Talk about an impressive performance. The Senators controlled tonight's game against the Maple Leafs from start to finish. There was a short burst of energy from the Leafs to end the second and start the third, but other than that, it was all Senators. For the third consecutive time this season, he managed to score five goals against the Leafs. The last two have been 5-2 wins. Let's get into the details.
READ MORE: Checking out Senators' top prospect Carter Yakemchuk
shot dominance by senators
The Senators won the shot battle in all three periods tonight. The first period was the closest at 9-6. There was no competition in the next two periods. The Senators outscored the Maple Leafs 19–5 in the second and 15–3 in the third. Add it all up and the final shot count was 43 for the Sens, 14 for the Leafs.
It wasn't just the number of shots, the Sens dominated the Leafs the entire game. Ridley Gregg had a goal called back due to a high stick. The Sens had another finish in net that was ruled out for Tim Stützle's goalie interference penalty. Michael Amadio hit a post, Brady Tkachuk missed a partially empty net high, the list goes on. The Sens also seemed to be strategic with their shots – three times he hit Leafs goaltender Josef Woll straight in the head.
Claude Giroux's big game
After the Senators beat the Ducks 2-0 last weekend, I mentioned that Giroux was out cold. He then picked up an assist the next night against the Sharks, followed by another assist against the Capitals in the next game. After being held off the scoresheet in the last game, Giroux was able to end his 13 game goalless drought tonight.
It's clear that Giroux's usage is decreasing as the year goes on. He has averaged only 13:55 per game in the month of March. However, he still has the smarts and competitive edge to make a difference. Tonight, to lead the way with goals, he had seven shots, two hits, added two takeaways and won 75% of his faceoffs.
additional comments
The only two Senators to score multiple points tonight were both defensemen – Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence, who each had two assists. How about Warren Foegele with his third goal and fourth point in the last four games. Talk about how to fit in well with their new team. Michael Amadio is a very hard-working, strong defensive player. As far as his weaknesses go, he doesn't have the best finish. They missed some great chances tonight but managed to score a big one in the third half to make the score 4-2. Next up for the Sens is a road game against the Rangers on Monday.
