Senators end six-game skid with 2-1 OT win over the Ducks

In a season that’s already lost, this could have been a forgettable game. The Senators entered on a six-game losing streak, facing a Ducks team with everything still to play for. Somehow the Sens walked away with a 2-1 overtime victory. It may have been a blow for #TeamTank, but at least Erik Karlsson came away with two points, slowly trying to claw his was back to his usual standard.

The first period started with a decent pace, but then settled into a boring rhythm. I didn’t take detailed notes through the first two periods, and other than a couple penalties, I don’t remember much. Overall to me, it looked like Anaheim had the balance of pressure, but the Sens managed to mount an effective counter-attack. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just my cynicism that led to me seeing not much in the first two periods, so I reached out to Twitter for their opinions:

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..............

— Kathy L (@KathyLang14) February 2, 2018

they existed

— Steve On Sens (@SteveOnSens) February 2, 2018

I’m like mostly sure they happened.

— Spencer Blake (@spencerdjblake) February 2, 2018

I was on my phone most of the time, so...

— Beata (@CBeataE) February 2, 2018

So far the highlight of the night is a SOG

— Andrew (@Raptor1165) February 2, 2018

So yeah, I wasn’t the only one.

Then a slew of penalties took place in the third, and the Sens ended up with a 4-on-3 powerplay. Erik Karlsson found Mike Hoffman for a shot that Bobby Ryan tipped in, and suddenly this game had a goal. For the second game in a row, the Sens scored the first goal.

Also for the second game in a row, the Sens couldn’t hold that lead. They held off most of the period, but with two minutes left, the Ducks pulled their goalie and basically hemmed Ottawa in their zone. With 40 seconds left, Ryan Kesler decided to enter the crease and not run Mike Condon, instead getting a stick on a cross-crease pass and deflecting it over Condon to send the game to overtime.

Interestingly though, Adam Henrique took a penalty just a few seconds later. Ottawa didn’t score in regulation, so they went to overtime where they’d get another 4-on-3 powerplay. On that powerplay, Matt Duchene found Karlsson who ripped home the winner. Somehow the Sens scored two powerplay goals in the same game and came away with a win. Maybe they should aim for 4-on-3 powerplays every game.

Notable Performances:

• Karlsson put up two points, which I think is pretty good.
• Mike Condon stood tall, especially late in the second, and then when the Ducks were mounting a comeback.
• Ryan Miller for his part was also excellent. Often the goalies are notable in a 2-1 overtime game.
• The powerplay got two goals tonight. Puck movement seemed effective, and Hoffman was actually open for shots, and net-front traffic was present. All those things are good. I could be a powerplay coach./

Game Flow

Shot Chart

Highlights