The Ottawa Senators suffered a third straight loss Saturday night, this time coming in overtime against the Detroit Red Wings. The final score was 3-2, with Gustav Nyquist being the sole reason for the overtime goal.
GAME RECAP
The first period was a good one for the Senators, but they ended up being tied at the end of 20 minutes because of a late goal from Justin Abdelkader with 13 seconds left. Mike Hoffman was the one to open the scoring, as he potted him his team leading 11th goal of the year on a juicy rebound. The shots were 10-6 Ottawa, and the attempts were 21-13, but the two teams were tied nevertheless.
The second period was probably even better for Ottawa, as they dominated the chances with the attempts being 29-11. Deservedly, after two periods the Senators were up 2-1 after a Clarke MacArthur goal with 6:44 left broke the tie. It was nice for MacArthur to break his slump, and at that point his goal was a big one. Technically nobody got an assist on the goal, however Kyle Turris made a nice pass into the slot for MacArthur on the rush, but it was deflected by Danny DeKeyser right to Clarke who had an easy goal.
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Things were looking good for Ottawa, however they were not able to pull away from Detroit. In the third period the attempts were 18-16 for the Red Wings, and they looked much better. After a Mark Borowiecki penalty for interference, Henrik Zetterberg scored just three seconds into the power play on a slap shot to tie the game just like that. With 16:02 left, it was still anybody’s game.
There were numerous chances for each team, including a few shorthanded ones for the Red Wings. However, nothing went in on Craig Anderson and Jimmy Howard so it went to overtime. Overtime was even more exciting, with Erik Karlsson almost winning it on a breakaway but the puck bobbled off his stick as he went for a deke. The Senators seemed poised to win, but Gustav Nyquist had something to say about that.
With 1:16 left in overtime, Nyquist got the puck in the offensive zone. For the next 28 seconds he circled around the Ottawa zone with MacArthur, Jared Cowen, and Kyle Turris all checking him at certain points, but he still managed to keep the puck. At the end of that 28 seconds, he had room and took a shot on Anderson that ended up going in. It was very Sidney Crosby-esque, and it was quite a way to win the game for his team. Final score: Detroit 3, Ottawa 2.
NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
- Jean Gabriel Pageau was flying at points, and although he didn’t show up in the score sheet, I think I could be very valuable to this team.
- Mike Hoffman is such a good player. Obviously his shooting percentage will come down, but it’s amazing to see that he’s leading the team in scoring, and he’s on pace for 27 goals as a rookie.
- This is Ottawa’s third straight loss, and they are beginning to slip even further. Perhaps this upcoming easier schedule may help.
- I just had a feeling that Nyquist was going to score on that goal. I pictured that in my mind, and I know we will see that one on SportsCentre for years to come.
- Despite the three straight losses, they have played well in the last two, out shooting Washington and Detroit by good margins. Ottawa might be due for a run of good results.
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UP NEXT
The Senators face off against the Buffalo Sabres at home on Monday night at 7:30 to close out 2014.