Senators look impressive in 6-2 win over Coyotes

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Senators 6, Coyotes 2

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The Ottawa Senators did nothing to spoil the Oktoberfest party on Saturday afternoon.

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The Senators made it clear they would be a force to be reckoned with as six players posted two-point efforts and goaltender Anton Forsberg made 20 saves for a 6-2 win over the Minnesota Coyotes. Arizona ahead of 15,107 at the Canadian Tire Center.

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The three-game winning streak at home is the first time the Senators have achieved that feat since the start of the 2016-17 campaign. Captain Brady Tkachuk scored two goals, while Josh Norris, Mark Kastelic, Tyler Motte and Shane Pinto also scored.

Norris left the game in the third period with what appeared to be a shoulder injury.

« It was a good game for us, » said Pinto, who scored his fourth goal in as many games. “I say it all the time, but we stuck to our game plan. We just passed them and we were rewarded.

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The Senators had a classic third period that led to victory. A conversation from club officials after 40 minutes helped.

“We just wanted to show our maturity (in the third). We’re going to be in situations like this all year and we have to find a way to win these games,” said Tkachuk, who scored his fourth goal of the season on a breakaway at 12:08 of the third period. to seal the win.

“We kind of had a vanilla second period. We were kind of run-and-gun, there were penalties, and we wanted to crouch, get on their (defense) and get back to our game plan. I thought we had done it and we made a big effort in third.

The Senators really took control in the third period. Motte opened up a three-goal lead when he pushed the puck that Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka thought he had covered at 7:02. Only 47 seconds earlier, Kastelic had made it 4-2.

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“I think we played pretty sloppy in the second half. We took bad penalties, we lacked pace and we didn’t do what we did,” said Senators head coach DJ Smith. “Give the leadership credit because everything these guys said between periods has been corrected.

« We went out and we forechecked and we did what we had to do and we got a really good win. »

Give those Coyotes credit, though, because coach André Tourigny has his club fighting hard. Twice in the first 40 minutes, the Senators took a two-goal lead and both times Arizona fell to less than a goal.

Tkachuk opened a 3-1 lead for Ottawa at 3:47 of the second period, beating Vejmelka with a bottom-down shot. Clayton Keller had Arizona within a goal just 22 seconds into the period, while Dylan Guenther’s first National Hockey League goal at 1:40 put the Coyotes on the board.

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The key for the Senators was to jump on the Coyotes early, and they took a 2-0 lead within 97 seconds of the first period. Norris scored his first goal of the season as he redirected Jake Sanderson’s point shot through Vejmelka at 6:17.

Pinto got the party started at 4:40 a.m., netting a perfect backhand pass from Tyler Motte through Vejmelka from the slot.

After falling 2-0 to the Washington Capitals in a 5-2 win on Thursday, this one had a whole different feel for the Senators.

« We keep getting better with every game, and I think that’s the chemistry we’re building, » Sanderson said. « I know we’re feeling pretty good right now, but we have to stay on a level playing field. »

The Senators aren’t in a position to take anyone lightly, but they had to be careful not to look at the Coyotes’ roster and take this game for granted. Ottawa entered this game with a 1-6-1 record in the last eight games against Arizona. Smith was quick to point out that Arizona earned a 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.

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Those wins are important because points can’t be withdrawn at the end of the regular season, and the Senators have scored 18 goals in three home games.

“The five-on-five offense was great. I didn’t think the power play was great tonight. In the 4v3 (in the first half) we didn’t score and that carried over into our next couple,” Smith said. “We scored one (power play goal), but we weren’t as dangerous as we would like.

“In saying that, I thought our penalty kill was really good. There was a lot of desperation and (Forsberg) was really good for us. When we work this way, we get opportunities.

The Senators host the Dallas Stars on Monday night.

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/sungarrioch