Who else but forward Tim Stützle opened the scoring for the Senators on the powerplay at 5:52 in the first. The German centerman ripped a shot past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky one minute into the Senators’ powerplay following a high stick on forward Shane Pinto that sent Niko Mikkola to the box. Assists on the goal went to forward Josh Norris and defenceman Jake Sanderson.
The Senators only picked up their momentum from the goal, as the team successfully killed off a penalty, then minutes later scored to make it 2-0. Forward Shane Pinto, nose still bandaged from the high stick, carried the puck up the ice to score the second goal of the game, top shelf unassisted.
The first frame was a tale of all Ottawa, all period. The Senators headed into the first intermission leading 2-0 on the scoreboard and 17-8 in shots.
The game was held at 2-0 for the majority of the second period, until the Panthers broke the stalemate to make it 2-1 with 4:12 left in the frame. Defenceman Gustav Forsling got the goal for Florida, with credit for the assists going to Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe.
The rest of the period remained scoreless, and the Senators headed into the second intermission up 2-1. They continued to hold the lead in shots as well, 22-15, and in hits, 20-18.
The third period remained scoreless, in large part thanks to Linus Ullmark, who stood tall and made a series of saves to help the Senators maintain their lead. When the Senators’ got stuck with players on the ice for over two minutes, the team’s tenacity proved itself as they managed to fight through their exhaustion to keep the Panthers at bay and keep their 2-1 lead.
With 1:10 left in the period, Tim Stützle secured the Senators’ win as he battled his way down the ice to tap in the empty net goal, making it 3-1 for Ottawa. Captain Brady Tkachuk received the lone assist on the goal.
The Senators return to the ice on Saturday in Montreal as they take on the Montreal Canadiens at 7:00 p.m. in their first road game of the season.
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