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Ottawa Erases Three-Goal Deficit, Alfredsson's 400th Goal Seals OT Victory

December 30, 2011, 10:26 PM ET [ Comments]
Travis Yost
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Falling behind 3-0 in the first period, the Ottawa Senators - as they've done so many times already in this young season - fought back valiantly to erase a seemingly insurmountable margin, then stole the game in extra-time courtesy of Daniel Alfredsson's 400th career goal.

There's no question that tonight's game was again of the bizarre variety. Games on home ice are supposed to be friendly for the team used to the confines, but for the umpteenth time this season, Ottawa fell behind early. Thanks in large part to the porous play of back-up netminder Alex Auld, the early deficit on a fluky-goal by Rene Bourque just about turned into a Calgary rout. The Flames added two more goals in the first, with Curtis Glencross and Chris Butler also beating Auld.

The good news? Auld's ineffective play forced MacLean to make a switch, bringing in Craig Anderson for relief duty. Very quickly, that kind of mop-up work most goaltenders hate turned into a real and welcomed challenge, especially after Nick Foligno and Zack Smith(obviosuly) cut the deficit to one after the second period.

In the third, Erik Karlsson made the most of Leland Irving's blunder in the crease, as the rookie goaltender failed to recover after a shot and subsequent wrap-around attempt.

With all of the momentum heading into overtime, the Ottawa Senators kept the pressure on the Flames, with Calgary's Leland Irving under constant duress. A late power-play gave Ottawa the final opportunity they'd need, as captain Daniel Alfredsson blew a rocket past Irving for the game-winner.

Don't fault the rookie goalie here, folks. Alfredsson's blast wouldn't have been stopped by a majority of the goalies in the league, and I actually thought Irving was one of the big reasons why this game even headed to OT. He stopped 45 of 49(!) shots thrown his way on the night.

It's a tough road-loss for a Calgary team that looked like they had sealed this game early in the first period, but it's always tough playing road back-to-backs, and the Flames did manage to squeeze a point out of their otherwise lackluster effort in the final forty minutes.

As for Ottawa - well, what can you say? Another captivating comeback, led once again by familiar faces. Nick Foligno and Zack Smith - like 'em or not - are constantly buzzing around the opposition's net, and to the surprise of no one, Daniel Alfredsson rose to the occasion late.

The biggest gamechanger, as alluded to above, was unquestionably the swap between Alex Auld and Craig Anderson. Listen, I understand why the Ottawa Senators are reluctant to bring up Robin Lehner in a back-up role, and I understand that Craig Anderson simply can't handle a ridiculous 70+ game-load over the course of a season.

But, I haven't grasped the Auld signing since day one. And, here we are on December 30th, and I'm wondering how and why Ottawa even picked this guy off of the scrap heap in the first place. Are you telling me he's a league-average #2? Would be hard-pressed to make that argument.

Alas, even Alex Auld couldn't hold back this Ottawa Senators team that fought in a big way after falling down early. The poor starts - especially on home ice - are incredibly concerning, but hopefully Paul MacLean and the coaching staff can hammer out that problem in short-order.

Last of all, big ups to the captain, Daniel Alfredsson. Congratulations on goal number 400 - here's to many more!

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