Vancouver Defeats Ottawa in Extra Time
The Ottawa Senators erased a 2-0 deficit but fell to the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in overtime.
In a game where the Senators were clearly the better team, they lost. Because, of course.
In the first, the Canucks took the early lead despite the Senators outshooting and out-attempting them at even strength. Early on, the puck crossed the goal line behind Thatcher Demko but the referee intended the blow the play dead, and therefore the call on the ice was no goal. This might have been an omen of things to come.
It wasn’t until halfway through the first frame that former Senator Jayce Hawryluk would get the Canucks on the board.
#Sens are a mess off the draw, and Jayce Hawryluk beats his old team to make it 1-0 #Canucks. pic.twitter.com/IstkIbEzJw
— Brandon Maki (@BrandonMaki_) March 15, 2021
Needless to say, there were a number of missed assignments off this draw but it was nothing compared to how the Canucks would score their second goal, eight minutes later following an absolute freebie from Colin White.
Sounded like Tanner Pearson fooled Colin White by calling his name, and it resulted in one of the worst turnovers you'll ever see. #Canucks 2-0 #Sens pic.twitter.com/4UpxCPahXZ
— Brandon Maki (@BrandonMaki_) March 15, 2021
I understand that when you hear your name called, you trust your teammate is open. The problem is, this is never a place you should put the puck even if your teammate is the one calling for it.
In the second, the Sens came out buzzing. Greatly outshooting the Canucks, they finally got on the board following a Tim Stützle hit post that eventually made its way to the stick of Josh Norris.
Josh Norris cuts the lead to 1! #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/Bpc0fwAnQv
— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) March 16, 2021
For the second straight period, the Sens also outshot the Canucks, doubling up their opponents through 40 minutes.
Into the third period, the Sens were all over the Canucks again but the one of the nicest plays of the period came from Joey Daccord, who was solid for a second straight game.
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/XCAdPm6S9z
— Locked On Senators (@SensCentral) March 16, 2021
Sometimes, you make a big mistake and you’re working all game to make up for it. Most of the time, regardless of effort, you don’t end up making up the difference for your teammates. Tonight, White bucked that trend. With just over two minutes left, Brady Tkachuk won the puck on the boards, found White for the one-timer to force extra time.
Colin White ties the game with the net empty. #Sens pic.twitter.com/zXj3r2KaCC
— Brandon Maki (@BrandonMaki_) March 16, 2021
Overtime kicked off with Tkachuk, Norris and Chabot. With a few rushes and a great chance from Norris, the Sens were unable to solve Demko. In the end, a tired Sens group coughed up the puck and JT Miller found himself in alone on Daccord for the game winner.
Thatcher Demko er, I mean, the Vancouver Canucks won the game 3-2.
Notable Performances
- Joey Daccord was solid, although his 0.893 SV% wouldn’t lead you to believe that was the case. Looking back on the highlights, I wouldn’t say any of the three goals against were Daccord’s fault. When the team needed the saves, he made them.
- Stützle was a monster on the ice, creating chances in Vancouver’s end on almost every shift. Seeing his confidence catch up with his skill throughout the season has been a treat - and there’s plenty of reason to believe he’s only going to get better.
- Josh Norris opened the scoring for the Senators while posting a 72.22 CF% through 14 minutes of 5v5 ice time. His line with Tkachuk and Stützle registered ten shot attempts for and only four against at even strength. This is a line we should hope to see more of.
- The fourth line of Ryan Dzingel, Clarke Bishop and Austin Watson had a fantastic game. While they only managed five shot attempts at even strength, they only allowed three. When your fourth line can come out of a game ahead in this metric, that’s a win./