It was a salute to the Armed Forces night in Ottawa, and in celebration of the night, the Senators fired off all their guns at a rather shell shocked looking Washington Capitals squad.
The Senators controlled the play for the majority of the game, passing at will, peppering goaltenders Olaf Kolzig and Brent Johnson, regularly with shot after shot. If not for the acrobatics of Kolzig the Senators would have had their 7 goals all scored in the first period of the game, as it was they spread most of them out over the first thirty minutes, having picked up a 6-0 lead by the middle of the second period. Johnson took over after goal number six and gave up number seven early in the third, after which the Sens shut down the offensive machine for the night, sending a sold out Scotiabank crowd home happy with a 7-1 victory and the promise of free pizza.
By the time the Sens had scored the seventh goal, they were taking their foot off of the gas and just cruising to victory, allowing only Alexander Ovechkin to add to his points total on behalf of the Capitals.
It was as Capital coach Glen Hanlon described it, a training film. It’s a film, which the Capitals will watch and hopefully learn a bit from. Puck handling, tape to tape passes, precision shooting, outstanding defence, hard hitting and solid goaltending, it’s all there on display, rewind button optional for those that might have missed a trick or two on Wednesday.
As the Senators shake off the rust from the Olympic break, they are serving notice that they are planning to get back to the firewagon style of hockey they employed at the start of the season.
Of course, they have yet to be truly tested yet since the break, neither Pittsburgh nor Washington are a true test for what’s ahead for the Sens. But if you’re going to get back on the winning track, eleven goals in two games is a pretty good way to get your touch back!
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