Danny McCloskey
The Senators cannot afford many losses down the stretch as they chase for a playoff spot. They certainly can’t be losing two in a row. Fresh off a tough 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in their last game, the Senators played a fantastic team game in today’s 2-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Michael Amadio and Thomas Chabot were the goal scorers, while Linus Ullmark registered his second shutout of the season. Let’s dive into the details.
READ MORE: Life Without Jake Sanderson for the Senators
Ullmark’s Bounce Back Game
Linus Ullmark was in the headlines for the wrong reasons after Wednesday’s loss to the Canadiens. He wasn’t at his best in that game, and then was very quick with his answers in the postgame. So, what’s the best way to move on from that type of negativity? How about a 23 save shutout? Ullmark was rock solid today, making a few great saves along the way. As much blame as he deserved for the first half of the season, he deserves plenty of credit for his turn-around. That loss against Montreal was his first in regulation since December 9th. He’s gone 10-1-3 in that time.
Pinto’s Strong Two Way Game
With the great seasons from Tim Stützle and Dylan Cozens, Pinto has taken a back seat in the headlines for much of the last few months. Pinto, though, is the one taking on a lot of the challenging defensive minutes. He leads Senators forwards at over 2 minutes shorthanded per game. That included 2:32 today, where he set up Chabot’s shorthanded goal. He also starts in the defensive zone over 40% of the time at 5 on 5. Today, he was a big part of the reason the Ducks were shut out. He also registered two assists, giving him a career high 19 on the season.
Additional Notes
Stützle scored an unbelievable goal, but the refs decided to ruin things by calling it off for a questionable goalie interference. He was phenomenal today, but saw his 14 game point streak come to an end. Amadio needs to stop scoring now. He’s officially reached 27 points. That’s the exact total he’s had in each of the previous three seasons. Claude Giroux, meanwhile, has gone cold. He has just one assist in his last ten games. That includes being held pointless today. There’s no time to rest for the Senators. They play tomorrow at 5pm against the Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks.
