You really deserved better from the Ottawa Senators last night
Well, bonjour. Waking up this morning, you’ve probably got that familiar pit in your stomach, eh? The Ottawa Senators went into Carolina and, after clawing their way back, still dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Carolina Hurricanes. It was one of those games that just eats at you. Luke Stankoven got a power-play goal early for Carolina, and then Sebastian Aho made it 2-0 in the second, and you’re thinking, “Here we go again.” But credit where it's due, Drake Batherson, bless his heart, got one back from Jake Sanderson, and then Dylan Cozens, with a beautiful feed from Ridly Greig, tied it up. The Ottawa Senators fought, they really did. They outshot the Hurricanes significantly in the third, 39-46 for the game, but that overtime… well, Jordan Martinook found the back of the net, and that was that.
It's just tough, you know? They showed some real backbone to come back from down two goals on the road. Jake Sanderson was a beast back there, getting assists on both Ottawa Senators goals. He’s turning into everything we hoped for, isn't he? It’s not like they folded. They pushed, they created chances, and frankly, they looked like the better team for stretches, especially in that third period. But it just wasn't enough. It never seems to be *quite* enough, and that’s the part that really grinds your gears. You want to see them close these out, especially when they’ve put in the effort.
So, where does that leave us, eh? The Ottawa Senators are still sitting pretty at 44-27-11, holding onto that Wildcard #2 spot with 99 points, and their last ten games show a pretty good 6-3-1 record. It's not the end of the world, but dropping that extra point in overtime stings, especially when you’re battling for playoff positioning. We need to start tightening things up, especially against those top-tier teams. Coming back to the Capital, it’s going to be a different feeling at the Shawarma Palace tonight than if they’d pulled off the win. We've got to regroup, focus, and make sure we're ready for the next one.
Eleven-eleven, boys. Eleven-eleven.
Hear more of my gripes about this one with the gang on the morning show — catch it live, all week, at mornings.live.