Ottawa Senators | Ottawa Sun

Article content

Here is the frustration for Ottawa Senators coach Jacques Martin.

Article content

His team does a lot of the right things, gets into a low-scoring game on the road … and still loses – on a couple of deflections.

Article content

The Senators fell 2-1 Wednesday night in Anaheim. A big reason? The play of Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal, especially in the third period.

“it’s frustration, disappointment,” Martin told TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson. “We had several good opportunities and didn’t cash in.

“We’re best when we get a lot of pucks on the net and we go to the net for rebounds and screens. It’s the type of hockey you need to play at this time of the year. We need more of a shooting mentality from the beginning.”

The Senators, the NHL’s fifth-worst team (according to the standings), were without winger Vladimir Tarasenko, dealt to the Florida Panthers for a 2025 third-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round selection (it’ll be a third-round pick in 2026 if the Panthers go on to win the Stanley Cup) earlier in the day. The Senators also picked up half of Tarasenko’s salary in the deal.

Article content

The Ducks, the league’s third-worst team, were also busy Wednesday, trading forwards Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to the Edmonton Oilers for draft picks.

The Senators controlled play for much of the first period. Still, it wasn’t like the Anaheim net was a shooting gallery. Ottawa got just eight shots on goal, while the Ducks had three in the opening period. Shots after two periods were 12-11 for Ottawa. The final tally: 30-16 for Ottawa.

Ottawa took a 1-0 lead 2:44 into the game when Mark Kastelic tipped an Artem Zub point shot past Dostal through traffic. The goal was originally credited to Zub.

The Ducks tied it 4:42 into the second period when a Ryan Strome shot deflected off Ottawa defenceman Jake Sanderson and through Ottawa goalie Mads Sogaard’s pads.

Article content

Anaheim made it 2-1 3 1/2 minutes into the third period on an Alex Killorn goal, on a deflection.

The Senators took a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty with 1:34 left, sending an extra man out with Sogaard not yet off the ice.

Dostal made several huge saves in the final minute.

“Frustrating is probably a good word to use,” said Sogaard. “We put a lot of pucks on net. It seems like the puck is just not going in (for us).”

“We had lots of Grade A chances in the third,” said Parker Kelly. “We can do a better job of getting inside and taking the goalie’s eyes away.”

ICE CHIPS: Matthew Highmore and Rourke Chartier were both recalled from Belleville and joined the Senators’ lineup. Highmore, who had an assist on Ottawa’s first goal, left the ice in discomfort early in the third period … Parker Kelly took an elbow to the head and somehow got penalized for embellishment late in the first period … In the second period, Kelly drew a penalty on former 67’s defenceman Pavel Mintyukov … Zub drove hard to the net and got a great scoring opportunity in the opening period … Dostal made a big skate stop on Shane Pinto early in the second … Tim Stutzle found himself alone in front of Dostal in the third, but the goalie turned the shot aside … In the middle of a late-game scuffle, Pinto was knocked to the ice in front of the Anaheim net … Thomas Chabot looked hurt late in the game. Martin suggested the defenceman may have been re-injured … In Game 2 of their western road swing, the Senators are in Los Angeles for a game Thursday (10:30 p.m., Ottawa time, start).

Article content