Senators can’t quite hold on, lose to Flyers in overtime
Sens earn point despite being outshot 32-21
It wasn’t a pretty one, but every point matters. The Senators were outshot 25-12 after two periods, and 32-21 overall, but managed to carry it to overtime.
The opening goal was a beauty. Some great quick passing on the powerplay led to somehow Mike Hoffman of all people being open for the backdoor pass. Mark Stone wasn’t going to miss that pass, and Hoffman wasn’t going to miss on an open net, no matter how sharp the angle.
The second goal of the game came off Ryan Dzingel’s stick. He managed to nick a bouncing puck in front of the net, over Steve Mason, and into the net. But the Flyers weren’t content to fall behind, and poured on the offence. They finally got on the board when captain Claude Giroux snapped one past Mike Condon. And then the Flyers tied it on one I think should’ve been called off. Michael Del Zotto’s point shot appeared to hit Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in front of the net. However, Bellemare’s stick was too high, and so it would’ve negated the goal. I thought the puck clearly changed direction when it went very near his stick, but I guess the war room disagreed, because the goal counted, and it was credited to Del Zotto. Go figure.
The third would actually see the Sens outshoot the Flyers, and they had some decent chances, but nothing could solve the deadlock. However, it only took 40 seconds of overtime for the game to end. The Sens seemed a little... lazy in their defensive coverage? Something like that. Anyway, it seemed like Jakub Voracek and Giroux were both given way too much space, and Giroux wasn’t going to miss on a one-timer from four feet outside the crease. Still, the Sens got a point, and every point will matter for the playoff race.
Honourable Mention: Chris Wideman
I thought he looked pretty good tonight, and the stats seem to back it up. Importantly, with Marc Methot injured, he was put into the top four to play with Dion Phaneuf. Not only is he playing well in my eyes, but he’s earned the trust of his coach.
Dishonourable Mention: Cody Ceci and Mark Borowiecki
It’s looking like these guys need a dependable partner to play well. People keep pointing out that Boucher’s system caters to the left defenceman especially, so maybe the problem is that Ceci isn’t as good at covering for Boro’s pinches as Wideman. Anyway, I’m not discouraged based on how they’ve played recently, this was just not a great game for them.
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