Uh…at least the Islanders and Red Wings also lost in regulation???
A horrendous start to a pivotal game for the Ottawa Senators: two goals against in the first minute and six seconds. Shortly after, they found themselves killing a 5-on-3 and surrendering their third goal of the night. The Senators were chasing the Florida Panthers for the entirety of the opening frame. To make matters worse, they gave up two more goals in the final six minutes of the period. With five goals allowed on sixteen shots, Linus Ullmark was pulled and James Reimer stepped in for relief.
This was easily the worst first twenty minutes of the season. It’s unbelievable to think that the normally stingy, defensively sound Senators would allow a depleted Florida Panthers lineup to dictate play to that extent. The lack of urgency and focus was concerning, as assignments were mismanaged and the game plan fell apart.
The first goal was 100 percent on Ullmark, who wasn’t paying attention to the play and missed a poke check as the puck slid past his net, allowing Noah Gregor to tap it into an open cage. The goal seemed to deflate the bench because, right off the ensuing faceoff, Shane Pinto took an unnecessary cross-checking penalty. The rest of the goals can be attributed to poor defensive play from the entire team.
The only bright spot of the period was seeing Ullmark return to the bench and pat each player on the back as they headed to the dressing room for intermission. I believe Ullmark may be battling something at the moment and will likely need to split games down the stretch. There is more at stake here than just the Senators’ season — there’s a person’s well-being involved, someone who is part of our community and deserves support and understanding. Hopefully, he can make his next start under better circumstances.
To open the second period, Drake Batherson scored a wrister to cut the lead to four. The Senators came out with more energy and began generating chances.
Unfortunately, it was the wrong Tkachuk who scored next, and the Senators found themselves down by five again.
Spence added a goal late in the second to pull the Panthers back within four. There was still plenty of work to do in the third, just to salvage at least one crucial point in the playoff race.
Mike Amadio struck just over four minutes into the third to close the gap to three. The Senators were later given an extended five-minute power play, which turned into a 6-on-3 with the goalie pulled and an additional penalty to Florida, but they couldn’t find the back of the net. The Senators dropped their second straight game since January.
The next five games at home will likely determine the fate of this season. Let’s hope for a much better first twenty on Thursday against Buffalo.
