Senators unable to sustain effort in season-opening loss to Hurricanes

On a given night, there isn’t much difference between a good team and a very good one. 

The Ottawa Senators, seeking to establish themselves in the Atlantic Division this season, took on the best club in the Metro Division Wednesday night and put a pretty good scare into the Carolina Hurricanes.  

In the beginning, the Sens did everything they wanted on the road for a season opener. Good early pressure, an early power play, and an early five-on-five goal by Mathieu Joseph. 

In the end, the Hurricanes responded with pressure, firing 42 shots on Joonas Korpisalo scoring two third-period goals that Korpisalo should have had. That proved to be the difference in a 5-3 Hurricanes win. 

On Carolina’s fourth goal, by Brady Skjei, Korpisalo waved at the puck with his trapper when the shot actually went in on the goalie’s blocker side. It was the kind of play a goalie makes when he is learning the game and his catching hand is better than his blocker hand. At the NHL level, it looked very awkward. A fifth goal, shorthanded, by Jacob Slavin was a soft wrister that got up over Korpisalo’s right shoulder at 11:05 of the third period and closed the deal for the Canes. 

For Ottawa, an unfortunate finish after they fought back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game on goals by Parker Kelly (shorthanded) and Tim Stützle early in the third period, just 35 seconds apart. 

Senators head coach D.J. Smith couldn’t fault the effort but recognized his team couldn’t sustain its game for three full periods. Too many coverage breakdowns and too many penalties.

“I thought we came out great,” Smith said. Second period, a couple of big turnovers end up in the net. 

“We get it to three (3-3), and then a couple get in the net there,” which is about as close as Smith will come to criticizing his goalie. 

Frederik Anderson made 27 saves for the Hurricanes, including a couple of big saves in the first period limiting Ottawa’s lead to one. 

In the first period, Korpisalo stopped Jesper Fast on a penalty shot. 

Smith felt that a key to the game was Carolina’s ability to get pucks behind Ottawa’s defence in the second period, keeping the Sens from making prompt line changes. 

Defencemen Thomas Chabot (-2) and partner Jakob Chychrun (-3) struggled at times and were split up on occasion.  

As they often do early in the season, officials called things tight, with plenty of ticky-tack slashing calls amounting to no more than a one-handed tap with the stick. 

Carolina had six power play chances and scored on one of them, a goal by ex-Maple Leaf Michael Bunting at 2:55 of the second period. That was big because the home team was getting frustrated at not being able to beat Korpisalo for the first 22 minutes of the game. 

“Six penalties is too many,” Smith said. “On the road, you can take no more than three.”

Ottawa was 0 for 4 on the power play. 

Minus centres Shane Pinto (contract) and Josh Norris (shoulder), Smith leaned on Stützle, who played close to 22 minutes. Stützle dazzled at times but also was stripped of the puck by Jordan Martinook, which led to Carolina’s fourth goal. Wingers Claude Giroux and captain Brady Tkachuk played close to 20 minutes each. 

Wingers Joseph and Kelly earned praise for their hard work. 

“Joseph and Kelly continue to fly out there,” Smith said. “I thought they were real good. Both those guys just do their job.”

“I’m just trying to play as hard as I can every night and be prepared every night,” Joseph said.

“We had a good first period, we were ready to play,” he said. “It was a fast paced game. 

We tried to be a bit cute in the second and it burned us. After that, they capitalized on a couple of good chances and we didn’t.”

Winger Drake Batherson led the visitors with five shots on goal. He also hit a goal post. 

The Senators take their act home for a five-game home standing, beginning with Saturday’s home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Canadian Tire on Sunday. 

Pinto skates in Ottawa

The Senators are believed to be close to a deal with Shane Pinto, their restricted free agent centre. Pinto has been skating in Ottawa for several days with local skating coach Pat Malloy. The issue for the Senators is freeing up salary cap space to complete the deal. They will likely have to move a contract, and perhaps a prospect, to get Pinto onto the roster.