by Ken Hawkins (a.k.a. khawk)

It was quite a strange game in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night, as the Senators made their first-ever visit to the Beehive State. Utah came out very strong early, resulting in multiple quality scoring chances in the first 10 minutes. However, the scoreboard still read 0-0 at the period mid-point, thanks to a strong individual effort by G Anton Forsberg. The Senators then seemed to find their legs and proceeded to score four unanswered goals before the end of the period, which effectively put the game out of reach. There were multiple shaky defensive moments in the 2nd period, but Forsberg continued his fine play and didn’t allow Utah to get any momentum. The Senators followed with a much improved team defensive effort in the 3rd period, and helped Forsberg earn the 6th shutout of his career.

OTT 4 - UTA 0 (NHL Game Highlights)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22BpY_A1M4I

This win improved the Senators record to 4-2-0 on the season, and we’re starting to see more tangible evidence of where Head Coach Travis Green has made strategic changes to this team. They’re currently 3rd in the NHL in Hits/60min behind just FLA/BOS, which reflects their abrasive style - however, they’ve significantly reduced their PIM from last year, and improved their PK%. Their special teams edge has been further enhanced with a near-ridiculous 40.9% PP rate - which despite being unsustainable, still affirms the emphasis that’s been placed on being more detail-oriented as a team.

The Good - This game could have been out of reach early if not for the strong play of Forsberg in goal, who certainly deserved the first star of this game. Making the full 31 saves is impressive in its own right, but his performance in the first 10 minutes of the game is exactly the kind of timely goaltending this team has rarely had in recent years. It was also the best game of the year for the 2nd D-pairing of Chabot-Jensen, who were each a +3, and had a combined 3A, 2 blocked shots, and 3 hits.

The Bad - Despite the positive outcome of this game, giving up the first 7-8 shots of the game is objectively not a good way to start a road trip. The second period was also a struggle for the Senators, as Utah held a 14-5 shot advantage and dictated the play for most of the period. Then again, after going up 4-0 they knew a push back would be coming, and did a good job for the most part of limiting the number of high-quality scoring chances. But they need to work on their start, because coming out flat like that against VGK/COL could result in a very different outcome.

The Ugly - For this game, the ugly pretty much has to go to Utah goaltender Connor Ingram… who gave up 4 goals on just 8 shots in the 1st period, resulting in an absurd stat line of 12.00 GAA/0.500 sv% for the night. This included a Korpisalo special, which is giving up the first goal of the game on one of the opponent’s first 2 shots of the game. That said, Ingram came into the game boasting a 4-0-1 record on the year, so it really was just one of those nights where nothing seemed to go right.

The final thought goes out to David Perron, who has officially taken a leave from the team due to a medical issue with his infant daughter. Anyone with children will understand how emotionally draining it is when they have a serious health issue, and even more so when there are significant risks involved well beyond your control as a parent. Hopefully all goes well with his daughter’s procedure, and it’s not too long before he can rejoin the team.

What are your thoughts on the Senators’ shutout win vs. Utah? Please leave your comments below, and as always thanks for reading!

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