I mean, if you’re going to lose, at least do it like cowboys.
The Final
Washington 7, Senators 5
How It Happened
Mayhem. Two hat tricks. Multiple goalies. Thomas Chabot and Artyom Zub unfortunately not being able to play a combined 120 minutes of hockey.
It was a disaster out of the gate, with Anton Forsberg letting four of sixteen shots through and the defense letting sixteen shots head his way in just the first sixteen minutes. The Senators had led 1-0 off an early Drake Batherson goal, and came back again from three down to knot it at four midway through the second, but it wasn’t enough. Alexander Ovechkin got his first goal of the night a few minutes later. T.J. Oshie completed his hat trick a few minutes after that. Batherson got his own hat trick early in the third to make it 6-5, but Ovechkin had one more in the sleeve to bring us to our final.
After Filip Gustavsson came in, only 15 shots made it to the net, but he wasn’t especially effective himself, and the back two defensive pairings…oof. Chabot and Zub were at +3 and +2, the other four were all at either -2 or -3.
Any Fights?
They didn’t show this on TV, but after Tom Wilson hit Chabot hard, Brady Tkachuk jumped in, and Tkachuk and Wilson ended up getting ten-minute misconducts. My best understanding here is that Tom Wilson is like a streaker—broadcasters have been asked to stop encouraging it at this point.
Standings
Atlantic Division, as they run:
Florida: 6-0-0 (12 points)
Buffalo: 4-1-1 (9 points)
Detroit: 3-2-1 (7 points)
Boston: 3-1-0 (6 points)
Tampa Bay: 2-3-1 (5 points)
Toronto: 2-4-1 (5 points)*
YOUR BELOVED OTTAWA SENATORS: 2-4-0 (4 points)**
Montréal: 1-5-0 (2 points)*
*in crisis
**in session
Senators News
They’re doing the discourse, and they’re saying Tim Stützle’s a flopper? Bullshit. You think a man this honest and vulnerable would flop? Fuck you.
Senators Thoughts
Evidently this will all get better when Jake Sanderson and Jacob Bernard-Docker are NHL-ready and the squad isn’t relying on those back two blue-line pairings. In the meantime…yeehaw.
Up Next
I’m mad. I’m gonna be out of the state on Friday when the Sens come to Dallas. Would’ve been a great excuse to get up there. And then I’m just missing them in Chicago on Monday, since I’ve gotta be in Indiana on Tuesday. STUPID, Stu. STUPID.
