Tim Stützle kept rolling, but the Ottawa Senators waited too long to wake up and paid for it in a 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena.
Ottawa dropped its first game of the season after falling behind early and spending most of the night chasing. The Senators were outshot 13-2 in the opening period, and even with a late push they couldn’t erase the damage. Samuel Ersson stopped 31 shots in his first start for Ottawa, but the slow opening left too much ground to cover.
Stützle was once again right in the middle of everything. He scored Ottawa’s first goal by trusting his speed and edgework, changing direction at the red line to slip past Axel Sandin-Pellikka before circling around the blade of Ben Chiarot and beating John Gibson with a wrister.
He also brought plenty of physical bite, with two of his five hits standing out - one on Nate Danielson in the Scott Stevens zone and another that sent Emmitt Finnie into the wall. Through three games, Stützle has looked like a player on a serious tear.
Drake Batherson matched him with a goal and an assist, and his night could have been even cleaner without the penalties. He opened with a steal high in the offensive zone and fed Stützle on a backhand pass that hit the post on Ottawa’s first shift.
Later, Batherson buried a power-play chance off a sharp centring feed from William Eklund, finishing into an open net for goals in back-to-back nights. He also did useful work in his own end, using his stick well to break up Detroit rushes, but he was whistled for holding and interference, with the second call coming at a bad time as Ottawa pressed late.
Dylan Cozens didn’t show up much early, but he became more involved once Ottawa’s second line started to find some rhythm. He drew a holding penalty and then delivered a slick pass from behind the net to Stützle on a power play that would have tied the game in the third. Cozens finished with four hits, one shot, and a 58.8 percent mark in the faceoff circle while logging 21:29.
Eklund had a rough opening period, turning the puck over three times along the left wall during breakouts, and Ottawa’s second line had too many empty trips into the offensive zone for the first half-hour. Once they settled in, though, that group turned dangerous.
Eklund did plenty of the heavy lifting before scoring his first as a Senator in the third, staying onside with a sharp skate drag on Thomas Chabot’s entry, helping create a chance for Zetterlund from the corner, and then banking one in off Gibson from a tough angle. He nearly added another on the next shift from the slot.
The 23-year-old finished with three shots, one block and a takeaway in 20:09.
In Other News...
Senators Win Came With A New Injury Concern Fans Will Hate
The Senators kept the good feeling rolling in their home opener, edging the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 to move to 3-1-0 on the season. Carter Yakemchuk provided the decisive moment with the power-play goal in the third period, and Linus Ullmark was steady in net with 28 saves as Ottawa protected a one-goal lead down the stretch.
Still, the win came with a new worry for a team trying to build early momentum. Newcomer William Eklund went down in the first period with a lower-body injury after taking a clean hit from Simon Benoit and did not return, leaving Ottawa to wait and see how serious the issue might be. For a club that already has a lot to like in the standings, the health check on Eklund is the part fans will be watching next. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Home Opener Will Honor A Beloved Figure Fans Never Forgot
The Senators will open their home schedule Thursday night by pausing to recognize a name that still means plenty in Ottawa. Ray Emery, the fiery goaltender who backstopped the club during its 2006-07 run to the Stanley Cup Final, will be honored before the game against the Philadelphia Flyers, giving fans a chance to remember one of the key figures from that era.
Emery died eight years ago, but his connection to the franchise has never really faded for supporters who watched that playoff run unfold. His family will take part in the ceremonial bell ringing before puck drop, a fitting touch for a night that is as much about memory as it is about the start of a new season at home. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Lose Key New Top-Line Winger In Home Opener
William Eklunds first few games in a Senators sweater had already given Ottawa a glimpse of why he was slotted onto the top line, but his night in the home opener ended almost as soon as it began. Playing in front of the Canadian Tire Centre crowd after Ottawas 2-1-0 start, the recent San Jose Sharks acquisition left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury after a hit from Flyers defenseman Simon Benoit.
The timing is the part Ottawa will worry about most. Eklund had already collected two points in three games and was giving the Senators another skill option up front, which is exactly why his early exit stood out in a building that was just getting its first real jolt of the season. His absence leaves a gap on a line the Senators were clearly counting on, and the team will now have to wait for more clarity on how long it might be without him. [Read more 🡒]