It was a good day to bet the over.
And I think the ice is tilted at T-Mobile Arena, or the sun is in the visiting goalie's eyes at one end. Craig Anderson stopped all 18 shots he faced in a wild second period to allow the Senators to take a 4-2 lead, but it was the four goals combined on 11 shots in periods 1 and 3 that forced the Senators to need every one of the five goals they got in support of him to get the win.
Alex Burrows, in his first game back from suspension, tipped home an Erik Karlsson shot for the winner less than a minute after Vegas had fought back to tie the game up. Burrows' last goal also came against the Golden Knights, part of a 5-4 loss back on November 4th, a game where the Senators' late comeback fell short.
As for Anderson, it wasn't that he allowed 4 goals, it was that 4 3 of the goals went right through hm and you need your goalie to make those saves, which has been the downfall for the team all season long.
It was a good night to be blessed with the name Karlsson, as Ottawa's Erik had 3 assists on the night, and Vegas' William had a goal and an assist including his 35th goal of the season good for 3rd in the league. William Karlsson's career high was 9 goals in a season set two years ago, sits 3rd in the league in goaldand he might be providing the best value in the league with a $1M salary that is sure to be at least quintupled heading into restricted free agency. You can bet on that.
Fortunately, for Senators fans, Mark Stone, Bobby Ryan and Karlsson came to the rescue. Stone was a force all night, answering Vegas' first minute, first shot on goal marker with a sweet move of his own out of the corner showing just how he has re-defined what it means to have hands of Stone. He also set up Ryan with a beautiful 100+ foot pass to send Ryan in all alone early in the second period to tie the game at 2, part of Ryan's 3 point night to match Karlsson's (Ottawa's Erik) effort.
Ottawa outscored Vegas 3-0 in the second period, a frame that saw 35 total shots on goal that Ottawa somehow escaped with a 4-2 lead. Credit the Golden Knights for not giving up and resting on their 8 point division lead and making it worth staying up to the end.
Now the Senators have a quick turnaround and will face the lowly Arizona Coyotes with less than a 24 hour turnaround. Puck drop will be at 8PM Eastern the night after the 10PM eastern start in Vegas.
Ottawa hasn't won back to back on the road since the first Western Canada road trip that the swept way back in October when things were good, a time that seems like a decade ago. You can't say this very often of late, but this is one the Senators actually should win, even if the Coyotes are turning a bit of a corner with six wins in their last 8 games.
Arizona beat the Senators 3-2 in November, a game that Mike Condon would like to forget as that was the afternoon of the infamous whiffed poke-check that allowed Anthony Duclair to tie the game late and then score the winner for his hat trick goal, one that barely trickled through Condon and just over the goal line in OT.
Well, Condon will get his chance for redemption, and the only Coyote to beat him this season won't be playing because Duclair has since become a Blackhawk.
This is a game where neither team has anything to play for but pride and a better shot as Rasmus Dahlin, and the teams are a combined -105 in goal differential this season.
So anything could happen in this one.