Ottawa Senators Fall To New York Rangers In Overtime

The Ottawa Senators lost their second straight game Tuesday night, but this time they at least got a point as they fell 3-2 in overtime to the New York Rangers.

GAME RECAP

The first period was pretty uneventful, with the score being 0-0, and the shots were only 9-7 for the Rangers. Erik Karlsson was able to thwart a few chances by Chris Kreider by showing off his amazing speed and because of that neither team had scored.

However, the pace of the second period was much faster. When it was all said and done, there were 17 shots for the Rangers, and 14 for the Senators. Despite being out-chanced 29-17 in the period (partially due to a long 5 on 3 for New York), Ottawa led 2-1 after 40 minutes.

The first goal for New York was exactly what coaches draw up on the board. Dan Girardi fired a shot from the blueline, and rookie Kevin Hayes was left all alone in front and he just had to simply slide it around Craig Anderson for an easy goal which gave them the lead.

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About four minutes later, Ottawa looked dangerous again and it seemed like only a matter of time before they scored. The trio of Erik Condra, Kyle Turris and Mark Stone were out in the offensive zone with Erik Karlsson and Marc Methot. They were moving the puck around so well and it looked extremely crisp. Stone whipped it back to Kyle Turris, then he gave the puck across to an open Karlsson who had easily enough time to settle the puck and fire it in over a sprawling Henrik Lundqvist.

Just 1:03 later, the Senators had the lead. 54 seconds after the goal Lee Stempniak was called for a high stick, and the Ottawa power play went to work. Many fans (including myself) were of course wondering why Milan Michalek was on the first shift again, but right as people were questioning that, he scored on a loose puck in the crease. It wasn’t the prettiest of goals, but he will take it. Michalek now has 5 points in 5 games, although he has still been struggling at even strength.

Going into the third, Ottawa had the lead but of course that doesn’t mean anything. Chris Kreider was the one to tie things back up, as he snuck in and around Cody Ceci and received a fantastic pass from Marc Staal. His speed was just too much, and he had an easy breakaway where he scored on Anderson.

The rest of the period the Senators out attempted the Rangers 20-14, but to no avail. Things were headed to overtime. Unlike most games nowadays, this one ended in overtime fairly quickly. Carl Hagelin was able to somehow find his away behind all the Ottawa players and was all by himself.

There was a nice passing sequence between Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan, and then Stepan turned around and shot/passed the puck along the ice right to Hagelin’s stick and he tipped it home over Anderson. Anderson never had a chance on the shot, and it was a perfect game winning goal for New York.

Jan 20, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Milan Michalek (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

NOTES & OBSERVATIONS

Jean Gabriel Pageau was amazing on the face-offs, as he went 64%. He’ll be an important part of the team if he can consistently win face-offs because Ottawa is dreadful at them right now.
With the loss, the Senators are now 13-1-2 in their last 16 at Madison Square Garden. That’s…pretty amazing if I say so myself.
The total shots were 35-35, and the corsi was 60-58 for New York. Not bad for Ottawa, and they have actually been playing well despite the losses in the last few weeks. PDO can be a weird thing.
It looks like Chris Neil and David Legwand were benched in the third period. So far, I’ve loved that Dave Cameron is willing to play his veterans less and give them a shorter leash. Paul MacLean relied too heavily on certain guys, and that was his downfall.
I say this all the time, but Mark Stone is a top six forward. Just watch the games and he looks like a real NHL’er. The stats back him up too as he is going to produce and have good possession numbers. Right now he’s third in rookie scoring.
With Cameron’s track record, it’ll be interesting to see if Neil and Chris Phillips are in the lineup tomorrow. It’s a back to back scenario, so he should rest them anyways and put in Curtis Lazar and Patrick Wiercioch.
Marc Methot is a warrior. He got hit in the face with a puck and had a horrible cut but came back on the bench quickly after getting stitches. It may not have helped in this scenario, but…come on players, get visors.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT CARD

Karlsson looked much more like the Norris Trophy winner that we have seen before. He scored a goal and had four shots, but more importantly he also played sound defensively. He was able to shut down Chris Kreider (although Jared Cowen and Cody Ceci weren’t), and he showed that an effective stick can be just as important an asset as a big body.. Defense. Ottawa Senators. #65 ERIK KARLSSON. A-

UP NEXT

The Senators have one more game before a long All-Star break, and it comes tomorrow against the Maple Leafs in Ottawa. The two teams are in downward spirals so it’ll be interesting to see who’s more motivated to win.

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