Senators 3, Ducks 2: Stubborn Sens Start Long Road Right

Sometimes a team wins just because they are too stubborn to lose. That was what the Ottawa Senators pulled against the Anaheim Ducks. Out on the road for the first of seven straight, in a rink where the Ducks had been nearly unbeatable, the Senators didn’t exactly pull off an easy win. This was one they had to grind their way through, but the Senators did it.

In the process, there were a few missed chances that rattled off the iron. Yet, still they stayed in the fight long enough for Drake Batherson to stick his stick (funny when a word can be both a verb and a noun when used together) in front of a Jake Sanderson shot and tip home the winner with less than two minutes left. It wasn’t a pretty game, but most often, successful road trips rarely are. Sometimes a team needs a goal that takes a deflection. Last night, the Senators got just that.

The Senators Stayed Calm, Even When the Ducks Grabbed the Play

What I liked from the Senators’ point of view was how calm they stayed even-keeled when Anaheim grabbed the momentum in the second period. Mason McTavish and Beckett Sennecke gave the Ducks a push, and you could feel their fans perk up. But the Senators didn’t fall into a funk. Shane Pinto got them back even late in the frame, thanks in part to Stephen Halliday—playing in his very first NHL game—who threaded a gorgeous little pass right through traffic. By the third period, Ottawa had settled into its road rhythm. They made smart plays and let goalie Linus Ullmark work his magic as the team’s last line of defense. He held the fort.

Key Points for the Senators

Key Point 1. The Senators’ Road Mindset Showed Up Early. There was no panic after Anaheim’s burst in the second. Ottawa seems like a team that has learned how to take a punch without doubling over. That’s a big step forward for a group still trying to define its identity, playing without its captain, Brady Tkachuk.

Key Point 2. Drake Batherson Delivered in the Moment That Matters. That late tip wasn’t just lucky timing. Batherson’s been doing this for some time. He’s become one of Ottawa’s best “big moment” players, and he now has 19 game-winners in his career, second only to Brady Tkachuk.

Key Point 3. Stephen Halliday’s First Game Looked Like a Preview. Yesterday, I wrote about Halliday’s first NHL night (see the link below). Call it a success. He showed some poise you don’t usually see. That pass to Pinto was confident, patient, and right on the tape. Good on him.

A Final Thought About the Senators

There’s something steady about this group right now. They don’t look rattled by setbacks; they keep working the next shift. On a seven-game road swing, that hang-in-there spirit is going to matter just as much as the goals.