Over their past two games, yes, they’ve lost, but Ottawa at least looked like they belonged. Strong from first puck drop to the final buzzer, only stymied in the end by puck luck. This game was anything but. Significantly outshot, especially through the first two periods (19-6, 14-5), the team was unable to string together any momentum. The defenders looked out of sorts, making simple mistakes that led to scoring chances and were unable to exit their zone with control. The defenders also, at times, were unable to slow the pace of the game, which is an underrated part of a defender’s game. Rushed plays meant that things often felt, and certainly looked, disjointed at times in their own end.
