The Sens rallied from a one-goal deficit three times to force overtime but fell 4-3 in a shootout in Anaheim.
The Sens rallied from a one-goal deficit three times to force overtime but fell 4-3 in a shootout in Anaheim.
The Ottawa Senators wrapped up a three-game road trip with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. Brady Tkachuk was the standout for Ottawa, scoring twice and tying a club record (for a fourth time) with 12 shots in the game. Linus Ullmark played well again, making 32 saves, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win.
The game was tight from the start, with the Ducks taking a 1-0 lead via Frank Vatrano’s deflection off Jake Sanderson on a power play. The Senators quickly responded with Tim Stutzle’s shot, which deflected in off Tkachuk to tie it up. As the first period wound down, Anaheim reclaimed the lead with Jackson LaCombe’s goal, making it 2-1.
In the second period, Ottawa evened the score early. A Ducks turnover allowed Thomas Chabot to send Tkachuk on a breakaway, and while goalie Lukas Dostal made the initial save, Tkachuk pounced on his own rebound to make it 2-2.
Vatrano and Nick Cousins exchanged third period goals in the first six minutes, pushing the score to 3-3. Cousins then stood up for teammate Shane Pinto who took a big hit by Radko Gudas. Cousins returned the favour on Gudas and then fought Jansen Harkins. That's a little more of the effective mayhem Sens fans were expecting from Cousins.
Ottawa dominated much of the play after that, but despite their best efforts, the game stayed tied after regulation. In the shootout, Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras scored for Anaheim, while Stutzle and Josh Norris failed to convert for Ottawa, sealing the Sens’ 4-3 defeat.
"I thought we played a pretty solid game," head coach Travis Green told TSN 1200 after the game, "Our best period of the road trip might have been the third. And that's a good sign."
The Senators managed to earn three out of a possible six points during this road trip. Their next game is at home against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night, when the team will honor "The Pizza Line" (Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson).