Stützle’s Hat Trick Lifts Sens over Jets

Today, I issued a challenge to Sens Twitter to give me random words and I’d do my best to fit the top three words into my recap. I loved the answers so much that I decided to fit as many as I could in.

With unbridled enthusiasm, I bring you tonight’s recap.

On a moist day in the city of Ottawa, with a frost advisory warning on the 8th day of May, the Sens were many towns over in Winnipeg, Manitoba for their third last game of the season.

In the last few weeks, the Ottawa Senators have accomplished the possimpible - making disgruntled Sens fans fall in love with this team again. Just as Sens fans are pleasantly surprised with how the team has played of late, Jets fans are looking towards the offseason absolutely gobsmacked by the Kafkaesque run they’re on, losing seven of their last ten games.

This one kicked off in a pretty lopsided manner. With the Jets opening the period swarming the Sens, spending most of the game in the offensive zone. Outshooting the Sens handily early on, this game started out looking a bit like the Senators of January. Fortunately, Connor Brown continues to defenestrate the idea that he’s not a dangerous point producer at the National Hockey League level and he got his team on the board halfway through the period.

Connor Brown makes it 1-0 Sens! Mete fired the initial shot. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/fEgDFm7wYG

— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) May 8, 2021

Shortly thereafter, Tim Stützle joined in on the fun with a beautiful tip on an Artem Zub point shot to the top corner past Connor Hellebuyck. This goal was so nice that at least half of Sens fans experienced an increase in fecundity this evening.

TIM STÜTZLE! What a tip. 2-0 Sens. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/iMBzOjhX3a

— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) May 8, 2021

For the Jets in the first period, the shots were there, the power plays were there but the goals were not. By my count, the tintinnabulation of the post was heard through the arena at least three times. On multiple power play attempts, the Jets were too persnickety with where to shoot the puck from and couldn’t manage to get into the dangerous areas. Like the demilitarized zone between South and North Korea, Gustavsson wasn’t letting a single puck cross the line in the first.

With hard work at both ends of the ice, Ottawa’s intangibles and character were once again on display in the first as they didn’t back down despite getting outshot and, for the most part, outplayed.

Just 55 seconds into the second period, the Jets filled the arena with the cacophonous sound of their goal horn as Mason Appleton found the back of the net on a Mark Scheifele assist.

The best play of the period for Ottawa was a Gustavsson save with notorious rapscallion Kyle Connor in alone, leaving Connor flabbergasted and without a goal to his name.

Filip Gustavsson. Ice in his veins. #Sens pic.twitter.com/b8hchLM42w

— Brandon Maki (@BrandonMaki_) May 9, 2021

While the shot total heading into the second intermission was still in favour of Winnipeg, the Sens did a better job of getting chances and limiting the Jets, getting outshot just 8 to 7 in the second frame.

Connor Mockett would be proud of the storm of pressure the Sens put on in the Jets zone which enabled them to regain their two goal lead with Stützle’s second goal of the night. An excellent keep at the blueline ensured the puck could get down to Pinto who found Brown at the dot. Stützle, on the opposite dot, received a quick pass from Brown and fired a dastardly shot past Hellebuyck.

Second of the night for Tim Stützle. #Sens 3-1 #Jets pic.twitter.com/d9TOgvTFd3

— Brandon Maki (@BrandonMaki_) May 9, 2021

Shane Pinto got the secondary assist on this goal, giving him two assists on the night and a goal and four assists in his last five games with the Sens. Just like dogecoin, Pinto’s value embiggens with every game (I think, I don’t know anything about cryptocurrency).

In the dying minutes, Scheifele grabbed his second point of the game to make this a one goal affair. Not long after, Stützle drew an interference penalty by taking a serpentine route through the neutral zone and getting clipped on his way towards the empty net.

Fortunately, we were not robbed of Stützle’s first NHL hat trick as he found the puck and skated it into the empty net for his third of the net.

TIM STÜTZLE HAT-TRICK!!! WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE. pic.twitter.com/fjuglSMpHw

— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) May 9, 2021

The Senators put together yet another win in what has been an incredible stretch of hockey since the trade deadline. Ottawa is now 9-2-1 in their last 11 games, showing that perhaps next year they will no longer be the basement dwellers we’ve grown accustomed to.

As fun of a game as it was to try to fit these random words into this recap, I’m thrilled to confirm that I am far from hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobic. Thanks for playing, Sens fans!

Game Notes

• Tim Stützle’s hat trick brings him to 12 in 51 games - good enough for a 19 goal rookie season on a normal year.
• Shane Pinto’s pair of assists gives him six points through ten games with five of those points coming in his last five. It took him a few games, understandably, to warm up to the NHL but he appears to be in fine form as we close out the season.
• Filip Gustavsson was once again solid tonight, posting a 0.931 SV%. Lightning in a bottle? I don’t think so.
• The line of Nick Paul, Colin White and Evgeni Dadonov handily led the Senators in the Corsi game tonight, easily outchancing their opponents when they were on the ice. Paul’s Secretariat-esque work ethic was something to behold all night.
• Olle Alsing and Jacob Bernard-Docker both had good games in sheltered minutes. Both defenders came out on the positive end of things at even strength.
• The Sens’ defense corps continues to impress despite missing Thomas Chabot for the remainder of the season. Both Victor Mete and Erik Brännström have played very well of late and that continued tonight. The speed and puck skills of both players clearly makes Ottawa’s transition game better./

Game Flow

Heat Map