Live Updates: Senators Lead Canucks 2-0 After 40 Minutes

The Ottawa Senators host the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night, with both clubs mired in a four-game losing slide. Ottawa is tied for last place in the Eastern Conference. Vancouver is last in the Western Conference and overall in the NHL. So something’s gotta give.

We’re providing live updates for this one tonight, so check back off and on for updates.

FIRST PERIOD

2:34 — The Senators control play in the Vancouver zone, creating several opportunities, including Fabian Zetterland in the high slot taking a nice pass from Drake Batherson, but the Canucks are in shot-blocking mode so far, getting in the way of three or four opportunities.

3:56 — Merilainen looks unsteady early on. A puck gets flipped to the front of the net and he freezes it. But at no point did it look like anything but awkward.

4:26 — Brady Tkachuk breaks over the blue line up the middle and gets a clean shot on goal. Lankinen cuts down the angle and makes the save.

10:00 — Senators outshooting Vancouver 6-1.

13:42 — Fabian Zetterlund hits Tim Stutzle with a nice saucer pass sending him free on a 2 on 1 with Drake Batherson. Stutzle has a lane to shoot and takes it, but Kevin Lankinen makes a skate save to keep the score tied at zero.

15:30 — Ridly Greig hits Shane Pinto with a pass to the high slot and Pinto rings a quick shot off the cross bar and out of play. Senators leading in shots now 10-1.

15:36 — OTTAWA GOAL — Artem Zub gets his first goal in 18 games. After a faceoff win, he steps in from the right point and beats Lankinen with a wrist shot over the glove on the short side. 1-0 Ottawa. Pinto and Amadio draw assists.

15:51 — OTTAWA GOAL — The Sens get their second goal in 15 seconds, an exact replica of the Zub goal, also coming off a nice faceoff win. This time, it’s Jordan Spence who rips another wrist shot to beat Lankinen on the far side. 2-0 Ottawa. Stutzle and Batherson draw assists.

17:30 — The Canucks push back with some opportunities, crowding Merilainen, with one puck trickling just wide.

19:10 — Eller almost crams home a juicy rebound, but Lankinen deflects it wide.

19:57 — After some great low to high puck movement by the Senators, Stutzle unleashes a wicked one timer but Lankinen makes a great save, although he didn’t seem sure that was the case as the first period siren went.

20:00 — Senators lead the Canucks 2-0 after one, outshooting them 15-5.

SECOND PERIOD

0:34 — Brock Boeser dangles through traffic to the front of Ottawa’s net and just misses the post as he tries to tuck it behind Merilainen.

1:40 — Vancouver penalty. Filip Hronek gets called for delay of game after his clearing attempt goes over the glass.

2:05 — Giroux at the right point with a hard slap shot that just misses the right post.

2:18 — The second-unit power play starts things off. Along the boards, David Perron makes a hard pass to Zetterlund in front of the net, and it caroms off him, right on goal. It hits Lankinen, luckily for him.

3:04 — Cozens gets a hard wrist shot off from the left faceoff circle, and it goes off Lankinen’s shoulder.

3:40 — The Senators end up with four shots on a failed power play.

4:34 — Lankinen makes a spectacular reaching blocker save on what looked like a sure goal. Dylan Cozens was lying on the ice in a crowd and appeared to poke a loose puck toward the net before Lankinen, who was out of position, reached back with his blocker and got just enough of it to keep it out.

7:04 — Merilainen makes a couple of big saves: the first in tight on Conor Garland, and moments later a nice save on a slap shot from the point by Tyler Myers.

9:57 — Jake DeBrusk takes a nice centering pass and redirects it off the outside of the post. Good to see Merilainen getting a few breaks as he tries to piece his mojo back together.

11:49 — Drake Batherson gets two great chances. He corrals a puck in the high slot with time to pick a spot and snaps a shot wide. Shortly after, Thomas Chabot dances behind the Vancouver net and gets it out to Batherson. Batherson gets a stick on it, the puck ramps up into the air, and Lankinen swats it away like a mosquito.

12:54 — Ottawa penalty. Claude Giroux gets a slashing penalty after whacking Zeev Buium’s stick out of his hand 200 feet from Ottawa’s net.

13:57 — Tim Stützle sprints away on a shorthanded breakaway but loses control of the puck at the last moment. Seconds later, Pinto and Greig get a shorthanded two-on-one. Pinto finds Greig, but Lankinen gets a piece of his shot.

18:20 – Greig being Greig, he takes a good healthy whack at Lankinen’s trapper, just as the goalie freezes the puck. Hronek isn’t happy.

20:00 – Senators still lead 2-0 and lead in shots 32-11. If not for Lankinen’s heroics and a lot of missed Sens shots (11), this one could be a lot worse. Instead, it’s still very much a game, heading to the final frame.

More to come…

Live Updates: Senators Lead Canucks 2-0 After 40 Minutes

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