Vladislav Namestnikov impresses as Ottawa Senators beat Tampa Bay
The Ottawa Senators picked up an impressive victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning and a recent addition to the team looked good throughout.
A 4-2 victory for the Ottawa Senators saw a few firsts experienced, with D.J. Smith getting his first win as an NHL head coach and Vladislav Namestnikov getting his first goal since arriving from the New York Rangers in a trade.
The impressive team showing helped keep the Lightning’s top line limited to five combined shots, with last season’s MVP Nikita Kucherov failing to have a single shot. This strong effort allowed Namestnikov the chance to impress.
A fourth-round pick next year and defenceman Nick Ebert was what it cost the Senators organisation to acquire the 26-year-old winger and, after two games, he is already impressing in the Canadian capital.
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The Russian picked up an assist in his debut games for the Senators but wasn’t able to help the team overcome the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.
The very next game, however, Namestnikov was a bright spark and ended the 4-2 victory with a couple of goals, one of them was an empty netter, as well as an assist.
The game held even more significance for the former first-round pick, as Namestnikov was originally drafted by the Lightning 27th overall in 2011 and was traded by the organisation to the Rangers during the 2017/18 season.
After this game, Namestnikov is now the joint-top points scorer on the Ottawa Senators so far this season, tied with Jean-Gabriel Pageau with four total points (two goals, two assists).
With fan reactions fairly mixed when the trade was initially announced, the Russian is now starting to win favour with the fans and more performances such as last night could see him becoming a fan favourite.
With Namestnikov an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, the organisation may be hoping for more performances such as this with an eye on finding a potential trade partner at the deadline, helping to add even more assets for their rebuild.
No matter what happens, this victory has certainly impressed and it is always nice for the Senators to overcome a team that defeated their arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs 7-3 the other night.
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What do you think Sens fans? How impressed have you been with Namestnikov since his arrival in the capital? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!