The Ottawa Senators taught the Calgary Flames a lesson in team defence on Thursday at the Saddledome, winning 4-1 and outshooting the home team 37-20.
While the score was tight for 57 minutes, Ottawa looked fully in control for the majority of the game, allowing very few high-danger scoring chances and putting a ton of pressure on Flames goalie Devin Cooley.
No time to waste. Let’s get to grading.
ForwardsTim Stutzle: A
Stutzle was uber-dynamic, creating a handful of scoring chances off of the rush, beating Zach Whitecloud wide with speed early, dangling Yan Kuznetsov to go in all alone, and later getting robbed by Cooley on a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush. He drew a cross-checking penalty in the second. There may never be a more deserved empty-net goal, as Stutzle put the game away late in the third to extend his point streak to 11 games.
Brady Tkachuk: B
Tkachuk found a puck in a board battle and threw it out to Dylan Cozens in the slot for the important 2-1 goal on a power play. The Sens captain had three shots, two hits and one particularly impressive offensive-zone takeaway that turned into a scoring chance in the first. He was much better against Calgary than he was against Edmonton on Tuesday.
Dylan Cozens: A-
That’s four goals in three games for Cozens, and they’ve all been beauties. He took a centring pass from Tkachuk on a man advantage and ripped a wrist shot over Cooley’s blocker for the game-winning goal. It’s been one year since Ottawa acquired him from Buffalo. In that time, he has 64 points (27 goals, 37 assists) in 82 games.
Drake Batherson: C+
Batherson was fine, but a little quieter offensively compared his past two games. He found Thomas Chabot in the slot for a Grade A chance in the first, and finished with one shot, two hits and two giveaways in 18:36 of ice time.
Shane Pinto: A-
Pinto did a lot of great work right in front of Cooley; he nearly cleaned up a Jordan Spence rebound in the first, and almost tucked one in at the edge of the crease in the third. He drew a high-sticking penalty in the final frame and got rewarded with the team’s second empty-netter.
Claude Giroux: B
Giroux looked much better offensively than he did against Edmonton on Tuesday. He fired a hard wrist shot on a rush in the second and was moving his feet all night, drawing two penalties in the third, the second of which led to Cozens’ game-winning power-play goal.
Michael Amadio: B+
Amadio has been one of the better forwards on the road trip so far. He was savvy on the penalty kill against the Flames, wasting a ton of time, and stopped a 2-on-1 from developing in the first with a strong stick at the far blue line. He had three shots, two hits and two blocks in 17:25 of ice time. Amadio took a slashing penalty in the second.
Ridly Greig: B
Greig struggled with his puck touches and offensive decision making for the first half of the game, and then made one of the best plays of the night to set up the 1-1 goal. He jumped on a failed clearing attempt at the point and hit Lars Eller in the middle with a sweet pass for a one-timer.
Nick Cousins: B+
Cousins had a game-high eight hits, one of them a massive collision with Whitecloud behind the Flames net in the middle of the second. He also nearly scored on a play in tight in the third. With the acquisition of winger Warren Foegele on Thursday, Cousins’ days on the third line are likely numbered, but he’s kept his head above water ever since being promoted in January.
Lars Eller: B
His first goal since Oct. 30 tied it 1-1 at the halfway point. Eller blasted a one-timer by Cooley’s glove, and the Senators pounded the gas pedal from that point on. It was only Eller’s third goal of the season.
Fabian Zetterlund: C+
Zetterlund had a couple of quality scoring opportunities — he couldn’t tuck the puck around Cooley’s right pad in the first, and had a right-slot shot coming off of the bench in the second — but with just one goal in his past 17 games, it doesn’t feel like he’s a genuine threat. He had a secondary assist, getting a stick on a Flames clearing attempt before Greig set up Eller.
Kurtis MacDermid: D
He was minus-1 in four shifts.
DefencemenJake Sanderson: B+
After a bit of a sleepy game against the Oilers on Tuesday, Sanderson had his legs working like normal on Thursday. He thwarted multiple Calgary rushes by turning on the after burners to get back in the play, saved a potential goal with a quick reaction in front on the penalty kill in the third, and had four blocks. He had a strong game with the puck, too, with a couple of Grade A chances on a third-period power play and four total shots.
Artem Zub: B-
In a game where the Senators played shutdown defence from the drop of the puck, it’s surprising that Zub was the only defenceman with possession numbers below 50 percent at even strength. He took an interference penalty late in the third that could’ve been costly.
Thomas Chabot: B
Chabot activated well from the blue line, taking a feed from Batherson in the first for a scoring chance. He had some good jump, too, jumping up in the rush and once sending a beautiful saucer pass over to Stutzle on a 2-on-1 shorthanded break. Chabot had four shots, one block, two giveaways and a takeaway in 24:14.
Nick Jensen: C-
Jensen had a brutal game in the D zone. He was outmuscled by Calgary forwards numerous times, including on a loose puck in the slot right before Martin Pospisil’s 1-0 goal. Jensen got walked, lost board battles, and flubbed easy breakout passes, one of them being intercepted by Pospisil and leading to a Matt Coronato slot shot.
Jordan Spence: A-
Spence, confident as ever, was attacking the slot nearly every shift in the O zone. He got the puck twice skating downhill and firing off some good wrist shots, and he even tipped a Giroux point shot. The third pairing was pushing 80 percent in the possession department, the top two skaters on the team in that regard.
Tyler Kleven: B+
Kleven’s game got off to an odd start, pretty much missing Adam Klapka with a hit and getting worked down low for a D zone shift. He found his physical game a couple minutes later, stepping up on Pospisil. He and Spence have undeniable chemistry at this point in the season.
GoalieLinus Ullmark: A
On another night where it must’ve been challenging to stay warm due to long stretches of little-to-no action, Ullmark allowed zero back-breaking goals, stopping everything he should’ve. That’s all the Senators need.
Now it’s time for your take; tell us in the comment section which Senators impressed you and who needs to improve their game.
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