Samuel Ersson and Ottawa's special-teams edge carried the Senators to a 4-2 win over Utah on Saturday.
Saturday's game, played today in Eastern time at Canadian Tire Centre, ended with Ottawa beating Utah 4-2. Utah outshot the Senators 30-20 in the team totals, but Samuel Ersson stopped 28 of 30 shots for a .933 save percentage; Karel Vejmelka made 17 saves on 20 shots for an .850 mark. Fabian Zetterlund scored Ottawa's power-play goal, the Senators' only listed power-play tally, while Michael Amadio and Nick Cousins also scored. Cousins added five hits, and Ottawa finished with a 40-23 edge in hits. Clayton Keller led Utah with a goal and an assist, six shots and a plus-2; Barrett Hayton added a goal on three shots. Thomas Chabot, Claude Giroux and Philip Tomasino each recorded an assist for Ottawa. Ersson's strong save rate and Ottawa's lone power-play conversion supplied the clearest edges in a game Utah's shot advantage could not turn into a win.
Key Performers
Samuel Ersson, Ottawa: 28 saves on 30 shots, .933 save percentage Clayton Keller, Utah: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, 6 shots, +2, 1 hit Fabian Zetterlund, Ottawa: 1 goal, 1 power-play goal, 1 shot, 1 hit
Standings Impact
The supplied standings list both teams at 10-6-1 with 21 points. Ottawa takes the game; updated standings totals were not provided.
DYMA Insight
Utah entered ranked 11th in DYMA's Power Index, just ahead of Ottawa at 12th, and had a +4.7 shots-per-game differential compared with Ottawa's -1.7. On Saturday, the Mammoth's shot volume was not enough to overcome Ersson's .933 save percentage and Ottawa's power-play goal.