After their season-high-tying six-game winning streak ended on Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators will look to bounce back when they play host to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
The Senators (36-26-5, 77 points) are coming off a 6-3 lost to the host Montreal Canadiens.
Travis Hamonic recorded a goal and an assist while Drake Batherson and Michael Amadio also scored for Ottawa, which saw its stretch of eight games with a point (7-0-1) come to an end.
Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark, 18-12-3 with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage, stopped 27 saves in the loss.
“Of course, it stung a lot after the game,” Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk said. “It was kind of right there for our taking, but we didn’t need to play the way we needed to in the third period.
“The great thing about it, though, is there’s lessons to be had, and honestly, it could be a blessing it happened and to be able to learn from that now versus maybe towards the end of the year. To be able to learn from this now, I think any experience is a lesson to be learned and to get better from.”
Tkachuk, who has a team-leading 27 goals in 65 games this season, had a nine-game point streak (seven goals, three assists) halted at Montreal. Tim Stutzle paces the Senators with 48 assists and 68 points in 67 games.
Netminder Anton Forsberg is 9-10-1 in 23 games this season, posting an .896 save percentage and a 2.78 GAA.
The Thursday contest is the second and final meeting of the season between the Avalanche and Senators. Colorado edged Ottawa 5-4 on Oct. 27 in Denver.
Colorado (41-25-3, 85 points) heads to Ottawa following a 2-1 road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Valeri Nichushkin scored the lone goal for the Avalanche, who lost in regulation for just the first time in 10 games (8-1-1).
Mackenzie Blackwood made 24 saves in the setback.
Colorado, which sits third in the Central Division, is four points back of the second-place Dallas Stars and two points ahead of the fourth-place Minnesota Wild.
“We’ve got to make sure we keep playing good hockey. We’ll focus on that first,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “This time of year, working for position, we need the points, we need to try and catch teams and stay ahead of teams, so obviously the points are important, so that part (of the loss) is disappointing, but I can’t fault our guys for the effort. I thought we were engaged right away from the drop of the puck.”
Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, the NHL’s leader in points (104) and assists (77), picked up an assist in the loss to the Leafs. Cale Makar, the league’s leader amongst defensemen in points (79), goals (25) and assists (54) also assisted on Nichushkin’s 18th of the season.
Scott Wedgewood, the Avalanche’s expected goalie at Ottawa, has won four consecutive starts. He is 9-4-0 in 14 games this season, posting a .917 save percentage and a 2.10 GAA. In five career games against the Senators, Wedgewood is 3-1-0 with a .910 save percentage and a 3.47 GAA.
–Field Level Media
