Senators Control Kings in 5-1 Win

The Ottawa Senators improved their season record to 2-2-1 with a dominant 5-1 victory against the Los Angeles Kings at Canadian Tire Centre Saturday afternoon. The Kings fell to 2-2-1.

Hot Start

The Senators hit the ice flying in the first period. Defenseman Ben Harpur, making his season debut, gave notice early with a thundering hit on one of the Kings’ scorers, Alex Iafallo. Shortly thereafter, Senators Chris Tierney opened the scoring, followed by goals from Chris Wideman and Mark Stone. The Senators energetic offense efficiently scored three goals on eight shots. Equally effective was their defense, which limited Los Angeles to only five shots against in the opening 20 minutes.

Campbell Pulled 

Los Angeles goaltender Jack Campbell took a seat after Colin White let a wrist shot rip from near the right hashmarks. Campbell came into the game with two wins, a 1.35 goals against average (GAA), and a .966 save percentage. He went south Saturday as the Senators nicked him for 4 goals in 30 minutes (single game GAA of 8.00), and Campbell only stopped 64 percent of the Senators’ shots. He was replaced after White’s goal by Peter Budaj.

Chris Wideman’s Return

It’s been a long road to recovery for Wideman. Last year he tore his hamstring in December. Before the injury, Wideman was on pace for a career year with eight points in 16 games.

Ten and a half months later, Wideman returned to the scoresheet. He notched two goals for the Senators Saturday, including a blurry slap shot from the center-point on Ottawa’s fifth goal. Even sweeter, Wideman’s rocket blew by Budaj on a delayed Kings penalty. See it here: https://www.nhl.com/video/widemans-second-of-the-game/t-299944106/c-61819903

Harpur Hardest Worker

Harpur logged the most ice time of all the Senators. After being a healthy scratch for the first four games, Harpur played 22:37 minutes of his first game.

“I thought [Harpur] had terrific attitude throughout his wait and I thought today was a perfect day to bring him in,” said Senators’ head coach Guy Boucher. “[LA] is a big team, we knew that. They can intimidate you, they can wear you down. I thought him coming in right at the beginning with that big check made a big statement for us. That helped the rest of our boys for the rest of our game.”

Known more for his defensive skills, the towering 6’6″, 222-pound Harpur went a plus-one with one shot on goal, three hits, and one block. If tertiary assists counted, he would have tallied one on Wideman’s second goal of the game. Harpur started the play with an impressive breakout rush during a delayed penalty against the Kings, which he carried into the offensive zone. His teammates took over from there.

For his efforts, Harpur’s teammates named him player of the game.

A Complete Game

Without question, the Senators played their most complete game of the young season. Many players contributed to their success. Goaltender Craig Anderson played reliably in Ottawa’s crease, stopping 36 of 37 shots. He stopped 97 percent of the pucks he faced and earned the game’s first star. Defenseman Thomas Chabot added two more assists to boost his team-leading point total to eight (2G, 6A). Ottawa’s special teams deserve high marks. The Senators power play went 1-for-1, and the PK units blanked LA on five power plays.

Snap Shots

• The Ottawa Senators placed Ryan Dzingel, Cody Ceci, and Alex Formenton on the IR earlier this week. Consequently, Ottawa recalled Christian Jaros and Nick Paul from Belleville (AHL).
• The Senators dressed seven defenseman. Despite the call up, Paul was a healthy scratch.
• Jaros also made his season debut for the Senators, recording one assist Saturday.
• Dion Phaneuf returned to Ottawa for his first game at the Canadian Tire Centre since he was traded last season. Ottawa fans welcomed Phaneuf warmly.

Official 3 Stars of the Game:

1) Craig Anderson, Ottawa

2) Chris Wideman, Ottawa

3) Thomas Chabot, Ottawa

Up Next

The Ottawa Senators welcome former Senators Jason Spezza, Marc Methot, and Ben Bishop to the Canadian Tire Centre when the Dallas Stars visit Monday night.

Scoring Summary

Cover Photo Credit: The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld
Chris Wideman photo: NHL.com
Billy Morrison covers the Ottawa Senators and the Atlantic Division for Full Press Coverage. Follow Billy on Twitter @BillyMorrison01.

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