Ottawa Senators end seven game run of misery with 4-3 win over Nashville Predators - NHL Update
Ottawa Senators' offensive line looked to have finally awoken from its slumber to win a tough encounter by 4-3 against Nashville Predators on Thursday, February 9, 2012 at the ScotiaBank Place.
Senators had been in a long slump and a great performance in offence seemed long overdue. It could not have come at a better time though as Ottawa just managed to shy out a dangerous Nashville Predators' team.
The victory finally snapped Ottawa’s miserable seven-game losing streak, as they move up to seventh in the Eastern Conference, with a 28-22-7 record and 63 points.
Senators’ goaltender, Alex Auld made 24 saves during the game to keep his team’s lead intact.
Centre Jason Spezza scored twice while defenseman, Chris Phillips also scored a brace to give Ottawa a much needed win.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Spezza praised his teammates’ performance and hoped that they can use this result to build up a string of victories.
"It's tough to stop losing streaks and we did that tonight, when you're winning games it seems like it's easy to win them, and when you're losing games it seems like you keep finding a way to lose. So to dig ourselves out of that hole tonight, hopefully we can springboard it and have a good one on Saturday (against Edmonton)."
Nashville, on the other hand, lost its second game in a row and with the defeat, remains in fifth spot in the Western Conference, with a 32-18-5 record and 69 points.
Centre Mike Fisher, who returned back to his old haunting ground for the first time since leaving the Senators in February of last year, was not happy with his team’s performance.
Fisher said:
"We didn't play well at all, give Ottawa credit, they had a good game. Other than the loss, it was a special night for sure, and to see Phillips have a game like that, I was happy for him."
Ottawa took the lead in the first period at 4:46 through Jason Spezza but the Predators levelled the score at 18:46 through Gabriel Bourque.
Chris Phillips scored his first goal of the season eight minutes into the second period to regain Ottawa’s one goal lead and the Predators once again came back level four minutes later as Patric Hornqvist scored his 16th of the season on a power play.
The game was anybody's for the taking and Jason Spezza at 18:55, scored his second of the night to give Senators the lead for the third time.
The Senators went up 4-2 in the third period as Chris Phillips playing his 1000th game in the league, scored his second of the night.
Nashville responded through Martin Erat at 19:50 to make it 4-3, but it was too little too late, as the Senators celebrated the end of a long miserable run.
Ottawa will now welcome Edmonton Oilers on Saturday and will hope to build up some winning momentum while Nashville Predators face another tough game against Boston Bruins.
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