The Ottawa Senators gave head coach Travis Green exactly what he wanted for his 55th birthday on Saturday: a hard-fought victory. In a matinee matchup at the Canadian Tire Centre, the Senators extended their winning streak to three games with a 6-4 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks in front of 18,254 fans.
A Birthday Victory Sealed in the Third
The win didn't come easily, requiring a strong finish to secure the two points. Tim Stützle led the offensive charge with a three-point performance, which included a shorthanded goal. Veteran forward David Perron found the back of the net twice, while captain Brady Tkachuk, defenceman Tyler Kleven, and Fabian Zetterlund each contributed a goal. Ottawa's control was evident in the final period, where they outshot Chicago by a dominant 18-3 margin.
Goaltender Leevi Meriläinen turned aside 20 shots to record his fourth win of the season. After the game, Perron emphasized the importance of the result, stating the team managed to regain momentum after a potential tipping point in the contest.
Video Reviews Dominate the Narrative
The early portion of the game was heavily influenced by the NHL's video review process for goaltender interference. The situation room in Toronto was kept busy as the Blackhawks challenged three separate goals for potential infractions, succeeding on two of those attempts.
The most confusing moment for fans came in the second period when a goal by Ottawa's Dylan Cozens was initially signaled as good by referee Beau Halkidis, only for the official to later announce it had been disallowed due to interference, drawing loud boos from the crowd. "I've seen it on TV, but I haven't seen it live," said Green. "I felt bad for him, but I felt bad more for us."
Kleven's Controversial Opener Stands
The scoring opened at 6:36 of the first period when Tyler Kleven fired a shot that beat Chicago goaltender Arvid Söderblom for his first goal of the season. The Blackhawks immediately challenged, claiming Brady Tkachuk had committed interference. This was their second challenge of the period, but the league upheld the goal, ruling that "Tkachuk's presence in the crease did not constitute goaltender interference."
The frequency of reviews left an impression on the players. "It was just a little confusing," admitted Stützle. "It just felt like every goal was a challenge." Despite the stop-start nature caused by the reviews, the Senators ultimately powered through to deliver a birthday gift their coach won't soon forget.
