They accidentally picked up a point in the standings, but the Ottawa Senators also managed to secure a loss against the Detroit Red Wings in the process. The 3-2 shootout decision brings the Senators back to within 10 points of Detroit, with the trade deadline right around the corner. It’s too early to know whether the defeat will be a truly meaningful one, but it certainly helps the team’s cause in the Alexis Lafreniere sweepstakes.
Here are last night’s thumbs:
Thumbs Up: Overtime’s Entertainment Value
How the Red Wings didn’t end things in overtime will go down as one of life’s greatest mysteries. There wasn’t just a flurry of activity around Marcus Hogberg; there was a blizzard of epic proportions. It was positively wild.
The move to three-on-three overtime is one of the better things that the National Hockey League has done in recent years. Everyone seems to love it. It’s fun. It’s fast. It emphasizes so many of the qualities that make the sport great. What the NHL should do next is extend it to 10 minutes so we can avoid as many shootouts as possible.
Thumbs Down: Anthony Duclair
Anthony Duclair has been so, so good for the Senators on most nights this year; last night wasn’t one of them. He went goalless for a sixth straight game, and hovered right around the 30% mark in terms of both five-on-five expected goals and shot attempt share per Natural Stat Trick. Even so, good players go through cold stretches like this all the time. There’s no reason to be worried just yet... right?
Thumbs Up: Rudolfs Balcers Absurdly Good Fancy Stats
He didn’t play a lot, but Balcers was *very* effective at driving play when he was on the ice. Per Natural Stat Trick, he helped the Senators generate 75% of the five-on-five shot attempts and 96% (!!!) of the five-on-five expected goals when he was on the ice.
Thumbs Up: Tkachuk Snaps His Slump
Brady Tkachuk had gone pointless in his five previous games, but managed to snap that slump with his 14th goal of the season. It was a tally that any NHL goaltender would want back, but it counts just the same.
With the score, he continues to be on pace to best his rookie season goal total. There’s been some concern on social media about Tkachuk’s offensive totals this season, but it really doesn’t seem to me that there should be much concern. He’s been really effective for the Senators this year, even when the pucks aren’t going in for him.
Thumbs Up: Marcus Hogberg’s Performance
As mentioned in the preview blog, Hogberg had been on a bit of a cold streak heading into last night’s game. He turned things around with a really solid performance, but was once again “rewarded” with a loss. The way he has been handed losses in games in which he’s played so well is almost crazy, but it’s been the story of Hogberg’s year. He probably deserved a better final result for his work in this sequence alone:
Bonus Thumbs Up: They Lost to the Red Wings
Do I really need to say more?
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The Senators don’t have much time to rest, as they are set to take on the struggling Montreal Canadiens later this afternoon. Montreal has fallen off a cliff in recent weeks, having won only one game in their last 10 outings. Enjoy the game.
As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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