Sens comeback bid falls short in 3–2 loss to the Kings

The Sens nearly found a way in a game they had no business being in. They were badly outshot. They were already down three of their NHL defencemen, and then lost Ridly Greig in the first period and Mark Kastleic in the second. But somehow, they crawled back from 3–0 to make it 3–2, before LA effectively shut it down late in the third and preserved the win for the returning Cam Talbot.

The game was a tale of two halves. In the first half, LA was the better team. They raced out to a 3–0 lead by mid-way through the second period, and if not for the heroics of Joonas Korpisalo (and Adrian Kempe missing a wide-open net), it could've been more. Outside of the Sens' powerplay, they weren't really looking great, but, thankfully, that powerplay got them back in the game just before the second period ended.

The third period saw the Sens catch a break when Kopitar was hurt on a non-dangerous play. The Sens kept possession, the refs (rightly) didn't stop the play, and Josh Norris was wide-open in front to tip home a Jacob Bernard-Docker shot.

That was JBD's first point in 359 days (though that's only 23 games for him). The Sens comeback didn't really gain life after that though, due mostly to a couple poorly timed penalties by Travis Hamonic. They couldn't get the goalie pulled until there were 30 seconds left, and you know that an Anze Kopitar-led crew can shut down 30 seconds. Sens lose 3-2.

Thoughts:

• Travis Hamonic is stretched too far when he’s playing 18 high leverage minutes a night at this stage in his career. A few times he made soft or errant passes, and the high-sticking penalty he took late in the game came as a direct result of his inability to clear or pass the puck. I don't want to rag too much on the guy—injuries are putting him in this position—but I don't see why Matinpalo can't even crack 7 minutes when Hamonic clearly needs his ice time down by about 5 minutes per game. Heck, Tyler Kleven was playing 17 minutes sometimes last year, I think he can crack 10 this year.
• Joonas Korpisalo seems to have dialed in. He made several difficult saves that highlighted his flexibility and athleticism . I wasn't sold early on, but there's something to be said for developing a level of comfort with a new team. He's managed to climb his save percentage back above .900 now (to .906), and I suspect it'll keep climbing.
• Jacob Bernard-Docker looks good out there to my eyes. He's developed some confidence. There are still mistakes, especially as he gets used to new partners, but he doesn't look scared to carry the puck.
• Hard to win many games when you're outshot by 12. Zub, Chabot and Brännström can't come back from injury fast enough.

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