Recap: Senators end road trip with loss to the Sharks

The Senators will leave California with a single point after falling the Sharks 2-1 on Saturday night.

Tim Stützle scored his 15^th goal of the season during a second period power play, but that was the only offense the Senators could muster. All three goals in this game came on the power play as the five-on-five game was a closely matched defensive battle.

“I think it's good for him (Stützle) to get a goal,” explained interim head coach Jacques Martin. “The Sharks worked hard and we expected that.

"I told the team before the game we needed to be ready to win individual battles, make sure that we played strong defensively and hopefully get some goals."

It was the Sharks who opened the scoring at 6:24 of the first period when Thomas Bordeleau provided the screen and the tip on Fabian Zetterlund shot that got by Joonas Korpisalo.

Korpisalo stopped all 16 of the even strength shots he faced and three of the five power play shots in his second straight strong start after recovering from an illness earlier in the week.

“Every time you give up only two goals you give the team a chance to win,” said Tim Stützle. “He did that again tonight and it was good in LA too so obviously we want to help them get more wins.

“We're getting looks, we’re getting chances, but one goal is just not enough, myself included."

Stützle did score Ottawa's lone goal when he fired a shot between the legs of Magnus Chrona who was being screened by Drake Batherson in the second period,

The Sharks quickly answered back with a power play goal less than five minutes later with Ridly Greig set to return to the ice after a hooking call on Henry Thrun. The goal came off the stick of Bordeleau on a one-timer from behind the net.

The Senators generated some chances in the late second and third period but couldn’t put another puck behind Chrona.

“I think we need to bear down more and we have to be more persistent as far as maybe getting a second and third chances,” explained Martin. “You get near the end of the season. That's how you get goals . . . you’ve got to stick your nose in there for a second and third chance.”

The game was the debut for Boris Katchouk who was claimed off waivers during Friday’s NHL trade deadline.

“There's a lot of guys very talented and this team got a very good core,” Katchouk told the media after the game. “I definitely made a couple of mistakes, I expected that and I just tried to get out there with as much confidence as I could, but unfortunately we lost tonight.”

The Senators will be off tomorrow and Monday before hosting the Penguins in Ottawa on Tuesday night.