Senators give up goal 17 seconds into overtime; lose 4-3 to Oilers
The Senators were looking to tie together a pair of wins for the first time in far too long, but let two separate leads slip away and lost the game 4-3 in overtime.
Immediately before the game, the Senators recognized Chris Phillips for playing 1000 games in the NHL with a nice little ceremony. Phillips, always a class act, thanked the organization and the city, and received a warm ovation from the appreciative crowd.
From the very first puck drop, the Senators showed a new found confidence thanks to Thursday's win against Nashville. They were constantly in the attacking zone and really utilized their speed created countless chances. It worked well, giving the Senators a 1-0 lead just five minutes into the game as Daniel Alfredsson fired off a sharp shot past Nikolai Khabibulin from a sneaky Erik Karlsson feed.
The Oilers struck back in the second period, though, as the struggling Magnus Paajarvi managed to tie the game up at one. The Senators and Oilers then traded goals late in the second period, with Milan Michalek scoring on a breakaway while Ben Eager tied it up after the refs somehow missed an interference play that prevented Jared Cowen from covering Eager.
The Oilers took their first lead of the game early in the third period when Shawn Horcoff was left wide open in front of the net for an easy goal, while Erik Karlsson evened it up midway through the period, taking this one to overtime.
Overtime was, well, brief. Just 17 seconds in, Taylor Hall -- who the Senators had shut down all afternoon -- scored the game and robbed the Senators of the extra point. Shots were 42-40 in favour of the Senators.
Sens Killer: Nikolai Khabibulin
Normally, letting in three goals hardly qualifies as a Sens Killer. However, Khabibulin faced 42 shots on the night, and turned away countless incredible scoring chances for the Senators. He was rock solid on an afternoon when the Oilers needed him to be, and the Senators suffered because of it.
Sens Hero: Erik Karlsson
Karlsson had five shots, and a goal and an assist on the afternoon, and was solid in both ends of the ice. In particular, he did a really good job of shutting down Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle by making smart decisions in his own zone, and with excellent use of his stick. He now has 50 points on the season, giving him a 12 point lead on the next closest defenseman in the league.
Sens Zero: The rest of the blueline
The other blueliners weren't so hot today, giving the Oilers far too much space and time in front of Craig Anderson. The Oilers fired 40 shots at Anderson, which is simply unacceptable.
Honourable Mentions: Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, Milan Michalek
Spezza had two assists, five shots, and was 62% in the faceoff circle. Alfie had a goal, four shots, and was a team-high +2. Michalek had a breakaway goal and a game-high 8 shots.
Shot Chart:
Highlights:
Forthcoming
