Linus Ullmark Still Undefeated As Senators Defeat Devils 4-1

The hot start continues for Linus Ullmark, Tim Stützle and the Ottawa Senators.

Ullmark ran his personal record to 5-0 as the Senators (5-1-0) defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1 at Prudential Center in Newark. Tim Stützle had a goal and an assist and now has 10 points in his first six games.

Shane Pinto and Stephen Halliday each scored in the second period, which was all the scoring the Sens needed, as Ullmark made 29 saves for the win. 

As has so often been the case this season, the victory came with a price, as Nikolas Matinpalo was hurt in the first period on a hit from behind. The Sens played the final 50 minutes of this game with just five D.

The Devils (2-3-0) came out looking to intimidate early, with veteran defenceman Brendan Dillon running around in the opening minutes.

Then came the nasty hit from behind by Anthony Mantha on Matinpalo.

Mantha got a five-minute major for boarding, giving the Senators a chance to take control of the game. But their struggling power play failed to capitalize.

The Senators wasted little time breaking the scoreless tie in the second period.

Just nine seconds after the opening faceoff, Pinto scored his first goal of the season, with Michael Amadio and Claude Giroux picking up the assists.

The Sens doubled their lead at 8:40 when Halliday scored his second of the season, finishing off a play set up nicely by Stützle. Brett Pesce blew a tire, giving Halliday, on a holiday Monday, the gift of all the time he needed to pick his spot.

It was a welcome bit of success for a struggling Sens power play that went 1 for 5.

The Devils pushed back in the middle frame, outshooting the Sens 12-10, but their high-danger chances were limited.

By the end of the second period, the Senators had also outhit the Devils 14-9, showing they were more than willing to push back on the Devils' early physicality.

The Senators tried to park the bus in the third period and were badly outshot in the period 14-3, but it worked out. The Sens didn't get their first shot on goal until midway through the period, and it was Stützle with a perfect tip-in off a Thomas Chabot slap shot.

The Devils didn't give up, though. They thought they'd gotten on the board, but their goal was overturned following a successful Ottawa challenge for goaltender interference. That was a gutsy call by the Sens, who were only up by two and risked giving the Devils a power play if the challenge was unsuccessful. But that paid off, too.

The Devils finally did get on the board on a goal by Arseny Gritsyuk, who ruined the Ullmark shutout bid, but that's as close as they would get.

The Senators had three tries at an empty net, including one by Ullmark, before Tyler Kleven put one in to seal the deal.

With Matinpalo going down, this is the fourth win this season that's been blemished by an injury concern. The others were Jake Sanderson on opening night in Toronto, Ullmark in Boston, and William Eklund against the Flyers. Best guess on Matinpalo's injury is a concussion after the side of his head struck the boards first.

On the bright side, the Sens are now 5-1 to start a season for the first time since the 2007-08 season. They'll head back home now to face the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa