Three Thoughts: Sens make it two straight wins as Tkachuk scores twice
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The Sens beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-5 Saturday night as they built off of their victory in Carolina two days earlier.
Brady Tkachuk scored twice, including the overtime winner, while the Sens battled through adversity again to secure two points, as Three Thoughts details.
Bend but don't break
On Thursday in Carolina, the Sens built a 2-0 lead. The Hurricanes came back to tie it. The Sens won 3-2.
On Saturday, the Sens had a 5-2 lead in the third period. Colorado came back to tie it. The Sens won 6-5 in overtime.
Two games in a row, the Senators bent, but they sure didn't break.
"The adversity we've faced early in the season, we crumble under that pressure and when we're leading," Tkachuk said. "Obviously, we don't want to give up that lead, but for us, it's that new-found confidence that we can beat top teams in this league. It's all about confidence and that we can get it done."
Saturday's win was the first time this season the Senators have won two straight and the first time since May the team has collected back-to-back wins.
"Part of sports is confidence and feeling good and we get to enjoy that," Sens head coach D.J. Smith said.
The team's back-to-back wins have come against two of the best teams in the NHL. Entering play Thursday, Carolina had the third most wins in the NHL. Last night, Colorado were 8-2-0 in their last 10.
"It was a really gutsy effort against Carolina and it was the same tonight too," Tkachuk said. "Everybody can be happy with the effort they put in. The vibe is definitely a lot better when you start winning and we are confident that every game we can come in and take two points off of teams."
The shift in the Sens' last 120 minutes of hockey can likely be traced back to a meeting the team had Thursday morning in Raleigh before facing the Hurricanes. After losing six straight, the Sens had an extended meeting where they just spoke about what kind of team they want to be.
"We just went over what our team is, what our identity is and what we want to be known as" Tkachuk said. "That meeting was a little longer than most meetings, no video, we just talked about ourselves and I think that was important to get back to the basics and get back to what we want to be known as and what our identity needs to be.
"I think that was the difference right there and I think everybody is just putting it all on the line."
Tkachuk scores twice, has three points
Speaking of Tkachuk, he had the game on his stick Saturday and he made no mistake.
The Sens captain won the game 51 seconds into overtime as he beat Justus Annunen on a breakaway, beating the rookie netminder between his left pad and glove for the 11th game-winner of his career.
"With all that ice, I told myself I better score," Tkachuk said. "I tried to get the getaway boots going there and I'm just happy with the outcome."
Tkachuk also scored in the first period as he wired a wrister from the slot. It was his first multi-goal game of the year and the sixth time he'd accomplish that in his career.
"Complete leadership," Smith said of Tkachuk. "We know he's physical and emotional and he can make plays but his play away from the puck has been significantly better."
Tkachuk also collected an assist on Josh Norris' second period goal giving him his first three-point game of the campaign and tying his career high. It was the eighth time he'd achieved that feat in his NHL career.
"It's a lot more fun when we're winning," Tkachuk said.
Important line, not fourth line
Don't call them the fourth line.
Dylan Gambrell, Zach Sanford and Austin Watson were key contributors Saturday.
Watson gave the Sens a 2-1 lead in the first period as he finished backdoor after Gambrell brilliantly threaded the needle between two Avs defenders. It was Watson's first goal of the season and Gambrell's first point with the Sens.
"I'd call them our important line," Smith said. "They gave us all their shifts they had tonight."
The three players combined for six shots and six hits while Gambrell was exceptional in the faceoff circle, winning 10 of 14 draws.
Watson's 10:59 of ice time was his third highest of the year while Gambrell played 12:47, 1:30 of which came on the penalty kill.
And perhaps most importantly, the line was fantastic defensively too.
"It was a hard call [as] Norris' line was going head-to-head with [their top line] all night but I had no doubt that Gambrell's line could have been out there at the end to close it out," Smith said.
