The Ottawa Senators aim to rebound from their first loss of the season in their home opener on Thursday when they skate against the struggling Philadelphia Flyers.
However, the team ran out of luck Tuesday in Detroit, as the Red Wings earned a 5-3 victory. The Senators won their first two games road victories against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins.
Tyson Foerster scored the only goal for Philadelphia in the defeat against Tampa Bay. The team only has three goals from forwards in the early going and nobody on the roster has more than two points so far.
Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle and William Eklund scored for the Senators, while newcomer and former Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson made 31 saves. The Flyers will keep a close eye on the durable center, who scored 34 goals last season and has played in at least 75 games over the past five years. “Hopefully we’re going to turn this thing around because, obviously, this is not us.
“I thought we looked a little tired, but there are going to be games where you are tired in this league,” Green said. “We didn’t really play for the first 25 or 27 minutes of the game,” Senators captain Thomas Chabot said. “We’ve got to be better and it starts with me and ,” said goalie Dan Vladar, who allowed three goals in Monday’s 4-1 setback against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a marked improvement after he yielded seven goals in a season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. “We’re not getting the results,” Flyers forward Porter Martone said.
Top goaltender Linus Ullmark missed the game with an undisclosed injury, although coach Travis Green felt like the team dragged a bit in front of Ersson. “In this league, no matter who you play, if you don’t show up right at the start, you aren’t going to win. This is not fun. Obviously, our game is not at the level it should be. “This whole team, we expect a lot more. You can’t be getting outshot like that. Give them credit, they’re a good team, but you’ve got to come to battle. We have the skill in here, we have the people, it’s just doing it. We’ve just got to be connected. It’s easy to say, but I’m a person where actions speak louder than words. Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet is equally focused on his team’s offense just three games into the campaign.
