Ottawa 3, Philadelphia 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees:
T.J. Luxmore, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen:
Brandon Gawryletz, Jonny Murray
Attendance:
19358
By The Sports Xchange
PHILADELPHIA -- Minutes after seeing defenseman Erik Karlsson and Kyle Turris fail to score on an uncontested two-man breakaway in overtime, Ottawa Senators coach Guy Boucher asked both to redeem themselves in the shootout.
Karlsson did just that, scoring the only goal of the five-round shootout to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
"I wish we got it on the 2-on-0," Boucher said. "Apparently, we didn't get a shot. It's yours, it's mine, it's yours, it's mine. We've had a lot of that. It makes us squeeze our sticks. What I like is that we stuck with it."
Turris sent the game into overtime with a wraparound goal on Flyers goaltender Steve Mason with 1:59 remaining in regulation. Mark Stone netted Ottawa's other goal in the win. The Senators are now 10-5-1 despite the fact they have scored two or fewer regulation goals in 10 straight games.
"It's a big win," Stone said. "We've been putting ourselves in some sticky situations going into the third periods, but we've really buckled down, came back, and gotten valuable points. We're excited about that, if we can improve our game and maybe get a few more leads, we can take that next step."
The Flyers received goals from center Nick Cousins and left winger Michael Raffl.
"It's very disappointing but I think we battled hard," Raffl said. "Even in overtime had a couple of chances and the shootout can go anyway. So that's a good point. But obviously, we're very disappointed with the loss."
Mason fell to 3-5-3 with the loss, during which he made 24 saves. He has failed to win back-to-back games this season and has not won consecutive games since late last season.
Mason declined to speak to reporters after the game.
"I think he's always hard on himself," Flyers defenseman Brandon Manning said. "I think he expects a lot of himself. With probably the majority of the workload going forward, I think he's a guy that wants to step up and help us out. Like most guys, when you have a game that you should win, it's tough on everyone."
The Flyers (7-7-3) have lost four of their past five (1-2-2).
The Senators have won three of their past four games despite scoring just seven regulation goals in that span. A big reason is Craig Anderson, who stopped 33 of 35 shots in 65 minutes and five more in the shootout to improve to 8-3-1.
"He's been terrific," Boucher said. "He's mentally tough. Every day for him it's about focus and hockey. That's all he wants to hear about and we respect that."
Turris' game-tying goal was his team-leading eighth of the season. Turris recorded 13 goals in 57 games with the Senators last season.
Anderson has held Ottawa's opponent to two goals or fewer in seven of his past eight starts.
The Senators entered the game struggling on the power play, where they had gone 0-for-12 in their previous four games and 1-for-24 in their previous eight games.
The Senators managed a total of just 26 shots in regulation and recorded just one shot on two power plays. The Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play and failed to put the Senators away with two third-period man-advantages.
Ottawa has not allowed a power-play goal in 11 straight games (27-for-27)
In an evenly played first period, the Flyers got on the board first when Cousins, centering the fourth line, netted his second goal of the season on a breakaway. Cousins intercepted pass from Ottawa center Derick Brassard at center ice, and with the help of a nice shield by Manning, streaked in alone on Anderson. Cousins snapped a shot past Anderson's stick side for his first goal since Oct. 27.
Mason kept Ottawa's anemic offense silent in the first 20 minutes, stopping Jean-Gabriel Pageau's breakaway attempt and a point-blank attempt by top-line left winger Ryan Dzingel.
The Senators tied the score 7:09 into the second period when they converted on a defensive zone turnover by Flyers right winger Jakub Voracek. Stone planted himself in the high slot, and defenseman Mark Methot found him. Stone snapped a one-timer past Mason for his third goal of the season and second in three games.
The Flyers answered at the 13:18 mark on Raffl's second goal of the season. An offensive zone faceoff win by Flyers center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare allowed Dale Weiss to get a shot off. Anderson made the initial save, but Raffl slipped behind Karlsson for the rebound goal.
The Senators had a chance to tie the score again with 4:34 remaining in the second period, but Mason made a save on a breakaway by Stone to keep the snake-bitten Senators off the board.
NOTES: The Flyers went with the same lineup that ended Saturday night's win against Minnesota, which means D Nick Schultz and Andrew MacDonald and F Roman Lyubimov were scratches. ... With G Michal Neuvirth sidelined 4-6 weeks with a knee sprain, Flyers rookie G Anthony Stolarz dressed but did not play. He's been recalled seven times since last season and has yet to play in an NHL game. That could come next week when the Flyers play back-to-back road games against Florida and Tampa Bay. ... The Flyers are back in action Thursday night against Winnipeg. ... Senators D Mark Methot was in the lineup after leaving Sunday's game early with a lower-body injury. ... D Fredrik Claesson skated in warmups but did not play. ... LW Clarke MacArthur (concussion) skated with a handful of teammates on Tuesday but remains on long-term injury. ... The Senators return home to face the Nashville Predators on Thursday night. Four of their next five games are on home ice.
Top Game Performances
Ottawa |
|
Philadelphia |
Mark Stone 1 |
Points |
Nick Cousins 1 |
Mark Stone 1 |
Goals |
Nick Cousins 1 |
Erik Karlsson 1 |
Assists |
Michael Del Zotto 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Craig Anderson .943 |
Save Percentage |
Steve Mason .923 |
Craig Anderson 33 |
Saves |
Steve Mason 24 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Ottawa
|
26 |
3 |
0-2 |
4-4 |
8 |
32 |
Philadelphia
|
35 |
2 |
0-4 |
2-2 |
4 |
40 |
Upcoming Games
-
Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Winnipeg. The Flyers have a W/L % of .286 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Ottawa will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Senators have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .857 after a loss.