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Wild knocked off their game in Ottawa

The NHL’s best road team was dismantled by the Senators, outshot 52-16 in a 6-0 loss

NHL: Minnesota Wild at Ottawa Senators
Minnesota Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson (32) makes a save in front of Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig (71) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025.
Marc DesRosiers / Imagn Images

The NHL’s best road team looked unprepared for the Ottawa Senators on Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre, falling behind 1-0 after one period on a short-handed goal.

Then it got worse.

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Josh Norris scored a first-period shorthanded goal, and Tim Stutzle and Michael Amadio scored 1 minute, 7 seconds apart midway through a frenetic second period as the Senators took control in a 6-0 victory.

The Wild trailed 3-0 after two periods and started the third with 5 shorthanded minutes thanks to a match penalty called on center Ryan Hartman when he fell on Stutzle and popped his helmet off on a face-off as time expired in the second.

The Senators scored three times during their man advantage to make it a runaway, one each by Jake Sanderson, Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson. Sanderson finished with a goal and two assists.

Ottawa threw 52 shots on goal against Filip Gustavsson, who kept the Wild in it early before getting hung out to dry in the third. He finished with 46 saves. Ottawa’s Leevi Merilainen needed only 16 saves for the shutout.

It was the eighth time in franchise history the Wild had given up 50 or more shots in the game, and the 52 shots were the most since Gustavsson stopped 49 of 53 in a 4-3 overtime loss to Columbus on Oct. 21, 2023.

The Wild started this five-game trip with victories at Chicago, Toronto and Montreal to improve to an NHL-best 20-5-3 in the road this season, the second an emotional, 4-0, victory in which Marc-Andre Fleury earned his 76th career shutout in likely his last appearance in his home province of Quebec.

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Before the game, John Hynes was asked by reporters in Ottawa if he were concerned about a letdown in the wake of that stirring victory. The Wild head coach answered that a day off Friday should have helped his team move on and refocus.

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But right out of the gate, the Wild struggled to win battles, complete passes and, hence, get any real time in the Senators’ offensive zone. The power play was a mess, as well, leading to Ottawa’s 1-0 first-period lead.

Five seconds into a Wild power play, Jake Sanderson took control of the puck behind the net and started skating it out for a dump. But Norris was racing down the left boards, and Sanderson angled the puck to his teammate over the blue lines. It hit the stick of Wild center Marco Rossi, but he let it slip past, and Norris picked up, raced to the crease and scored on a backhander in the far corner to make it 1-0 with 1:59 left in the first period.

NHL: Minnesota Wild at Ottawa Senators
Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno (17) and Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub (2) get in a scrap in the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025.
Marc DesRosiers / Imagn Images

The Wild started the second period with a sharp power play but were turned back on some good scoring chances by Ottawa goaltender Merilainen. After that, the Senators took control, outshooting the Wild 18-6 and taking a 3-0 lead.

To make matters worse, Hartman — who was penalized for roughing and embellishment after a tussle with Stultze late in the period — was assessed a match penalty for falling on Stutzle’s head during a face-off, leaving Minnesota shorthanded for the first 5 minutes of the third period.

Ottawa wasted little time in putting the game away, scoring three goals — the first by Sanderson to make it 4-0 — before the 5 minutes were over.

It could have been worse. Gustavsson, who was struggling before he earned wins at Chicago and Toronto last week, was sharp. Peppered with 25 shots in two periods, he stopped a large handful of Grade-A chances that would have broken the game open for the Senators earlier.

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This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here.

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