Prospect Update: Pesky BSens

The Binghamton Senators (1-1-1) kicked off their busy week with a trip out to Newfoundland to take on the St. John's Ice Caps. Like the Ottawa Senators, Binghamton has been relying a bit too much on their goaltender to keep them in games by giving up a ton of shots on a nightly basis. They hoped to remedy that this week.

Tuesday: Binghamton Senators at St. John's Ice Caps

Andrew Hammond received the start in goal for the fourth straight game for the Sens, and it could not have started off worse for him. A soft floating backhand dump-in from center ice bounced its way past Hammond before the game was a minute and a half old.

Not long thereafter, the Sens took to the powerplay hoping to even things up. Halfway into the penalty, Matt Puempel was pick-pocketed at the point and the Ice Caps were off to the races on a shorthanded break to give them a 2-0 lead early in the first.

It took until the second period before the Sens found the back of the net. Off of an Ice Cap failed clearing attempt, defenceman Chris Wideman put it hard on net and it beat the St. John's goaltender.

Less than a minute later, Alex Grant fumbled with the puck behind his own goal and had the puck stolen away by Ice Caps forward Blair Riley. He quickly fed it to the slot, where Balisy buried it to restore the two goal lead.

The flurry of goals continued with Binghamton responding quickly with a hard shot from the slot by Derek Grant for his first goal of the year. Defenceman Danny New (who was dressed as a forward) fed Garrett Thompson who went in on a partial break and squeaked one past the St. John's goaltender to even the game at three.

The defensive troubles continued as the Ice Caps were able to score back to back goals on shots from the wide open slot to take a two goal lead heading into the second intermission. The third period opened up with more of the same as a point shot beat Hammond just over three minutes in. The sixth goal gave Hammond the hook from the net, leaving way for backup Sens goaltender Scott Greenham to see his first action of the season.

Late in the game, the Sens scored on a pair of deflection goals from Buddy Robinson and Cole Schneider. The late goals made the score a bit more respectable at 6-5.

Binghamton Senators 5 - St. John's Ice Caps 6

Binghamton Senators Record: 1-2-1

Wednesday: Binghamton Senators at St. John's Ice Caps

Looking to rebound from a high scoring loss, the Senators took to the ice again to try and earn their first ever win at Mile One Centre and first win since 2003 in St John's. Coach Luke Richardson again stuck with his number one goalie, Andrew Hammond, to make his fifth consecutive start of the year. In the opposite net stood former Montreal Canadien Peter Budaj. Neither goalie cracked in the first two periods and they entered the third period tied at zero.

Early in the third, a wrist shot off the rush from just inside the blue line made its way past Hammond. Definitely an ugly goal that Hammond would love to have back. The Senators bailed him out soon thereafter with a rebound goal by Carter Camper for his first of the season to even the score at one. A few minutes later at the midway point of the third, assistant captain Patrick Mullen walked the blue line and fired a wrist shot through a maze of bodies to give the Sens the 2-1 lead.

Binghamton continued to leave the slot wide open, which the Ice Caps capitalized on, tied the game at two, and sent the game to overtime. The two teams exchanged chances early in the overtime period at 4-on-4 and then the Sens took control in the 3-on-3 portion. Puempel and Wideman broke in on a two on one, Puempel made a beautiful saucer pass to Chris Wideman who made no mistake putting it past Budaj for the game winning goal.

Binghamton Senators 3 - St. John's Ice Caps 2 (OT)

Binghamton Senators Record: 2-2-1

Saturday: Binghamton Senators vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms

The Binghamton Senators returned from their eastern road trip to host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. Prior to the game, the teams paid respects to the horrible events in Ottawa by playing the Canadian national anthem.

Making his sixth straight start, Andrew Hammond took his spot in between the pipes. Also, the speedster line of Prince-Pageau-Robinson was put together for the third straight game. Their line began to pay dividends with a goal off the rush by Shane Prince.

Not long after the goal, there was a scrum after the whistle featuring Matt Puempel and the Phantom's Pettersson. The two squared off to fight before being rudely interrupted by former Edmonton Oiler Zack Stortini who wanted in on the action. Michael Sdao came in to even the numbers and had a spirited scrap against the more experienced Stortini.

Near the end of the period, the Phantoms scored on a powerplay goal. The Sens' speedster line was quick to respond with a goal from Pageau off an excellent pass from Wideman.

The second period belonged to the Phantoms, who scored three goals in the frame while outshooting the Senators 17-9. They went into the second intermission down 4-2.

The two-goal Phantom lead held up until 15 seconds left in regulation when Derek Grant narrowed the lead to one with a tip in front. In true #PeskyBSens fashion, the Sens were down but not out. Prince threw the puck out front with six seconds to go and Grant was there again to bury it for his second goal in nine seconds. The game was headed to overtime for their second game in a row and for the third time this season.

Unfortunately, the Sens had run out of magic as former team Canada world junior captain Scott Laughton scored the winner in overtime for the Phantoms.

Binghamton Senators 4 - Lehigh Valley Phantoms 5 (OT)

Binghamton Senators Record 2-2-2

Sunday: Binghamton Senators at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Looking to get back in the win column, the Binghamton Senators went into Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to take on the Penguins. The ironman streak continued for goaltender Andrew Hammond with his seventh consecutive start. Danny New, Max McCormick, and Brad Mills all took a seat for this game while recovering from upper body injuries. The Senators welcomed Dziurzynsky back into the line-up after serving his three game suspension.

The Penguins opened the scoring on a rebound goal by Kostopoulos before adding a powerplay goal from the point from Pouliot to give them an early 2-0 lead. Later in the first period, the hot streak continued for Wideman. He danced around the Penguin captain at the point, walked into the high slot, and fired one into the back of the net.

During a second period powerplay, Wideman fed the puck to Puempel for a one-timer in the slot. The rebound popped up and Schneider batted it out of mid-air and past the Penguin goalie to tie the game at two.

The Penguins took control in the third period, out-shooting the Sens by a 16-5 margin. Hammond stood tall for most of the period, but could not swallow up one of the rebounds, leaving the puck in the crease for the Penguins to pot the game winning goal. The Sens' comeback hopes were not given much of a chance as they took 4 minors in the period. Overall, Hammond played a solid game stopping 37 of 40 shots.

Binghamton Senators 2 - W-B/Scranton Penguins 3

Binghamton Senators Record: 2-3-2

The Week Ahead:

Wednesday, October 29 at 7:00pm. Utica Comets at Binghamton Senators
Friday, October 31 at 7:00pm. Binghamton Senators at Utica Comets
Saturday, November 1 at 7:00pm Syracuse Crunch at Binghamton Senators

Who Stood Out this Week:

Chris Wideman: Absolutely incredible week for Wideman. He recorded three goals and three assists in the four games this past week. He now has eight points on the season which ranks him fourth in the AHL. Not only did he play excellently in the offensive zone, but he also played a solid defensive game as well. His breakout passes were on the tape and he never seemed to panic in the defensive zone.

Derek Grant: He put up three goals and one assist this past week. Included in those stats are the two clutch goals he scored nine seconds apart to force overtime against the Phantoms.

Line of Prince-Pageau-Robinson: Every time they were on the ice, they were getting an offensive chance. They are truly using their speed to their advantage by capitalizing on neutral zone turnovers and taking it back the other way in a hurry. This week they combined for three goals and four assists among a ton of other scoring opportunities.

Notable Updates from North American Prospects:

Nick Paul: He continued tearing up the OHL with two goals and an assist this week. He now has 10 goals and four assists in the first 10 games of the season.

Ben Harpur: He injured his knee just over a week ago and is expected to be out for a few weeks.

Tobias Lindberg: He recorded two goals and two assists in three games this past week to give him seven goals and 10 assists in 11 games. He seems to have adjusted well to the North American game.

Vincent Dunn: He put up three goals and three assists in three games this week with Rimouski. He now has six goals and five assists in 16 games this year.

Quentin Shore: He is leading his University of Denver team with one goal and four assists in four games this year.