On a night where the Boston Bruins had a heroic (and heartbreaking) comeback against the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa needed the win tonight even more. Thanks to Patrick Wiercioch, the Senators kept pace with the Bruins, as they defeated the Lightning 2-1 in overtime.
GAME RECAP
In a game with plenty of gifted offensive players, it was surprisingly low-scoring. Tampa Bay was missing some key players like Tyler Johnson and Victor Hedman, but throughout regulation there was never a sense of chaos and lack of defensive ability. Ottawa played a solid game, and I felt like they played slightly better the whole way through. The final shot attempts were 64-56 for Ottawa.
In the first period, it was the Senators who would strike first. Just five minutes into the game, Mark Stone scored a milestone goal (his 20th) to give them the lead. It was a typical “Stone” goal, as he was waiting in front of the net where he always is, and he deposited home Kyle Turris‘ rebound. Known for his intensity (unlike Bobby Ryan), Stone was pumped to say the least. Although, maybe not as much as against Detroit on Tuesday:
The many faces of Mark Stone. pic.twitter.com/GVEnOlzmGd
— Callum Fraser (@CallumFraser18) April 1, 2015
The rest of the period, Ottawa had some good chances, but nothing came of it. Then with just over three minutes to go in the period, rookie Jonathan Drouin scored to tie the game at one. He was wide open on the side, and of course it was the pairing of Mark Borowiecki and Eric Gryba that had failed to clear the puck multiple times right before that.
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After one period, it was tied at one. The second period was very uneventful, as the game was becoming very defensive. The only important thing to note in the period was Steven Stamkos almost injuring Jean-Gabriel Pageau. It was near the end of the period, and the whistle had just been blown. Stamkos kept going, and as Pageau tried to get out of the way, Stamkos reached his knee out and both of them fell.
It certainly looked bad, and it would have been awful to lose Pageau. Luckily he was all good to go for the third period. Jack had a good screenshot on the play, you can be the judge:
In the third period, I think all Senators fans were nervous. Although, it was looking good once fans got word that the Red Wings were up 2-0 to the Bruins early in the third period. All the Senators needed was a goal to have both perfect scenarios. While the period was nerve-wracking, especially while killing a penalty with 11 minutes left, ultimately nothing came of that either.
Andrew Hammond looked like his old self once again (that sounds weird, doesn’t it?), and Ben Bishop was solid. In overtime, it felt like it was all Ottawa, even though the attempts were 5-4 Ottawa. In 4-4 play, the ice was opened so much and it was great to see both teams players do what they do best.
The Senators were close on a few plays, but it looked like it was heading to a shootout. Then with about 30 seconds left Wiercioch entered the zone, dropped it off to Mark Stone at the net, and got the puck back on the other side of the zone. He had lots of time, faked a shot at first, then took a cannon of a shot that was eerily similar to his last goal against Carolina and he sent Ottawa players and fans home happy.
It was quite the ending to the game, and Wiercioch was pretty happy with himself I guess. Final score: 2-1 Ottawa in overtime.
NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
- While this win feels great, Ottawa doesn’t gain ground. It’s so heartbreaking seeing the Red Wings blow it late, as the Senators haven’t been getting help lately from their conference “friends.”
- Mike Hoffman was first on the team in corsi with 85%, and he looked very good. Gee, maybe keep him with Mika Zibanejad and Ryan?
- The power play continues to be bad. Of course David Legwand isn’t the sole problem, but getting him off the ice is a good place to start.
- How about Stone? He’s becoming my favourite player, and he now has 56 points. Although I expect Aaron Ekblad to win, it would be criminal for Stone to not be nominated for the Calder.
- Looks like the Hamburglar is back. He was solid tonight again, and he’s the first goalie ever to win 16 of his first 18 starts.
- Ottawa sits 3 back of Boston and Detroit, and they have a game in hand on Boston. With five games left, they will need to win at least four. 4-1-0 would mean the Bruins have to go 2-2-0 or worse for Ottawa to make it. It’s doable, but they need every single point.
- Enough of this scratching Wiercioch. He’s clearly one of the top three defensemen on this team, and he had a heck of a game.
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UP NEXT
The last five games are all so crucial, and next up is the Washington Capitals. It will be a tough game, but it is home, so that could help. Boston is playing Toronto that night, so Ottawa needs another win Saturday.