The Ottawa Senators beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in overtime in what was the last of four matchups of the season between the two teams. The Senators lost their first game against the Red Wings in their season series, but have won three in a row against them since. Overall, this wasn’t the most exciting game between two teams who have been building a mini rivalry throughout the season. However, there are still a few things to unpack, including a big loss on defence for the Sens.
Overtime Heroics
Despite there only being five goals scored, this was a decent back-and-forth game when it came to offensive chances. It started early in the first period when Erik Brannstrom fumbled the puck to Joe Veleno, who then fed it to Daniel Sprong for a one-timer to give the Red Wings their only lead of the game.
The Senators struck twice in the second period. First, it was a Mark Kastelic deflection. Then it was a Brady Tkachuk breakaway goal only moments after he got out of the box for a penalty he took just before. In the third period, the Red Wings’ captain tied it all up once again. The game ended in overtime when Shane Pinto got another Senators’ deflection on a nice feed from Thomas Chabot. This was a nice reward for the Sens, who possessed the puck throughout the entirety of the overtime period.
Overall, the Senators played a feisty game and kept up with one of the hottest teams in the month of January (from ‘Red Wings’ hot streak continues, turning questions into answers’, The Athletic, 1/18/24). To get that extra point, the Senators had to fight even harder following a tough break early in the game.
Sanderson’s Injury
The Senators may have won the game, but they still took a big loss in the process with Jake Sanderson not being available to start the second period. He was later ruled out for the rest of the game with a lower-body injury.
To compensate, Jakob Chychrun and Chabot, who were paired together to start the game, had to play big minutes and double shift. Luckily, however, they had help from Joonas Korpisalo, who stopped 23 of 25 shots. He played a solid game to build on his Monday night (Jan. 29) performance when he filled in for Mads Sogaard in his team’s 4-3 comeback overtime win against the Nashville Predators. If Sanderson can’t come back after the All-Star Break, they’ll have to rely on these three players to fill a pretty big hole.
Not as Advertised
A big topic of discussion leading up to the game had a lot to do with the last time these two teams played. On one play, Dylan Larkin fell to the ice after being clipped in the face following a cross-check by Mathieu Joseph. An error in judgment led to Artem Zub being the victim of retaliation by David Perron, which cost the Red Wings winger his next six games. These circumstances set the game up to be an intense, blood-boiling matchup between two divisional rivals. However, only one player took the heat.
It took only a few seconds into the game for Joseph to be booed by the Red Wings fans, which lasted up to the final buzzer. The Red Wings players were particularly aggressive against him on the ice and clearly remembered what had happened to their captain beforehand. Whether it be hits or cross-checks, Joseph was always covered and didn’t get on the scoresheet.
Apart from this, not much happened in the hits and fight departments, and there were barely any scrums after the whistle. The way both teams chose to deal with the past was with huge offensive chances. This shows that sometimes violence isn’t the answer, even in hockey.
A Long Break
The Senators play their next game on Feb. 10 when the Toronto Maple Leafs come to town. This gives all the players – except for Tkachuk, who will represent the Senators in the All-Star Game – a lengthy rest.
While the playoffs seem unlikely for the Sens at this time, how they play will still be important. Head coach Jacques Martin will look to improve his team’s record in the second half of the season and help build some confidence for whoever takes over. That is unless the word ‘interim’ is removed from his title eventually.
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