It was Jean-Gabriel Pageau who scored an OT game-winner for the Ottawa Senators against the LA Kings. The Senators’ center caused an eruption of joy at the Canadian Tire Center at 3:12 into the overtime, once he beat Jack Campbell, setting the final result, 3-2 for the hosts.
Right now, Pageau has seven goals, team-high since the start of the season, and this one came as a rebound on his own shot. The 26-year old’s mindset is different than dring the previous seasons, and he feels sharper and confident unlike before. He is determined to contribute on both ends of the ice, regardless of whether he scores or defends.
“I don’t think my role has been really offensive since I’ve been in the NHL,” Pageau said. “It doesn’t matter. I take pride in a role, defensively, playing against good players. It’s a good challenge every night, and that’s my mindset.
The Senators had luck in this one, and we need to add that. The momentum at the end of the regulations could have easily been shifted onto the Kings’ side, due to the way they managed to equalize. The guests pulled away their goalie from the ice, wanting to have an extra man in attack. The Senators took the puck, and instead of routinely finishing the counter-attacks, they made a mess, which provided an opportunity for the guests to strike. Tyler Toffoli tied the game with 7.2 seconds until the buzzer, silencing the home crowd.
These moments were very difficult for the hosts, but they rose to the occasion, and bounced back pretty quickly, taking two points.
“I was hoping it would go in the net,” Ottawa’s coach DJ Smith. “But we were a little unselfish there trying to pass it around, and it ends up in your net. But we found a way to win, so I’m happy.”
The game started pretty rough, with penalties on each side during the first period, and without any goals. Dustin Brown brought the lead to the visitors with 6:51 inside the second frame, after Anze Kopitar’s assist.
Anthony Duclair leveled the result following his tip on Nikita Zaitsev’s point shot, 2:37 before the end of the same period, while Artem Anisimov turned things upside down at 9:50 of the final part of the regulations. The Russian sent a laser-precise snap shot to the lower-left corner of the Kings’ goal. Campbell who had 30 saves, couldn’t do anything about it. On the other side, his colleague Anders Nilsson had 26 stoped shots.
With this win, the Senators are now 5-9-1 and are only ahead of the Detroit Red Wings in the Eastern Conference. Their next opponents will be Carolina Hurricanes this Saturday, who will host Smith’s boys on Monday. Following that match, the Senators have a rough schedule with four of their next five games on the road.
Meanwhile, the Kings (5-10-1) end their three-game tour against the Canadiens in Montreal this Sunday. The LA team will stay at home afterward for three games, against Wild, Golden Knights, and the Red Wings.
