Blown defensive coverage costs Senators dearly in loss to Sharks

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Warren Foegele: B+

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Like Zetterlund, Foegele seems to have found his game after a couple underwhelming weeks to open the campaign. Remaining in the top six for another night, he kept up with Dylan Cozens and Drake Batherson’s speed and playmaking. Foegele wasn’t just relentless on the forecheck — he was cunning. On one shift in the first, he perfectly angled a Sharks defenceman, stripped him of the puck and got it to a linemate to start the cycle. Two won puck battles later and Foegele found Cozens at the side of the net for a chance. Foegele’s wrister from the middle of the slot in the second was dealt with easily by Askarov, who never dropped to his knees unless he had to make a pad save. You don’t see that much from NHL goaltenders these days.

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Dylan Cozens: A-

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The goal drought is now 11 games, but they’re coming. Hopefully. Cozens continues to breeze by defenders, keeping his feet moving and leaning in to take pucks to the net. He had a team-high seven individual scoring chances and all of them came from below the hashmarks. He fought through whacks and hooks from Michael Misa while driving to the middle to draw a delayed call, which led to Stützle’s 1-0 marker.

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Drake Batherson: B

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Askarov made the save of the year on Batherson late in the second, stretching back to snatch a puck that seemed destined to tickle twine. If that goes in to make it a two-goal deficit with another period to play, do the Sens have a legitimate chance at a comeback?

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Michael Amadio: C+

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Amadio stole a couple pucks, but he turned over more. He couldn’t handle a soft pass from Ridly Greig in the offensive zone in the first and lost it to Darnell Nurse, who Amadio promptly tripped on the backcheck. He tried a deke on a breakaway in the opening frame but Askarov stayed with him the whole way.

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Shane Pinto: B

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Pinto’s move on his breakaway in the second was much better than Amadio’s, but he was still robbed by Askarov’s right toe. The shutdown line held Macklin Celebrini to a single shot attempt at even strength and won the possession battle with the Sharks’ top trio. Pinto had four shots in 20:17.

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Ridly Greig: B

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Greig fits like a glove on the third line. You can tell there’s some chemistry forming in the offensive zone, as Greig linked up with Amadio for multiple give-and-gos down low to get shots off in tight. He set up Pinto for a breakaway with a slick pass through a Sharks defenceman’s triangle (the space between a player’s skates and blade). Greig’s giveaway in the defensive zone in the first ultimately led to Nolan Allan’s 1-1 goal.

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Stephen Halliday: C-

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One awful shift on the power play in the second stained what could’ve been another decent game for Halliday. Stickhandling in the slot with multiple Sharks on him, he waited too long to dish the puck to a teammate, and Sam Dickinson smacked it away. Halliday tracked back to help Jake Sanderson defend a 2-on-2, but he got spun around and lost his man as Collin Graf was free to finish a centring pass into a wide open net. It was a lousy effort — there’s simply no two ways about it.