BATTLING ON THE BOARDS
The Senators’ Mark Stone fights for the puck with the Blackhawks’ Slater Koekkoek at the United Center in Chicago on Monday. Despite scoring seven times, the Sens were a goal short and lost 8-7.
CHICAGO The Madhouse on Madison was all that — and more — for the Ottawa Senators on Monday night.
A beer league game broke out and it was pure madness.
It was a tough night for the goalies as the Senators dropped an incredible 8-7 decision to the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center in a game that made you wonder if anybody was going to make a save.
Everybody who predicted these two teams would combine for 15 goals, put their hands up. Nobody? Didn’t think so.
Surely, Senators coach Guy Boucher wouldn’t have liked the way this game was played, but what could he do? It was just one of those nights and for 60 minutes, it made everybody in Ottawa forget about the NHL trade deadline that looms large next Monday at 3 p.m.
Colin White led the attack for the Senators with two goals and an assist and Thomas Chabot also scored twice. Mark Stone, Bobby Ryan and Rudolfs Balcers chipped in. There’s no question this one was one of the craziest games in franchise history, but in the end the Senators came up short.
Goaltender Craig Anderson, recovering from an eye injury he suffered in the gym last week, played in his 600th career game in his hometown when he took over during crazy first period.
Perhaps, his wife Nicholle Anderson had the best reaction when her husband took over from Anders Nilsson, who was yanked after he gave up four goals on 12 shots.
“You got to be s--tting me!,” Nicholle wrote on Twitter.
Nope, all kidding was put aside in this one.
Jonathan Toews gave the Hawks an 8-5 lead early in the third to put this one away for Chicago, even on a night when it felt like no lead was safe. Alex DeBrincat had a five-point game, including his fourth career hat-trick, for the Blackhawks, who pulled within one point of a playoff position in the wild Western Conference.
Chabot’s two goals in the third pulled the Senators to within a goal, but that’s where the comeback ended. The Senators had a power play in the final two minutes with the net empty but couldn’t get the tying goal.
Not long before DeBrincat completed his three-goal effort at 8:19 of the second to give the Hawks a 6-5 lead, White’s second of the game had tied it up 5-5 only 1:32 into the period. This was just the way this game went and not long after, Gustav Forsling gave the Hawks a 7-5 lead at 10:31.
The buzzer to end the first period must have been a welcome relief for both teams and especially the coaches. The two teams combined for nine goals on 31 shots, the Hawks were ahead 5-4 on the scoreboard and both starting goalies had been pulled.
According to hockey historian Liam Maguire, the NHL record for the most goals by two teams in a first period is 10.
While the Hawks took a 5-3 lead on goals by Patrick Kane, Brandon Saad and Dylan Strome, Stone pulled the Senators to within a goal at 17:46 of the first. It was an Ottawa franchise record for the most goals in a period by both teams. The old record was eight and Nilsson was taken out after the Strome goal.
White’s 12th of the season at 7:55 that gave the Senators a 3-2 lead was all Chicago coach Jeremy Colliton could take. Colin Delia had allowed three goals on 12 shots and White picked up a rebound by going to the net.
Cam Ward took over, but it really didn’t make a huge difference.
Every part of this first period was wild and unpredictable. Two goals by DeBrincat in a span of 1:13 tied it up 2-2. Yup, the Senators had pulled out to a 2-0 lead themselves. But DeBrincat’s second of the night on a 2-on-1 beat Nilsson on the glove side at 5:07.
At 3:54, DeBrincat scored on the power play with Cody Ceci in the box to get the Hawks on the board.
Really, the Senators looked as if they were going to weather the storm with a quick start. Balcers took a pass from Chris Tierney, who extended his point-scoring streak to six games, and beat Delia through the five-hole to Ottawa an improbable 2-0 lead only 2:40 into the game.
Earlier, Ryan scored his 13th of the season from the slot to open the scoring at 2:06 on the power play. He did a good job spinning around and getting off the shot.
The Senators will have an off-day Tuesday as they prepare to face the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.