OTTAWA, ON — What a difference a week makes.
Last Saturday the Ottawa Senators were booed off home ice and captain Brady Tkachuk was criticizing the fan base, but this week the home crowd was on their feet cheering as the Senators left the ice following a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames.
With the win the Senators (6-7-0) snapped a five-game losing streak on home ice and capped the week with four of a possible six points after winning two of their three games.
“Whenever you win it’s always a good feeling,” said Tkachuk. “Losing is never fun, so I think we’re getting there. We’re finding our game. We’re finding what makes us successful and we’re just going to keep the ball rolling and keep the momentum going.”
It was a team effort with Mathieu Joseph, Drake Batherson, Rourke Chartier and Travis Hamonic all scoring. Joonas Korpisalo was solid in goal stopping 24 shots.
“When you’re losing it squeezes you and I think I’ve talked about this that it’s been a real calming approach from Michael (Andlauer) and Steve (Staois) to just do what we do and get better a little bit every day,” said Senators head coach D.J. Smith. “I think it’s clearly bled into our team. Guys are a little more comfortable right now in their skin and just starting to play a little bit better.
The Flames (4-8-2) didn’t play poorly, but also weren’t able to capitalize on its chances which was the difference on this night. Blake Coleman scored the lone goal for Calgary.
Dustin Wolf, who made 34 saves, made his season debut for the Flames and kept Calgary in the game.
“It’s frustrating when you feel like the game’s right there for you,” said Coleman. “They made plays and there was nothing (Wolf) could’ve done on those, obviously. He gave us a great chance to be in this game. He played really well. We wish we could’ve got him his win today.”
The Flames controlled the play for much of the first period, but it was the Senators who struck first when Joseph tipped a Jake Sanderson shot in close.
Ottawa took a 2-0 lead with a power-play goal early in the second. Tkachuk tipped Jakob Chychrun’s shot and the puck went high but Batherson was able to bat it in as it came down.
Calgary cut the lead in half at the 15-minute mark on a two-on-one when Martin Pospisil fed a wide-open Coleman.
The Senators had a two-man advantage for 71 seconds late in the period, but failed to capitalize as Wolf made a number of saves.
“I think the American (Hockey) League is pretty different from the NHL,” admitted Wolf. “Those are some big men out there. It’s a lot tougher for myself to fight through screens, which I thought I did a pretty good job of tonight, but at the end of the day, I felt really good.”
The Flames were coming off a 5-4 shootout loss to Toronto on Friday, but had good energy and were keeping pace with Ottawa until the third.
“We scored one goal, and there were opportunities for us to finish in those first two periods, for sure,” said Flames coach Ryan Huska. “We have to find a way to score more, but it’s sticking with it, too. That’s a big thing.
“I thought the energy got sucked out of us after the (3-1) goal, for sure.”
Chartier made it 3-1 early in the third and the Senators couldn’t have been more excited for their teammate. Chartier’s last NHL goal was Oct. 18, 2018. The 27-year-old missed nearly two years of action due to concussions and was thrilled to finally find the back of the net again.
“After sitting out two years and I’d played and as much as I hoped and knew inside myself that I would get another crack, hopefully, you mean you never really know,” said Chartier. “Obviously, I would have liked to get it a few games earlier, but definitely worth the wait.
“I think this one probably feels even better than the first one. Hopefully I don’t have to wait as long for the third one.”
Hamonic added insurance with his first of the season at the five-minute mark of the period.
The Senators won’t play until Thursday as they head to Sweden to take part in the Global Series.
