Senators strike early and often
Tim Stützle recorded a goal and an assist, Shane Pinto and Stephen Halliday also scored, and the Ottawa Senators defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Monday night at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Linus Ullmark stopped 29 of 30 shots for Ottawa, allowing only a late goal to Arseny Gritsyuk. The Senators improved to 5-1-0, reaching five wins in six or fewer games for the third time in franchise history, after similar starts in 2007-08 and 2005-06.[S1][S2]
Pinto opened the scoring nine seconds into the second period, converting a Michael Amadio pass from the left face-off circle. Halliday made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 8:40 of the second, after Devils defenseman Brett Pesce fell, leaving Halliday open between the circles. Stützle deflected a Thomas Chabot point shot past Nico Daws at 11:10 of the third for a 3-0 lead. Gritsyuk cut the deficit to 3-1 at 14:59, but Tyler Kleven sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 17:53.[S1][S2]
Injuries test Ottawa's depth
The Senators lost defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo in the first period when he was boarded by New Jersey's Anthony Mantha and went head first into the boards. Matinpalo received medical attention and did not return, ruled out with an upper-body injury. Ottawa was already without defensemen Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub, and forward William Eklund is out for an extended period with an injured left ankle, according to coach Travis Green. The team has compensated with timely scoring and fast-paced play.[S1][S2]
New Jersey failed to score on a five-minute major penalty against Mantha for boarding Matinpalo at 10:01 of the first period. The Devils appeared to pull within 3-1 at 11:58 of the third when Jesper Boqvist scored, but the Senators successfully challenged the play for goalie interference. Nico Daws made 16 saves for New Jersey, which fell to 2-3-0. The Senators host St. Louis on Tuesday, while the Devils visit Detroit on Tuesday.[S1][S2]
