Ottawa Senators Lose to Chicago Blackhawks in OT, 4-3

The Ottawa Senators came up short against the Chicago Blackhawks Friday night at the Canadian Tire Centre, losing 4-3 in overtime. The Sens blew a late lead to fall to 26-24-4 on the NHL season, which puts them in second to last position in the Atlantic Division. Ottawa is 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.

The loss was especially disappointing as they were playing against the Blackhawks, who have the worst record in the NHL at the moment. The Sens built a 3-1 lead in the third period and were seemingly in total control of the game until Sam Lafferty narrowed the gap with a short-handed breakaway goal with 9:11 left. Patrick Kane then tied up the game with his second of the night with 3:05 remaining in regulation. The winning goal was scored by Andreas Athanasiou in overtime.

In net, Sogaard made 32 saves for the Senators, while Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek, who was absolutely outstanding in overtime, made 28.

The Blackhawks had a good first period, but fell away in the second period and early in the third. The team deserves credit however for digging deep to come back down two goals halfway through that last period. While the win doesn’t do much in terms of their playoff hopes, it should set a good precedent going into the home stretch of the season.

The Senators entered Friday’s game seven points and five teams out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They did pick up a point with the overtime defeat, but will definitely be kicking themselves for not bringing home the win. Ottawa is still in playoff contention despite being at the bottom of the table.

Up Next for the Senators

Next on the docket for the Senators will be the St. Louis Blues this Sunday at home. The Blues are sporting a similar record to the Sens at 26-25-3 and will be coming off a three game win streak. Both teams will be in desperate need of a win with not too many games left now to make their push for the playoffs.

If you plan on betting on the upcoming Senators game then make sure you read our list of the best NHL betting sites to get the best odds and betting features.