Senators Postgame: Led By Third Line, Sens Stifle Habs

The Ottawa Senators were finally able to beat the Montreal Canadiens this season, all the while gaining some separation in the standings for the first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. It was a great, all-around effort for the Senators, who took the lead less than 30 seconds in and never looked back. Linus Ullmark was solid and the third line was great in the Senators 43rd win of the season. Let’s dive into the details.

READ MORE: Examining Tim Stützle’s Scoring Struggles

Defense Deliver at Both Ends

When the Senators went into the third period up 4-2, I was expecting the Canadiens to come out full force as they tried to mount yet another third period comeback. In the last game with these two teams, the Canadiens scored five third period goals to win 6-3 after starting the period down 2-1. Tonight was a very different story. The Senators gave up just four third period shots as they held the Canadiens scoreless. The defense deserves a lot of credit. They neutralized the Canadiens forecheck, all the while chipping in offensively as well. In one of those satisfying boxscores, all six Senators defensemen registered exactly one assist. While the third pairing of Kleven and Matinpalo had their lesser moments, the group of Sens d-men deserve a lot of credit for their all-around play tonight.

Third Line Leads the Way

I think it’s safe to say that the Pinto, Greig, Amadio line should stay together through the end of the year. They are clearly Travis Green’s go-to forward group when it comes to defensive situations. They’re also all playing their best offensive hockey of the season over the last several weeks. That continued tonight, where Pinto scored less than 30 seconds into the game. Greig would go on to score just over a minute into the second. Then it was Pinto putting this game away with the empty netter. This line combined for the three goals and six points tonight (two each), all the while being asked to take on tough defensive assignments as well.

Additional Notes

Between the mistakes by the Senators third defensive pair, and the struggles of the fourth line, it seems like Sens fans will be quite stressed out when the depth players are on the ice come playoff time. It seemed strange that Hayden Hodgson was inserted into the lineup. He had scored just 11 points in 43 AHL games this season. Then, Hodgson threw his body around and took part in a spirited fight, and it was obvious why he was in the lineup. After going goalless in ten straight, it was nice to see Cozens score tonight. All that’s left in the Senators regular season? Three home games against the Flyer, Blackhawks, and Hurricanes.