Close doesn\u2019t cut it for the Ottawa Senators any longer.<\/p>\n
The Senators were good, but not good enough as they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena.<\/p>\n
The Sens surrendered two power-play goals in this one and they\u2019ve now given up 41 goals this season with the man advantage. Only the Vancouver Canucks are worse.<\/p>\n
On to the grades, let\u2019s start with the top of the class<\/p>\n
Goaltender<\/p>\n
James Reimer: A The newcomer was the club\u2019s best player. Stopped 30-of-34 shots and gave his team a chance to win. There is no question he should start on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He deserved a better fate and anything can happen in OT.<\/p>\n
Forwards<\/p>\n
Ridly Greig: B+ He\u2019s at his best when he\u2019s a pest. Greig played that role in this game. He was able to draw some attention late in the first when he got into goalie John Gibson\u2019s face and took a bad interference penalty in the second on Lucas Raymond. He had to face retribution later in the game.<\/p>\n
Dylan Cozens: B+ The Workhorse from Whitehorse scored his ninth power-play goal of the season and has goals in three straight. Was stopped by Gibson in the third on a point-blank chance with the score tied 3-3. Has to start scoring more at 5-on-5.<\/p>\n
Drake Batherson: B Scored his third goal in five games and the fifth of his career on Gibson, but missed on at least one other good scoring chance. Played 14 minutes and 37 seconds. Finished with a goal and assist. This team is at its best when he\u2019s helping to push the pace.<\/p>\n
Brady Tkachuk: B The captain was causing havoc. Got into it with Detroit\u2019s Elmer Soderblom near the Detroit bench in the first. Took a bad penalty in the third, but the Senators were miraculously able to kill it off. Even took a shot off the rear end in the third.<\/p>\n
Shane Pinto: B He missed a tremendous opportunity late that would have given the club the win. Did a good job going to the net to tie it up 3-3 on the doorstep on the power-play. Pinto was fortunate the Sens got only a minor for too many men on the ice when he left the bench during an altercation.<\/p>\n
Claude Giroux: B- He made a good play to set up Pinto for his power-play effort and had a great opportunity in the third on a race for the puck. He went 64 percent (9-for-14) in the faceoff circle, which was a vast improvement on his performance on Saturday night. A key contributor.<\/p>\n
Tim Stutzle: C+ It wasn\u2019t his best night. He had an incredible effort against the Habs, but recorded only two shots on goal with 18:24 of ice time. Stutzle has carried this team on several nights. He was on the ice for James van Riemsdyk power-play goal in the second and turned the puck over.<\/p>\n
David Perron: C+ He\u2019s a smart player and helped set up the tying goal by Pinto late in the second. But his sixth minor penalty in 11 games led to the tying goal by van Riemsdyk in the second.<\/p>\n
Michael Amadio: C+ Had a great chance in front that nearly deflected off Jacob Bernard-Docker into the net. There were times that Amadio looked like he was fighting the puck a little bit, but led the club in hits with four.<\/p>\n
Fabian Zetterlund: C He had three shots on net and was plus-1 in 13:46 of ice time, but there weren\u2019t any glorious chances.<\/p>\n
Nick Cousins: C- Took a bad penalty in the offensive zone that allowed the Wings to get back into it in the first period. Has to be reliable to be effective.<\/p>\n
Lars Eller: C- Looked like a tough one for him in the second game of a back-to-back. Was 57 percent in the faceoff circle, but the fourth-line has been getting a lot of praise lately and it wasn\u2019t as effective.<\/p>\n
Defencemen<\/p>\n
Thomas Chabot: B+ Did a solid job going to the net to help up set up Batherson\u2019s opening goal.<\/p>\n
Jake Sanderson: B Will think about the chance he missed in OT for a the next 24 hours. Raymond used Sanderson as a screen on his goal in the second period.<\/p>\n
Artem Zub: B Plays a lot of big minutes against the opposition\u2019s best players and there were times he looked a little fatigued.<\/p>\n
Jordan Spence: C It\u2019s likely a good thing we didn\u2019t notice him much. That means he did his job, but didn\u2019t stand out.<\/p>\n
Tyler Kleven: C- He didn\u2019t clear the puck on Detroit\u2019s opening goal on the powerplay in the first period. Registered only two hits.<\/p>\n
Nick Jensen: C- He struggled at times. We were surprised to see that Nikolas Matinpalo didn\u2019t get a chance in the second game of the back-to-back.<\/p>\n
Now it\u2019s time for your take. Tell us in the comments section which Senators impressed you and who needs to improve his game.<\/p>\n
bgarrioch@postmedia.com<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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