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The Ottawa Senators jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, and then left Honda Center two hours later with zero points.
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Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist, Jake Sanderson had two helpers, and Phil Tomasino and Michael Amadio each scored for the Senators (9-6-1), who allowed six unanswered goals in the final 40 minutes of regulation.
Jonas Johansson was a mess in his fourth start, and Ottawa conceded a goal each of the four times it went down a man.
No time to waste. Let’s get to grading.
Forwards
Claude Giroux: A+
That was a whale of a first frame from the 38-year-old. Giroux made two key defensive plays on an early shift, first getting down to block a Jackson Lacombe centring pass and then stealing the puck from Mikael Granlund near the point to get a clear and allow Ottawa to change. Skating into open ice down the right wing, he took a stretch pass and beat Laurent Brossoit low blocker with a wrist shot to make it 2-0. A minute later, protecting the puck from Alex Killorn on a zone exit, Giroux hit Amadio in stride with a backhand saucer pass for a breakaway and the 3-0 tally. Giroux was hungry and creative in the offensive zone all night, getting a breakaway of his own in the third and finishing with four shots in 14:02.
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Michael Amadio: A+
Michael Amadio scoring on a breakaway? In this economy? After some unsuccessful dekes on recent breaks, Amadio kept it simple when skating in all alone on Brossoit in the first, beating the goaltender under the glove with a perfect snap shot 13 inches off the ice. Earlier, ahead of the 2-0 goal, Amadio dragged Anaheim defenceman Travis Mitchell to the middle of the ice to allow Giroux to skate freely down the right side. He stole a million pucks, picking Mitchell’s pocket behind the Anaheim goal in the third to set up Stephen Halliday in front, and then backchecking to strip Tristan Luneau before going the other way on a rush. Amadio, Giroux and Ridly Greig were each plus-2.
https://x.com/hashtag/GoSensGo
Ridly Greig: B+
Ahead of the 2-0 goal, Greig fought through stick checks from three Ducks on a breakout to get the puck to safety, finding Artem Zub in space. He somehow got two minutes for goaltender interference in the second when Tim Washe shoved him into Brossoit, who was also outside his crease. Greig fulfilled his assignment on the penalty kill. He made two solid defensive plays in the second — an assertive pin on Beckett Sennecke to get a clear, and then a deflection on a cross-ice pass — right before the Ducks scored their first on the man advantage.
Tim Stützle: B
Stützle had his legs going at even strength all game, drawing a hold immediately after a zone entry in the first and deserving to draw a slash on a rush chance in the second. He needs to be part of the solution if the power play — which fell to 30th in the league, now converting 12.3 per cent of its opportunities after going 0-for-3 in Anaheim — is ever going to figure it out. He laid out Luneau in the ‘O’ zone during the third out of pure frustration, one of three hits in 22:54. His cross-checking penalty on Sennecke in the second was as soft as room temperature butter during a heat wave.
Fabian Zetterlund: B
Zetterlund suffered from indecision at times moving up ice, unable to complete a give-and-go with Dylan Cozens for what would’ve been a breakaway in the first, but he was strong once pressure was established in the offensive zone. He nearly caught Brossoit napping with a wraparound try in the second, and then got open in front for a Sanderson centring pass moments later. Zetterlund blasted two one-timers in one shift in the third, but neither had a chance to go in. He drew a holding penalty in the second and had a team-high seven shot attempts.
Dylan Cozens: B-
Cozens hit Stützle with a beautiful stretch pass for a rush chance in the second, and later found Tyler Kleven sneaking in from the point off the cycle. Cozens’ hit on A.J. Greer in the third was questionable. Was it late? Meh. Was it a blindside hit? Perhaps, but he did contact Greer’s shoulder first. Will he be suspended? I’d be shocked.
https://x.com/EverydaySens/status/2117097363181555907
Phil Tomasino: B+
Tomasino has solid execution on the breakout, rush and cycle, making those little one-touch passes and chips to ensure the puck always finds a friendly sweater. Crashing the net, Thomas Chabot’s wrister ticked off Tomasino’s shaft for the 1-0 goal. He’s got two points in two games since his recall from AHL Belleville.
Drake Batherson: B
Batherson shielded the puck from Pavel Mintyukov in the corner with one hand on his stick before sending an outrageous — partly because it was so dangerous — backhand saucer pass between three Ducks to Chabot ahead of the opening goal. The lone man covering the goal mouth ahead of the 3-2 tally, Batherson was outmuscled by Judd Caulfield while fighting for a loose puck.
Shane Pinto: D
Pinto thrice turned the puck over attempting zone exits in the first, some foreshadowing for what was to come in the second. He couldn’t handle a Chabot pass in the defensive zone and it went right to Cutter Gauthier in the slot to cut it to 3-1. The Ducks never looked back after that. Pinto had four recorded giveaways in 18:58.
Stephen Halliday: C-
Halliday’s execution was a problem on the power play. He seemed to lack some urgency and conviction with his puck touches.
Nick Cousins: C-
Cousins laid it off to Kleven on an odd-man rush for a solid scoring chance in the second, but he had multiple turnovers mishandling pucks during the breakout. He had one block in 10:18.
Xavier Bourgault: C
Bourgault played just four shifts, totalling 2:49 of ice time. He didn’t leave the bench in the final 35 minutes of the game.
Defencemen
Jake Sanderson: B+
Sanderson’s stretch pass to Giroux ahead of the 2-0 goal was gorgeous, picking apart the Ducks’ neutral zone coverage with a blue-line-to-blue-line pass on the diagonal. Sanderson looked dangerous activating down the left side of the ‘O’ zone, nearly connecting twice in the second with centring passes in the low slot. His clumsy tripping penalty in the third sent Anaheim on a 5-on-3, leading to two quick goals against.
Artem Zub: B
Zub wasn’t terribly noticeable. He had a couple of solid recoveries defending the rush and a secondary assist in 18:53 of ice time.
Thomas Chabot: A-
That’s one heck of a primary assist, wiring a wrister off of Tomasino’s stick bar-down for the opening goal. Chabot skated extremely well, and that play was a prime example. Receiving a cross-ice pass from Batherson at the left point with backwards momentum, Chabot pushed hard off his left skate and used a couple quick crossovers to work down to the left dot before firing away. He played a hard-nosed defensive game too, blocking a team-high four shots in 19:27.
Jordan Spence: B-
It was an impressive, valiant effort from Spence to get off a one-timer in the second, knowing full well that Gauthier was on his tail about to blow him up. Spence had a couple of fumbles with the puck along the walls in his own end, but mostly escaped unscathed. He had two blocks and two shots in 17:39.
Tyler Kleven: B+
After beginning the season far more conservatively away from the puck, Kleven dialled up the grit and malice during this western road trip. He played Jeff Malott hard while defending a solo rush in the first to get a steal, and later went after Malott when the winger stabbed at Johansson in the second. Kleven absolutely plastered Luneau in the third. He activated with confidence from the left point, getting off three quality shots from the left circle.
Nikolas Matinpalo: B+
Matinpalo took four crunchy hits behind the Senators’ goal line in order to keep the puck moving in the breakout. He threw some smart shots towards the goal with traffic in front, four of his five attempts coming on activations down the right side. That was a chincy tripping penalty in the second.
Goalie
Jonas Johansson: D-
Johansson’s rebound control is a huge problem. Ahead of the 3-2 goal, he couldn’t handle Noah Warren’s wrister from the point, didn’t smother it when it fell to the ice, and was unable to stand his ground fighting off Caulfield’s heavy stick in the crease. And it’s not often a goalie gets blamed for a 5-on-3 goal, but it was stunning to see how much Johansson was cheating for a pass when Gauthier slid it under his pad in the third. He’s just not an NHL goalie anymore.
