It was one of those nights that reminded Ottawa Senators fans why hockey is beautiful even when it's messy. The Sens overcame multiple deficits to defeat the San Jose Sharks 7-4, with an unlikely cast of heroes leading the way.
Fourth Liners Steal the Show
Warren Foegele and Fabian Zetterlund, two players typically found doing the grinding work at the bottom of the lineup: each tallied a goal and an assist in the win. It's the kind of performance that energizes a bench and gives a head coach the best possible problem: deciding how to reward depth players who are outperforming expectations.
Foegele has been one of Ottawa's quieter acquisitions in recent seasons, a physical presence who does a lot of invisible work. Nights like this are a reminder that his contributions extend beyond the dirty areas of the ice.
Batherson Adds Two
Drake Batherson was equally impressive, potting two goals to pace the Senators' offence. Batherson has been a steady presence in the top-six this season, and his ability to find the net when the team needed a lift was on full display against San Jose.
Ullmark Iron Man
Linus Ullmark capped a remarkable stretch by picking up the win, his second in a little more than 24 hours. Starting back-to-back games at the NHL level is a demanding ask of any goaltender, and Ullmark's ability to come up with quality stops despite heavy legs speaks to his compete level and conditioning.
The Bigger Picture
For a Senators team working to lock up a playoff spot, picking up points against a team like the Sharks, one of the league's bottom-feeders, is exactly what's required. Dropping games to struggling opponents is the kind of thing that haunts teams come April, so banking these two points matters.
The win should also provide a confidence boost heading into tougher matchups on the schedule. When your fourth line is contributing like a first line and your goalie is stealing games on back-to-back nights, things are trending in the right direction at Canadian Tire Centre.
Sens Nation, enjoy this one.
Source: Ottawa Citizen
