Binghamton Can’t Get It Done In OT, Lose To Albany 3-2 SO

B-Sens run into another hot goaltender in Keith Kinkaid as he makes 37 saves with 14 of them in the overtime period, to preserve a 3-2 SO win in downtown Binghamton tonight. Sens didn’t bring their ‘A’ game for the second night in a row and lose their first place grip in the East to the victorious Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The result of tonight’s contest is the Sens fourth straight loss and the same results are creeping into the once powerful offense, not holding onto the lead and letting their opponents back into the game without answering back.

RECAP

Senators start out a man short when Matt Puempel gets the unsportsmanlike call and it was the Devils Raman Hrabaraenka that actually sprayed Kinkaid. The Sens kill it and Darren Kramer misses the open net over a flat on the ice Kinkaid. The Devils would score first when Kelly Zajac‘s slapper gets ticked in by Harri Pesonen who was screening Andrew Hammond. Jean-Gabriel Pageau has his pass intercepted by Stefan Matteau and skates down into Senators territory but can’t get the puck to Mike Sislo for a shorthanded attempt.

Senators not playing well and can’t catch a break when Puempel’s shot appears heading to the corner of the net but Kinkaid makes the long stretch and gets a glove on it. Replay shows puck might have crossed the goal line but his glove hides it. Ref checks it on review and salutes no goal. Then Mark Borowiecki and Mike Hoeffel exchange checks and almost go at it to end the period.

1-0 Devils lead to open the second but not for long as Mark Stone feeds a saucer pass to an open Pageau who buries it past Kinkaid to tie up the game. After, Sens go on the power play and work the puck but cannot put one past Kinkaid. Pageau then nails Zajac into the corner boards as he’s on all fours and appears to have the wind knocked out of him. Pager gets the boarding call as a result.

Soon after Puempel would score his seventh of the season with a shot from the near circle that finds Kinkaid’s five hole for a 2-1 Sens lead. Then the Sens would get into a penalty meltdown with Fredrik Claesson and Cody Ceci in the box for the five on three man advantage for Albany. Sislo scores on Hammond’s stick side with some nice tic tac toe passing from Zajac and Reece Scarlett. All tied up heading to the third.

Devils are on the power play as Borowiecki runs into the net and appears to be in some pain, but the tough defenseman would not miss a shift. Binghamton plays the first half in their own zone and can’t get rolling as basically, they are playing pretty bad with missed passes and shots and not keeping the game simple.

Later Stephane Da Costa‘s wraparound attempt should have went in as he had an open net to bury it. Sislo’s hooking call gets the B-Sens on a power play but that is short-lived as Cole Schneider runs into Kinkaid for the goaltender interference call to even things up. Puempel hits the post as he beats Kinkaid high in the slot but Artem Demkov also gets the post on his drive on the other end. Heading to OT.

This is where the Senators should have won the game as Kelly trips Andre Petersson in the Devils zone for a four on three man advantage but can’t seal the deal. Kinkaid was an absolute gem in stopping 14 Senator shots to send the game to a shootout. Albany didn’t muster a single shot on goal in the extra period.

Shootout resulted in Joe Whitney and Demkov scoring for the Devils and Petersson being the lone goal for the Sens.

NOTES

• On Binghamton’s 14 shots in the OT where Albany had zero, Luke Richardson had this to say to the media after; “the effort was there but you can’t deserve to win unless you put the puck across the line”.
• Puempel’s power play goal in the second ended an 0-17 streak for the Senators.
• Shots ended up 39-27 Binghamton.
• Second game in as many nights as the visiting team’s net minders are the star of the game.
• Forward Shane Prince sat out his second game in a row out with the flu.

3 STARS OF THE GAME

• #1 Kinkaid (37 saves)
• #2 Hammond (24 saves)
• #3 Zajac (2a)

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HIGHLIGHTS

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