Senators Lose 4-2 to the Islanders in an Eerily Familiar November Game

For Ottawa Senators fans, the only way this season could really feel different was if the team survived the month of November. Coming into tonight's match-up against the New York Islanders with a 1-2 record for the month, we needed some hope that things will be different this year.

The decision to start Anton Forsberg was odd but not totally inexplicable. He's been playing much better as of late and good play deserves to be rewarded. Continuing to play Travis Hamonic was a choice and given how well Jacob Bernard-Docker has faired, perhaps a less defensible one.

The first period started off on a good pace, the Sens weren't getting a lot of shots but they seemed to have the game under control. Forsberg was making the saves he needed to make and ensuring the team kept its momentum. The first half of the period was largely uneventful and almost a bit sleepy.

With 8 minutes left and the Sens on the power play, Josh Norris had a puck go awry and strike Stützle in the head. Stützle suffered a cut just above the eye and though it looked bad, he would ultimately return to the game after some time in the dressing room.

The Sens did pick up their play as the rest of the period played out but as soon as they got some momentum going, there was seemingly a penalty waiting to slow them down. The period ended scoreless.

The second period started off calmly and again the Sens looked like they were trending upwards. The game was a bit boring but at least it was stable – the kind of thing that a lot of coaches will be happy with: defensive responsibility.

But with 4 minutes left, the Sens had a complete meltdown in front of Forsberg and Anders Lee didn't miss the opportunity to sweep in uncovered and finish a nice pass in front of a bewildered Forsberg. To make matters worse, a series of missed chances at the other end, and a possible non-call on Claude Giroux, ended with Jake Sanderson fumbling the puck and losing track of Jean-Gabriel Pageau who escaped for a semi breakaway that he did not miss.

The third period started on a deflating note as the Sens conceded yet again to fall behind 3-0 and the vibes were bad.

The Sens did give us some hope when Nick Jensen scored his first of the season off a pretty passing play from Stützle and Chabot.

Then Drake Batherson capitalized on the Sens power play with a nifty spin move in tight.

For whatever else you want to say about the Sens, you cannot say they go down without a fight.

The Sens had some good chances and pushed very hard the rest of the way but nothing quite clicked and you could see the frustration building on several of the players' faces. After a few missed chances with the extra attacker, the Isles scored an empty netter and the Sens November record dropped to 1-3.

Game Notes:

• It is rare that we have said this lately, but Sanderson didn't have his best game. He missed on some good opportunities and was a big part of the Pageau goal.
• I don't think Forsberg had a bad game but we need to get Ullmark rolling and settled which means he needs a consistent few games in a row.
• The Sens play the Bruins and Leafs next, with both games on the road. You don't ever want to say that a game in November was a must-win but the schedule is only getting harder from here.
• This team sorely needs Shane Pinto back.
• I don't want to slag too much on the guy but the Hamonic-Kleven pairing did not have the success that Kleven-JBD did and it is unclear why Hamonic remains in the team's top six at this juncture.
• Stützle had a good game, he was everywhere and he had some really good chances but he looked frustrated the whole game even before getting the shot in the eye. Losing sucks!
• The Sens had 9 of the last 10 shots with a few mins left but it almost seem to take until being down 3-0 before they could summon that kind of spirit. Something that coach Travis Green will doubtlessly be asked about and needs to address.

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