Sens Get The Blues in Ottawa

Tonight, the St. Louis Blues were in town to take on your Ottawa Senators. As the Blues remain in the playoff hunt in the West, Ottawa sits firmly with its eyes on the draft lottery in the East. No NHL team is ever trying to lose but as far as the big picture goes, both teams got what they needed out of this one.

The opening frame saw the ice lean in favour of the Senators when it came to shooting and chances but the opposite was true on the scoreboard. Just over halfway into the first, Brandon Saad opened the scoring for the Blues. Colton Parayko wasn't far behind as he made it 2-0 just three minutes later.

That two goal lead would stand heading into the first intermission.

The good guys got a boost from their fourth line centre as it would be Mark Kastelic who cracked Joel Hofer.

The good vibes at Pride Night didn't last long, however, as another St. Louis goal would see the visitors re-establish their two goal cushion just ten minutes later.

Early in the third, the Senators got just what they needed in a powerplay marker from Dominik Kubalik.

With a tie score just one goal away, the Senators needed to prove late that they were bent but not broken. Unfortunately, it only took the Blues three minutes to, once again, go up by two. An empty netter courtesy of Jake Neighbours would seal the deal.

St. Louis got two important points in the playoff hunt while the Senators maintain their top five draft selection odds.

Game Notes

• Once again, the Ottawa Senators needed more out of their goaltending. While Anton Forsberg did make some timely saves, he posted a .852 SV%. His counterpart put up .949, for comparison's sake.
• Few players were as relieved as Mark Kastelic tonight, as his goal was just his third point since the end of January.
• Speaking of relieved goalscorers, you have to imagine Dominik Kubalik feels the same way as his goal was also just his third point since the end of January.
• Claude Giroux continues to defy age with his 58th point of the year - and fifth point in his last six games.
• Despite losing on the scoreboard, the Senators dominated St. Louis in chances. There was not a single Ottawa skater who posted a negative 5v5 corsi marker. Mathieu Joseph's 50.00 CF% was the worst on the team.
• Through almost ten minutes of 5v5 ice, the line of Claude Giroux, Tim Stützle and Parker Kelly (?!) posted an astonishing 85.00 CF%.
• As far as things go relative to the entire season, the Senators performed well on special teams tonight. They didn't allow a powerplay goal and scored one of their own.
• It's frustrating how many of the above bullet points are positives in a 5-2 loss. The Senators continue to get in their own way after what was, for the most part, a good performance.

Game Flow

Heat Map