The Ottawa Senators defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 in overtime at Bell MTS Place on Saturday. The last-placed Senators have now upset the fourth-placed Jets for the second Saturday in a row. Last weekend, the Sens soared over the Jets in a 5-2 win at Canadian Tire Centre.
The Senators offense was hitting their stride this game. After 63:44, the visiting team outshot the Jets 41-26 in their building. Once again, Ottawa’s offense was mostly powered by the usual drivers- Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Dzingel. All three players have been prominently featured in trade rumors ahead of the Feb. 25 trade deadline. The Senators goals came courtesy of Stone, Rudolfs Balcers, Duchene, and Dzingel in this affair. Jets defenceman Tyler Myers replied with two for his team, while Brandon Tanev also added a goal.
The Sens improve their record to 22-31-5 and 49 points with the win. They remain 31st in the NHL, and trail the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings by three points. The Jets meanwhile, see their record drop to 36-19-4, despite increasing their points by one with the overtime loss. After 59 games played, Winnipeg holds 76 points on the season, which is tied with the New York Islanders and places them one behind the Calgary Flames.
Special Teams
Special teams was a major factor for both teams in this game.
Ottawa scored all three of their goals in regular time on the power play. Overall, the Senators went three-for-seven on the man advantage in this game. On the season, Ottawa is ranked 15th in the NHL at 20.8 percent.
Meanwhile, two of the Jets three goals were shorthanded markers. These were scored in the first period by Tanev and Myers, while the team was killing off multiple penalties given to Dmitry Kulikov.
Offside Challenge
The Senators benefited from a successful offside challenge in the second period launched by their head coach, Guy Boucher. The goal would have given Winnipeg a 3-2 lead just 15 seconds after Balcers tied the game. After review, the Jets goal was clearly offside. The score was returned to 2-2 after the officials reversed the call. Rather than playing catch-up, the Senators ended up scoring the next goal, which came from Duchene less than a minute into the third period.
New Career High For Stone
It was a night of significance for Senators assistant captain Stone. The Winnipeg native set a new career high for goals in a season. The 26-year-old forward scored his 27th just 1:38 after the game’s opening face-off. Stone’s previous career high for goals came in 2014-15 when he sniped 26 in 80 games. It was even more special that he achieved this accomplishment playing in his hometown.
Snap Shots
- The NHL trade deadline is closing in fast. As of Saturday, it is just nine days away. It is anticipated the Senators will be very active before Feb. 25. Names like Duchene, Stone, Dzingel, and Ceci have all been spun in the rumor mill.
Official 3 Stars of the Game
- Matt Duchene, Ottawa
- Tyler Myers, Winnipeg
- Mark Stone, Ottawa
Up Next
The Senators continue their four-game road trip with a stop in Chicago on Monday to take on the Blackhawks. Ottawa is 0-0-1 against the Hawks this season. The last time these two teams met was on opening night at Canadian Tire Centre. Chicago edged the Senators 4-3 in overtime in that affair. The Blackhawks record is currently 24-25-9 and 57 points. They are ranked 23rd in the NHL.
Cover Photo Credit: John Woods / The Canadian Press
Billy Morrison covers the Ottawa Senators and the Atlantic Division for Full Press Coverage. Follow Billy on Twitter, @BillyMorrison01.
