After a night that had all the makings of a statement win, the Ottawa Senators walked away with a gut-punch of a loss - a 6-5 overtime heartbreaker at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens. It was the kind of game that offered plenty to feel good about, but in the standings, it only added a single point.
Let’s start with the positives, because there were plenty. Jake Sanderson turned in a four-point night, continuing his evolution into a true difference-maker on the blue line.
Tim Stützle added a highlight-reel goal - a slick between-the-legs finish that had the crowd buzzing and social media lighting up. And Ottawa, despite giving up six goals, actually limited Montreal to just seven shots at 5-on-5 and 12 at even strength overall.
That’s not easy to do in today’s NHL.
But the scoreboard told a different story.
The Senators clawed their way back from an early 2-0 hole, showing the kind of resilience that’s becoming a calling card for this group. They pushed the pace, controlled possession, and dictated large stretches of the game. Yet, a late Canadiens surge forced overtime, and just like that, Ottawa was left on the wrong end of a game they probably deserved to win.
“I think you do enough good things in a game to deserve a win, but sometimes it’s the way it goes,” said captain Brady Tkachuk postgame, clearly frustrated but not defeated.
Head coach Travis Green echoed that sentiment, striking a balance between disappointment and resolve.
“Our team can hang their head or they can be mad. I’d rather us be mad,” Green said.
“We played a hell of a hockey game tonight. That happens… but it does happen.”
Green’s message was clear: this isn’t the time to sulk. It’s the time to respond.
“Much like a playoff game,” he continued. “Sometimes you dominate, lose in overtime, and you’ve got to come back and play the next one. That’s kind of how we’re looking at this one.”
And there’s no time to dwell. The Senators packed up and headed straight to Detroit for a 5 p.m. matchup on Sunday. The Red Wings, coming off a 4-2 win over San Jose on Friday and enjoying a Saturday off, will be rested and waiting.
Stützle, who was dynamic all night, wasn’t interested in moral victories either - but he knows the team is trending in the right direction.
“I think we played a really good game,” he said. “We had the puck a lot, created a lot of chances - especially in the second period, I think that was a great period for us.
We just have to keep going. Turn our heads and keep going.”
Green, for one, is glad the next game comes fast.
“Sometimes when you lose a hard one, you don’t want to sit on it for a few days,” he said. “Personally, I’m happy that we get to play tomorrow.”
There’s no question this one stings - the kind of loss that lingers if you let it. But it also showed flashes of what this team is capable of when they’re locked in. If the Senators can bottle up that energy, that execution, and that edge, they’ll be a tough out moving forward.