Calgary 2, Ottawa 1
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, March 9, 2018
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
Referees:
Eric Furlatt, Kendrick Nicholson
Linesmen:
Shandor Alphonso, Kory Nagy
Attendance:
14498
By Field Level Media
Sam Bennett and Matt Stajan gave their team much-needed secondary scoring and rookie goalie David Rittich again surrendered only one goal as the Calgary Flames claimed a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Friday night in Ottawa.
Rittich made 29 saves at Canadian Tire Centre to claim his second consecutive win with a strong outing. He stopped 25 of 26 shots in a 5-1 win at Buffalo on Wednesday.
His team provided just enough offense and then hung on for the victory, which pulled the Flames within one point of a playoff spot in the Western Conference standings.
Bennett put the Flames on the board 4:25 into the affair with his second goal in as many outings. Ottawa goalie Mike Condon stopped a long shot from Micheal Ferland, but Bennett pounced on the rebound and fought off a couple of defenders to get a pair of chances before he slipped the puck past the sprawling netminder for his 11th of the season.
What had been a dull, uninspiring game through the first 50 minutes picked up over the final half of the third period.
Stajan finally gave the Flames what became the game-winning goal at 11:42 of the final frame. Curtis Lazar, who the Flames acquired via trade from the Senators at last season's trade deadline, led a rush down the ice before firing a perfect cross-crease pass for Stajan to redirect for a tally that broke a 16-game goal drought.
But Jean-Gabriel Pageau put the Senators on the board with a penalty shot at the 12:55 mark of the period to set up a frantic finish. Pageau was hooked by Dougie Hamilton on a breakaway and converted his one-on-one showdown with a five-hole shot that beat Rittich.
While Rittich was strong in net, he certainly had good fortune on his side. Ottawa's Bobby Ryan rang a shot off the post early in the third period, after which Rittich gave the iron a kiss through his mask, and then Zach Smith also hit a post late in the third period.
Condon stopped 29 shots in an excellent but unrewarded performance. Also, Senators forward Mark Stone saw his 10-game point-scoring streak snapped.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Calgary |
|
Ottawa |
|
Sam Bennett 1 |
Points |
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 1 |
|
Sam Bennett 1 |
Goals |
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 1 |
|
Micheal Ferland 1 |
Assists |
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 0 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
David Rittich .967 |
Save Percentage |
Mike Condon .946 |
|
David Rittich 29 |
Saves |
Mike Condon 35 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Calgary
|
37 |
2 |
0-2 |
2-2 |
4 |
35 |
| Ottawa
|
30 |
1 |
0-2 |
2-2 |
4 |
28 |
Upcoming Games
-
Ottawa will play their next game on the road against Florida. The Senators have a W/L % of .348 after a win and .341 after a loss.
-
Calgary will play their next game at home against NY Islanders. The Flames have a W/L % of .529 after a win and .457 after a loss.
For more information, contact us