Senators Stumble To Defeat
Strong second period by Toronto sends Binghamton to defeat for the ninth loss in their last eleven games.
Another game, another loss as the Toronto Marlies (14-3-1) shut down the stumbling Binghamton Senators (5-10-1) by a score of 6-4 that early on seemed to be going the Senators way after the opening period. But giving up three goals in the second sent them to their ninth loss in 11 games and further out of contention in the Eastern Conference.
Chris Driedger was in net as the Marlies peppered him with 40 shots, (22 in the second period alone) while on three power plays as Binghamton continues to march to the penalty box when things go rough as a telling sign of their frustrations.
Mark Fraser would set the tone just 30 seconds in with a hooking call and Toronto capitalizes as Kasperi Kapanen lets one rip from his blue line for an early Marlies lead. But the Senators would score the next two putting them in front with Colin Greening netting his fourth of the season with a nice individual effort skating just about the length of the ice into the zone with his wrist shot form the side boards beating Marlies goaltender Antoine Bibeau. Then Cole Schneider from behind the net, finds Eric O'Dell in front for his seventh giving Binghamton the only lead of the day.
Then the wheels fell off the cart in the second as Toronto would take over the game and send a message why they are where they are at atop in the North Division with three unanswered goals. Kapanen's shot saved but a wide open William Nylander would pounce on the rebound into the empty net.
Frederick Claesson would cut the lead to one as his shot from inside the blue line goes through traffic for a power play goal. But Brendan Leipsic takes a cross ice pass from Nikita Soshnikov and shoots through a Binghamton defender who had Driedger screened by his side. Both Fraser and Patrick Mullen caught out of postilion in the neutral zone leading up to a three on one break as Panik scores from a short pass from rookie Zach Hyman in front. Mark Arcobello would score with no defenders even close to him taking a pass from Kapanen beating Driedger short side.
With under a minute left in the third, the Sens pull Driedger and Ryan Dzingel would pick up a rebound and lift a backhander through a crowd in front getting past Bibeau for a 5-4 game. With the clock winding down and Binghamton applying pressure, Toronto's Stuart Percy sent the puck sailing out of the zone as it slithers towards the empty net and in.
TONIGHT'S LINE-UP
Dzingel-O'Dell-Schneider
McCormick-Paul-Puempel
Greening-Dziurzynski-Stortini
Hobbs-Ewanyk-Robinson
Mullen-Fraser
Lepine-Carlisle
Claesson-Harpur
WHO'S OUT
Michael Sdao (injured), Tobias Lindberg (undisclosed) Nick Tuzzolino (healthy)
Scott Greenham in back up
POST GAME NOTES
- This team lacks identity as you never know which one will show up on a given night. What looked to be so promising after a 60 minute effort against the Penguins on Friday, might as well flush it all away as the team is back to ground zero once again. However, two very tough opponents being one/two in the league will do that on occasion as they hung with the Marlies, just too many little things that went wrong in this one.
- Matt Puempel was back and had an assist as either it's for one game and he's going back to Ottawa, or he's down for good. Tobias Lindberg sat and might be banged up a bit from Friday's game.
- Fraser (-1) and Mullen (-3) make a mad scramble to get back after being caught out of position on a turnover in center ice leading to the Marlies third goal with a lone forward the only defender back. You have to wonder what's going on with both of them as they have been a bad defensive pairing.
- Binghamton, for a second straight game, gave up 40 shots leaving Driedger with a 5-5-0 record (2.92 GAA, 0.910 SV%). With Matt O'Connor in Ottawa these days, you can't help but to feel for the young goaltender as the defense is just not there. (Is this 2014-'15 all over again?)
- Sens fall to last place in the Conference. Just can't put it together and string some wins. But the revolving penalty box door has to stop as the team needs to play with some discipline. Taking a penalty in the opening seconds of the game is not helping.
- Zack Stortini's line out for Toronto's fourth goal in the second period that had zero defensive coverage letting the Marlies skate at will within the zone as Arcobello created that goal when he had all kinds of space on the wing.
UPCOMING GAME
Next up another tilt with the talented WBScranton Penguins for a rematch on Thanksgiving Eve in Bingo.