8 || 23 || Montreal Canadiens || 0 – 3 || Scotiabank Place (20,301) || 2–5–1 || Elliott || 5 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 9 || 26 || Phoenix Coyotes || 5 – 2 || Scotiabank Place (16,686) || 3–5–1 || Elliott || 7 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 10 || 28 || Florida Panthers || 5 – 3 || Scotiabank Place (16,294) || 4–5–1 || Elliott || 9 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 11 || 30 || Boston Bruins || 0 – 3 || Scotiabank Place (18,959) || 4–6–1 || Elliott || 9 ||
|-
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 12 || 2 || @ Toronto Maple Leafs || 3 – 2 || Air Canada Centre (19,409) || 5–6–1 || Elliott || 11 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 13 || 4 || New York Islanders || 4 – 1 || Scotiabank Place (17,752) || 6–6–1 || Elliott || 13 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 14 || 6 || @ Montreal Canadiens || 3 – 2 || Bell Centre (21,273) || 7–6–1 || Elliott || 15 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 15 || 9 || Atlanta Thrashers || 5 – 2 || Scotiabank Place (16,583) || 8–6–1 || Elliott || 17 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 16 || 11 || Vancouver Canucks || 2 – 6 || Scotiabank Place (19,191) || 8–7–1 || Leclaire || 17 ||
|- style="text-align:center; text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 17 || 13 || @ Boston Bruins || 2 – 0 || TD Garden (17,565) || 9–7–1 || Elliott || 19 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 18 || 15 || @ Philadelphia Flyers || 1 – 5 || Wells Fargo Center (19,256) || 9–8–1 || Elliott || 19 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 19 || 17 || @ Carolina Hurricanes || 1 – 7 || RBC Center (12,938) || 9–9–1 || Elliott || 19 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 20 || 19 || @ St. Louis Blues || 2 – 5 || Scottrade Center (19,150) || 9-10-1 || Elliott || 19 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 21 || 22 || Los Angeles Kings|| 3 – 2 || Scotiabank Place (18,315) || 10-10-1 || Leclaire || 21 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 22 || 24 || Dallas Stars ||1 – 2|| Scotiabank Place (16,281) || 10–11–1 || Leclaire || 21 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 23 || 26 || @ Pittsburgh Penguins ||1 – 2|| Consol Energy Center (18,299) || 10–12–1 || Leclaire || 21 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 24 || 27 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 3 – 0 || Scotiabank Place (20,275) || 11–12–1 || Elliott || 23 ||
|- style="text-align:center; text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 25 || 29 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 4 || Scotiabank Place (17,002) || 11–13–1 || Elliott || 23 ||
|-
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 26 || 2 || San Jose Sharks || 0 – 4 || Scotiabank Place (18,017) || 11–14–1 || Leclaire || 23 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fff;"
| 27 || 4 || Buffalo Sabres || 0 – 1 (SO) || Scotiabank Place (16,364) || 11–14–2 || Elliott || 24 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 28 || 5 || @ New York Rangers || 3 – 1 || Madison Square Garden (18,200) || 12–14–2 || Leclaire || 26 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 29 || 7 || @ Montreal Canadiens || 1 – 4 || Bell Centre (21,273) || 12–15–2 || Leclaire || 26 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 30 || 9 || New York Rangers || 3 – 5 || Scotiabank Place (16,324) || 12–16–2 || Elliott || 26 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 31 || 10 || New Jersey Devils || 3 – 2 || Scotiabank Place (16,471) || 13–16–2 || Leclaire || 28 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fff"
| 32 || 13 || Atlanta Thrashers || 3 – 4 (OT) || Scotiabank Place (18,184) || 13–16–3 || Elliott || 29 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 33 || 16 || @ Minnesota Wild || 3 – 1 || Xcel Energy Center (17,366) || 14–16–3 || Leclaire || 31 ||
|- style="text-align=:center; background:#fff"
| 34 || 17 || @ Colorado Avalanche || 5 – 6 (OT) || Pepsi Center (15,113) || 14–16–4 || Elliott || 32 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 35 || 19 || Washington Capitals || 2 – 3 || Scotiabank Place (19,516) || 14–17–4 || Elliott || 32 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 36 || 23 || @ Nashville Predators || 2 – 1 || Bridgestone Arena ( 17,113) || 15–17–4 || Elliott || 34 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 37 || 26 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3 – 1 || Scotiabank Place (20,146) || 16–17–4 || Elliott || 36 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 38 || 29 || Carolina Hurricanes || 0 – 4 || Scotiabank Place (20,221) || 16–18–4 || Elliott || 36 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fff;"
| 39 || 31 || @ Columbus Blue Jackets || 3 – 4 (OT) || Nationwide Arena (17,652) || 16–18–5 || Elliott || 37 ||
|-
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 40 || 1 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 1 – 5 || Scotiabank Place (20,027) || 16–19–5 || Elliott || 37 ||
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 41 || 7 || @ Chicago Blackhawks || 2 – 3 (SO) || United Center (21,657) || 16–19–6 || Elliott || 38 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 42 || 8 || Tampa Bay Lightning || 1 – 2 || Scotiabank Place (19,698) || 16–20–6 || Elliott || 38 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 43 || 11 || Boston Bruins || 0 – 6 || TD Garden (17,565) || 16–21–6 || Elliott || 38 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 44 || 13 || @ New York Islanders || 6 – 4 || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (8,670) || 17–21–6 || Lehner || 40 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 45 || 14 || Calgary Flames || 2 – 3 || Scotiabank Place (19,984) || 17–22–6 || Elliott || 40 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 46 || 16 || @ Washington Capitals || 1 – 3 || Verizon Center (18,398) || 17–23–6 || Elliott || 40 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fff;"
| 47 || 18 ||Anaheim Ducks || 1 – 2 (SO) || Scotiabank Place (19,515) || 17–23–7 || Elliott || 41 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 48 || 20 || @ Philadelphia Flyers || 2 – 6 || Wells Fargo Center (19,721) || 17–24–7 || Elliott || 41 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 49 || 21 || Montreal Canadiens || 1 – 7 || Scotiabank Place (20,337) || 17–25–7 || Brodeur || 41 ||
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 50 || 25 || Buffalo Sabres || 2 – 3 (OT) || Scotiabank Place (18,990) || 17–25–8 || Elliott || 42 ||
|-
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 51 || 1 || @ New Jersey Devils || 1 – 2 || Prudential Center (7,218) || 17–26–8 || Lehner || 42 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 52 || 2 || Detroit Red Wings || 5 – 7 || Scotiabank Place (18,011) || 17–27–8 || Elliott || 42 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 53 || 5 || @ New York Islanders || 3 – 5 || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (10,415) || 17–28–8 || Lehner || 42 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 54 || 7 || @ Vancouver Canucks || 2 – 4 || Rogers Arena (18,860) || 17–29–8 || Elliott || 42 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 55 || 9 || @ Calgary Flames || 2 – 5 || Pengrowth Saddledome (19,289) || 17–30–8 || Lehner || 42 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 56 || 12 || @ Edmonton Oilers || 5 – 3 || Rexall Place (16,839) || 18-30-8 || Elliott || 44 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fff;"
| 57 || 15 || New York Islanders || 3 – 4 (SO)|| Scotiabank Place (17,565) || 18-30-9 || Elliott || 45 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 58 || 18 || Boston Bruins || 2 – 4 || Scotiabank Place (18,521) || 18-31-9 || Lehner || 45 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 59 || 19 || @ Toronto Maple Leafs || 1 – 0 (SO) || Air Canada Centre (19,460) || 19-31-9 || Anderson || 47 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 60 || 23 || Florida Panthers || 5 – 1 || Scotiabank Place (16,520) || 20–31–9 || Anderson || 49 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 61 || 25 || @ Buffalo Sabres || 2 – 4 || HSBC Arena (18,690) || 20–32–9 || Anderson || 49 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 62 || 26 || Philadelphia Flyers || 4 – 1 || Scotiabank Place (19,934) || 21–32–9 || Anderson || 51 ||
|-
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 63 || 1 || Boston Bruins || 0 – 1 || Scotiabank Place (16,826) || 21–33–9 || Anderson || 51 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 64 || 3 || @ Atlanta Thrashers || 3 – 1 || Philips Arena (10,461) || 22–33–9 || Anderson || 53 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 65 || 4 || New York Rangers || 1 – 4 || Scotiabank Place (17,497) || 22–34–9 || Anderson || 53 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 66 || 8 || @ New Jersey Devils || 2 – 1 || Prudential Center (15,978) || 23–34–9 || Anderson || 55 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 67 || 10 || @ Florida Panthers || 2 – 1 || BankAtlantic Center (12,310) || 24–34–9 || Anderson || 57 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 68 || 11 || @ Tampa Bay Lightning || 2 – 1 || St. Pete Times Forum (18,777) || 25–34–9 || McElhinney || 59 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 69 || 13 || @ Buffalo Sabres || 3 – 6 || HSBC Arena (18,690) || 25–35–9 || Anderson || 59 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 70 || 15 || Pittsburgh Penguins ||1 – 5|| Scotiabank Place (19,249) || 25–36–9 || Anderson || 59 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 71 || 17 || New Jersey Devils || 3 – 1 || Scotiabank Place (17,758) || 26–36–9 || McElhinney || 61 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 72 || 19 || Tampa Bay Lightning || 3 – 2 (OT) || Scotiabank Place (18,883) || 27–36–9 || McElhinney || 63 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 73 || 22 || @ Carolina Hurricanes || 3 – 4 || RBC Centre (16,189) || 27–37–9 || McElhinney || 63 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 74 || 24 || @ New York Rangers || 2 – 1 (SO) || Madison Square Garden (18,200) || 28–37–9 || Anderson || 65 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 75 || 25 || Washington Capitals || 2 – 0 || Scotiabank Place (18,329) || 29–37–9 || Anderson || 67 ||
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 76 || 27 || @ Atlanta Thrashers || 4 – 5 (SO) || Philips Arena (16,392) || 29–37–10 || Anderson || 68 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 77 || 29 || @ Tampa Bay Lightning || 2 – 5 || St. Pete Times Forum (16,626) || 29–38–10 || McElhinney || 68 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 78 || 31 || @ Florida Panthers || 4 – 1 || BankAtlantic Center (15,672) || 30–38–10 || Anderson || 70 ||
|-
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 79 || 2 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 2 – 4 || Scotiabank Place (19,243) || 30–39–10 || Anderson || 70 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 80 || 5 || Philadelphia Flyers || 5 – 2 || Scotiabank Place (18,397) || 31–39–10 || Anderson || 72 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"
| 81 || 7 || Montreal Canadiens || 3 – 2 (OT) || Scotiabank Place (19,809)|| 32–39–10 || Anderson || 74 ||
|- style="text-align:center; background:#fcc;"
| 82 || 9 || @ Boston Bruins || 1 – 3 || Boston Garden (17,565) || 32–40–10 || McElhinney || 74 ||
|-
|-
| Source: Ottawa Senators
|-
| Legend:
==Player statistics==
===Skaters===
Regular season	 	 	 	 	 	
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"	 	 	 	 	 	
Player 	GP	G 	A 	Pts	+/−	PIM
 	62	21	36	57 	-7 	28
 	75	13	32	45 	-30	50
 	82	14	20	34 	-19	43
 	66	18	15	33 	-12	49
 	54	14	17	31 	-19	18
 	67	7 	20	27 	-15	20
 	79	11	16	27 	3 	26
‡ 	54	14	13	27 	-9 	28
‡ 	55	14	10	24 	-19	33
‡ 	57	12	11	23 	-12	27
 	36	10	11	21 	-16	10
 	55	3 	14	17 	-4 	12
 	64	2 	14	16 	-26	16
 	80	6 	10	16 	-14	210
‡ 	58	3 	11	14 	-3 	34
 	24	6 	7 	13 	2 	10
 	72	4 	9 	13 	-9 	42
 	26	6 	5 	11 	-1 	12
‡ 	50	2 	8 	10 	-2 	59
 	55	4 	5 	9 	-11	120
 	82	1 	8 	9 	-35	32
 	50	1 	6 	7 	0 	136
 	25	1 	4 	5 	7 	6
† 	19	3 	2 	5 	-1 	8
 	50	0 	3 	3 	-10	24
 	8 	0 	2 	2 	0 	4
 	8 	0 	1 	1 	-1 	6
 	5 	0 	1 	1 	-1 	0
 	9 	0 	1 	1 	3 	0
 	7 	0 	0 	0 	-4 	0
 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	0 	0 	0 	-3 	2
 	24	0 	0 	0 	0 	78
 	4 	0 	0 	0 	-1 	0
† 	7 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
===Goaltenders===
Regular season	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Player 	GP	Min 	W 	L 	OTL	GA 	GAA 	SA 	Sv% 	SO	G	A	PIM
‡ 	43	2293	13	19	8 	122	3.19	1147	.894	3 	0	0	0
† 	18	1055	11	5 	1 	36 	2.05	589 	.939	2 	0	0	0
 	14	763 	4 	7 	1 	36 	2.83	391 	.908	0 	0	0	0
† 	7 	399 	3 	4 	0 	17 	2.56	205 	.917	0 	0	0	0
 	8 	341 	1 	4 	0 	20 	3.52	178 	.888	0 	0	0	2
 	4 	97 	0 	1 	0 	7 	4.33	42 	.833	0 	0	0	0
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Senators. Stats reflect time with Senators only.
‡Traded mid-season.
===Awards/Milestones===
* Ryan Shannon – Ottawa Senators' nominee for Bill Masterton Trophy
;Milestones
Regular season 	Regular season 	
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"	 	
Player 	Achievement 	Date
Robin Lehner 	1st NHL game 	October 16, 2010
Daniel Alfredsson 	1,000th NHL point 	October 23, 2010
Sergei Gonchar 	1,000th NHL game 	October 26, 2010
Jarkko Ruutu 	1,000th NHL PIM 	October 28, 2010
Brian Elliott 	50th NHL win 	October 28, 2010
Sergei Gonchar 	1st goal w/ Ottawa 	November 2, 2010
Nick Foligno 	200th NHL game 	November 4, 2010
David Hale 	1st goal w/ Ottawa 	November 4, 2010
Peter Regin 	100th NHL game 	November 6, 2010
Matt CarknerBrian Elliott	100th NHL Game 	November 13, 2010
Ryan Shannon 	200th NHL game 	November 19, 2010
Alexei Kovalev 	1,000th NHL point 	November 22, 2010
Milan Michalek 	400th NHL game 	November 22, 2010
Chris Neil 	600th NHL game 	November 22, 2010
Jarkko Ruutu 	600th NHL game 	November 22, 2010
Chris Kelly 	1st NHL hat-trick 	December 5, 2010
Jason Spezza 	1st NHL penalty shot goal 	December 13, 2010
Sergei Gonchar 	700th NHL point 	December 16, 2010
Chris Phillips 	900th NHL game 	December 26, 2010
Jim O'Brien 	1st NHL game 	December 31, 2010
Erik Karlsson 	100th NHL game 	January 8, 2011
Corey Locke 	1st NHL assist1st NHL point 	January 13, 2011
Robin Lehner 	1st NHL start1st NHL win 	January 13, 2011
Brian Lee 	100th NHL game 	January 21, 2011
Colin Greening 	1st NHL game 	February 1, 2011
Chris Kelly 	100th NHL assist 	February 5, 2011
Bobby Butler 	1st NHL goal 1st NHL assist1st NHL point	February 12, 2011
Jason Spezza 	500th NHL game 	February 12, 2011
Erik Condra 	1st NHL game1st NHL assist1st NHL point 	February 15, 2011
Jason Spezza 	500th NHL point 	February 15, 2011
Andre Benoit 	1st NHL game 	February 18, 2011
Craig Anderson 	1st win w/ Ottawa1st shutout w/ Ottawa 	February 19, 2011
Colin Greening 	1st NHL assist1st NHL point 	February 23, 2011
Roman Wick 	1st NHL game 	February 25, 2011
Erik Condra 	1st NHL goal 	February 26, 2011
Filip Kuba 	700th NHL game 	March 1, 2011
Colin Greening 	1st NHL goal 	March 3, 2011
Derek Smith 	1st NHL assist1st NHL point 	March 3, 2011
Francis Lessard 	100th NHL game 	March 8, 2011
Sergei Gonchar 	500th NHL assist 	March 10, 2011
Patrick Wiercioch 	1st NHL Game 	March 22, 2011
Marek Svatos 	1st Goal w/Ottawa 	March 22, 2011
Marek Svatos 	100th NHL goal 	March 27, 2011
Patrick Wiercioch 	1st NHL assist1st NHL point 	March 27, 2011
Nick Foligno 	100th NHL point 	March 31, 2011
Andre Benoit 	1st NHL assist1st NHL point 	April 2, 2011
Stephane Da Costa 	1st NHL game 	April 2, 2011
Jesse Winchester 	200th NHL game 	April 7, 2011
Regular season 	Regular season 	
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"	 	
Team 	Achievement 	Date
Ottawa Senators	4,000th franchise goal	November 9, 2010
==Transactions==
===Trades===
Date 	Details 	Details
June 25, 2010 	To St. Louis Blues 1st-round pick in 2010 	To Ottawa Senators David Rundblad
February 10, 2011	To Nashville Predators Mike Fisher 	To Ottawa Senators 1st-round draft pick in 2011Conditional 2nd- or 3rd-round pick in 2012
February 15, 2011	To Boston Bruins Chris Kelly 	To Ottawa Senators 2nd-round pick in 2011
February 17, 2011	To Anaheim Ducks Jarkko Ruutu 	To Ottawa Senators 6th-round pick in 2011
February 18, 2011	To Colorado Avalanche Brian Elliott 	To Ottawa Senators Craig Anderson
February 24, 2011	To Pittsburgh Penguins Alexei Kovalev 	To Ottawa Senators Conditional 7th-round pick in 2011
February 28, 2011	To Chicago Blackhawks Chris CampoliConditional 7th-round pick in 2012	To Ottawa Senators Ryan PotulnyConditional 2nd-round pick in 2011
=== Free agents acquired ===
Player 	Former team 	Date 	Contract terms
Sergei Gonchar 	Pittsburgh Penguins	July 1, 2010 	Three years, $16.5 million contract.
Corey Locke 	Hartford Wolf Pack 	July 7, 2010 	Two years, $1.1 million two-way contract.
Roman Wick 	Kloten Flyers 	July 14, 2010 	One year, $625,000 entry-level contract
Francis Lessard 	San Antonio Rampage	August 4, 2010	One year, $550,000 two-way contract
David Hale 	Tampa Bay Lightning	August 4, 2010	One year, $675,000 two-way contract
Andre Benoit 	Hamilton Bulldogs 	August 6, 2010	One-year, $550,000 two-way contract
Wacey Hamilton 	Medicine Hat Tigers	March 8, 2011 	Three years, $2.145 million entry-level contract
Stephane Da Costa	Merrimack College 	March 31, 2011	Two years, $1.8 million entry-level contract
Pat Cannone 	Miami University 	April 8, 2011 	One year, $600,000 entry-level contract
=== Free agents lost ===
Player 	New team 	Contract terms
Josh Hennessy 	HC Lugano 	1 year
Martin St. Pierre	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk	1 year
Jonathan Cheechoo	Worcester Sharks 	Contract bought out
Anton Volchenkov 	New Jersey Devils 	6 years, $25.5 million
Matt Cullen 	Minnesota Wild 	3 years, $10.5 million
Andy Sutton 	Anaheim Ducks 	2 years, $4.25 million
===Claimed via waivers===
Player 	Former team 	Date claimed off waivers
Marek Svatos 	Nashville Predators	February 24, 2011
Curtis McElhinney	Tampa Bay Lightning	February 28, 2011
===Lost via waivers===
Player	New team	Date claimed off waivers
=== Player signings ===
Player 	Date 	Contract terms
Colin Greening 	April 28, 2010 	One-year, $735,000 entry-level contract
Ryan Keller 	May 19, 2010 	One-year, $525,000 two-way contract
Mike Brodeur 	May 26, 2010 	One-year, $600,000 two-way contract
Jesse Winchester	July 1, 2010 	Two-years, $1.5 million
Derek Smith 	July 13, 2010 	One year, $550,000
Nick Foligno 	July 21, 2010 	Two-years, $2.4 million
Mike Hoffman 	July 22, 2010 	Three-years, $1.83 million entry-level contract
Cody Bass 	July 22, 2010 	One-year, $500,000 two-way contract
Peter Regin 	July 29, 2010 	Two-years, $2 million
Chris Campoli 	July 30, 2010 	One-year, $1.4 million
Geoff Kinrade 	August 5, 2010 	One-year, $550,000 two-way contract
Corey Cowick 	August 5, 2010 	Three years, $1.835 million entry-level contract
Chris Phillips 	February 28, 2011	Three years, $9.25 million contract extension
Derek Grant 	March 10, 2011 	Three-years, $1.815 million entry-level contract
Mark Borowiecki 	March 11, 2011 	Two-years, $1.22 million entry-level contract
Craig Anderson 	March 21, 2011 	Four-years, $12.75 million contract extension
Andre Petersson 	April 8, 2011 	Three-years, $2.19 million entry-level contract
== Draft picks ==
The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles June 25–26, 2010.
Round	Overall pick 	Player 	Position	Nationality	College/junior/club team (League)
3 	76 	Jakub Culek 	LW 	 	Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
4 	106 	Marcus Sorensen	RW 	 	Sodertalje SK Jr. (J20 SuperElit)
6 	178 (from San Jose)	Mark Stone 	RW 	 	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
7 	196 	Bryce Aneloski 	D 	 	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
== Farm teams ==
* Binghamton Senators (American Hockey League (AHL))
* Elmira Jackals (ECHL)
The Senators signed Kurt Kleinendorst to a two-year deal to be head coach of Binghamton. He was previously the head coach of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, which won the Under-18 World Championship in 2010.
Binghamton qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time since 2005. After nearly being eliminated in the first round by the Manchester Monarchs, the Senators defeated the Portland Pirates in the second round and swept the Charlotte Checkers in the third round series to advance to the team's first-ever Calder Cup Final. The Senators defeated the Houston Aeros in six games to win the Calder Cup championship. Goaltender Robin Lehner was named the playoffs' Most Valuable Player and received the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy.
== See also ==
* 2010–11 NHL season
== References ==
O
2010-11
Ottawa