Sens come back from 3-0 down, lose 5-4 in shootout

The Sens were down 2-0 just 3 minutes into the game, and down 3-0 halfway through the game, so you would've been rational for giving up on the team. Thankfully they didn't give up, and managed to come back from 3-0 down, as well as 4-3 down late in the third, but couldn't quite get the win. Linus Ullmark made 36 saves in the loss. Shane Pinto had a pair of goals, while Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux each had one. Jake Sanderson had three assists.

It was a 6:30 pm puck drop, but you'd be forgiven for not being ready, because neither were the Sens. The Caps raced out to a big lead in shots, and got the game's first goal. Travis Green challenged for goalie interference, but the goal was upheld. You be the judge: I think Connor McMichael established himself in an interfering position before the was pushed, and based on the standard this season, I think this should've been no goal.

Sens would draw a penalty on the ensuing penalty kill, but Washington got the next goal off the stick of Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Sens slowly found their feet, but didn't do much of anything with the rest of the period. Linus Ullmark nearly had a brutal moment, tipping a dump-in going wide off the top of his own crossbar, but then made up for it with a huge cross-crease save on Alex Ovechkin. Late in the period, Tom Wilson didn't like a late hit from Claude Giroux, and Wilson ended up fighting Brady Tkachuk in the heaviest fight I've seen in a long time.

The second period saw the Sens try to get back into the game, but none of their chances were particularly dangerous. A too-many-men penalty gave the Caps a powerplay, and with everyone watching Ovechkin, Tom Wilson got a wide-open pass in the slot and tucked it through Ullmark. The Sens found themselves in a 3–0 hole to the second-best team in the league. Mercifully, the next goal of the game was the Sens, a beautifully executed rapid rush by Jake Sanderson and Shane Pinto.

The Sens also picked up their PK later in the period, looking more like the team who's been a serious shorthanded threat in recent games. They didn't score, but they drew a penalty late in the second that gave them a key chance to close the gap to start the third. Which is exactly what they did. Claude Giroux lined up the one-time slapshot for a few seconds and then somehow ripped it right through Logan Thompson.

And then wouldn't you know it, some back and forth action saw the Sens get the game's next goal. Some puck luck saw the puck tip off Pinto's stick then Lars Eller's stick and in behind Thompson. Tie game!

Ottawa got a powerplay with a chance to take the lead, but an awful line change as the penalty expired gave the Caps a 4-on-2 where they scored to take the lead back. Someone out of Pinto, Greig, or Norris had to stay on the ice there. There was a bit of a mix-up when the refs though Ottawa was challenging, but Travis Green claimed he said "No challenge", and so it turned into an uncalled timeout.

The Sens got some chances with two minutes left. Tim Stützle first danced around everyone but tripped over Thompson's leg (could've been a penalty), then Tkachuk tipped Stützle's shot off the post. Right after that, Dubois put the puck straight out of play, giving the Sens a late powerplay to try to tie it up. The Sens controlled both subsequent faceoffs, and some quick passing set up a perfect rebound from Stützle for Tkachuk to put home. Once again, it was a tie game.

In the dying seconds, Josh Norris skated into Rasmus Sandin and Sandin stayed down. I saw not malice in the collision, but that didn't stop the home crowd from booing the refs as regulation wound down and these teams went to OT for the third time in three games this season.

I feel like the Sens have had so many OTs this season where they controlled play, so it was odd to see the Capitals control the first 90 seconds, not even letting Stützle, Tkachuk, and Sanderson change in that time. Ottawa finally got a chance to get out, but Washington intercepted on a too-many-men penalty of their own, giving Ottawa a rare 4-on-3 OT powerplay. Ottawa got a glorious chance to win it but the puck jumped over Sanderson's stick with Thompson down and out. To Thompson's credit, he also made a couple huge glove saves, reminding everyone that he in fact catches right. OT solved nothing, so we went to the shootout. The Sens kept trying to go to Thompson's glove hand, so naturally none of them scored, and Dylan Strome got the only goal, winning a thriller for Washington, but still giving the Sens an all-important point in the playoff hunt. They're now a point out of the playoffs, tied in games played with Detroit who hold that final spot. Wednesday's game against Chicago is a must-w— interrupted by a giant cane that yanks me off stage

Game Thoughts:

• This felt like a bit of a renaissance game for Claude Giroux. He's still really good, even if he's not quite as fast as he once was. He opened with the big hit on Wilson, and scored the powerplay goal early in the third.
• Jake Sanderson showed us again how good he is tonight. He was quick on his skates and was rewarded multiple times on the scoreboard.
• The boxscore says Travis Hamonic and Nikolas Matinpalo each got over 10 minutes tonight, but I can't say I saw either of them that much. That's probably a good sign that they didn't stick out much.
• Hard not to shout out Pinto in a game in which he gets two goals. He was definitely buzzing. The Sens need him at his best if they're going to make a playoff push.
• Stützle has set a new franchise record for assist streak with an assist in 11 straight games.
• Ullmark had some lapses tonight, but he also finished with a .900 save percentage and made some huge saves, especially on Ovechkin.

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