Sens Close Out Roadtrip With OT Loss to Red Wings
It could have been worse.
And so the road trip from hell comes to an end.
Before the season started, most of us pinpointed this 9 game road trip as the moment the Sens' season would probably go off the rails, and thank god we were wrong. They were briefly unbeatable, then they were terrible, and they ended it in an underwhelming OT loss. Could've been better, but most importantly it could have been so, so much worse.
For a team probably dealing with the flu, the Sens looked pretty awake at the start of the game. It feels like every game between these teams makes it more obvious they hate each other, and the trend continued today; it didn’t take long at all for a scrum to break out after a whistle.
Unfortunately, that scrum somehow led to a Red Wings powerplay that gave the bad guys the first goal of the game. 1-0 Detroit.
That goal, and the next Red Wings powerplay, woke the Red Wings up enough that they were leading in the shot clock by the end of the first period, despite the Sens' good start.
Even though the Sens didn’t score in the first, the Red Wings pulled their goalie at intermission. Was he injured? Or did they just think Cam Talbot would play well against his old team? No one knows.
Anyways, the Sens played well in the second, but not as well as you’d expect considering who they were playing. They didn’t seem particularly concerned about scoring a goal despite how long it had been since they had last found the back of the net. Would they ever score again?
Yes, they would! Thomas Chabot tied the game with a laser from the point. He’s so good right now it’s unreal. 1-1.
CHA-BUT 🚨🚨🚨#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/gfmiGmJHoo
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 8, 2025
Brady Tkachuk added another goal right before the end of the second period. This is more like what I expect from a game against Detroit. 2-1 Ottawa.
Brady from the blueline to break the tie!#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/dHQ74H8okZ
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 8, 2025
Naturally, the Sens got a little bit lazy in the third, and the Red Wings tied it right back up in no time. 2-2.
Detroit absolutely turned on the jets, and Forsberg made a ridiculous save to keep the game tied. The momentum was solidly in Detroit’s favour by the halfway point of the period. The Sens looked like a team that had recently taken a lot of cold medicine - the drowsy kind.
They should have been able to win this game in regulation, but instead they were lucky to take it to overtime.
Ottawa spent most of overtime kind of standing around. I’m not sure what mystery illness they were dealing with, but it sure did look like they were struggling to even stay on their feet. Sanderson took a terrible penalty, and Detroit capitalized, of course. 3-2 Detroit.
Far from the ideal outcome, but that's one point in the bag and a .500 record during the road trip. They even briefly got their playoff spot back before losing it again. And hey, the Charge won their game!
Game Notes
- Forsberg was unreal. I'm not sure I trust him long-term, but it's great to see the goaltender step up like that.
- Tim Stützle looked awful, and has for a few games now. He told the media that he's sick, so let's all hope that's the only problem.
- Thomas Chabot. What a guy.
