St. Louis Blues Defeat Ottawa Senators 3-0
A lack of offence gives Carter Hutton the 25-save shutout.
The Ottawa Senators trotted into St. Louis with an 0-3 record since their bye week, all stringing from a 4-1 loss to the Blues last week. It’s hard to be disappointed when the bar is set so low, yet the Senators somehow managed to go under.
The odds were stacked against them — they were on the second half of a back-to-back and were crawling with the injury bug. No matter the excuse, the Sens put up yet another poor effort in their 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Unlike previous games against the Leafs and Wild, the Sens had trouble creating any form of offensive chances. There were no post hits, no scaring the opposing goalie, nada. The overall pace felt slow for both teams, although the Blues came ahead after the first period with double the amount of shot attempts (25-12).
They also managed to get a goal on the board as well. A bad change by the Sens left some open space for the Blues, as Brayden Schenn found Vladimir Sobotka who found the back of the net. It squeaked through Craig Anderson’s five hole despite having no lateral movement, one of many goals on the season he wishes he could’ve had back.
Vladimir Sobotka ties a career high with this, his ninth goal of the season. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/fPDe1yKQS4
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) January 24, 2018
And if the first period didn’t seem tired enough, the second period could’ve put you to sleep. Zack Smith had to briefly leave the ice, as Robert Bortuzzo caught him in the mouth with his stick. He returned later in the period, and the Sens were gifted with a double minor.
The whole four minutes were almost unwatchable and the Sens didn’t manage to score, which made me wonder if the change of special teams coaches has actually brought any improvement.
- Since the switch at the beginning of the new year, the Sens have the league’s second lowest rate of goals scored per 60 minutes on the power play.
- In that same time frame, their goals against per 60 minutes on the penalty kill is the 5th worst in the league./
It’s been nine games since the switch — I think it’s fair to say it hasn’t worked. The special teams have been bad all season, and change doesn’t appear to be coming any time soon. The Blues eased the pain a bit by having a disastrous power play of their own, although they still led 1-0 after two.
The Sens’ wheels started to spin a little in the third period, although Carter Hutton remained unchallenged for the most part. The Blues weren’t playing spectacularly either, although sometimes you just can’t stop Vladimir Tarasenko. Colton Parayko took a shot from the point, and although it was blocked the puck was put right on the tee for Tarasenko. The deficit was doubled, putting the Sens down 2-0.
All offensive creativity was devoid from the Senators, as the Blues added the empty netter to cruise to a 3-0 victory. Mark Stone needs to come back, pronto.
Instead of Biggest Standouts (because really no one deserves to make the list), I’ve included thread of highlights for Rasmus Dahlin, for your viewing pleasure. Embrace the tank, Ottawa.
#FallinForDahlin
We can confirm that Rasmus Dahlin is good at hockey.#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/aJSIH499fy
— BarDown (@BarDown) January 1, 2018
Rasmus Dahlin with a nasty shootout goal at Team Sweden's practice this morning #WJC2018 pic.twitter.com/jcetDktWTP
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) December 27, 2017
Oh my, Rasmus Dahlin out here breaking ankles 😱👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/18HhApeKF6
— Bar South N Celly™ (@BarSouthNCelly) January 12, 2018
Lite lördagsgodis från Rasmus Dahlin, varsågoda! #Twittpuck #SHL pic.twitter.com/N7Nu8Fcqub
— C More Sport (@cmoresport) January 13, 2018
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The fast-paced schedule doesn’t slow down, as the Sens head right back to Ottawa to face the Bruins on Thursday.
