AHL callup Jacob Fowler badly outperformed Linus Ullmark as the Canadiens moved out of reach, nine points up on the Senators in the standings.
It’s often said in the NHL that one of the toughest games to play is the first one back home after a long road trip. But the Ottawa Senators can’t really use that as an excuse in this case, because the Montreal Canadiens had their own challenges to deal with.
Most notably, Montreal was playing the second game of a back-to-back. Top goal scorer Cole Caufield missed the game due to illness, and the Canadiens started a rookie goaltender who hadn’t played an NHL game in almost two months and had only 10 games of NHL experience.
That rookie, Jacob Fowler, called up earlier in the day from Laval, made 32 saves to lead the Canadiens past the Senators 3–2 at Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday night.
Ivan Demidov’s goal at 12:40 of the third period held up as the game-winner, snapping a 2–2 tie. It was one of the easier goals he’ll ever score. After a shot from Alex Newhook, Ottawa goaltender Linus Ullmark coughed up a perfect rebound. Demidov barged to the net and jammed the puck home.
The game got off to a controversial start in the opening minute. Dylan Cozens drove the puck to the net and bumped into Fowler, drawing a goaltender-interference penalty. Senators head coach Travis Green was livid about the call, and the Canadiens capitalized by scoring on the ensuing power play to take a 1–0 lead.
Ottawa responded with a pair of goals from Drake Batherson, though neither came in convincing fashion.
The first came during a goalmouth scramble. Batherson appeared to fan on his attempt to jam the puck into the net. As he recoiled, he accidentally pulled the puck back out, but not before it had barely crossed the goal line.
His second goal came after Claude Giroux made a great effort to keep a clearing attempt in at the blue line. Giroux fed the puck to Batherson, who cut to the net and tried to stuff it in. Tim Stützle arrived late and appeared to score, but replays showed Batherson’s stick blade was the last to touch the puck, giving him credit for the goal.
Montreal tied the game in the second period on a wraparound by Alex Texier. As Texier and Nik Matinpalo went behind Ottawa's net, Ullmark got his stick tangled up in Matinpalo's legs as the two skaters went behind the goal, which served two purposes: it gave Texier the separation he needed for the wraparound and pinned Ullmark’s stick against the post, preventing him from pushing across to pinch off the post. Ullmark attempted to do the splits instead, leaving plenty of room for the puck to sneak under his pads.
For the third time in four games, Ullmark posted a save percentage well below .900, stopping 20 shots (.870) on the night. Meanwhile, the rookie Fowler made 32 saves for a .941 and was there when the Canadiens needed him at the end.
The loss represents a huge swing in the standings. A win would have brought Ottawa within five points of Montreal. Instead, the Canadiens are now all but out of reach, nine points ahead of the Sens with just 18 games remaining.
So the Senators only real hope lies with the Wild Card. With 74 points, they must find a way to leapfrog two of the following teams to get back into the playoff picture: the Columbus Blue Jackets (76 points), the (WC2) Boston Bruins (78 points), or the (WC1) Detroit Red Wings (79 points).
Ottawa will try to regroup on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. when they host the Anaheim Ducks.
Interestingly, the Ducks currently lead the Pacific Division despite having only two more points than the Senators, a reminder of just how tough the Atlantic Division has been this season.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News