Senators Shut Out by Rangers in a Forgettable Performance
A 5-0 loss and two players lost
The Sens have played so well recently that they put themselves in a position to potentially grab the third divisional spot.
After some hard fought games lately, the hopes were high for the team coming in. The first period started off with a slow pace. The Rangers seemed to be the only ones knowing how to shoot the puck while the Sens just looked out of place most shifts.
As the Sens started to get some effort in, Josh Norris tripped awkwardly and headed to the dressing room. With the amount of injuries coming in and out lately, this was the last thing the Sens needed. Luckily, Norris seemed to have only needed some fixing up and was back on the bench, for a bit.
The Sens continued to try and get something for them but the Rangers seemed like they were a step ahead. The Sens looked like the might have some luck on their side when a terrible Jake Sanderson giveaway ended up in the net only to be recalled off a coach's challenge for offside. That luck didn't last long as the Rangers came back a few minutes later to score a goal that couldn't be argued with.
After a very slow first period, we hoped the Sens would come out in the second period storming. Instead, they came out without Josh Norris and then went down 2-0 a few minutes in. There were no details on Norris except that he was kept away for precautionary reasons; we can only hope that's all there is to it.
Leevi Meriläinen was having a good game up until the second goal against, which was honestly a silly fluke. After that goal, the entire team was slowly falling apart and when the Rangers thought they scored a goal to go up 3-0, it seemed like the game was over for the Sens. Luckily for them, the Sens coaching staff had their sharp challenge hats on and the Rangers saw a second goal come back as a result of an offside challenge.
Well, this is brutal right now... Kaliyev again as this puck goes off of the stick of Tyler Kleven. This one's being challenged for offside again. 3-0 #Rangers for now: #Sens #GoSensGo
— Pesky Sickos (@peskysickos.com) January 21, 2025 at 8:16 PM
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At this point, Travis Green decided something needed to change so he went for a goalie change. Anton Forsberg now had the pleasure to finish this miserable game.
When the Sens got a power play, they managed to somehow lose more momentum as they couldn't even generate a shot on net.
As long and terrible as the second period felt like, they were only down by 2 and had every opportunity to make a statement third period and get back into the game. That hope lasted 4 minutes as the Rangers were quick to dash any Sens' efforts to make it 3-0. The game was really over at this point, not because they were down 3-0 but because the entire game turned into a series of unfortunate chaotic events.
The frustrated Sens were trying hard to fight back but nothing was even connecting for them at this point. A battle in front of the net that involved Brady Tkachuk resulted in what seemed like the entire Rangers team, including the goalie, going after Tkachuk. It took a few minutes, but the refs decided it was all Tkachuk's fault and he got the extra penalty.
Down 3-0 and on the penalty kill, you'd think the Sens would act wiser, right? Of course not. Amadio had to go bump into an overly sensitive Igor Shesterkin and just like that, the Rangers had a 5 on 3 power play.
Michael Amadio picks up another goaltender interference call against the #Sens #GoSensGo
— Pesky Sickos (@peskysickos.com) January 21, 2025 at 9:21 PM
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It didn't take long for the game to completely go off the rails as the Rangers capitalized on both power plays to make it 5-0. So much for a goalie change sparking some energy into the team.
It really was game over at that point. It was just a question of what else could go wrong in this game.
How about a Nick Jensen injury? Or another Ottawa penalty?
At least the Red Wings and Lightning also lost their games.
The Sens were bound to have a disastrous game at some point, they just need to erase this memory and get ready for a crucial game in Boston. It would also help if Josh Norris ends up being okay.
