After five defeats in a row, Ottawa Senators finally posted a win. DJ Smith’s guys beat Edmonton Oilers with 5-2, bringing a smile on the faces of their fans after a while.
The game was decided in the middle frame, once the guests tore apart their rivals, scoring three consecutive goals, and coming back from behind.
“We scored on our chances in the second period, and it gave us some life,” said Smith.
One by one, Artem Anisimov, Connor Brown, and Tyler Ennis were hitting the back of the nest, forcing Dave Tippet to replace his starting goalie, Mikko Koskinen, and send Mike Smith on the ice.
Jujhar Khaira drew the first blood, at 14:09 inside the first period, after Leon Draisaitl’s pass. The Oilers were superb in the opening 20 minutes and had numerous chances to finish this sequence with a much higher lead. However, it was either Craig Anderson to stop them, or the post (on two occasions), and the result stayed 1-0.
And that turned out to be lethal for the home team in the end. A little bit more than five minutes into the second, Anisimov tied the score, one second before the end of the power-play.
Then came the shock, which turned this game upside down and gave momentum to the guests. Brown scored a go-ahead goal just 12 seconds after Anisimov’s hit.
Brown posted an assist later, setting up a position for Ennis’ first goal of the match. It was then when Smith replaced Koskinen.
For a moment, it seemed that the Oilers might be back. Oscar Klefbom used a power-play situation to cut the deficit to 3-2 with 2:23 to go in the same period. But, it was just a temporary spark of the Oilers who were again stunned shortly after the break. Only this time, the scorer was Anthony Duclair, 90 seconds after the start of the final part of the contest. His goal completely killed the morale of the hosts, and if there was some chance for a miracle, it disappeared with Vladislav Namestnikov’s score at 11:47 left.
Things became a little rough in the end, and along with that, the Senators wanted to keep the result by staling the game, and the spectators saw four minor penalties in the remaining time.
Tyler Ennis spoke about the fact that he loves playing in his hometown and that this was his first time scoring against the Oilers here, which makes this night even better.
“It’s fun coming home and playing. Everybody that goes and plays in their hometown it’s always fun. I always have a lot of friends and family in the stands. It’s actually my first time scoring against Edmonton, so it’s extra special tonight.”
His Senators (12-16-1) will head for Philadelphia next, and following that, get back home to host the Boston Bruins.
As for the Oliers (17-10-3), this was the first of four consecutive matches at home. Up next, they meet the LA Kings, after them the Buffalo Sabres, and eventually Carolina Hurricanes.
