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Sens sweep global series with another 4-3 win over Avs

November 12, 2017, 10:40 AM ET [4 Comments]
Jared Crozier
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
It is mission accomplished for the Ottawa Senators and their foray into Sweden. It wasn't pretty and they made it closer than it probably should have been, but amid the celebration and distractions that come with it, they came away with the full complement of four points.

Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman led the way, with Hoffman netting the Senators first and last goals including the game winner as they avoided extra time and took this one in regulation.

Hoffman's winner was officially scored as unassisted, but that was some rather stingy scorekeeping as it was set up by Matt Duchene and Mark Stone, with Colorado defenseman Chris Bigras making contact with it between Stone and Hoffman's touches. Usually in that case the assists are awarded and it prevented what would have been both Duchene's first point as a Senator and a fourth straight 2-point game for Stone. It could be changed after the fact and I am sure it will be looked at.

It was an unfortunate start for Mike Condon, who got the pull after allowing 3 goals on 10 shots, but none of them were really his fault and were all pretty much post/bar in. Blake Comeau scored on a short-handed breakaway by going top corner, Alexander Kerfoot sniped a shot top corner on a power play, a seeing eye shot that went through a maze of Colorado and Ottawa players. The third one was off a ridiculous bounce where Sven Andreghetto's shot went off Dion Phanuef's stick down but seemingly like it went off a trampoline ended up going over the shoulder of Condon.

Craig Anderson stepped in, a move that was no doubt more to do with changing momentum than faulting Condon, but the move worked and Anderson stopped all 8 shots he faced to earn the come from behind win.

Ottawa trailed three times in this one, coming back each time and finally grabbing their first lead with Hoffman's power play marker with just over six and a half minutes later.

Speaking of crazy bounces, Hoffman's first goal came just 12 seconds into the middle frame and it was on a flip shot that looked like it was going about five feet wide but hit the ice and veered right, catching Jonathan Bernier by surprise.

Erik Karlsson had another good night, adding two assists and extending his point streak to 7 games, a season high for defensemen. Karlsson now has 17 points in 11 games, has been held off the scoresheet just twice and has 6 multi-point games.

On the bad news front, Zack Smith dislocated his thumb in Friday's game and is out for three weeks as the Senators top 6 took another hit. It is Smith's second time on the injury list of the season, and he joins Bobby Ryan in the finger injury unit.

By the way, Kyle Turris fit in nicely in his first game in Nashville, scoring a goal and an assist in his debut against the Penguins in a 5-4 shootout win in a Stanley Cup rematch against the Penguins. The former Senators top centre played more than 21 minute, tops among Nashville pivots and more than 3 minutes more than Ryan Johansen.
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