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Ottawa Senators Postgame: Merilainen Leads the Way, Again!

In a defensive battle, the Ottawa Senators managed to play a detail-oriented game to come away with their third win in a row.

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Adam Gaudette's 14th goal of the season ended up being the game winner (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Another Leevi Merilainen start, another win, and another shutout! While this game didn’t offer a ton in the way of excitement, the Ottawa Senators came away with a big road win, their third win in a row. In what feels like a typical New York Islanders game, neither team could get a whole lot going, but the Senators deserve full credit for such a strong defensive effort. Let’s dive into the details on the Ottawa Senators 2-0 victory!



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Merilainen Shuts the Door

Make that three straight wins for Merilainen, dating back to Saturday. Amazingly, he’s given up a total of just two goals in the three games. Right now, Merilainen has the perfect combination of calmness and confidence. He seems to have a solid glove, so often able to make the glove save and get a whistle. Merilainen has successfully surpassed Sogaard as the young goalie getting these types of opportunities with Ullmark injured. He has also passed Forsberg, as Travis Green has given him three straight starts. I would expect and hope for him to be in net on Thursday as well; he’s clearly seeing the puck great right now.

Gaudette Snaps Slump

Gaudette had gone 15 games without a goal until he finally ended the slump tonight! Unfortunately, the refs then reviewed the play and took the goal away. They determined that Gaudette made contact with Marcus Hogberg before the goal.  No worries, though. Gaudette would go on to tip in a Kleven shot to officially end the goal drought. I was half expecting the refs to take a look at a potential high stick, but thankfully nothing happened on that front. It ended up being the game winner. To Gaudette’s credit, he’s continued to play with pace and effort to keep a spot in the lineup, despite the drought.

Additional Notes

Sanderson stepped up tonight, with Chabot leaving the game with a bloody face after just four minutes of ice-time. He played just under 32 minutes, the most in his career. Him and Zub are really starting to look like the high level pair they were expected to be at the start of the season. I was quite surprised to find out that Marcus Hogberg had made his way back to the NHL. His time with the Ottawa Senators ended really poorly- he struggled massively in 2020-21. Good on him for working his way back. It’s nice to see Batherson back to scoring points. His assist on the Zub empty netter gives him a point in three straight games. Being on the ice in that situation speaks to how Batherson has earned Green’s trust as a two-way player.

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