Danny McCloskey
The Senators had quite the roller coaster of a game today against the Philadelphia Flyers. There was the start, a great one that saw the Sens up 2-0 seven minutes into the game. There was the end, a great one as well that saw the Sens win the game in overtime on Tim Stützle’s second goal of the game. As for the rest of the game? It was ugly, with the Senators giving up a two goal lead, blowing a third period lead, and failing to register a shot for over 20 minutes of game time. The Senators will be happy with the two points, all the while understanding that their effort today was nowhere near good enough. Let’s dive into the details.
READ MORE: It’s Time for Linus Ullmark to Step Up
Stützle the Goal Scorer
The Senators beat the Flyers 2-1 just over two weeks ago. Here was one of my post-game observations: Tim Stützle seems to have the puck bounce over his stick quite a bit. This is noticeable because he does so much good, but then can’t seem to finish. Well, a new tape job on his stick seems to have completely fixed Stützle’s finishing issues. Here are his numbers since then:
- 7 games, 6 goals, 11 points
His two goals today put his season total to eight, tying him with Shane Pinto for the team lead. He’s now on pace for 40 plus goals, and he’s done this without his usual linemate, Brady Tkachuk, for most of the season
Lacklustre Team Effort
After the great start, the Senators were flat for almost the entire rest of the game. They managed just 13 total shots for the game. The issue with the team right now is the lack of a killer instinct. It’s almost as if they are content with games staying close, allowing them to at least earn a point. That is now four straight games that have gone to overtime for the Senators. In this particular game, they had a power play late in the first that could’ve put them up 3-0. They also had a power play early in the third that could’ve put them back up two goals. Both power plays were completely uneventful.
Additional Notes
With the Senators playing again tomorrow, look for Leevi Merilainen to make his third start of the season. Linus Ullmark was solid today, making 20 saves. Ridly Greig picked up an assist today, but the Sens need more from him offensively. He’s now gone 12 games without a goal. That’s while playing over 17 minutes per game, including plenty of time on the power play. With the win, the Senators moved to two games over .500 for the first time this season.
