John Gibson made 35 saves as the Detroit Red Wings took down the Ottawa Senators 5-3 on Monday night. James Van Riemsdyk led Detroit with a three point effort, but it was the veteran Gibson who was the difference, badly outperforming the comparatively untested Ottawa duo of Leevi Merilainen and Hunter Shepard.
Merilainen was replaced by Shepard at the start of the second period after allowing three goals on eight shots. The Sens goals came from Claude Giroux, Dylan Cozens, and Brady Tkachuk.
We chronicled this game live here at The Hockey News-Ottawa. Here's your recap.
First Period
0:38 - The Senators go on the power play early with some fresh ice to work with as Marco Kasper takes a tripping minor on Brady Tkachuk. Ottawa runs a highly effective power play, firing seven shots, but Red Wings goaltender John Gibson turns them all aside.
4:06 - Thomas Chabot barely keeps the puck in at the Detroit blue line, charging forward and dishing it to Stephen Halliday, who sends it right back. Chabot then finds David Perron with a cross-ice pass, and Perron’s shot goes in off Nick Cousins. After a lengthy coach’s challenge for offside, the goal is overturned. Apparently the NHL had an angle we didn’t. Either way, nothing fans love more than goals coming off the board because of a millimetre offside.
5:08 - Brady Tkachuk threads the needle to Dylan Cozens on a 2-on-1 break. Cozens tries a forehand-backhand move but whiffs on the backhand and fails to get a shot away.
5:57 - Lucas Raymond breaks down the wing and gets a clear shot on Leevi Meriläinen, using his linemate as a decoy. Meriläinen makes a nice save, deflecting the puck out of play.
7:06 - GOAL: Tyler Kleven attempts to dump the puck in from center ice, but it clips Andrew Copp’s stick. Copp gets a breakaway and beats Meriläinen glove side to open the scoring. Detroit leads 1-0.
10:36 - Jordan Spence makes a great move along the boards and finds Claude Giroux alone in the slot. Giroux snaps a shot that just misses John Gibson’s glove and sails over the net.
13:10 - David Perron takes a minor penalty for slew-footing (tripping) Mason Appleton.
13:51 - GOAL: Dylan Larkin scores immediately for the Red Wings. Former Senator Alex DeBrincat fires a shot from the point. Meriläinen makes the initial save, but the rebound kicks out to James van Riemsdyk. JVR sends it across to Larkin, who has a wide-open net. 2-0 Detroit.
17:10 - Ben Chiarot takes a delay-of-game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass while trying to clear the zone. David Perron and Drake Batherson both get wide-open looks, but Gibson shuts the door on each chance.
19:43 - GOAL: James van Riemsdyk ends up with the puck on his stick amid traffic in front. He spins and fires, and Meriläinen never sees it. The puck goes in off Merilainen's skate. It's 3-0 Wings.
End of the first period:
Detroit 3, Ottawa 0.
The Senators outshoot the Red Wings 17–8.
Second Period
0:00 - After giving up three goals on seven shots, Meriläinen’s night is over. Backup Hunter Shepard comes in to start the second. This is just the 30-year-old’s sixth NHL game. He does have a habit of winning, though, with two AHL titles and two NCAA championships. Anyone up for a Huntburglar run?
4:18 - Tyler Kleven moves further into the doghouse, taking a tripping penalty on Lucas Raymond.
4:48 - Larkin rings one off both the crossbar and the post. He thinks he scored, but play continues. Given how the night’s gone, the entire building is waiting for the replay booth to sound the horn and award a goal—but it never comes.
6:07 - Shane Pinto gets a shorthanded 2-on-1 and has all day to pick his spot on John Gibson. But Gibson turns him away. Ottawa’s sluggish penalty kill gets the job done.
7:33 - GOAL: The Senators are finally on the board after great work by Fabian Zetterlund below the goal line behind the Detroit net. He backhands a puck out front to Claude Giroux, who outmuscles Dylan Larkin and crams home Ottawa’s first goal of the game. Detroit 3 Ottawa 1
8:29 - Shepard makes his first big save of the night, flashing the glove on a slot shot from Patrick Kane.
11:10 - Takes a shot off the leg. Red Wings fans would call it instant karma after a pretty solid cross-check moments earlier on Marco Kasper.
11:45 - Ridly Greig makes friends with the Red Wings in front of their net, taking a few shoves and looking completely in his element.
12:22 - Another skilled Senator blocks a shot. This time Drake Batherson takes one off the skate. He appears OK but skates off slowly.
13:06 - Thomas Chabot rifles a one-timer from the top of the circle. Gibson sees it all the way and makes a nice glove save.
13:57 - Michael Rasmussen goes off for tripping Nick Cousins in front of the Detroit net. The Wings feel Cousins went down a bit easily, but Ottawa heads to the power play.
14:10 - GOAL: Jake Sanderson fires a wrist shot from the top of the circle. Gibson kicks out the rebound right onto the stick of Dylan Cozens, who buries it to cut Detroit’s lead to 3–2.
After the ensuing center-ice faceoff, Detroit quickly gets a 2-on-1, but Sanderson makes a perfect breakup. A huge play to keep Ottawa’s momentum going—and a reminder of why Sanderson is Olympic-bound.
15:42 - GOAL: A bad hop along the boards in the Ottawa zone leads to Detroit possession. The Senators get puck-focused, and Lucas Raymond snaps a shot through Chabot’s legs and past Shepard to make it 4–2.
16:59 - Ottawa’s fourth line generates some chances. David Perron fires a hard shot that Gibson stops. Stephen Halliday gets the rebound but can’t stuff it in.
17:14 - Detroit goes back to the power play after Brady Tkachuk is called for breaking a stick.
17:33 - Giroux finds Stützle alone in front, but Gibson shuts the door. That’s been the difference tonight—Gibson making big saves, while Ottawa’s chances have only been okay.
18:21 - Kane snaps a shot from the circle that beats Shepard but hits the post. The Senators survive the penalty kill.
End of the second period:
Detroit 4, Ottawa 2.
The Senators outshooting the Red Wings 26-17. Tied at 9 in the second.
Third Period
2:34 - Claude Giroux hooks Dylan Larkin in the neutral zone and gets called for tripping. Giroux is furious, smashing his stick on the boards as he heads to the box. Larkin may have sold it a bit, but honestly, it wasn’t the worst call I’ve ever seen. The Senators kill the penalty, although Pinto nearly gets caught for another delay-of-game call when his clearing attempt comes just inches from going over the glass.
6:55 - GOAL. A gorgeous play by the Sens' best. Stützle takes a drop pass from Batherson at the top of the circle and he finds Tkachuk driving the net for the easy tap in. The Sens cut the lead to 4–3.
7:50 – Some great cycling down low by the Senators. Kuchuk and Batherson are alone in front, but the pass ends up in Batherson’s skates and he can’t get a clean shot away.
9:03 – Albert Johansson is called for tripping Shane Pinto. Ottawa heads to the power play, looking to tie the game.
11:09 – Just after the Red Wings kill off the first penalty, former Senator Jacob Bernard-Docker is called for slashing Shane Pinto. Pinto draws his second penalty in just over two minutes.
12:53 – GOAL – Not only do the Senators come up empty on two straight power plays, but at the end of the second one they give up a 2-on-1. Michael Rasmussen beats Shepard with a snapshot to restore the two-goal lead. Detroit 5-3.
13:16 – Shane Pinto appears to make it 5–4, but the goal is initially waved off with Ridly Greig positioned behind Gibson. Travis Green opts to challenge the call. It looks like Bernard-Docker may have forced Greig into the crease, but it also appears Greig caught Gibson on the mask with the shaft of his stick. After review, the call on the ice stands and the Sens have to kill off a penalty. They do.
14:46 – Simon Edvinsson is called for elbowing Tim Stützle as he tries to get past him in the neutral zone. Ottawa goes back to work on its sixth power play of the night, three of them in the last five minutes.
The Senators pull their goalie for a sixth skater but never really get close.
Final score: Detroit 5 Ottawa 3
The Senators closed their four game homestand with a 2-2-0 mark and now head out for a two game trip in Utah Wednesday and Colorado Thursday.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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