+3
Sens fans are kicking themselves about letting Brian Elliott go. Right now the slumping Senators could use a goaltender with Elliott's numbers back between the pipes.
The second period did not get off to the start that the Blues wanted it to. B.J. Crombeen closed out the first period with a tripping call at 19:18. The Senators took advantage just 64 seconds in, with captain Daniel Alfredsson knocking one past Brian Elliott:
The shot was originally a Sergei Gonchar one, but Alfredsson was at the right place at the right time. Net presence always helps you with a rebound or two, which is something the Blues need to work on.
What David Perron doesn’t need to work on is his backhand. Frenchie didn’t get a chance to play pond hockey with Daren Pang and his family yesterday, so he decided to go for it tonight, flicking one past Alex Auld with a minimum of effort:
That was goal number six for Perron. The Blues are undefeated in regulation when scoring three or more goals, so hold on to your hats. This might be the first win in a very long time in Ottawa.
Tonight has been a happy homecoming so far for Brian Elliott. It has not been a happy home game for Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson — or should I say it wasn’t a good game for Anderson. After giving up two goals on just four shots, Sens coach John MacLean pulled him for back-up goaltender Alex Auld. This isn’t an upgrade for the Sens, considering Auld is 1-3-0 with a huge 3.57 GAA and a not so hot .879 save percentage. The goalie switch was to shock some life into the slumping Senators, who have lost six in a row.
The first goal was this from Chris Porter, who tipped a booming shot by Roman Polak over Anderson’s glove and into the net. It was Porter’s fourth goal of the year:
Before Anderson was pulled to get the team going, heavyweight Zenon Konopka decided to throw down with B.J. Crombeen. I’m not sure how much it woke them up, but it featured a fairly acrobatic flip from Crombeen over Konopka’s arm and onto the ice:
It didn’t do the Sens any good. A little over a minute later, and David Perron scores his fifth of the year on Anderson’s last shot faced of the evening:
The Blues scored twice on just eight shots, and the Sens have put nothing on the board despite getting nine shots on net.
Brian Elliott has been one of the success stories of the season. As part of a goaltending tandem that seems to be on its way to winning a Jennings Trophy, Elliott leads the league in GAA at 1.69 (Halak is fifth at 1.97) and is second in the league in save percentage (.938, barely behind Henrik Lundqvist's .939). Numbers like that can make any team wish that they had him in their crease, but tonight will be especially kick-in-the-pants worthy for the Ottawa Senators.
Elliott was traded to Colorado for Ottawa's current starter Craig Anderson last season, and being on those two teams did his numbers absolutely no favors. He had a .894 save percentage and a 3.19 GAA before the deal, and a .891 SV& and 3.83 GAA afterward. Last season, Elliott won just 15 games total; this season, he's already reached that win count and would love to add win number 16 tonight. Just like Jaroslav Halak got the chance to start against (and shut out) the stumbling Canadiens, Elliott will get a chance to start against the struggling Senators.
The Sens, after getting off to a solid start, have been 3-6-1 in their last ten games. Their recent six game losing streak has seen them getting outscored 28-8, so perhaps those scoring issues that the Blues're having could be resolved for one evening. The Blues have just 11 goals over their last seven games. It speaks to the quality of the goaltending and defense that they've lost just two of those in regulation. Unfortunately, the Blues aren't that good on the road, and the fact that they haven't beaten the Senators at home since 2000 might hold them back.
Jason Arnott will not be playing tonight due to his injured shoulder. Per Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the lines've been switched up by coach Ken Hitchcock:
With Jason Arnott unavailable tonight and perhaps longer because of his shoulder injury, Hitchcock placed Jamie Langenbrunner with Backes and Oshie, and put D'Agostini on a line with Perron and Patrik Berglund.
Stewart dropped to a line with Chris Porter and Vladimir Sobotka and the fourth line stayed intact with Ryan Reaves, B.J. Crombeen and Scott Nichol.
Blues At Senators Final Score: Brian Elliott Gets Win In 3-1 Game; David Perron Scores Twice
David Perron didn’t get his hat trick and Brian Elliott didn’t get a standing ovation like teammate Jaroslav Halak did in Montreal, but the Blues did get their first win in Ottawa since 2000. The Senators, meanwhile, continue slipping down the Eastern Conference standings with their 7th loss in a row. Whatever momentum they had to start the season has dwindled down to almost nothing; the Blues momentum on the road can hopefully carry them into New Jersey on Thursday. Elliott stopped 28 of 29 Ottawa shots, making tonight the tenth time this season that the Blues have been outshot and won. That might not be an issue against the Devils, but they’re still a lethal team that the Blues’re going to have to play tough.
The Blues are undefeated in regulation against the Eastern Conference, with an impressive 9-0-2 record. With tonight’s win they come within three of the Red Wings for the division lead yet again in the see-saw race that the Central has become.
Feb 07 9:14p by Laura Astorian