Sens Overthrow Kings 4-1

The Ottawa Senators vanquished the Los Angeles Kings in a 4-1 win late Thursday night at Staples Center. Bobby Ryan scored his second goal in as many games, while Chris Tierney netted two, and Christian Wolanin also scored for the Senators. Kyle Clifford scored the lone goal for Los Angeles.

Ottawa is now 2-0-0 on their three game California road trip, and have jumped up four rankings in the NHL standings since last week, when they sat in the basement. With their latest win, the Sens improve to 17-23-5 and 39 points. In the Atlantic Division, they now rank seventh, holding a slight edge over the Detroit Red Wings. Overall, Ottawa ranks 28th in the league.

Meanwhile, the Kings sink to 17-25-3 and 37 points. They sit last place in both the Pacific Division and the NHL.

Nilsson strong again

The home team outshot the visiting Senators 34-27, but that did not phase Ottawa goalie Anders Nilsson. The Swedish netminder was sharp as he stopped 33 of those shots, allowing just one goal against. Nilsson now has back-to-back wins and holds a 2-1-0 record when starting for the team in red, black, and white. The 28-year-old goaltender finished this game with a 1.00 goals against average and a .971 save percentage.

White injured

Early in this game, the Senators were shook when they lost rookie Colin White to injury. As the 21-year-old was breaking into the offensive zone, Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin crunched the much smaller forward with a heavy hit along the boards. The Boston, Massachusetts native immediately exited the game and did not return.

After the game, Senators head coach announced White was headed back to Ottawa and could miss weeks. This injury hurts the Senators, who will miss White’s offensive ability. Less than 24 hours before, he was the overtime hero against the Anaheim Ducks, scoring the game winning goal. In 44 games this season, White has put up 26 points (11G, 15A), and ranks seventh on the team in points.

Tierney heating up

Senators’ Tierney is heating up. The 24-year-old has excelled under the additional responsibility he has been given, partially due to fellow centremen Matt Duchene (newborn son) and White (injury) dropping out of the lineup.

The native of Keswick, Ontario has five points in his past three games, including two goals and three assists. On the season, Tierney is on pace to shatter his previous career highs. He set those last year in San Jose when he collected 40 (17G, 23A) points in 82 games. This season, Tierney already has 29 points (6G, 23A) in just 45 games.

Snap shots

• Senators’ Mikkel Boedker recorded his 200th career assist on Tierney’s game-winning goal at 16:40 in the second period.
• Ottawa has swept the 2018-19 season series with Los Angeles, going 2-0-0 and outscoring them 9-2. The Senators defeated the Kings 5-1 in their first match-up of the year on Oct. 13.

Official 3 Stars of the Game

1. Anders Nilsson, Ottawa
2. Chris Tierney, Ottawa
3. Kyle Clifford, Los Angeles

Up next

The Senators are in San Jose this Saturday to take on ex-captain Erik Karlsson and the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks are Ottawa’s last stop on their California road trip and will be the toughest. This will be the final match between these teams this season. Ottawa defeated San Jose 6-2 at Canadian Tire Centre on Dec. 1 in Karlsson’s first return to his former home. Karlsson and the Sharks will be looking for revenge on their home ice.

Scoring Summary

Cover Photo Credit: Mark J. Terrill / AP

Billy Morrison covers the Ottawa Senators and the Atlantic Division for Full Press Coverage. Follow Billy on Twitter, @BillyMorrison01.