Artem Zub and Jordan Spence scored 15 seconds apart in the first period to help the Sens beat Vancouver, 2-1.
Despite Kevin Lankinen’s best efforts, the Ottawa Senators’ four-game losing slide is now over, thanks to a 2–1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Canadian Tire Centre. Lankinen made 38 saves for the Canucks to keep the game far closer than it should have been.
The Senators’ only damage came from a pair of goals directly off faceoffs just 13 seconds apart in the first period. The goals were scored by Artem Zub and Jordan Spence.
Here's the full play by play:
FIRST PERIOD
2:34 — The Senators control play in the Vancouver zone, creating several opportunities, including Fabian Zetterland in the high slot taking a nice pass from Drake Batherson, but the Canucks are in shot-blocking mode so far, getting in the way of three or four opportunities.
3:56 — Merilainen looks unsteady on the first test. A puck gets flipped to the front of the net, and he freezes it. But at no point did it look like anything but awkward.
4:26 — Brady Tkachuk breaks over the blue line up the middle and gets a clean shot on goal. Lankinen cuts down the angle and makes the save.
10:00 — Senators outshooting Vancouver 6-1.
13:42 — Fabian Zetterlund hits Tim Stutzle with a nice saucer pass sending him free on a 2 on 1 with Drake Batherson. Stutzle has a lane to shoot and takes it, but Kevin Lankinen makes a skate save to keep the score tied at zero.
15:30 — Ridly Greig hits Shane Pinto with a pass to the high slot and Pinto rings a quick shot off the cross bar and out of play. Senators leading in shots now 10-1.
15:36 — OTTAWA GOAL — Artem Zub gets his first goal in 18 games. After a faceoff win, he steps in from the right point and beats Lankinen with a wrist shot over the glove on the short side. 1-0 Ottawa. Pinto and Amadio draw assists.
15:51 — OTTAWA GOAL — The Sens get their second goal in 15 seconds, an exact replica of the Zub goal, also coming off a nice faceoff win. This time, it's Jordan Spence who rips another wrist shot to beat Lankinen on the far side. 2-0 Ottawa. Stutzle and Batherson draw assists.
17:30 — The Canucks push back with some opportunities, crowding Merilainen, with one puck trickling just wide.
19:10 — Eller almost crams home a juicy rebound, but Lankinen deflects it wide.
19:57 — After some great low to high puck movement by the Senators, Stutzle unleashes a wicked one timer but Lankinen makes a great save, although he didn't seem sure that was the case as the first period siren went.
20:00 — Senators lead the Canucks 2-0 after one, outshooting them 15-5.
SECOND PERIOD
0:34 — Brock Boeser dangles through traffic to the front of Ottawa’s net and just misses the post as he tries to tuck it behind Merilainen.
1:40 — VANCOUVER PENALTY: Filip Hronek gets called for delay of game after his clearing attempt goes over the glass.
2:05 — Giroux at the right point with a hard slap shot that just misses the right post.
2:18 — The second-unit power play starts things off. Along the boards, David Perron makes a hard pass to Zetterlund in front of the net, and it caroms off him, right on goal. It hits Lankinen, luckily for him.
3:04 — Cozens gets a hard wrist shot off from the left faceoff circle, and it goes off Lankinen’s shoulder.
3:40 — The Senators end up with four shots on a failed power play.
4:34 — Lankinen makes a spectacular reaching blocker save on what looked like a sure goal. Dylan Cozens was lying on the ice in a crowd and appeared to poke a loose puck toward the net before Lankinen, who was out of position, reached back with his blocker and got just enough of it to keep it out.
7:04 — Merilainen makes a couple of big saves: the first in tight on Conor Garland, and moments later a nice save on a slap shot from the point by Tyler Myers.
9:57 — Jake DeBrusk takes a nice centering pass and redirects it off the outside of the post. Good to see Merilainen getting a few breaks as he tries to piece his mojo back together.
11:49 — Drake Batherson gets two great chances. He corrals a puck in the high slot with time to pick a spot and snaps a shot wide. Shortly after, Thomas Chabot dances behind the Vancouver net and gets it out to Batherson. Batherson gets a stick on it, the puck ramps up into the air, and Lankinen swats it away like a mosquito.
12:54 — OTTAWA PENALTY. Claude Giroux gets a slashing penalty after whacking Zeev Buium’s stick out of his hand 200 feet from Ottawa’s net.
13:57 — Tim Stützle sprints away on a shorthanded breakaway but loses control of the puck at the last moment. Seconds later, Pinto and Greig get a shorthanded two-on-one. Pinto finds Greig, but Lankinen gets a piece of his shot.
18:20 - Greig being Greig, he takes a good healthy whack at Lankinen's trapper, just as the goalie freezes the puck. Hronek isn't happy.
20:00 - Senators still lead 2-0 and lead in shots 31-11. If not for Lankinen's heroics and a lot of missed Sens shots (11), this one could be a lot worse. Instead, it's still very much a game, heading to the final frame.
More to come...
THIRD PERIOD
1:17 - VANCOUVER GOAL: Despite their dominance tonight, it wouldn't be a Sens game without a calamitous moment that leads directly to a goal. Dylan Cozens with a horrible defensive zone giveaway to Linus Karlsson, who gives it to Elias Pettersson all alone in front. He beats Merilainen up high to the blocker side to cut Ottawa's lead to 2-1. Merilainen's shutout bid is over.
The Senators are suddenly on their heels, perhaps filled with dread about having to answer more questions outplaying yet another opponent and not getting the result.
5:50 - Giroux breaks in one on one and makes a slick move through his own legs to loosen up a shooting seam but his backhander just misses the far post.
11:31 - The game opens up completely with chances at both ends. For Ottawa, after Nick Cousins broke in and slid the puck to the front of the net, Lars Eller almost tucks one in. The rebound was just sitting there loose in the blue paint but the Canucks sweep it away before Eller could poke it in.
14:00 - Cozens is really fighting the puck tonight. With Ottawa making a change, Cozens almost fumbles the puck away at Vancouver's blueline which would have been a major problem going the other way.
17:52 Lankinen leaves for the extra attacker. Good riddance.
18:30 Greig misses his second empty net of the shift. Seconds later, Sanderson seemed to have a line to shoot but put the breaks on and didn't shoot.
19:33 Conor Garland tackles Thomas Chabot behind Ottawa's net. The Canucks will finish their comeback attempt shorthanded.
19:36: After a shot from the point, Greig swats at the puck, which is going into the net. But Tyler Myers swats it out of the air.
20:00 Sens hold on for the 2-1 victory, outshooting Vancouver 41-19.
Jordan Spence's goal held up as the game winner.
"Yeah, it feels really good," Spence said. "Obviously, we were in a four-game losing streak and coming into the game we just wanted to play well and give it a hundred percent, and I thought we did that tonight."
The Senators now head for New York to face the Rangers on Wednesday night.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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