The Ottawa Senators defeated the Calgary Flames 4-3 in a shootout. The Flames had multiple chances to take the lead in the game, but the Senators weren’t going to leave without a hard-fought battle. Although the game was filled with penalties, both teams were successful and the game was close.
game review
Early in the first quarter, Senators forward Ridley Gregg received a four-minute penalty for stubborn behavior from Brayden Patchell, giving the Flames their first of four power-play opportunities. Yegor Sharangovich was at the top of the circle and got into a great shooting position after receiving a cross-ice pass from Joel Farabee. Sharangovich fired a shot past Linus Ullmark for his second goal of the season.
Less than two minutes later, the Flames were still on the power play, with Lars Eller and Sean Pinto completing a two-on-one break. Devin Cooley saved Pinto’s first shot, but the ball bounced off Eller’s stick for an easy goal to tie the game.
Matt Coronato took advantage of another power play opportunity, tipping the puck in while Ullmark was scrambling in the crease to put the Flames back in front.
Both goalkeepers were tested in the first 20 minutes and the score could have been higher than 2-1.
There were two penalty kicks on both sides of the midfield, but no goals were scored. The Senators and Flames both had their chances, but it was a quiet stretch.
The third period opened with Artem Zub scoring his second goal of the season. His shot from the point beat Cooley cleanly to tie the game at two just over two minutes into the first half.
Eight minutes into the game, Jake Sanderson led the Senators’ charge but turned the puck over to Jonathan Huberdeau, who assisted on Nazem Kadri’s third goal of the season. Sanderson made up for the miss by scoring the game-tying goal with less than three minutes remaining. Tim Stutzle broke into the penalty area, waited for Sanderson to enter the penalty area late, and fired his shot past Cooley.
The Senators overcame three one-goal deficits to force the game into overtime. They controlled possession for most of overtime, but both teams failed to capitalize on some dangerous chances, which ultimately led to a penalty shootout.
The Senators fielded Derek Batherson and Tim Starzle, both of whom scored, while Justin Kirkland and Morgan Frost were both blocked by Ullmark. The Senators’ goaltender didn’t get the start he wanted, but he was visibly relieved to get the win and had a big celebration as he made the final save.
The Senators currently sit at 6-5-1, while the Flames continue to struggle at 2-8-2. Ottawa’s next game is Monday (Nov. 1) at the Bell Center against the Montreal Canadiens, while the Flames head south to face the Nashville Predators the same day.
