Jean-Gabriel Pageau was sent down prior to today’s game and made the most of it scoring two goals in leading the Binghamton Senators to a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Marlies at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. Goalie Scott Greenham finished with 37 saves as the game was blown open in the third with Binghamton scoring four times.
GAME RECAP
In just 27 seconds in his return to Ottawa, Colin Greening gets the first crack at it and scores snapping the puck in past netminder Antoine Bibeau as Derek Grant recovered a loose puck from behind the net and passed in front for the assist. Toronto’s Connor Brown ties it 2:34 minutes after batting a rebound waist-high into the back of the cage for a 1-1 game as Kevin Marshall with the primary assist with his slapper from the blue line. Defenseman Guillaume Lepine and the Marlies tough guy Frazer McLaren trade punches in a brief bout near center ice.
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Senators on the PK with Lepine’s hit to the head on Josh Leivo for Toronto’s second man advantage of the game. During it, Buddy Robinson springs Jean-Gabriel Pageau loose with a pass in neutral ice for a shorthanded breakaway but is denied by Bibeau’s chest save. Greenham strong in net stopping 15 shots keeping the game tied as Binghamton musters just four in the period.
Carter Camper gets things rolling in the third at 17:59 skating from the corner to high in the slot and unloads a wrister beating Bibeau high for a power play goal giving the Senators a 2-1 lead. Sens with great pressure and momentum but Alex Guptill is in the box for hooking for Toronto’s fourth power play. Senators add a shorthanded goal from Pageau as Robinson carries in towards the net and is stopped, but the rebound goes to Chris Wideman who then quickly finds Pageau alone on the other side of the net for the tap in.
Just seven seconds later Ryan Rupert pulls Toronto back to one as his high wrist shot driven from in front beats Greenham making it a 3-2 game. Binghamton then makes good use on a PP with a gorgeous display of passing from Pageau to Wideman along the wall, to Matt Puempel across the ice, then to Cole Schneider in front as he buries the puck by Bibeau for a 4-2 Sens lead. Wideman is whistled for a delay of game call under two minutes left and pull the goaltender for a six on four advantage, but Pageau finds the empty net for his second of the night sealing the win.
NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
- Pageau was sent down and made the most of it with his pair of goals. The score sheet shows him having an assist as well on Schneider’s goal but that should be changed to Puempel at some point.
- JGP wore Patrick Mullen’s #14 jersey as his familiar #44 wasn’t available in time for the game.
- Nice to see Greenham in net and earning 2nd star honors to sort of make up for his demotion to the ECHL earlier on as Luke Richardson could’ve went to veteran Peter Mannino instead.
- Binghamton fans as well as Toronto fans sprinkled throughout the 8559 at the CTC.
- David Dziurzynski to have season ending shoulder surgery but will be back next season in his second year of his current contract.
- Shane Prince called up after the game.
B-SENS LINES
Forwards – Puempel-Pageau-Robinson, Prince-Camper-Schneider, Greening-D Grant-Mills Guptill,-Kramer-Dzingel
Defense – Claesson-A Grant, Johnson-Tuzzolino, Lepine-Wideman
Out – Mike Sdao, Patrick Mullen, Max McCormick and David Dziurzynski, all injured. Danny New and Garrett Thompson, both healthy.
UP NEXT
Senators travel across Ontario for a Monday afternoon meeting with these same Toronto Marlies.
*Cover Pic & Insert Courtesy of SenShot’s Photographer Alicia Strauch