Part of what is the three-headed monster for the Senators, Matthew Zilinski showcases a lot of high end abilities with the puck and that was no different here. He played with good pace, pushing play in a positive direction with transitions up ice and making things happen in the attacking end every possession while flashing some two-way abilities. When he wasn’t making plays with the puck, he was not afraid to dig in and battle, lifting sticks and driving hard in the offensive zone, drawing a penalty with his play. He didn’t register a point but was able to have an impact without getting on the scoresheet.

I’ve noted Zilinski’s two way effort and impact in many reports before, and while that was apparent here I wanted to touch on a few different areas that shined a bit more. I saw him more impactful as a passer in this one, controlling the play and dishing off to teammates in scoring positions. Especially off the rush he was blazing into the zone and connecting on clever passes to create scoring chances. Matthew added one assist with a little touch pass from behind the net to an open teammate net front. The effort level and two-way impact has certainly been nice to see, but showing more and more offensive impact starts to add a bit higher potential to the mix.

Zilinski played a strong two-way game, always fighting for pucks, winning possession, and battling. His explosive skating allowed him to close down defenders quickly, apply pressure on the forecheck, and just be a pest. With the puck, the same motor helped him drive positive results, attacking with pace through the neutral zone and often gaining steps on opponents off bursts of speed. In terms of offensive skills, there was a good mix of everything but I thought he thrived as a passer. He connected on a high volume of impressive playmaking moments, executing on quick passes creating inside looks for his linemates. A really strong showing all over the ice, bringing a lot of different elements shift after shift.

Zilinski attacked with speed relentlessly. He was constantly going, flying up and down the ice, attacking with tons of power and gaining steps on defenders with a few strides. As such, he was thriving in transition and off the rush as he could easily blaze by his opponents and make something happen off the advantages created with his quickness. The same pace helped him win pucks on the forecheck and be a nuisance for defenders, but how he leveraged his feet to drive offence was my key takeaway.

Zilinski was the player I noticed most on Draft Day Red, as he constantly supported the puck well in his defensive zone and won back possession. He always seemed to be in the right spot to help his defence down low, provide a second layer of protection, and free up loose pucks. Upon securing a puck in his defensive third, Matthew frequently exploded up ice, carrying pucks out of his zone, and sparked controlled transitions through his powerful skating. In a game where DraftDay struggled to get out of their end, I thought Zilinski was a lone bright spot, creating offensive zone time for his team.