Sens Keep Frustrating Red Wings, Win 4-3

It wasn't quite a 48-save performance, but Linus Ullmark still managed to get the better of the Red Wings, ​making 31 saves in a 4-3 victory. That means the Sens won 3 out of 4 meetings between these teams this year. Thomas Chabot, Tim Stützle, David Perron, and Michael Amadio were the Sens' goal scorers, and Fabian Zetterlund got an assist for his first Sens point.

To open the game, Fabian Zetterlund got called early for a super soft trip, but the hockey gods were merciful, allowing the Sens to kill the penalty and then giving him the puck out of the box, setting up Thomas Chabot, and giving Z his first point as a Senator.

​The Sens would take the next two penalties, a weak one on Brady Tkachuk and then Ridly Greig getting way too eager on the forecheck, but the Sens killed it all off including the brief 5-on-3. Then Tkachuk and Lucas Raymond got entangled, and some players seemed to think the refs would call offsetting minors, but when they didn't, Tim Stützle used the extra space to skate up and score the Sens' second goal on three shots (Detroit had ten shots at this point, in comparison).

The next penalty went to Perron, because apparently Marco Kasper holding Perron isn't a penalty but Perron holding Kasper is. The Sens killed that, and then Simon Edvinsson saw the refs were calling everything so held Stützle's stick to buy a hooking call. Refs didn't bite, the two chirped each other, and then Tkachuk stepped in and fought Edvinsson. Late in the first, Dominik ​​Shine went down super easy and the Wings got their fifth powerplay of the period compared to Ottawa's zero. Amazing to think fans were chanting "Refs you suck" when given a five powerplay advantage, where I'd say only the Greig penalty was a true penalty. They should've been chanting "Wings you suck", that they were losing 2-0 despite having the refs thoroughly on their side.

The Sens killed the rest of that penalty, and then got the game's next goal, from Perron somehow getting himself a breakaway.

That did it for Alex Lyon's night, and our old friend Cam Talbot came in. He actually had to be sharp right away, as the refs remembered that players in red can take penalties and gave the Sens the next two powerplays.​ The second period was pretty uneventful after that, so I'll recap some of the funnier moments. Cam Talbot went behind the net to play the puck but lost it in his skates, but Tkachuk could only put it through the crease. In a net front scrum, Drake Batherson easily held Alex DeBrincat back with one arm​​. Tyler Kleven stepped up into a huge hit on Austin Watson (who knew he was a Wing?), and Watson was so pissed he got up and two-hand whacked Kleven in the ribs (with no call).

Anyway, there was still a hockey game to play. The Sens entered the third up 3-0, and also nearly tied in shots.​ Shane Pinto took a stupid penalty early in the third, cross-checking Moritz Seider's helmet off. Detroit finally capitalized on the PP, with DeBrincat getting the pass to Patrick Kane backdoor, getting two of the league's most punchable faces on the scoresheet. Thankfully an Amadio/Highmore 2-on-0 restored the lead. Amadio put it into Talbot's pads and the poked at it. The refs originally called it off, but replay clearly showed that Shine had hit his own goalie so it was a goal, and Sens fans in the stand got to do the Italian Amadio hands.

Not long after, Chabot's stick broke, allowing Lucas Raymond all the time in the world alone in front to outmanoeuvre Ullmark and score, making it 4-2 still with 8 minutes left. Then with 4:30 left, Vladimir Tarasenko got the puck in the slot and scored to come back within one. Detroit finally got the goalie out with 90 seconds left, and came close to tying it up, but the puck went off Ullmark's glove and the post before Sanderson got it away. Ottawa then clogged things up in the corner and ran down the clock for a hard-fought 4-3 victory.

Game Thoughts:

• Michael Amadio deserves a big shoutout. Sure he got the game-winner, but he also had a forecheck shift with 2 minutes left that he doggedly wouldn't let the Wings leave their own zone. Zetterlund's arrival has relegated him to the fourth line, but he will get key defensive minutes like that. He's earning his salary.
• Linus Ullmark was this team's best penalty killer. Pretty critical when you give up five PPs in the first.
• David Perron is a master of his limitations. He struggled once early in the first, turning back instead of clearing the puck and then losing the physical battle, but mostly he's learned how to be successful despite slowing down with age. His goal was a thing of beauty.

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