Sens enter All-Star break with another OT win, 3-2 over Wings

This wasn't that eventful of a game: the shots finished 25 apiece. Both powerplays finished at 0%. There were only five goals. But Jacques Martin hockey is (in)famously boring, and all the Sens needed were solid play by Joonas Korpisalo and goals from Mark Kastelic, Brady Tkachuk, and Shane Pinto to secure a 3-2 OT victory over the Red Wings. All together it meant the Sens entered the All-Star break on a 6-2-2 run.

In the first period, the Sens came out playing sloppy hockey. They couldn't get a pass to work, couldn't get out of their zone, and it eventually led to a goal against. Erik Brännström fell along the boards, it led to Daniel Sprong getting a wide-open one-timer down low and scoring. It felt concerning, but some ill-timed penalties by the Red Wings prevented them from getting momentum, and Ottawa escaped with the lead in shots and just down 1-0.

The second period saw the Sens break through Alex Lyon off the stick of Mark Kastelic. Jacob Bernard-Docker kept the puck in at the blue line when most Wings were exiting the zone, and Kastelic scored a beauty tip.

The Sens looked better this period, but lost some momentum on a non-existent tripping call against Brady Tkachuk when Jake Walman just fell over. It worked out though, because as the penalty ended, Brady got every penalized player's dream: a breakaway as he exited the box, and he scored on a beauty shot.

The first half of the third period was boring as all heck, with the Sens learning to play Jacques Martin-style boring hockey. But a brief lapse in defensive zone coverage and Dylan Larkin tied it. Regulation solved nothing, and we went to OT, where the Sens had 100% possession. Seriously, Detroit never touched the puck. The Sens cycled, entered, exited, cycled some more, and eventually Thomas Chabot found the gap, putting the puck on Shane Pinto's stick who poked home the game-winner. Final score: 3-2 Sens.

My thoughts:

• Just like a couple nights ago, Brady Tkachuk was a sparkplug in this one. I love our captain.
• The style of play that Martin demands doesn't always lead to the most entertaining brand of hockey, but there can be no doubt that the results have been there for the last several weeks. Most fans would probably trade a couple fewer highlight reel moments for a few more wins in a heartbeat.
• Joonas Korpisalo was fine. Not amazing, but not a liability. That's all this team needs given their current level of play.
• The powerplay has no creativity, and I don't get it. Alfie's leading it. It's the same personnel as last year, with Norris stepping in for DeBrincat. Does that change things so drastically that they look awful? The personnel is very good; the whole thing is baffling.
• Red Wings fans need to let Mathieu Joseph go. They booed him continually tonight, but his thing was an accident. David Perron jumped Artem Zub, and Sens fans do not care. You'd think they'd be more focused on their alleged playoff run or something. Anyways Sens rule, Wings drool.

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