The Senators rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game, but a series of whiffs and blunders handed Minnesota the game-winning goal.
Sometimes in the NHL, despite your best efforts, it’s just not your night.
The Ottawa Senators were riding a five-game winning streak and dominated the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night, but ran into 39-year-old future hall of famer, Marc-Andre Fleury. Despite their onslaught of chances, outshooting the Wild 30-20, the Senators streak ended with a 3-2 loss.
The Senators came out swinging in the first period, creating four high-danger opportunities but were unable to capitalize. On the Wild's only high-danger chance of the period, Mason Shaw gave them a 1-0 lead at the end of an odd-man rush.
Sens rookie Angus Crookshank left the game with a lower-body injury, forcing head coach Jacques Martin to mix and match his forward lines the rest of the game.
Minnesota carried their momentum into the 2nd period, scoring 49 seconds in. Matt Boldy found himself alone in the slot and a fired a wrister past Korpisalo to make it 2-0.
During the Senators' five-game winning streak, they have shown a level of resiliency that has been missed in large chunks of the season. They've recently come back against New Jersey, Edmonton and Winnipeg. Against the Wild, they did it again.
Drake Batherson made it 2-1, scoring his fourth goal in his last six games, capitalizing on the power play.
Batherson struck again in the third period on another Sens' power play, finding Jakob Chychrun, back door, and he fired the puck into a wide open net to tie the game 2-2.
The Senators' power play has been on a heater, with Martin going with two defencemen in his setup. The new look, anchored by Chychrun and Jake Sanderson with Batherson, Brady Tkachuk, and Tim Stutzle up front, has now scored three times in their last four power play attempts. Stutzle recorded his career-high 52nd assist on the Chychrun goal.
Minnesota would quickly go on their own power play that provided drama at both ends. Ridly Greig found himself in all alone on Fleury but his deke attempt was swatted away. Seconds later, at the other end, the Wild thought they had scored but the whistle was blown early before Kirill Kaprizov's shot went in.
A short time later, Vinni Lettieri scored to reclaim a 3-2 lead for Minnesota, following an astonishing sequence of whiffs and blunders for Ottawa in their own end.
The Senators pulled their goalie in the dying minutes of the game, bombarding Fleury with shots, but were unable to find the back of the net.
Sometimes you play well but a goalie stands on his head. That is what happened on Tuesday, but the Senators' process was generally good once again. They're closing things out by playing their best hockey of the season.
The Senators return to action on Thursday in the Tkachuk Bowl as Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers come to Ottawa.