Another Western Loss, Flames burn Sens 5-1
The Battle of Tkachuks
It was a game that few expected the Sens to win and they didn’t disappoint. There was a sense of excitement around the game with the call up of the younger kids but the miracle didn't happen tonight. With Thomas Chabot, Cody Ceci, Chris Tierney and JG Pageau out with injuries/suspensions, the team looked lost most of the game tonight.
It started off on a good note when Dylan DeMelo scored to make it 1-0 after receiving an Anthony Duclair pass that made many Sens fans gasp in rare joy.
While the Sens were not showing any dominating traits they were still leading when Matthew Tkachuk took a penalty. Perfect time for a Brady Tkachuk beauty. Instead, we got a disoriented power play that resulted in a short handed Mark Giordano goal, just grand theft on Bobby Ryan for that one. Tie game and time for a full Sens implosion. Things continued to get worse when the Flames fourth line had a strike with a tip in that made them look like stars and Craig Anderson look like he had wanted to retire prior to this game. The period ended 2-1 Flames with shots favouring the enemy 11-5. While Andy didn’t look great on the two goals, the Flames were putting up some quality chances so credit to Andy for keeping the score tight.
Moving on to the second period, maybe the Sens just needed to shake off some back to back fatigue. Don’t you all miss Guy Boucher?
The second period didn’t show much promise for the Sens, but comebacks are always in the cards for these young kids. The Sens held the fort (barely) until the 9 minute mark when the Flames fourth line had another strike. This time it was a blast from Andrew Mangiapane that put the Sens further behind. Can’t help but feel like this name could be on a doctor’s show to describe some sort of incurable painful disease. While the Sens were showing improvement, the Flames were looking like they were too much to handle.
The second period ended 3-1 with the Flames outshooting the Sens 10-9.
Comeback period is here! Or so we thought.....
The Sens didn’t have the third period energy they were able to muster last night and M.Tkachuk really wanted to put his younger brother to shame. With 11 minutes to go in the third, the Sens were not showing any signs of energy and the Flames completed the takeover. M.Tkachuk connected with Mikael Backlund for a shot off the post and in perfect view of Ben Harpur. 4-1 Flames.
The comeback made no appearance as Matthew Tkachuk added another insulting goal to make it 5-1 with less than two minutes left in the game. Keith Tkachuk had the perfect mixed reaction of pride and pain on that one. Poor Brady. Although he did have the perfect “of course” reaction smile on the bench, this kid is perfection.
Tonight’s observation: Sens just love to keep their opponents parked in perfect positions in front of Andy’s net.
The Sens were outshot 15-5 in the third and 36-19 overall. Real inspirational effort for all the “real fans” who stayed up to watch the game.
Notable Performances
1) Brady Tkachuk: this video is all I need to explain
2) Anthony Duclair continues to impress both management and fans with his skill and impact on games. It's still too early to tell but many people are hoping he can turn it around in Ottawa.
3) Erik Brannstrom played 18:47 minutes tonight and is really forcing the coaching staff to use him at every chance they can get. There is still some work to be done in his game but the potential is looking to be fantastic at this point.
4) Vitaly Abramov seemed genuinely excited to be in the game and while it was a terrible game to start your NHL career, he did have some individual moments to enjoy. Credit to Sens Prospects for the highlights.