For the Senators, it was mission accomplished as they played a tidy but boring game and downed the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 in overtime.
Mike Hoffman drew a penalty in overtime, and then converted a one-timer for the game winner that gave the Senators a four game winning streak and earned nine out of ten points available to them since the terrible effort in Anaheim that resulted in a 5-1 loss and a Guy Boucher practice meltdown after returning home.
Bobby Ryan had his goal streak snapped at 4 games, but his forecheck early in the second period created the turnover that resulted in Ryan Dzingle's goal, the lone one for the Senators in regulation.
Anaheim looked like it had tied the game late in the second, but a fortunate call from the referree waved it off after Corey Perry had bumped Mike Condon a couple of seconds before the puck went in. I am not sure it should have been waved off as the contact was minimal and Condon had re-established his position before the shot. Either way, if the tables had been turned and an Ottawa goal had been called back in the same situation, Senators fans would have reason to gripe about it.
It turns out that it didn't matter all that much, because shortly thereafter Ottawa gave the Ducks a power play and it was Perry's slick no-look, between the legs pass to Jakob Silfverberg that resulted in the game being tied moments before the period was out.
It certainly wasn't a game that will ever be viewed as a classic, and it was rather dull game, but any game that the Senators bring home two points will work for their fans.
They now have time off for the Christmas break, with their next game coming Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. after which they will play two more before having their bye week starting January 2nd. With three games over the next two weeks, it will be a chance to rest some bruises, get healthier and be ready for the second half of the season.
And as of now, they have a pretty darn good foundation on which to build for the rest of the year.