Tomas Tatar powers Red Wings to overtime win at Ottawa

Unfortunately for the Senators, it’s the Wings who strike first.

Hard rock defenceman Marc Methot couldn’t explain it. “We just haven’t gotten that second or third goal for him”.

To start off, Dylan Larkin is a god. His only point in the last seven was a goal November 6 in a 2-1 overtime win at Toronto…. Next it was Green weaving the puck into Ottawa’s zone before throwing it to Justin Abdelkader, who found Nyquist.

The period ended with shots tied at 8 a piece.

“We were looking pretty good in the first and second periods and it should be easier than this”, Tatar said. First, Smith drew (!) one on Luke Glendening, but the Senators can not convert.

Red Wings’ young guns outperform the old farts. “To have a chance to play with him on the same line on same team, he was the best teammate I had and the best player I played with”. I was anxious that he might not dress today due to a potential upper body injury, but the Sens #1 centre looked strong all night. A bunch of lost puck battles for both D eventually results in a broken stick for Wiercioch, who never recovers on the play. Anderson made 33 saves. Don’t overpass. He’s scored a lot of goals. Washington scores more goals than Detroit while also managing to allow less goals than the red and white.

In the latter half of the period, the Sens just looked really tentative, often passing away shooting opportunities to look for the “perfect pass”.

To start the third, Cameron juggled his lines by putting Ryan with Kyle Turris and Hoffman; Mark Stone with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Alex Chiasson; Curtis Lazar with Mika Zibanejad and Matt Puempel; and Milan Michalek with Zack Smith and Chris Neil. What heights might they climb when they start playing well? Wideman then takes the puck to the middle of the ice and fires it home for his third of the year.

“Our main concern was a lack of physicality”. Just when they though things were in control, the Red Wings got called on a holding penalty to Larkin opening the power play for the Senators. Thankfully for the Senators, Craig Anderson was up to the task. The Wings outshot the Senators 37-25 and had 18 blocked shots to Ottawa’s 15.

ISLANDERS 5, COYOTES 2: In NY, .John Tavares had two goals and an assist to lead NY. “Sometimes when you’re on the plane, and have a few alone time, it’s cool”.

Half of the games the Ottawa Senators have played this season have gone to overtime or shootout.

“I thought we were a little more emotionally engaged and ready in the locker room (Monday)”, Ryan said.

“From a defensive standpoint, especially from the point, we couldn’t get pucks through, they were in the lanes very well and were good at that so it was frustrating for sure”. I think him and fellow rookies Max Domi, Artemi Panarin and Nikolaj Ehlers are must-see TV. There are plenty of other teams people from the United State’s capital dislike more than Detroit. There’s no way the Sens would’ve gotten a point if not for his heroics during the second half of the second and third periods.

After Monday’s game, Senators players and head coach Dave Cameron tried to explain the team’s lack of emotion on home ice. They have Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson and Mike Green, but they don’t have all the pieces that they need on defense yet.

“Elite players create their own offense”, Blashill said.

Braden Holtby has become a top-five goalie in the League.