Recap: Senators fall to the Ducks

The Senators fell to the Ducks 5-1 on Thursday night, snapping their four game win streak.

"I just didn't think our compete level was high enough," explained Senators coach Jacquest Martin. "I give (the Ducks) credit they outworked us, they were on the puck and didn't give us time or space."

The game started with a lot of end to end action. Each team carried puck the length of the ice, but couldn’t generate quality chances.

Early in the period Max Guenette had a point shot that was almost tipped past John Gibson by Mathieu Joseph, but the puck skidded just wide.

Shortly after, Cam Fowler stretch pass to the Senators blueline where Troy Terry met it with a touch pass to Frank Vatrano who broke in off the left wing, but his long shot was stopped by Joonas Korpisalo.

During the Senators second power play of the game they worked the puck around the perimeter before Brady had the best chance of the period from the centre of the face-off circle, but was turned aside by Gibson.

As the penalty expired the Ducks collected themselves and broke out of their own zone. Leo Carlsson brought the puck over centre ice and found Terry on his way to the net. Terry saw his shot saved, but Pavel-Mintyukov crashed the crease, scoring to give the Ducks a one-goal lead.

With just over five minutes left in the period Thomas Chabot wired a one-timer from the top of the right face-off circle for the Gibson stopped the seventh shot of the game.

As the second period started the Senators were pressing to tie the game. After a scrum in the corner a loose puck snuck out to Tim Stützle who wired a slap shot from just inside the blueline that got turned to the side with a right pad save from Gibson.

With just under five minutes into the period, Brady Tkachuk made a cross-ice pass to Drake Batherson who broke in alone before crashing into the Anaheim goalie after he made a pad stack save on him.

The Senators tested the shaken up Gibson on the next play when Greig narrowly missed the crossbar immediately off the next faceoff.

Greig was at it again only three minutes later when he corralled the puck in the right corner, walked out in front of the Ducks net and tried to go cross-crease low blocker but was denied.

Late in the period the Senators seemed to find their groove on a shift with Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris and Drake Batherson. They moved the puck well for the full length of the shift with Gibson turning aside three shots. As the long shift wound down Norris got called for interference sending the Ducks to the power play.

The penalty kill held off the Ducks early and Erik Brännström blocked two shots. The third shot was a one-timer that snuck past both Brännström and Korpisalo.

The Ducks weren’t done and with just over a minute remaining a Mason McTavish shot deflected off Jacob Bernard-Docker past Korpisalo.

To start the third period third-year goaltender Lukas Dostal replaced Gibson who was shaken up in the second period collision.

Less than three minutes into the third Fowler put the puck hard behind the Senators net to Terry who made a nifty move to get by the Ottawa defender and found McTavish for his second goal of the game made it 4-0 Ducks.

The Senators finally mustered some offense when Claude Giroux carried the puck across the Ducks blueline off a turnover, outwaited Ilya Lyubushkin before firing just over Dostal's blocker to cut the lead to 4-1.

Eight minutes into the final period Leo Carlsson found a seam to break in on Korpisalo all alone but his shot was turned aside by the Senators goaltender. The Senators kept trying to generate offense, but with nothing giving in the Anaheim end.

Just before the 10 minute mark the Ducks found themselves on the power play again. They ping-ponged the puck at the blueline before a seeing-eye shot from the point by Fowler found the back of the net to give the Ducks a four goal lead.

The Senators continued the play in the Anaheim zone which resulted in two power plays late in the game. but the Senators couldn’t convert. 

WIth just 17 seconds remainig Shane Pinto had a chance with a backhand in tight but Dostal turned the shot away and the final score stayed 5-1.

"It's frustrating to have this effort at home because we have been playing some really good hockey lately," said Senators forward Claude Giroux.

The Senators will try to regroup Saturday night in Chicago when they face the Blackhawks.