The New York Islanders came out of Ottawa with one point after a messy, low-scoring night that ended in a shootout loss to the Senators.
It was another case of the Islanders trading results the way they have all season, with their record moving to 3-3-0. Ottawa entered the night at 5-2-0, riding the steady play of Linus Ullmark, who has been perfect so far at 5-0-0 and has backed that up with a .948 save percentage and a 1.27 goals-against average.
Ullmark was sharp again, and the only puck he allowed through in regulation came in the first period off the stick of Matias Maccelli. The Islanders winger has been one of the bright spots early, giving the lineup the kind of offensive lift the club was hoping for.
That goal marked the second straight game Maccelli has found the net and the fifth straight game in which he has picked up a point. His play has earned him a move onto the top line next to center Bo Horvat and right wing Kyle Palmieri.
On the other end, Semyon Varlamov matched Ullmark save for save for long stretches. New York did a solid job structurally, limiting Ottawa to just 19 shots overall, and Varlamov handled nearly all of them.
Ottawa got even in the second period when Ridley Greig scored his first goal of the season, with Warren Foegele and Artem Zub picking up the assists.
From there, the game turned into a grind. The ice seemed to get the better of both teams in the third period, with strange hops on passes and clearances and players fighting the surface more than usual.
Neither goalie blinked in the third, sending the game to overtime and locking in at least a point for both sides. New York had the better of the early overtime pressure, spending time in Ottawa’s end, but a penalty undercut that push and gave the Senators a chance. Varlamov bailed the Islanders out with several strong stops, and one Ottawa chance clanged off the post.
The Islanders then had a chance to answer on the power play after killing off Ottawa’s man advantage, but they couldn’t cash in on that opportunity either.
The shootout finished the job for the Senators, who won it 1-0. Brayden Schenn, Horvat and Simon Holmstrom all came up empty on New York’s attempts, while Shane Pinto scored on Ottawa’s third try to seal it.
The Islanders continue their road trip on Oct. 17 with a visit to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In Other News...
Senators Suddenly Have A Scoring Void A Former Canadien Could Fill
The Senators attack took a hit when William Eklund went in for surgery on a torn tendon, and the timing could hardly be worse for a team looking to keep its offense moving. Eklund is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks, leaving Ottawa with a noticeable scoring gap at a spot where finishers matter and where the power play can tilt games one way or the other.
That is why Patrik Laine has entered the conversation, with his camp and the Senators having discussed a possible fit. Laine would make sense as a shooter who could plug into the man advantage and give Ottawa another dangerous option, but there is still no agreement in place, and for now the idea remains just that - an idea the Senators may keep weighing as they look for help up front. [Read more 🡒]
Senators May Be Running Out Of Time To Fix Backup Goalie Trouble
The Senators backup goaltending situation has become one of those roster puzzles that can linger quietly until it starts to affect everything around it. Samuel Ersson has struggled in limited work this season, and Ottawa has another option in Jonas Johansson, a goalie with NHL experience behind Andrei Vasilevskiy but a track record that has been more serviceable than standout. With the schedule demanding steady support behind the starter, the question is no longer whether the Senators have options, but which one gives them the safest path forward.
What makes the decision trickier is the roster math attached to it. Ottawa has to weigh whether to bring Johansson up and change the mix in goal, knowing the club would need a plan if it wants to move Ersson to Belleville, where waivers come into play. For a team trying to avoid a crease problem turning into a larger depth issue, the next move could say a lot about how aggressively it wants to solve the backup spot before it becomes harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Senators May Have Found An Answer In This Injury Shuffle
William Eklunds injury left Ottawa with a hole to fill, and Travis Green responded by shuffling the forward groups in a way that gave the Senators a different look against the Islanders. Stephen Halliday was bumped to the left side of the top line, while Ridly Greig slid into the middle on the fourth line, a tweak that helped settle the group in a tight game that the Senators eventually won 2-1 in a shootout.
The changes were more than just temporary patchwork, because Ottawa needed some kind of answer after losing a key winger and Greens lineup choices immediately put familiar names in unfamiliar spots. Hallidays promotion and Greigs move down the lineup gave the Senators a new center of gravity on a night when structure mattered, and it will be worth watching whether this alignment sticks as the team tries to navigate the weeks ahead without Eklund. [Read more 🡒]