Open-net blunders by Stützle, Cozens, Zetterlund cost Senators in loss to Knights

Article content

Ridly Greig: A-

Article content

This could’ve been a special game for Greig if he had finished on some of his chances. Instead, it was only darn good. He bobbled the puck after taking a seam pass from Pinto on a shorthanded rush in the second, and then Hill got a blocker on his wrister when he elected to shoot on a 2-on-1 with Michael Amadio a couple shifts later. Greig drew an interference penalty and had five shot attempts, only hitting the net once.

Article content

Michael Amadio: B+

Article content

It never gets old watching Amadio strip half a dozen pucks from opponents only to find out after the buzzer that the great NHL statisticians awarded him zero takeaways. He followed up on a Greig blocked shot to get a backhand off on the doorstep but Hill snagged it. Amadio nearly gave Greig a tap-in from down low during the first, and had a nice redirection off a Tyler Kleven point shot in the second. He took a bit of a weak holding penalty that resulted in Vegas’ 1-0 tally.

Article content

Stephen Halliday: B

Article content

It was a rather uneventful game for Halliday until he started feeling himself on a power play midway through the final frame. He deked his way past three opponents to get to the low slot for a shot that just missed right; he tipped a Batherson point shot on net and could’ve drawn a call for a punch to the face; and then he fed Batherson with a slick cross-crease pass for a glorious chance that should’ve tied the game.

Article content

Article content

Nick Cousins: B-

Article content

Cousins hasn’t had many duds this season. He’s not exactly producing offence — two points in 12 games — but he brings a ton of energy and tenacity in his 12-18 shifts every night. A crunchy hit on the forecheck in the first helped force a turnover from the Vegas breakout, ultimately resulting in a Giroux slot shot.

Article content

Andre Burakovsky: C+

Article content

Burakovsky is starting to show more of the grit and pace required to play in coach Travis Green’s system. He had a gutsy shift in the first, making a couple good plays in tightly contested areas, once taking on three Golden Knights in the corner and twice getting pucks back to the point. He had multiple scoring chances, but one wrister sailed high and the other was blocked. Hitting the net has been a serious problem through seven games — he has two shots, and they were total muffins against the New York Islanders on Oct. 15. He played 9:42 on Monday, including just three shifts in the second.

Article content

Defencemen

Article content

Jake Sanderson: B+

Article content

Few Senators could handle the Golden Knights’ intensity in the first eight minutes of the game, and even Sanderson got a little overwhelmed, opting for flips out of the zone and having the puck poked away one time he tried to skate it out. After that, he dominated as usual. Sanderson had eight shot attempts and was more aggressive in the quarterback role on the power play, stepping into a couple of slap shots at the point.

Article content

Article content

Artem Zub: B-

Article content

It seemed like the refs missed a hook on Zub in the first, which possibly led to a makeup call on Brett Howden moments later. Zub took a needless interference penalty on Mark Stone in the second and had two shots in 18:37.

Article content

Jordan Spence: B+

Article content

As Jack Eichel looked to circle the Senators’ end in the second, Spence stopped him in his tracks, steering him towards the boards with a cross-check and then firmly rubbing him out so an Ottawa sweater could pick up the puck. Spence’s two shots for redirections in the third caused scrambles in the crease.

Article content

Tyler Kleven: A-

Article content

Kleven had an impressive game in the offensive zone, funnelling a ton of pucks towards the goal. In the first, he intercepted an outlet pass at the point and took all the ice he could, skating in for a high-danger chance. Later, he set up Zetterlund for what looked to be a tap-in. Kleven even pulled off a nasty toe drag in the second before lifting a wrister high in the middle of the slot. He had two blocks in 20:25, the second-most ice time amongst the ‘D’ corps.

Article content

Nikolas Matinpalo: B-

Article content

Matinpalo’s dogged defending on the penalty kill led to a shorthanded break for Pinto and Greig in the second. He only had four shifts in the third, finishing with 12:43.