Senators fall short against Canucks

The Senators made a late push to tie the game but fell short as they lost to the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 4-3. Trailing 4-1 late into the third period, Ottawa got back within one with a pair of extra-attacker goals but were unable to complete the comeback. Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, and Claude Giroux all scored for the Senators, the latter of whom had a two-point night (one goal, one assist) alongside Drake Batherson (two assists).

With 7:31 remaining in the period, Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes received a five minute major and a game misconduct for boarding against forward Josh Norris, leaving the Canucks with five defenceman and giving the Senators a five-minute powerplay. Despite several chances, the Senators were unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

At 18:34 into the first, the Canucks capitalized on their own powerplay chance when Jake DeBrusk scored his fourth of the season to put Vancouver up 1-0 with 1:24 left in the period.

The last minute and a half of the period remained scoreless and saw the Senators head into the first intermission down 1-0. The Sens and Canucks combined for a total of 18 hits in the first, split evenly at 9-9. The Senators held the edge in shots, 8-7, while the Canucks led in penalty minutes with 17 to the Senators six.

Three minutes into the second period, Nils Hoglander took a slashing penalty against Tim Stützle, putting the Senators on the man advantage. At 3:41 into the second, less than a minute into the powerplay, captain Brady Tkachuk tied the game at 1-1 with his 10th of the season. Tkachuk’s goal came on the doorstep of the crease as he grabbed the rebound from a shot by defenceman Jake Sanderson. Assists on the goal were awarded to Sanderson and Drake Batherson.

At 9:23, the Canucks regained their lead when Teddy Blueger scored his fourth goal of the season to put the Canucks up 2-1. Forward Max Sasson received credit for an assist on the goal, giving him his first career NHL point in his first NHL game.

Three and a half minutes later at 13:00, Jake DeBrusk scored his fifth of the season second of the game to double the Canuck’s lead to 3-1.

The Senators had a close call in the dying seconds of the period but were unable to find the back of the net. As physicality ramped up, tempers did too. To close out the second frame, Brady Tkachuk and Carson Soucy each received penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct as the clock counted down to 0:00.

It was a back and forth start to the third period, including a possibly goal by Tim Stützle waved off for crossing the line after a whistle, but Vancouver made things 4-1 at 8:41 into the third. Kiefer Sherwood scored his sixth of the season to extend the Canucks’ lead to three.

The Senators went to a full two minutes of a 5-on-3 penalty kill at 11:24 as Nick Cousins received a penalty for slashing and Brady Tkachuk received a penalty for cross checking. A determined Senators penalty kill was able to successfully defend the entirety of the two penalties.

With the goalie pulled for an extra attacker, the Senators got back within two at 16:29 when forward Claude Giroux scored his sixth of the season past goaltender Kevin Lankinen. The lone assist on Giroux’s goal was awarded to Josh Norris.

Tim Stützle got the Senators within one with less than a minute remaining in the third period, as the Senators peppered the Canucks with chances. Stützle’s ninth of the season game with the goaltender pulled for Ottawa’s second 6-on-5 goal of the period, with assists going to Claude Giroux and Drake Batherson. The goal marked the 100th career NHL goal of Stützle’s career.

It was too little, too late, as the Senators were unable to tie the game up in the dying seconds and fell to the Canucks 4-3, dropping their fifth in a row. It was a physical game, as the two teams combined for a total of 73 hits (36 Ottawa, 37 Vancouver) and 63 penalty minutes (33 Ottawa, 30 Vancouver).

The Senators will return to the ice on Monday when they face off against the Calgary Flames in their final game of a four-game homestand before travelling to California for a three-game Western road trip. Puck drop for Monday’s game is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and tickets are available HERE.

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