The Sens have given us a lot to be concerned about this season, from the coaching staff’s refusal to play Jordan Spence to the inconsistent goaltending to the whole team’s inability to finish their chances or close games out in regulation. Tonight’s win over the Utah Mammoth may not have been the Sens’ prettiest or most decisive win ever, but it did quiet some of those fears. They won thanks to Spence, Merilainen, and just getting to the net, and that’s a good sign for the future.
Both teams started the game looking like they were on the second night of a back-to-back, which they both were. There wasn’t much urgency on either end, and the goalies didn’t have too much work to do. The Sens got a bit of zone time just under five minutes in, but even then they mostly stuck to the perimeter. Merilainen had to make a big save right after that sequence.
The first penalties were handed out about nine minutes in, and they were offsetting minors, so we got a few minutes of 4 on 4 play. Utah almost scored immediately, and Ottawa do much of anything offensively, so I guess the special teams problems extend to 4 on 4 somehow.
Thankfully, the Mammoth couldn’t get through Merilainen, and the Sens got things going in the other direction. Pinto took a shot on goal, Greig created chaos in front of the net, and the puck bounced off a bunch of opposing players and right into the net. 1-0 Ottawa.
Job’s not done ’til the puck crosses the line 👊#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/1dCBaoJlgq
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 10, 2025
Just what happens when you get to the net.
Unfortunately, right after creating the game’s first goal, Pinto got sent to the penalty box. The Sens didn’t do a great job of killing off the penalty, but when have they ever? They only gave up one really scary chance, and touched the puck a few times, so I guess we can count that as a win.
They killed off the penalty, but just two seconds after it ended, Clayton Keller went end-to-end, blew right past Jensen, and tucked the puck right under Merilainen’s pads. I have to concede that it was a very nice goal. 1-1.
Zetterlund got a sneaky good shot in the last ten seconds of the period, but he was foiled by the goaltender. We were tied going into intermission.
Both teams seemed a bit more awake at the start of the second. The Sens got an early powerplay and some good chances, but then they also got hemmed into their own zone for a bit. Eventually, they managed to set up in the offensive zone, and some great play down low ended with Jordan Spence scoring the go-ahead goal. His first as a Senator! 2-1 Ottawa.
Let it RIP Spenny! 💥#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/DSYsFL6iiR
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 10, 2025
The Sens had the lead again, but they didn’t give their fans any reason to believe they’d be able to hold on to it. About fourteen minutes into the period, they had a disastrous shift where they absolutely could not get out of their own zone. The one player really showing up was Merilainen, who suddenly looked like the goaltender who saved the Sens’ season last December.
Even though they weren’t looking their best, the Sens just kept on scoring. Merilainen made a great save at one end of the ice, and then at the other end Nick Cousins picked up a pass from the other Cozens and pulled off a wraparound. 3-1 Ottawa.
Cuzzy ➡️ Cuzzy pic.twitter.com/vNrGTSrbrO
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 10, 2025
Of course, you can’t just keep giving up zone time and expect nothing bad to happen. With just over a minute left in the second frame, Nick Schmaltz blew past Jake Sanderson(?) and scored on another gorgeous deke to bring his team within one. 3-2 Ottawa.
The third Utah goal was less pretty. On the very first shift of the third period, a Mammoth player fell into Merilainen, his teammate passed the puck into the crease, and the Sens’ defensemen bobbled the puck a bunch until it somehow ended up in the back of their own net. The Sens challenged the goal for interference, and they were successful. The Sens kept their lead, and got a bit of a kick in the ass going into the third period.
The Sens actually came very close to scoring (on the correct net this time) immediately after that goal was called back. They spent a good amount of time in the offensive zone, putting tons of pressure on Utah’s defence, but the goaltender stopped them.
A few shifts later, Michael Amadio extended his scoring streak to four games?!?! 4-2 Ottawa.
Five goals in his last six games 🖐#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/74BqE5nZvf
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 10, 2025
That’s an assist for Jordan Spence by the way, making him a point-per-game player this season.
Even after regaining their two goal lead, the Sens kept pushing. They actually looked better in the third period than they had all game, and got some of their best scoring chances. They also got a powerplay with about five minutes left in the game, but didn’t score.
The Mammoth pushed hard for a tying goal at the very end of the game, as one would expect. Merilainen pulled out an absolutely unbelievable save during a scramble around the Sens’ net, and basically stood on his head for the last two minutes.
Merilainen held the fort down, and the Sens took home the W – their first regulation win in way too long.
Game NotesJordan Spence had a fantastic game, and I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I think Travis Green might actually agree with me on that, because he moved him up to the second pairing with Chabot. Let’s hope Spence stays there.Speaking of Chabot, he looked so much better next to Spence than he did next to Jensen. Funny how that works!Merilainen had a fantastic game. He came up big when they needed him, and didn’t have much of a chance on either of the two Utah goals.One thing I noticed about the team as a whole tonight is that they seemed to be doing a much better job of actually getting to the net. I’m not sure they were the better team, but they found ways to score. Zetterlund had a lot of fantastic chances. I know we’re all tired of waiting for him to bury them, but seriously, he looks like he could be a 20-30 goal scorer if he ever gets un-cursed.Gameflow
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