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Game Day: Ottawa @ New Jersey - back to back after hanging on to beat PHI |
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It was a special night for a few Ottawa Senators players, and despite the best efforts of the Flyers, the end result was a positive one for the club as a whole.
Filip Chlapik earned his first career point 5 seconds in to his first NHL shift, on Dion Phaneuf's power play icebreaker, a goal that also saw Chris DiDomenico earn his own first NHL point.
Mark Borowiecki scored his first goal in almost 2 calendar years and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the Senators second shorthanded goal in two games to get out to a 3-0 lead after the first period.
Jacob Voracek from behind the net and then former Ottawa 67 Travis Konecny scored less than a minute apart as the second period was winding down, and given the Senators' recent track record there was a lot of anxious moments, even after Mark Stone restored the lead to two before the second was out.
The third period was a wild one, with Tom Pyatt getting the lead back to three just past the halfway point, while the Flyers didn't give up and answered again with Ivan Provorov and Sean Couturier finding the back of the net, but another apparent Flyers goal called back due to a successful coaches challenge for goaltender interference. The goal was overturned, but I understand how upset the Flyers were about the decision as the contact seemed pretty negligible and if the tables were turned I am sure Senators fans would have a beef with the call going that way.
The inability to hold leads is concerning going forward, because although the Senators have the one of the most potent offenses in the lead at this point in time, I don't know if you can count on that to continue, and the last few games seem to go against what their game plan is.
Erik Karlsson had a pair of assists, including a great read on the penalty kill to set up Pageau's marker, making it 8 points in 5 games, tied for 9th among defensemen, just 4 points back of Alex Pietrangelo and Shayne Gostisbehere.
Playing without Bobby Ryan, Zack Smith and Kyle Turris, the patchwork lineup managed to take two 3-goal leads, and even though Philadelphia battled back twice to get within a goal, Ottawa will take the 5-4 win and run.
While Turris is still out with a viral infection, Smith could return tonight as the Senators head to New Jersey to take on the Devils in the second half of their back to back. New Jersey hasn't played since being shut out by the Sharks 3-0 last Friday, that loss coming a night after they came back to beat the Senators in overtime in Ottawa.
Cory Schneider left that Senators game after two periods, and was put on IR after . He is eligible to come off the injury list today, but it is still unclear if he will be able to get back into action. So, for the second time this week in a game involving the Senators, it will likely be a battle of the backups with Keith Kinkaid facing expected starter Mike Condon in the goalie matchup.
Ottawa will need to find a way to stop the duo of Nico Hischier and Taylor Hall, who combined for 7 points last Thursday, including the first two goals of Hischier's career. They also combined to set up John Moore's overtime winner.
Oh yeah, and a quick note to Guy Boucher...if this one happens to go past 60 minutes, maybe it might be in your best interest to have Karlsson out there to open it this time around.